Mexican Meatball Soup – Oracibo

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. EVOO
• 2 ¾ cups chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 small bay leaves
• 7 ¼ oz. beef stock (see below) or low/no salt beef broth (5 – 14 ½ oz. tins)
• 1 – 28 oz. tin Italian plum tomatoes, diced, juice reserved
• ½ cup chunky, medium-hot, tomato salsa
• ½ cup chopped cilantro (1/4 cup for meatballs)
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• ¼ lb. bulk pork sausage meat or pork sausages with skins removed
• 6 Tbsp. yellow cornmeal
• ¼ cup homogenized milk (whole milk)
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• ½ cup long-grain white rice