Beef Albondigas

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and small dice the onion. Peel the garlic; mince 1 clove, leaving the the remaining clove whole. Halve the squash lengthwise; cut into ½-inch-thick pieces on an angle. Pick the parsley leaves off the stems; discard the stems and finely chop half the leaves, keeping the remaining leaves whole. Core and halve the tomato; small dice 1 half, leaving the remaining half intact. Halve the baguette.

In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the onion and half the minced garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Add the spice blend; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until well combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Rinse and wipe out the pan.

In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the squash; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned and softened. Add the remaining minced garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl; set aside in a warm place. Wipe out the pan.

Add the ground beef, raisins, breadcrumbs and chopped parsley to the bowl of cooked aromatics; season with salt and pepper. Gently mix until just combined. Using your hands, form the mixture into 12 to 14 equal-sized meatballs. Transfer to a plate.

In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the meatballs; cook, turning occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Carefully drain off and discard the drippings, leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan. Add the tomato paste; season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until dark red. Add the diced tomato, ¾ cup of water and the browned meatballs; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any fond, 5 to 7 minutes, or until the meatballs are thoroughly coated and cooked through. Remove from heat.

While the meatballs cook, place the baguette on a sheet pan, cut sides up. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Toast in the oven 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, rub the cut sides of the toasted baguette with the whole garlic clove, then with the cut side of the tomato half, squeezing and pressing the tomato into the bread. Discard the garlic clove and tomato half. Divide the cooked meatballs and sauce and cooked squash between 2 dishes. Garnish with the whole parsley leaves. Serve with the pan con tomate on the side. Enjoy!