The Mexican original: Cristina Gonzalez's grandmother from Jalisco made this gently seasoned soup, called sopa de albondigas, with beef.
The SoCal remake: Cristina, who grew up in L.A., substitues ground turkey for the beef and adds fresh oregano. "When I serve this soup to my 7-year-old, we talk about how his Mexican abuelito (grandfather) and I ate it growing up, and how he's eating it now." she said.
Recipe: Meatball Vegetable Soup