Swedish Meatballs Recipe
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Category: |
Category: |
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: Meatballs:
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 1/2 cups low-salt beef stock or broth, divided (save for Cream Sauce)
3-4 T butter, divided
1 cup finely minced onion
2 thick slices bacon
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Cream Sauce for Meatballs
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can good quality beef broth or stock
2 Tbsp sour cream
1/3 cup Half-and-Half
1 packet powdered pork gravy mix (Kroger brand is good)
Any defatted meatball liquid from baking
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Directions: |
Directions:Meatball Method:
Mix the breadcrumbs and 1/3 cup stock in a small bowl and set aside to soak. Melt one (1) Tbsp butter in a skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and saute till lightly browned and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Wipe out saute pan and return to medium heat. Add bacon slices and cook till crisp. Drain and crush into small pieces before adding to bowl of onion. Reserve bacon fat.
Add the rest of the ingredients (from beef to nutmeg) to onion/bacon mix and blend thoroughly with hands. Fold in soaked breadcrumb mixture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt 1 Tbsp butter and reserved bacon fat in saute pan. Mold about one (1) Tbsp meatball mix into a ball and add to saute pan. Continue, fitting about 12 at a time in my dutch oven. Fry gently, turning once to brown on all sides. Meatballs don't have to cook through. As they brown, remove them from pan and place in a 9"x12" baking or casserole pan. When all meatballs (about 36) have browned and been added to baking pan, put meatballs in the oven for 30 minutes, covered with foil. After removing from oven, remove as much liquid from pan as possible with baster and let cool so fat will rise to top. Reserve liquid for Cream Sauce.
Cream Sauce Method:
Whisk all ingredients, except sour cream, together till smooth and simmer gently till sauce has thickened. Add sour cream and heat through. May pour over hot meatballs or serve separately.
I usually make my meatballs a day or two ahead and refrigerate until ready to serve, heating gently at about 300 degrees F for about 30 minutes.
Adapted from Bon Apetit, 9/11. I used a slightly different recipe for many years till I found this one and liked it better. |
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Number Of
Servings: |
Number Of
Servings:36 meatballs |
Preparation
Time: |
Preparation
Time:One hour |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: What makes Swedish meatballs distinct from other meatball nationalities are the spices added to the mix and the cream sauce. They are also served with a confit called Lingon, a dark, tart/sweet berry that grows wild in Sweden. My Swedish grandmother, Ada Samuelsson Green, who cooked for her husband and ten children every day, made meatballs a staple of her family menus. Grandma had frequent migraines (who wouldn't with 10 children?). She would make her dinner preparations and then lay down on a couch in the dining room with a wet cloth on her forehead. One day, laying there and praying for the pain to ease, she heard muffled sniggering in the kitchen. It was Ralph, Dave and Ruthie, her three youngest, probably up to no good. She went to see what was going on. There was Ralph and Dave (early grade-school age) throwing her raw meatballs up against the wall above the kitchen door, basketball-fashion while preschooler, Ruthie, giggled encouragingly. Grandma cleaned up the mess, reshaped the meatballs and got them fried up for dinner, headache and all.
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