Easy Swedish Meatballs
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Easy Swedish Meatballs
When making a post about easy Swedish meatballs, I thought it would be important to chat with some real Swedes. I have a few friends who are Swedish and I don’t mean second generation Swedish Americans or anything like that. I mean real Swedes. Some of them are not only from Sweden, but their credentials are bolstered by the fact that some of them work at Ikea, in management no less. This is the real deal. I thought of important questions to ask like Who do you think is more famous ABBA or Swedish meatballs? They insisted that I not ask any questions about the Swedish Chef from the Muppets. Question number 2 was immediately removed. But I get that. What the hell do Swedes care about a misnamed Norwegian chef?
A discussion such as this may be risky as you might find that your recipe for easy Swedish meatballs is very different than one from an authentic Swede. When I regaled them with the story of how my mom made hers with delicious, condensed cream of celery soup, the conversation all but stopped. Not just because that was the farthest thing from how a real Swede (or anyone else for that matter) would make Swedish meatballs, but it seems that condensed soup is uniquely American. There was no giggling, but certainly some unusual looks and the use of words with ø in them. What sound does ø actually make anyway? The fact that it was condensed celery soup didn’t exactly help as this is an odd soup, no?
All good conversations about easy Swedish meatballs should start with a discussion about the onion. Do you cook the onion before adding it to the meatballs? No. Like a reindeer in headlights, they must have seen my face wince. Oh dear, I cook my onions just to make them tender and give a little sweetness. I tried not to let on. They knew the face though. It was the same one Björn Borg made when he lost Wimbledon. More words with ø in them.
How about the meat? Pork? Beef? A Mix? A 50:50 blend of pork and beef is the way to go. PHEW! I am good. Ground Veal will also make a nice meatball. Things were looking up. Alfred Nobel would be impressed! BTW, there was no mention of elk or reindeer. I thought for sure this might pop up.
Certainly a panade (a mixture of milk and breadcrumbs) is used to make those meatballs extra tender? Not really. A little mashed potato is sometimes added. Alfred Nobel would no longer be impressed. There was that wince again. I am a firm believer in a panade to help make the meatballs moist and tender. A springy dry meatball is just not fun.
Eggs? Yes. Excellent! Let King Carl XVI Gustaf know! It is all good! I like to add the egg yolks because they give a little richness. The white is optional. It always seems to me that the white would just gum up the meatballs.
Salt and Pepper? Yes, but usually only white pepper. Hmmm…that sounded like an extra trip to the store, so black pepper it is! Nobody said these were totally authentic Swedish meatballs, just easy Swedish meatballs!
Allspice? NO! I am good here.
And you mix the meat and ingredients with a food processor
The meatballs are baked? (I was goading them). No. Mine are not baked either nor are they fried. They are sautéed in oil or butter, butter being the tastiest option. Olive oil never hurt a meatball, so if you want to go 1/2 a notch healthier, go for it. Cooking them in batches is the way to go. Crowding the pan is a no no. Since no meatball ever browns perfectly on every inch of the sphere’s surface (that is just the culinary physics of a tender meatball), move them as best you can in the pan and brown them as much as possible. Make sure that you cook them completely through. Keep the cooked meatballs in a warm oven while the rest are being sautéed and the sauce is being made.
Gravy? Yes, but not when the meatballs are on a buffet.
Cream in the gravy? Yes. Rats. Mine is an easy Swedish meatballs so cream is, well… difficult? A simple roux thickened gravy is perfect. You can use the fat from the meatballs or fresh butter to make it. Of course, you can always add cream. A little Sherry would never hurt either.
All to be served on noodles? There was some squinting and some silence. Some head shaking. Even progressive Swedes can be pushed to their limits. I am sure a few calls were made to the King and Prime Minister. Swedish meatballs, it seems, are served with potatoes, lingonberry
BTW, Swedish meatballs are more famous than ABBA – Sorry Benny. But then, Swedish Meatballs can’t sing. Don’t you think Benny should get back together with the other members of ABBA? They can sing about Swedish Meatballs.
Here is a video that puts it all together for you. The recipe follows.
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 1 cup of milk
- 3/4 cup of your favorite breadcrumbs
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 egg yolks
- 8 tbsp of butter
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 2 cups of beef or chicken stock or low sodium broth
- salt and pepper
- olive oil or butter
- Pre-heat the oven to 200F.
- Peel and dice the onion finely. Optionally, heat 2 tbsp of butter or olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. When the fat is hot, add the onion and sautee until it is tender about 10 minutes. Remove the onions from the heat and let cool completely.
- In a small bowl, make a panade by mixing the milk and breadcrumbs. Let the breadcrumbs and milk sit 5-10 minutes or until all the crumbs are totally soaked.
- In a large bowl, mix the pork, beef, sautéed onion, egg yolks and panade. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon or your hands until everything is well incorporated into the meat. To ensure the mixture is appropriately seasoned, cook a small portion of it in a small sautee pan in some olive oil. Adjust the seasoning in the meat mixture with salt and pepper as needed.
- Roll heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture into meatballs.
- In a large saute pan, heat 2 tbsp of of olive oil or butter (or a mix of both) over medium heat. Cook the meatballs in batches, rolling them around occasionally so the meatballs brown all over. When the meatballs are cooked through, move them to a baking tray and keep them warm in the pre-heated oven.
- When all the meatballs are cooked, make the sauce. Drain the pan of the fat from the meatballs. Add the 8 tbsp of butter and allow the butter to melt. Once melted, add the flour and whisk until the flour is fully incorporated. Let the flour and butter mixture, called a roux, simmer for a few minutes until it is just getting golden brown.
- Slowly whisk in the stock. Bring the mixture to a full simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer 10-15 minutes.
- Add the meatballs. Stir to coat and simmer 1-2 minutes.
- Serve hot with boiled potatoes, lingonberry jam and pickled vegetables or in an un-Swedish fashion on egg noodles with lingonberry jam and pickled vegetables.
- The fat in the pan from the meatballs can be used in lieu of the 8 tbsp of butter to make the sauce. If the fat has burned or there are too many burnt pieces in it, it can be stained or the butter can be used.
- If you are making the meatballs as an appetizer, serve without the sauce.
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