Italicious

My Swedish ancestors are celebrating these meatballs, probably the only Swedish food that I know how to make and the recipe comes from the Joy of Cooking, not brought through Ellis Island with my great grandparents. Needless to say, beyond my height and my last name, there isn’t a whole lot of Swed in me, or at least not that I am aware of.

My husband loves these meatballs, the spice from the nutmeg and allspice bring a totally different flavor than the Italian meatballs that he grew up with. The recipe includes a gravy to go with it, which I have never made, they are fried in butter, which makes them heavy enough, gravy would only make them that much heavier. I brought out a little bit of raspberry jam and spread that on the bread that accompanied the meatballs, delicious. Any berry jam would go well, they call for that tart sweetness.

Swedish Meatballs adapted from the Joy of Cooking

Melt in a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat:

• 1 tbsp butter

Add and cook, stirring often, until soft, 1 to 2 minutes:

• 1 tbsp minced onions

Remove from the heat and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine and let stand until soft, about 1 to 2 minutes:

• 2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 cup water

Add the reserved onions along with:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice

Beat on a low speed until smooth. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until light in color and fluffy about 10 minutes. Using two spoons dipped in cold water, shape the meat into 1-inch balls. Heat in a large skillet over medium heat:

• 4 tbsp butter

Cook the meatballs in batches of about 15 to 20 at a time and brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted soon and drain briefly on paper towels before removing to a warmed serving platter. Cover to keep warm.

One Year Ago: Sfogliatelle & Cotolleta alla Milanese

~ by italicious on December 11, 2009.

Posted in beef
Tags: meatballs