Ah, these famous Swedish meatballs, which the famous Astrid Lindgren immortalized in her books, attributing a passion for them to the most charming and moderately well-fed man of all time! The very ones for which many are ready to go to IKEA once again. Neat, plump, with a delicate sauce and lingonberry jam. You can cook this delicacy at home, because this is exactly what hundreds of thousands of Swedes do. And they do it much better than in a canteen, even if one of the most popular stores in the world.
How to make Swedish meatballs
For the meatballs themselves, you will need the following foods:
- 1 head of onion;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 2 cups white bread, chopped into cubes;
- ½ glass of milk 2.5% fat;
- 500 grams of ground beef (neck);
- 500 grams of ground pork (neck);
- ½ cup bread crumbs;
- 12 teaspoon grated nutmeg;
- ¾ teaspoon of crushed allspice;
- 2 chicken eggs;
- olive oil.
Peel the head of yellow salad onions, cut into small cubes. Pass the garlic cloves through a press. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, saute the onions until transparent, season with a pinch of salt and add garlic. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then transfer the vegetables to a bowl and cool.
While the onion is cooling, pour the milk over the white bread cubes. Let the liquid absorb. Then squeeze out the milk and add the bread to the onion and garlic. Add ground meat, season with pepper, salt, nutmeg. Beat the eggs lightly and add them to the bowl too. Add the breadcrumbs. Start kneading the minced meat. If it seems dry to you, add milk little by little. Knead into a smooth, homogeneous mass. For airiness, beat it off.
Preheat oven to 200C. Line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle lightly with oil. Scoop the minced meat with a tablespoon and sculpt neat balls from this mass. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet. Bake them for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Meatball sauce
For the sauce you will need:
- 3 tablespoons of butter;
- 1/3 cup wheat flour;
- 3 cups beef broth;
- ¼ glasses of sour cream;
- Worcestershire sauce.
Prepare the sauce while the meatballs are baking. Preheat a deep skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter gently. When all the butter has completely melted and begins to foam slightly, sift flour into it. Stir until the characteristic nutty flavor appears and pour in the warm beef broth. Begin whisking the sauce. It is very important that neither the flour nor the sauce burns, because the real color of the Swedish meatball sauce is creamy white. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour sour cream into the prepared gravy, season with salt, pepper, Worcester sauce.
Place cooked meatballs in hot sauce, stir and heat everything together for 2-3 minutes. Serve with traditional lingonberry jam and mashed potatoes.
