Every place has their iconic food icon- for New York; it's the hot dog (among so many, Sylvia's anyone?) the indulgent haggis of Scotland and the comforting meat pie in the land down under. So when it comes to Swedish cuisine, it's hard not to think of meatballs and gravy, affectionately made famous by a certain flat-pack furniture mogul.
This recipe is from one of my favourite culinary icons Rachel Khoo, featured in her book The Little Swedish Kitchen. Keep in mind this isn't your ordinary out of the freezer section meatballs, these are flavoursome, juicy and can be served with whatever sides you like.
For winter think an island of garlic mash, for those warmer days a leafy salad bought to life with the zest of citrus and herbs.
One of the main changes I have made with this recipe is the cooking method. To help save some time I don't pan fry the meatballs in butter as the recipe suggests. I roll them out onto a greased tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
If you're feeling super-efficient, why not go ahead and make double the quantity? Leave them to cool before putting them into a container to freeze. To reheat simply place in a baking dish, cover with foil and cook in the oven on medium heat for about 25-30minutes.
Let's get started with this simple little number, that you can easily double in quantity, store in the freezer for those lazy days and treat yourself to a night off cooking. Win-win.
Ingredients
This recipe makes 40-48 meatballs, enough for 4-6 serves.
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp white pepper
2 tsp mustard ( sweet is prefered)
1 free-range medium egg
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground allspice
75ml single cream
50g breadcrumbs
250g beef mince
250g pork mince
Oil, preferably a spray
Gravy
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp plain flour
500ml beef stock
100ml single cream
Salt and pepper
Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
1. Preheat the oven to 180c, 160c for fan-forced
2. Get a large bowl and add the salt, white pepper, mustard, egg, onion powder, allspice and cream. Stir well
3. Add the breadcrumbs and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes, allowing for the breadcrumbs to absorb the liquid
4. Mix in the mince with the soaked breadcrumbs until all is well combined
5. Roll out the mixture into small bite-sized balls
6. Place the meatballs onto the well-oiled baking trays and bake for 20minutes or until golden.
While your meatballs are in the oven cooking, now is the perfect time to make that moreish, must-have gravy.
Heat the butter in a saucepan until it starts to melt and go frothy
2. Add the flour and beat over the heat with a whisk for 1-2 minutes or until it starts t0 go golden in colour, forming a paste.
3. Whisk in the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking it continuously until it thickens.
4.Add the cream and stir through, allowing to heat through for about 2 minutes.
Serve the meatballs hot from the oven with the gravy, and whichever sides are to your liking. Mash, steamed veggies, pickled cucumbers and a side of lingonberry/cranberry sauce are all favourites in my household.