Aquavit Swedish Meatballs Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, chopped onion, bread crumbs, egg, and milk. Season with parsley, Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Mix well with your hands. Shape into walnut-size balls, and place on baking dish.
• Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven. Turn frequently so they brown evenly on all sides.
• To make the sauce: In a saucepan, combine oil, flour, paprika, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook over medium heat until sizzling. Stir in hot water and sour cream until smooth and heated through.
• When meatballs have cooked 30 minutes, pour sauce over the top, and return to the oven for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Steps:

• Soak the bread (bread crumbs) in the cream. Mix the ground meat and add the cream and bread mixture. Brown the finely chopped onion in a little butter. Mix the onion with an egg and add it to the meat mixture. Work the mixture until smooth. Add some more water to give a smooth consistency, season with pepper and salt as you go.
• Roll the meat into balls. The simplest method is to shape them using the wet palm of your hand and a couple of tablespoons, alternately standing them in a glass of hot water.
• Melt rather large quantity of butter and put 10 to 20 meatballs at a time, depending on their size. Let them brown, and shake the pan now and again so that they roll around, removing each one when they are ready.
• If the meatballs are to be served with gravy or sauce, proceed as follows:
• Rinse the frying pan with water after each frying and add new butter. When all the meatballs are ready, sprinkle a little flour in the pan, pour in the gravy (i.e. butter from the frying and water used to rinse the pan) and stir until the sauce is even. Flavor with a little white pepper, salt and perhaps some Soy Sauce. Let the meatballs bubble gently for a few minutes in the sauce, over low heat. If a creamy sauce is desired, pour cream into the pan after the last frying.
• Serve the meatballs with potatoes, lingonberries, salt or pickled cucumber and gravy.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
• Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.
• In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.
• Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.
• Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

Steps:

• Sauce and meatballs, part 1: Start the sauce by adding beef stock to a saucepan over medium-high heat; boil, uncovered, until reduced by half, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the meatballs: In a medium bowl, whisk together bread crumbs, milk, allspice, salt, and mustard. Add the egg and whisk again. Allow liquid to absorb into the breadcrumbs, 10 minutes.
• Meatballs, part 2: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place beef and pork in a large bowl (or just beef, if you aren't using pork); add the milk and breadcrumb mixture, and combine well with your hands. Roll into balls, about 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) each, and set aside on the baking sheet. (Use a cookie scoop to measure out the balls, if you wish.) Chill 45 minutes to one hour.
• Sauce, part 2: Add cream to the reduced beef stock. Leave over medium heat, uncovered, until reduced by ⅓, about 30 minutes. (Stay nearby to make sure the sauce doesn't boil over.)
• Potato purée: Add potatoes to a medium saucepan with a big pinch of salt and enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until very soft and almost falling apart, 20 minutes. When potatoes are cooked, drain well; then place them back into the hot pot (with the heat turned off) to evaporate any residual moisture, 30 seconds. Run potatoes through a food mill or ricer into a mixing bowl. Add butter and stir well to combine; then pour in the warm milk and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add salt to taste and place back into the the saucepan. Over very low heat, whisk again to release extra moisture in the potatoes. Set aside, uncovered, while making meatballs.(Note: Potato purée can be made a day ahead and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. To reheat, add to pot with a splash of milk and stir over low heat until hot.)
• Sauce, part 3: When the cream has reduced by ⅓, finish the sauce by stirring in the lingonberry jam. Add salt to taste. (Chef Bengtsson suggests adding salt to all sauces after they have reduced.)
• Meatballs, part 3: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. When butter is foamy, add first batch of chilled meatballs in an even layer. Reduce heat slightly to medium-high and cook on all sides until browned on the outside but still slightly pink in the middle, about 5 minutes. Cook remaining meatballs in 1-2 more batches, adding more butter if necessary. If butter browns too fast or starts to burn, wipe out the pan and use fresh butter. (Meatballs can be made in advance up to this point and refrigerated for 5-6 days or frozen in zip-top bags for up to 2 weeks.)
• Assembly: Strain cream sauce into a bowl through a fine-mesh strainer to ensure smooth consistency. Place a big spoonful of potato purée on a plate, along with 6-8 meatballs and a dollop of lingonberry jam. Spoon cream sauce over the meatballs and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.