Swedish Meatballs

This recipe is a re-do after I first posted it in January 2009. I love meatballs and I was overdue to make them again. These meatballs were demonstrated to me by an Italian woman I once for in 2001. She learned how when she lived in Stockholm. I had to make up some things of my own because when she showed me it was a bit like: "Ok, I add a bit of this and a bit of that and here you go." I have since then taken her demonstration and formed my own measurements with a few altered ingredients making it as close as I could get. I think I did pretty well. Try them for yourself. Smaklig måltid or enjoy your meal!

Meatballs-
Ingredients:
1 lb of Lean Ground Beef
1 lb of Ground Pork
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 small onion diced or equivalent dried onion (Sauted in oil)
1 pint of Heavy Cream
2 cups of bread cubed or crumbs (gluten free bread works great too)
1/2-1 teaspoon of California Garlic powder (or equivalent amount of garlic)
1/2-1 Tablespoon of Ginger
1/2-1 Tablespoon of Nutmeg
1 teaspoon of pepper and salt
Oil for making meatballs and sauteing onions

Toast your own bread crumb in a 400 degree oven for up to 10 minutes or more if needed to dry. You can always leave them out over night to dry. Grind them up into crumbs. (Food processor is a fast way)

Mash beef and pork together in one bowl. In another bowl mix eggs, cream, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, and salt together. Mix all together with hands and then add sauted onions and bread crumbs, again mix with hands until meat becomes a lighter texture. Roll into small balls and cook on medium to high heat and keep turning them.

After cooking them on medium to high heat, transfer to a slow cooker set on high. Make sure they are mostly cooked (hardly any pink in the middle). You don't have to transfer them to a slow cooker, but since I make so many, I like to transfer them so I can keep cooking more in my pan while keeping the rest hot.

Gravy:
This can be with or without fat drippings. I use lean ground beef so, I hardly get any fat drippings really. Just use any fat drippings you have and add butter accordingly if desired.

Ingredients:
4 cups of water (reserve 1 cup for corn starch and 1 cup for bullion to dissolve in each)
2 beef bullion cubes
Butter if needed (depends on you)
1/2 to 1 cup of cream (any kind)
Ginger, Nutmeg, garlic, Salt and Pepper to taste and smell.

For a great thickener use corn starch, flour, and potato flakes. (Use one, two or all three).
Melt butter and/or fat in saucepan, add water with bullion.

While continuously stirring with whisk pour in starch, sift in flour, and shake in potato flakes. Add up to 4 tablespoons of each or as needed and bring to a boil or until thickened.

Helpful Hint* Pour gravy into a slow cooker and set on low to high while you cook the meatballs. Add meatballs into gravy as you cook them to keep warm and set in gravy.

Serve with Berry Sauce:
I Strongly recommend serving the meatballs with whole berry Cranberry sauce (unless you can find Lingon Berry sauce). The point is, the flavors that come together from the ginger and the sweet yet tartness of the berry makes a delicious combination. I was always told never to serve them with out the berries.

Garlic Mashed potatoes are also a great addition!

Food Challenge: From Ordinary to Orignal

Food Challenge:

Make something bigger or better from something you normally have.

We often have baked potatoes for dinner and sometimes, baked potatoes just seem plain or ordinary to us. Of course there is always a stuffed baked potato option for dinner and that can range from having chili, broccoli and taco meat a top this ordinary spud. However, I have to admit that I have never tried my baked potato with Alfredo sauce covering the veggies and grilled chicken, what a treat! This idea came from my favorite restaurant Claim Jumper. They have what they call a Giant Stuffed Baker on their menu and making it at home was not a hard thing. So, try something new from something old or something original from something ordinary for this month's food challenge.

Giant Stuffed Baker Imitation

from Claim Jumper:

Giant Baker Potatoes (Idaho Potatoes are always nice ;)

Grilled or baked chicken (shredded or diced)

Steamed Veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, etc.

Alfredo Sauce- I used Heather C.'s Alfredo sauce recipe (click Here)

I topped it with bacon bits, dried red peppers, and chives.

Delicious!

Tomato Onion Sauce

This is actually a sauce my husband created from our friend Isabelle who taught us both how to make authentic Mexican food. He changes a few things to her original recipe.  

Boil 3-4 Tomatoes, 1 seeded Jalapeno, and 1 whole onion  (Half if it is really large) until they are really soft.

Puree in food processor while heating up a few ounces of Olive Oil.

Add back into pan with hot oil and bring to boil while adding:

1-2 Tablespoons of Chicken Soup Base

This sauce is great on Chile Rellenos, Tamales, or any Mexican food dish.

Chicken Oscar- Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise sauce is an egg based sauce that is used for a lot of different recipes. Some of the most common are Eggs Benedict and Chicken Oscar. It is also a common sauce to have with asparagus alone. Chicken Oscar is a delicious combination of Chicken breast, Asparagus, and Hollandaise sauce on top. It is a fast a easy dish to make when you want something more than just chicken. 

This is how I prepare mine: 

Brush Asparagus with a litle Olive oil and grill until desired tenderness (I don't like mine too soft)

Brush a little Olive oil over chicken breast and rub some dried onion, garlic, and paprika on it. Grill as usual.

Lay out the chicken on your plate, add a few Asparagus sprigs, and top with some Hollandaise. I also like to add a few shakes of some Paprika. 

For Hollandaise sauce, use either a store bought packet and follow directions or make it from scratch like so:

Hollandaise Sauce:

4 Egg yokes
1-3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
1 stick of melted unsalted butter
 up to 1/4 cup of hot water if needed
a dash of paprika and salt (optional)

Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a glass heat proof bowl until the mixture is fluffy and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice.

My Chicken Oscar served with:

Lemon and Herb Rice- Click here for recipe.

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella marinated in Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil.