Monday, February 15, 2010

Swedish Meatballs




I am okay, for those of you who are/were actively following my blog and it is not that I might have stopped cooking or something similar, I have just been and actually still am very busy.
With life in general.
I am in Washington DC with some business right now and cannot really sleep although I really should, so I thought it would be nice if I would catch up on some blogging.


I will be showcasing the famous Swedish meatballs which have always sounded wonderful and all the pictures I have seen them in looked appetizing, so naturally, I had to try them.
What sets them apart is the buttery onion that goes into the composition and then the combination of pork and beef and all the spices that go in.
All in all, just a wonderful meal that you really need to try.
Meatballs can be made in a million ways, but there are really different and I wish I knew what gave them their name.


I have used Alton Brown's (my cooking guru...lol) recipe which can be found HERE, with the exception that I combined pork with beef.
I have also only cooked half of the recipe and served my Swedish meatballs on a bed of spaghetti.
If you do so too, do not forget to add a touch of finely chopped parsley, you know, for a burst of color and freshness.

After you pretty much have laid all your measured ingredients around and you have chosen the small non-stick skillet,


you can start chopping the onion and sautee it in butter,


until it softens.


This way, they butter will be mostly infused into the onion.



While the onion is cooking, make sure you have the bread soaking...


and if you are like me, and like whole grain better, just go ahead and used that instead of white bread.
In the meantime, don't hesitate to indulge yourself ....grapes it is this time !


When the onion is ready, let it cool down for a few minutes, then combine with the rest of the ingredients...

and mix well with your hand or a fork.
I used my hand, but wore a plastic/rubber glove.
At this point it might look like this



and I would suggest you let it sit for at least 10 minutes so that the flavors can mingle.
When shaping the meatballs, use either a spoon, teaspoon or an icecream scoop to help you in the process.

And fry them, not necessarily in butter.
If you do decide to use butter and it is not clarified, be sure not to let it burn or it might spoil the taste of your wonderful Swedish meatballs.
Enjoy !
Any questions or comments?
Feel free to share your thoughts !

*** I almost forgot: I did make the sauce to go with it, but because I am not crazy for it, I do not recommend it. However, you are free to try and it as you might like it. I'm just picky, that's all.

3 comments:

  1. Imi propusesem cu cateva luni in urma sa fac si eu, dar uitasem de ele, acum cand am vazut postul tau mi-am amintit. Sper sa nu uit iar de el in perioada urmatoare. Crezi ca ar fi ok coapte in cuptor ? Incercam sa mentinem o dieta mai light in ultima vreme si ma intrebam daca ar fi potrivit sa le adaptez. Ma bucur sa te "revad" aici, iti simteam lipsa.

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  2. Narnia - cred ca le poti coace, de ce nu ? Pentru o perioada voi fi cam ocupata, dar in cele din urma voi posta mai des, dupa cum imi permite timpul.

    Dave - thanks !

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