Aquavit Swedish Meatballs Recipes

AQUAVIT'S SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Prepare the Meatballs.
• Combine the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup cream in a small bowl, stirring until all the crumbs are moistened.
• Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion and saute for for about five minutes, until softened.
• Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, combine ground beef, veal and pork, onion, honey and egg, and mix well with your hands (remember Julia--your impeccably clean hands).
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the bread crumb/cream mixture and mix well.
• With wet hands (to keep mixture from sticking) shape the mixture into meatballs the size of golfballs, placing them on a plate slightly moistened with water.
• You should have about 24 meatballs.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about seven minutes, until the meatballs are browned on all sides and cooked through.
• Transfer the meatballs to a plate and keep warm.
• Discard all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet.
• Prepare the Sauce.
• Return the skillet to the heat.
• Whisk in the stock, 1/2 cup of cream, preserves and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about five minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through.
• Serve hot with garlic mashed potatoes, lingonberry preserves and pickled cucumbers.

AQUAVIT SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• 1 Prepare the Meatballs. 2 Combine the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup cream in a small bowl, stirring until all the crumbs are moistened. 3 Set aside. 4 Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. 5 Add the onion and saute for for about five minutes, until softened. 6 Remove from heat. 7 In a large bowl, combine ground beef, veal and pork, onion, honey and egg, and mix well with your hands (remember Julia--your impeccably clean hands). 8 Season with salt and pepper to taste. 9 Add the bread crumb/cream mixture and mix well. 10 With wet hands (to keep mixture from sticking) shape the mixture into meatballs the size of golfballs, placing them on a plate slightly moistened with water. 11 You should have about 24 meatballs. 12 Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 13 Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about seven minutes, until the meatballs are browned on all sides and cooked through. 14 Transfer the meatballs to a plate and keep warm. 15 Discard all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet. 16 Prepare the Sauce. 17 Return the skillet to the heat. 18 Whisk in the stock, 1/2 cup of cream, preserves and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. 19 Season to taste with salt and pepper. 20 Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about five minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through. 21 Serve hot with garlic mashed potatoes, lingonberry preserves and pickled cucumbers.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS (ALTON BROWN'S)

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.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

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.

TAILGATE SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Put bread crumbs and 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl and set aside until milk is absorbed.
• In a large bowl, mix ground beef, egg, onion, salt, pepper, allspice and the bread crumbs. Mix well.
• Form the meat mixture into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter.
• Melt butter in a large frying pan.
• Brown meatballs about 10 to 15 at a time, removing them to a large bowl as they are done.
• When all meatballs are browned, remove pan from heat.
• Add flour all at once to the drippings stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth.
• Add 3/4 cup of boiling water and a bouillon cube stirring constantly.
• Return frying pan to medium heat. Stir until bouillon cube is dissolved.
• Add cream and 1/2 cup of milk.
• Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly and cook three minutes longer until sauce is thick and smooth.
• Return meatballs to the skillet and warm through, tossing to coat.

AQUAVIT'S QUICK PICKLED CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Slice the cucumbers as thin as possible, using a mandoline if you have one.
• If you only have regular cucumbers, slice them in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds before slicing.
• Put the slices in a colander and toss them with the salt.
• Let the cucumber sit while you prepare the marinade (or for up to about 30 minutes.
• Combine water, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and allspice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Rinse the salt off the cucumber slices and squeeze out as much moisture as possible, using paper towels to blot them dry.
• Put the cucumbers in a medium bowl and add the marinade (the cucumber should be completely covered).
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate 3 to 6 hours before serving.