Stockholm, Sweden proved to be an interesting and beautiful city, rich in history. And, despite all of the chaos caused by a same-day visit by Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, we managed to see a lot of the Swedish capital. We visited the Vasa Museum and saw the Old Town, Nobel Museum, the Stockholm Concert Hall, where the Nobel Prizes are awarded and Stockholm City Hall, where a banquet is held for the Nobel Laureates after the awards ceremony.
(Image: “SoS“)
(Image: “SoS“)
On the heels of the Swedish Academy awarding Bob Dylan with the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature, I felt it fitting to feature Stockholm on this blog post. For decades, Dylan’s been my all-time favourite musician and I’ve been fortunate enough to see him perform live more times than I can count on both hands.
I am delighted that I can visualize exactly where he’ll receive his Prize. That is, assuming he returns the calls the Academy has made to him and that he actually attends the Ceremony and Banquet on December 10, 2016.
(Image: “SoS“)
This leads me to the recipe for this post, traditional Swedish meatballs (Svenska Köttbullar), a staple on tables throughout Sweden and available at your nearest IKEA!
Ingredients
4 Tbsp. fresh white breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp. water or milk
225g (8 oz.) ground pork
225g (8 oz.) ground veal or beef
2 Tbsp. grated onion (it is better grated than chopped)
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 or 4 whole allspice, crushed
salt and freshly ground white and black pepper
2 Tbsp. butter, for frying
500ml (2 cups) beef stock, made with a bouillon cube or similar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with a little water
1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp. whipping cream
Read the full recipe and complete cooking instructions on TheLocal.se website.
(Image: “SoS“)
(Image: “SoS“)
In review
The meatball mix was simple to prepare. I used ground pork, veal and beef and doubled the recipe. Once the first half of the meatballs was lightly browned, I vacuum-sealed and froze for a quick future meal. The remaining meatballs were cooked longer after the browning step, per the recipe. I doubled only the meat portion, preparing the sauce using the exact proportions as laid out in the recipe. I served with homemade mashed potatoes. The meatballs were similar to the ones at the IKEA Cafeteria, only much better! They were so tender and flavourful and the gravy was light and tasty. Serve with lingonberry jam and pressed cucumber and voilà [or should I say här], you’ll have a truly authentic Swedish meal.
On the “Sugar Scale” [my unofficial recipe rating system], this recipe scored 9 out of 10. The recipe was easy to prepare and tasty. I had the most difficulty finding ground veal. Since I knew I was doubling the meat, it was worth the extra effort to find veal but that is not necessary to get good results. I will definitely make this recipe again.
The views expressed in this post are purely my own. See my disclosure policy for more information.
Hi “Sugar”
What an interesting article! I love the way you incorporated your travels with a great recipe. I will definitely try these Swedish meatballs soon.