Friday, March 6, 2015

Homemade Swedish Meatballs

Swedish meatballs

Every once in a while my husband gets a "hankerin'" for something and asks me to make it.  It doesn't happen very often, but when it does I'm usually happy to comply.  Recently he was craving Swedish Meatballs.  Of course I smiled and said "Sure, I can do that", but here is the truth of the matter.  The only Swedish Meatballs I have ever made were the kind you removed from a box and put in the oven.  However, I didn't want to let him down, so I started doing a little research on how to make them.  That is when I realized that the key ingredient is red current jam.  WHAT?!?  Trust me when I say that red currant jam is not something that is easy to come by in the Mid-Ohio Valley.  That is when I decided to put on my thinking cap and come up with a recipe of my own.  I am THRILLED to say that Studhubs LOVED it, and I can't wait to share with you how I made it!

Let's get started!

Swedish Meatballs:
*Prep Time:  20 min.  *Cook Time: 30 min.  *Difficulty:  Easy  *Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:


For the Meatballs:
  • 1 lb. Ground Beef
  • 1/2 c. Bread Crumbs
  • 1/4 c. Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Pepper
  • 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp. Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp. Oregano
  • 1 egg
  • 2-3 tbsp of Oil
For the Sauce: 
  • 1 Onion, diced
  • 6 Mushrooms, sliced
  • 6 Cloves of Garlic, mined
  • 2 tbsp.  Butter
  • 1 tbsp.  Flour
  • 1 c. Chicken Stock
  • 1 c. Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tbsp. Honey
  • 1 tbsp.  Worcestershire Sauce
  • Salt & Pepper to taste




To begin, place the ground beef, cream, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, powder, and oregano into a large mixing bowl and mix together until combined.


Once everything is combined, make little, golf ball sized balls out of the meat mixture.  Then, place them in the fridge for a few minutes to set up.

I really like using this cookie dough scoop for this.  It makes the PERFECT sized meatball.


Next, place a heavy pot over medium/high heat and allow the pan to get hot.


Add the oil to the pan and allow that to get hot as well.

 .
While the pan is heating up you can take that time to chop your onion, mushrooms, and garlic.


Once the pan is hot, place the meatballs, in batches, in the pan and brown on both sides.
You are not cooking the meatballs all the way through, you are just browning them.


After you have browned the meatballs remove them from the pan and add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan.


Add some salt and


Pepper to the pan and cook until the onions are soft and translucent and the mushrooms are tender.


Remove from the pan and set to the side.


To the hot pan, add butter and


Flour.


Whisk them together and cook 1-2 minutes until the rawness of the flour has cooked out.


Next add the chicken stock and whisk until the flour has all dissolved.


Since I wasn't able to get my hands on the red currant jam, I decided to create my own flavor pallet.
I used Dijon mustard,


Some of our gorgeous West Virginia Honey,


And Worcestershire Sauce.


Whisk until smooth.


  Next add the cream to the pan, stir and allow to thicken.


Return the mushrooms and onions to the sauce.


Add the salt and


Pepper.

Then taste for seasoning and make any adjustments you feel it needs.


Return the meatballs to the sauce and bring to a simmer.
Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Swedish Meatballs

These meatballs are perfect served over egg noodles and top with a little chopped parsley.

I will confess that I was a little nervous when I served these to my husband, but he told me that they were the BEST Swedish Meatballs he had ever eaten!  I was thrilled!  So tonight, I challenge you to try something new in your kitchen and make these WONDERFUL Swedish Meatballs!  You won't regret it!

And as always...

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,
~The Kitchen Wife~


2 comments:

  1. I made this for the first time last night. I was initially hesitant about the heavy cream in the meatball mixture and the honey and the sauce; however, I followed the recipe as written and it was DELICIOUS. I made two minor changes: used a 20 oz pack of ground turkey; cooked the meatballs all the way through instead of simply browning them. Even though I used a 20 oz package of ground turkey, I didn't change the measurements of the additional ingredients. This was a simple, easy to follow recipe, which required staple ingredients. It was a very pleasant surprise for us. Mandee, thanks for sharing such a fantastic recipe!

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing this! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!! I have never tried it with ground turkey, but I will the next time I make this! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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