Anders Swedish Meatballs

There is an old Swedish tradition that says that the more important the guest – the smaller the meatballs should be.  The meaning behind this is that it takes much more time and effort to make small meatballs – so the meatball making effort is proportionate to the importance of the dinner guest.

This recipe will feed 4 people

Ingredients:

• 500g of premium grade mince
• 1 large brown onion – grated (yes it will make you cry)
• 2 raw eggs
• Half a cup of good quality bread crumbs
• Salt and Pepper to season

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with your hands.  Mixture should clump together, feel sticky and form balls easily. If not, add some more breadcrumbs.

Take spoon sized chunks of the mince mixture and roll in your palms to form nice round meat balls.  Place individually onto plate and refrigerate till ready to cook.  This can be done ahead of time if required.  Heat half a cup of olive oil in a large frying pan or cast iron pot.  When oil is hot add in enough meatballs to cover the base of the pan.  Cook till brown and then turn or toss to ensure meatball is well browned all over.  Remove, drain on paper towel and set aside.  Continue to cook meatballs in same quantities till all browned.

Meatball sauce ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of plain white flour
• 1 cup of beef stock – made per instructions on the stock packet
• 2 teaspoons each of Basil, Oregano, Tomato paste
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped

Wipe out pan and remove old oil.  Melt butter and add flour to the pan and stir to combine into a thick paste.  Add beef stock to the flour stirring continuously to dissolve any lumps till you have a smooth thickened liquid in the pan.  Add oregano, basil, tomato sauce and garlic and combine well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and return meatballs to the sauce to cook for about 10min before serving.

Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking – the sauce should be just a little bit sweet.

Just before you are ready to serve stir in a quarter of a cup of cream and stir gently through sauce and meatballs.  Be careful not to bruise your balls.

Serve with potatoes (any style), steamed vege’s (beans, snow peas and broccoli work well) and ALWAYS serve with a generous spoon of cranberry sauce.  It is the flavor of the cranberries, meat and sauce that make this recipe a sure fire favorite.

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