Swedish meatballs

I’ll Take that Particle Board....with a Side of Meatballs

I have a confession to make.  One of my favorite restaurants is ...IKEA.  I absolutely adore their Swedish meatballs—with that special cream sauce and the sweet Lingonberry sauce on the side.  So simple, so substantial, so affordable.   Wait, am I talking about the cuisine or the furniture?   Whether or not you favor the Scandinavian sensibility for your home décor—you simply MUST make a special trip to your local IKEA for the meatballs.  While there, you should also sample their raspberry crème cookies (to die for!) with their Swedish coffee, as well as their smoked salmon and vegetable medley.  But I digress...

Admittedly, I know it’s difficult for many of us to make it to our neighborhood IKEA on a regular basis.  So luckily I can offer this recipe—no more meatball withdrawal symptoms!  It’s an Americanized version (using the not-so-Swedish Campbells’s Cream of Mushroom soup)--adapted from  The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook, to be published next month.  You can serve these IKEA-style, with a side of mashed potatoes and Lingonberry sauce (substitute raspberry or red currant jam in a pinch).  They're also delicious over egg noodes with a sprinkling of parsley.  Other options:  spear them with toothpicks, and serve for cocktail hour . . .   or an Ingmar Bergman movie night?  Perhaps you could settle in your IKEA armchair and snack on them while you read the Stieg Larsson trilogy?  There are so many ways to celebrate all that Sweden has to offer—make these meatballs a regular part of your Swedish-appreciation festivities.  

 Smaklig måltid!

Jennifer

Americanized Swedish Meatballs

(adapted from The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook by Rick Rodgers & Heather Maclean)

Take 1 pound ground beef (85% lean) and 1 pound ground pork.  Combine with 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, 1 egg, ¼ cup minced yellow onion, 1 ½ tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper.  Form into 24 meatballs (about 1 heaping teaspoon for making 1 meatball), then roll each meatball in a little flour.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet.  Cook meatballs in batches without crowding, turning occasionally until browned, about 8 minutes.  

Once meatballs are all cooked and transferred to a plate, pour out any remaining fat from your skillet.  Then add 2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup, and one cup of milk (and a splash of dry sherry if you’re so inclined).  Bring to a gentle simmer—and stir to break up any browned bits on bottom of skillet. Return meatballs to skillet, and simmer for another 15 minutes.  Refer to serving suggestions offered above.

Photo via here.