Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Swedish Meatballs


I'd often eat swedish meatball TV dinners as a kid...cause ya know...parents of the year and whatnot.  I'd never made it from scratch before and my roommate was craving balls so here it comes.  


I made a double recipe but heres what you'll need:

For the meatballs
1 lb of mixed ground beef and ground pork
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

For the sauce
3 cups milk
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups beef broth
Salt and pepper



You'll need a large mixing bowl and a cutting board. Chop the onion into small pieces and mince the garlic cloves.   


Whisk an egg.  I could have done this in the big mixing bowl.  But I love doing dishes.  


Measure out your breadcrumbs with your sexy sexy hands.  Then pour those, the egg, the onion, garlic, and worcestershire sauce all into the mixing bowl.  



Add in a tablespoon of freshly ground salt and pepper. Buy the grinders in the spice section of your local grocery as opposed to the already ground.  It's worth the difference in price.  


Get your meat and there and let your sous chef go to town.  Tell him to make some sounds like a boot stuck in mud only wetter.  




When you've got a big wad and everything is mixed evenly, you are ready to start pinching off balls.  





Fill up the pan and get them frying on high heat for the first 7-10 minutes.  You want them to brown all the way around.  Turn often and with enthusiasm.  


Put your egg noodles on to boil with a little olive oil and salt in the water.  Lower the heat on your meatballs and cook for another ten minutes turning often.  



Remove the meatballs from the frying pan.  Prepare to make gravy.  



The recipe calls for beef broth...you can either make your own with beef bouillon cubes or buy it in the can.  



If you are using bouillon cubes you'll need to prepare the broth in a separate pan.  



Combine the flour and butter with the grease left in the pan from the meatballs.   


Stir in the milk and broth.  Whisk until smooth.  



Cook on medium-high heat for a few minutes.  Look confident as your stir.  Cooking, like anything else in life, is 10 percent what you say or do, 90 percent how you like while doing it.  Roomie nailed it.  


After the gravy has boiled for a couple of minutes season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Add the meatballs back to the pan.  


Let the meatballs sit in the sauce and think about what they did. For about 3-5 minutes on medium heat. 


Take your noodles up, dump on the meatballs and sauce and garnish with finely chopped parsley.  Pound your intestines.