Taste Buds: A Swedish holiday with meatballs, gravlax and herring

Taste Buds: A Swedish Holiday

Stephanie Hansen dives into a smörgåsbord of Swedish cuisine on this holiday episode of Taste Buds.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Stephanie Hansen dives into a smörgåsbord of Swedish cuisine on this holiday episode of Taste Buds.

First up, curried herring and gravlax at the American Swedish Institute with Patrice Johnson, aka the Nordic Food Geek. Patrice is the author of "Jul: Swedish American Holiday Traditions" and demonstrates a couple favorite julbord (Christmas table) bites for a class, which includes two of Stephanie’s good friends, Julie and Sarah.

Of course, it can’t be a Swedish holiday in the Twin Cities without a trip to Ingebretsen’s, a beloved market and deli that specializes in traditional Nordic items, including their popular Swedish meatball mix. Stephanie picks up a few festive gifts and a pound of meatball mix to bring home.

Back in the kitchen, Stephanie creates meatball appetizers with the Ingebretsen’s mix, accompanied by a creamy horseradish sauce. For those looking to do something a bit more involved, follow along with Stephanie’s own Swedish meatball recipe.

Swedish meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1/4 cup milk
1 egg beaten
2/3 panko or dried bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Ricotta cheese
1-1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 cup fresh dill cut up with scissors
1 large onion grated or finely chopped
1 lb ground beef 80-85% fat
1 lb pork
1 lb veal

Gravy:

1 1/2 cup beef broth
2 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet (optional)

Instructions

Meatballs:

Soak bread crumbs in milk.
Mix soaked bread crumbs with beaten egg, ricotta, spices, dill, onion, and ground meat.
Mix with your hands until all ingredients are combined.
Shape mixture into 1.5-inch wide meatballs (approximately 1 tablespoon meat per scoop).
Bake meatballs on a cookie sheet at 450 degrees F for 12-13 minutes (or until browned).

Gravy:

Scrape brown bits and oil from the cookie sheet into a skillet with the meat fat.
Add the butter.
Mix in the flour and stir, scraping up all the brown bits until the fat is well incorporated.
Add the stock until everything is incorporated.
Add the cream.
Boil gravy, whisking continuously, until gravy coats the back of a spoon.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.