Elva's Swedish Meatballs (Sma Kottbullar)

Submitted by 2Bleu

"Simply Succulent! A great dish that Bird's Dutch/German mom would make for me when I was growing up. It's overlooked sometimes how recipes are an heirloom of our family heritage. I'm glad she gave me this recipe to remember her with. For Chef #107583's lighter, healthier version, try Recipe #279517"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs
• Ingredients: 13
• Yields: 24 meatballs
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb ground beef
• 1⁄4 lb ground veal
• 1⁄4 lb ground pork
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1⁄2 cup fresh breadcrumb
• 3⁄4 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream

directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the meats, white pepper, and soy sauce thoroughly. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, brown the onion in the 1 tbsp butter. Set aside.
3. in a med bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the cream. Set aside.
4. Add egg to the cooled onion mixture, then add that and the bread mixture then add that to the meat mixture. Work the mixture until well blended and smooth. Add more milk if neccessary to give a smooth consistency.
5. Roll the meat into bite-sized meatballs. Arrange meatballs on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour before cooking.
6. Melt a 1 stick of butter and put meatballs into a large frying pan. Let them brown, and shake the pan now and again so that they roll around, removing each one when they are ready. Add more butter to the pan if needed.
7. When all the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the pan. Strain juices from pan, keeping 1/4 cup of juices. wipe the pan clean.
8. Stir juice back into the pan with 1 tbsp flour to create a roux. Season with more white pepper. Pour cream into the pan and stir until slightly thickened.
9. Return meatballs to pan and coat with sauce. Let the meatballs bubble gently for a few minutes. Serve in a large party bowl with toothpicks inserted into a few meatballs.

Reviews

[Outta Here]

I made a lighter version of this recipe for a "challenge game" and they tasted great, but the sauce was a bit bland. I am used to cardamom and nutmeg in Swedish meatballs, so will add those to the sauce next time. The texture of the meatballs was really nice. I replaced the pork and veal with ground turkey, the cream with fat-free half and half, used low-sodium soy sauce, egg-beaters and regular margarine. This cut fat, calories by half, and cholesterol by 179 mg per serving. We love Swedish meatballs, and I will be making this again, with my changes. Thanks for the good base to work with!

 

[loof751]

These meatballs were good but just a little salty for my taste - I may use reduced-sodium soy sauce or less pepper next time. The sauce curdled a bit (my fault) but it didn't matter - they were still tasty. I served these as a meal with buttered noodles and green beans - yum!