The art of enjoying the Swedish "meat"ball
If I asked you to name one typically Swedish thing, I guess that it would probably be ABBA, IKEA, or Swedish meatballs. Although it may seem predictable and stereotypical that these three truly are something cherished by most Swedes, that is the case. Growing up, meatballs made up a big part of my diet and after a meatball-eating contest at the age of ten, my record of amount-of-meatballs-eaten still stands at twenty. But no matter how old you are, or what generation you are a part of, they are sure to be appreciated. And talking about ABBA, IKEA, and meatballs (Swedes sure seem to like four-letter words, typed in capital letters) chances are most Swedes have at some point in their life managed to fit all three into one day. So to get in the spirit of things, why not pop on “Arrival” (1976) or perhaps “Super Trouper” (1980) whilst you are reading this, doing your grocery shopping, or perhaps cooking what you are about to realise is the most delicious plant-based Swedish meatballs – ever. Because whether you have never had meatballs before, or have only had MEAT-balls, these are sure to float your boat. Despite the beige-ness of most traditional Swedish food, it is absolutely something special. Comfort food at its best, if I may say so myself. I am, of course, a little biased, but hey ho – let’s go!
ingredients
This recipe is for 4 portions
the meatballs
400g of plant-based mince
2 tablespoons of plant-based cream (Oatly’s Creamy Oat is brilliant)
1 yellow onion
1,5 tablespoons of vegetable broth
1 tablespoon of Chinese soy sauce
½ tablespoon of allspice vegan butter (to fry the meatballs in)
Salt and pepper
the brown, creamy sauce
3 dl of plant-based cream
1,5 tablespoons of vegetable broth
1 tablespoon of blackberry jelly
1 tablespoon of dark Chinese soy sauce
1 tablespoon of thyme
Salt and pepper
serve with boiled potatoes and
Lingonberry jam (mix 3dl of lingonberries with 1,5dl of sugar)
- Or Swedish Beetroot Salad (Full recipe below).
Let’s get started!
1.
Defrost the mince by letting it rest at room temperature for about 45 minutes.
2.
Peel and finely chop the yellow onion. Then, place it in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix the contents with your hands.
3.
Shape the mixture into small meatballs.
4.
Heat up a frying pan and make sure to add plenty of vegetable butter. Fry a few meatballs at a time until they feel firm and are crispy.
5.
Keep the meatballs in a pan in the oven, on low heat, to keep them warm whilst preparing the potatoes and sauce.
6.
Pour all ingredients for the sauce into a pan (you can use the same one as you used for the meatballs, it will add a nice flavour). Remember to add salt and pepper to taste.
7.
If you want, you can add the meatballs to the sauce just before serving, or you can serve them separately. It depends on how messy you like your plate to be!
8.
Serve with potatoes and lingonberry jam, and enjoy!
Got some leftovers?
meatballs are just as delicious the day after.
SWEDISH Beetroot Salad
LEFTOVER MEATBALLS CAN BE cut up and served on a slice of bread
with greens and beetroot salad.
INGREDIENTS
1 can of pickled beetroot
1 dl plant-based creme fraiche (I used Oatly’s Creamy Oat Fraiche)
1 dl of vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of mustard
0,5 teaspoons of salt pepper
0,5 red onion
1 apple
method
1.
Remove the beetroots from the liquid.
2.
Chop up the apple, beetroots, and red onion.
3.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate before serving.
And there you go – another typically Swedish dish – the meatball sandwich!
Iconic in its simplicity.
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