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Saturday 13 April 2013

Swedish Meatballs and Gravy

These are delicious! SO delicious! And, if you don't manage to eat them all, they freeze well, too!
My nana's family was from Sweden and growing up we had Swedish meatballs on special occasions, like New Years Eve.  We all devoured them, and I discovered that, with a bit of tweaking to the recipe, you can whip them up in no time and bake them in the oven!   However, my BIG goal was to re-create the gravy, because that together with the meatballs is simply divine!  So, here you have the meatball recipe, the gravy recipe and a cranberry sauce recipe.  Mmmm... I've finally remembered to take a picture of the beautiful round meatballs from the oven, and I will include a picture of how the pan-fried ones end up looking (aka, a little flattened, but the taste is still fabulous).
Enjoy!!!
This is one of our absolute favorite meals.  We make it most holidays, and other times when we just want something a little extra special for dinner. 

Swedish Meatballs and Gravy
Makes ~ 24-30 meatballs
 
Mix:
1 lb. ground beef (low-fat)
½ finely chopped onion
¼ tsp dry mustard
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 egg
½ cup cream
½ cup gluten-free flour (a mix works well, or even just ½ cup brown rice flour works in this recipe) OR gluten free breadcrumbs
 
Roll into small meatballs. 
 
Bake at 375F ~15-20 minutes, until cooked through.

OR
Pan-fry 10-15 minutes in 2-3 Tbsp. oil. (I find they never stay round this way, but they still taste great) 
They may look silly pan-fried( aka, they won't stay round) - but the taste will still be just as delicious!
 
Gravy
 
Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in saucepan
Add the following (in no particular order):
1 3/4 cups milk or light cream (I usually use 2% lactose-free milk)
1 cup beef broth (can be made from bouillon cube + water – check bouillon for gluten!)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp parsley
drippings and/or 1 Swedish meatball (broken-up into small pieces) from meatball pan
 
Cook, stirring constantly, until gravy comes to a boil. 
 
Mix together thoroughly & then add to saucepan:
1/4 cup milk
2-3Tbsp cornstarch (2 Tbsp for thinner gravy (I usually use 2 Tbsp), up to 3 Tbsp for thicker gravy)
 
Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until gravy thickens. 
 
Serve over meatballs.
 
This meal is nice with oven-roasted french fries, roasted potatoes or boiled potatoes.  And, if possible, serve with lingonberry jam (IKEA sells it) meant to go w/ Swedish meatballs, but it works great with cranberry sauce as well!
 
Cranberry Sauce
 
Put in small pot over medium heat until boiling and thickened (~10 minutes):
½ bag cranberries
½ cup water OR ¼ cup water & ¼ cup orange juice
½ cup sugar
1 tsp grated orange rind (optional)
 

 

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