“Miracles are like meatballs, because nobody can exactly agree on what they’re made of, where they come from, or how often they should appear.” -Lemony Snicket, pseudonym of Daniel Handler, the wonderful author of perfectly un-PC, slightly topsy-turvy children’s stories

Every so often I ask Martin a variation of the following question:  ”If I were your dream dinner, any dream dinner at all, what would I be?”  Almost like clock-work, I get the answer “Swedish Meatballs.”  Yes, that’s right folks, it’s been all this time that we’ve been live and online that I’ve owed him this one.  I mean, let’s be clear here.  He’d eat the IKEA version happily.  I know this because we drive by the Red Hook IKEA (on the way to Fairway, of course) often enough for me to know that when we do, I get reminded at least once that he’s heard “they’re actually supposed to be pretty good, Krista.”    Yeah Martin, they also have 25-cent scrambled eggs, so, you lose, obviously.  Not being one to review my cuisine at a mass-market discount furniture store, I shall defer to my own kitchen, thank you.

I love Swedish meatballs too.  They’re this awesome savory-sweet, retro-classic (it’s very disco), super reliable comfort food that everyone loves.  I like it because it’s got so much yummy dill and parsley freshness next to a rather heavy, creamy sauce.  I love that three kinds of meat are involved in my recipe.  I love that there’s lingonberries, because…..what a fun word to say, ya know?  Plus, Sweden is awesome.  (And if I may nerd out for a moment, especially Swedish music, like Studio, The Tough Alliance, Jens Lekman, Air France, Sally Shapiro, and The Cardigans, to name a few…..)  And people, listen to me:  everyone loves meatballs.  I don’t care how played-out and passé and oh-so-last-season they are – there is not a carnivorous person alive that I have ever heard refuse a good meatball, and they exist in some form or other in virtually every cuisine on the planet.  Embrace them, why don’t you….. and while you’re at it, start with Sweden.  A little creamy, a little sweet, and a little anise-y (thanks to the caraway seed), Swedish meatballs have a character all their own.  They’re not meant to swim in sauce (you calorie counters, you) but merely to be coated in it when served.  Extra lingonberries are a must, as well as extra fresh dill.  Talk about ultimate yumminess with a side of Wayfarers.

Ingredients:

1 cup plain breadcrumbs (fresh, if possible, but no big deal if they aren’t)

3/4 cup milk

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

4  large shallots, washed, peeled, and minced fine

2 large garlic cloves, washed, smashed, peeled, and minced fine

2 tsp. caraway seeds

1 lb. ground (humanely raised, if possible) beef

1/2 l/b ground (humanely raised, if possible) pork

1/2 l/b ground (humanely raised, if possible) veal

1 large egg

Big handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, washed, dried well, and chopped fine

Big handful fresh dill fronds, washed, dried well, and chopped fine, plus extra for noodles and garnish

Neutrally-flavored oil, such as vegetable or canola

1 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups veal or chicken stock (veal has a richer flavor than chicken, and for either one, I always suggest using home-made stocks where possible)

3/4 cup sour cream (please no fat-free sour cream – it just doesn’t taste right)

1/4 cup lingonberry jam, plus extra for garnish

1 lb. package of egg noodles

1 tbsp. butter

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1.  In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk and set aside.

2.  In a sauté pan, melt the 3 tbsp. of butter over medium heat.  As soon as butter is melted, add the shallots, garlic, and caraway seeds.  Sweat the mixture until fragrant and the shallots are translucent.  Make sure that the shallots don’t begin to brown and that the garlic doesn’t burn.  You can always lower the flame and continue to sweat the mixture if you feel it’s cooking too fast.  This should take a good 3-5 minutes or so.

3.  Dump the ground beef, veal, and pork into a large stainless steel or glass bowl.  Add the egg, parsley, dill, the breadcrumb/milk mixture, and the shallot/garlic/caraway seed mixture.  Season liberally with salt and pepper.  With clean hands, mix everything together until evenly incorporated, but try to be gentle and not work it to death.  Pinch off enough of the meat mixture to form balls roughly 1 1/2″ in diameter.  Continue rolling balls until all of the mixture is used up.  Try to keep the size of the balls as even as possible.

4.  Bring a large pot of moderately salted water to a boil on the stove.  While waiting for the water to boil, continue with the meatballs.

5.  In a clean sauté pan, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan generously, and put over medium-high heat.  When the oil starts to ripple and is very hot, add meatballs one by one, leaving space in between each one.  Work in batches so you don’t over-crowd the pan.  Cook the meatballs until nicely browned on all sides.  Turn carefully and gently so that the meatballs don’t fall apart on you.  Be patient here, this process takes a while.  Reserve the browned meatballs on a clean plate lined with paper towels as they are done.

6.  If the bits in the bottom of the pan are burned, wash the pan thoroughly and begin again here with a clean pan.  If the bits aren’t burned, dump the excess oil.  Turn the flame to medium heat, and add a tbsp. of butter and allow to melt.  When melted, sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to form a roux.  Slowly pour in the veal or chicken stock while stirring and scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan.  Simmer the liquid until it reduces down to a nice sauce consistency (this will take around 10 minutes or so…..).  Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to get any of the solids out, and return to a clean pan.  Stir in the sour cream and lingonberry jam, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Return the meatballs to the sauce, and simmer, covered with a tiny vent, until the meatballs are cooked through.    Stir the meatballs gently once in a while during the cooking process.  Cooking should take about 20-30 minutes at a nice bubbly simmer.

7.  While meatballs are cooking, cook the egg noodles according to package directions.  Drain well, and allow some steam to come off of them for a few minutes so they dry out a bit.  Swirl in a tbsp. of butter and some chopped fresh dill, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Keep warm.

8.  To serve, create a bed of dill-coated egg noodles in the bottom of a large, shallow bowl.  Lift the desired amount of meatballs out of the sauce with a slotted spoon so that most of the sauce drains away and arrange on top of the noodles.  Nap with a bit of extra sauce if desired, and serve with extra lingonberry jam and fresh dill.

Yield: I suppose this depends on how hungry you are, doesn’t it?  I’m gonna go with a safe 6-8 servings, though.