Swedish Meatballs

 

We seem to be on a run of recipes from Hi-Ho's New York Times cookbook. Boy did my mother love to entertain!

 

Ingredients

 

2 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons minced onion

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 cup milk, or equal parts milk and cream

3/4 pound ground round steak

1/4 pound ground veal

1/4 pound ground pork 

1 egg

Freshly ground salt and pepper

1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup cream or evaporated milk

and in Hi-Ho's handwriting: allspice, nutmeg, and Marsala Sherry 

 

Process

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter and saute the onion until it is golden brown. 

 

2. Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk. Add the meats, egg, onion, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

 

3.   Shape the mixture into balls about one and one half inch in diameter and roll them in the flour, reserving one tablespoon of the flour. 

 

4. Melt enough additional butter in the skillet to cover the bottom. Brown the meatballs over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally so the meatballs retain their size and shape. Remove them from skillet, reserving juices,  and place in a serving dish and keep warm.

 

5.  Combine the reserved flour with the cream and, using a whisk, stir gradually into the pan juices. Simmer three to four minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour this gravy over the meatballs and serve hot. 

 

Enjoy! 

 

Greek Chicken Meatballs

 

 I made this for dinner last night and it was wonderful. The best part was watching the kids take heaping portions of the chopped cucumber. I love eating healthy family dinners all together at the table especially when we have friends over. This recipe is from RecipeChart.com and the recipe can be found HERE. I highly recommend!

Bon Appetit's Middle Eastern Bison Meatballs

For a while now I have been taking considerable effort to know where my meat comes from, focusing on grass fed or free range meats, and to look at local sources of meat. One of my local meat sources is a Bison farm, so when I saw this recipe in Bon Apetite, with a middle eastern hint, I knew it was one for me to try. The sauce is delectable so I highly recommend keeping extra on hand as a sauce for other dishes.

Middle Eastern Bison Meatballs with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup whole-milk Greek-style yogurt*
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Meatballs:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile (about 1 large)
• 2 tablespoons whole-milk Greek-style yogurt
• 1 1/4 pounds ground bison (often labeled buffalo)
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preparation

For cilantro-yogurt sauce:
Toast all seeds in small skillet over medium heat until aromatic and slightly darker in color, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Cool. Finely grind seeds in spice mill or coffee grinder. Place cilantro and all remaining ingredients in blender. Add 1 teaspoon ground seeds and process until smooth sauce forms, scraping down sides frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover sauce and chill. Reserve remaining ground seeds for meatballs. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Store remaining ground seeds in airtight container at room temperature.

For meatballs:
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes (do not brown). Cool. Toss breadcrumbs with milk in small bowl to moisten. Place cooled onion mixture, breadcrumb mixture, reserved ground seeds from cilantro-yogurt sauce, jalapeno, and yogurt in processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarse puree forms. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Add bison, egg, cilantro, sage, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, pepper, and allspice. Using hands or fork, mix until just blended. Using damp hands, form bison mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in 2 batches, cook meatballs until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer meatballs to rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven to keep warm up to 15 minutes.

Serve meatballs with cilantro-yogurt sauce for dipping.

*A thick yogurt; sold at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores (such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods), and Greek markets. If unavailable, place plain whole-milk yogurt in cheesecloth-lined strainer set over large bowl. Cover and chill 4 hours to drain.

Greek Meat Balls aka Keftedes

These Greek meatballs were another one of HiHo's traditions for Christmas. She quadrupled the recipe for the Christmas Eve Party. Crowds would form around the two pots that she served them in making them a real conversation piece. While the spinach dip sandwiches were my favorite dish, this was definitely my sisters. She would keep the pot hot on a hot plate and use it as a finger food, providing guests a cup of toothpicks to serve themselves with. These are yummy and quite memorable.

 

Ingredients
1.5 pounds ground round steak
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fine, soft bread crumbs
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
shortening for pan frying.

Process

1. Combine all ingredients except shortening and mix thoroughly. (I remember HiHo working this with her bare hands).
2. Refrigerate for several hours.
   
3. Shape into small bite-size balls. (this took forever when quadrupled and HiHo would often beg for my help!)
4. Fry in hot shortening until browned.
   
5. Serve hot. Although HiHo never did it, Tzadziki makes a great accompaniment.
   

Meatballs with Parsley and Parmesan

These are super yummy!!

Ingredients
4 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
6 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 large garlic gloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 pounds lean ground beef
Additional olive oil for frying

Suggestions for additions.
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
crushed red pepper
1 small onion
baby carrots chopped finely.
I have also made them using minced lamb.


Process

1. Stir eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, 3 tbsp olive oil, parsley, garlic,2 tsp salt & pepper in large bowl to blend.
   
2. Add ground beef and mix thoroughly.
   
3. Form mixture into 1 1/2 inch diameter meatballs.
4. ***For healthier option you can bake them at 400 degrees for 30 minutes otherwise: Pour enough oil into heavy skillet to coat bottom. Heat over medium-low heat. Working in batches, add meatballs and fry until brown and cooked through, turning frequently and adding more oil as needed. About 15 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate.

Chicken Meatballs served on Rotini with homemade sauce

Yesterday was a busy day getting the garden put to bed for the winter, so when it came time for dinner we needed something easy and on hand. SP made chicken/turkey meatballs and put them on top of Rotini pasta with homemade sauce I had already canned.

Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients
2 lb ground chicken and/or turkey
3/4 package Italian dressing seasoning
1.5 cup bread crumbs
a dash of shredded Parmesan cheese

pasta and sauce for the meal

Process

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Mix ingredients
3. Form into 2" size balls
4. Cook on a greased cookie sheet for 30 minutes, turning every ten minutes, or until it reaches an internal temp of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
5. Serve over cooked pasta with sauce

This recipe can be easily modified or added to for any craving.

Crockpot Meatballs

Through out my documenting the family recipes, I will of course be adding our nightly dinner recipes. I also haven't said it yet, but it goes without saying that any of the crock pot recipes are the modern recipes. I don't think Mom owned a crock pot and her idea of slow cooking would have been the ritual of chutney making every winter. Then again maybe it would have been HER meatballs that she made for every Christmas Eve Cheer. These meatballs are NOT those meatballs, so if that is what you are wanting you can stop now. In fact this recipe calls for frozen meatballs, but you COULD make your own. It just defeats the point of this recipe - quick and easy and perfect for kids. The meatballs come from a friend, one that encouraged me to get a crock pot just so I could make these. They are simple and perfect for a busy night with hockey! It is versatile and proportions are highly dependant on what you get in your grocery store. My 10 year old had a rough day at school, and these were his comfort food request. Beef meatballs - this is what's for dinner!

Ingredients and Materials
Crockpot
Frozen meatballs - tonight I used two 16 ounce bags Wolfe's Neck Farms Italian style All Natural beef meatballs.
1 10 ounce jar Polaner all fruit grape jelly - organic works too we just don't use High Fructose Corn Syrup in our food.
1 jar organic ketchup (again we don't use HFCS). Start with 1/2 use more along the way.
I 20 ounce can diced pineapple
tonight I added some diced green peppers, fresh from our garden (not a usual ingredient)


Combine all ingredients in crockpot. The sauce should be enough to cover the meatballs, but they are not soaking in sauce. As the meatballs thaw and cook, it will soften up. You can check and stir once an hour. Cook on low 4 to 6 hours, or on high 3. Can serve on own or with pasta but there is not a lot of sauce.