Sma Kottbullar
Kottbullar (Swedish Meatballs)
(I use equal amounts of pork, turkey and or lamb instead of beef)
1/2lb fine ground beef
1/2lb fine ground lean pork
1/2lb fine ground lamb (all meat should be twice ground)
2 TB breadcrumbs
1/4 cup cream
5 TB butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 TB finely chopped shallot
1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp grated fresh lemon rind
2 TB finely chopped parsley
1 TB salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
2 eggs
3 TB butter
2 TB vegetable oil
For the Sauce
2 TB flour
1 cup stock
1/2 cup sour cream
2 TB finely chopped fresh dill or 1 TB dry dill weed
1/4 tsp lemon juice salt
Prepare the meat balls at least an hour before you plan to cook them so they may be chilled before cooking. Soak the crumbs in the 4 Tb. of cream for 5 minutes, then put them in a large mixing bowl with the 3TB butter & ground meats. Melt the 2 Tb. butter in a small frying pan and in it cook the chopped onion, shallots and garlic over Moderate heat for 5 min. or until softened and color lightly. Add them to the mixing bowl then add the lemon rind, parsley, salt, pepper, and thyme. Beat the 2 eggs lightly with a fork and pour them over the meat. With a large spoon, beat this mixture vigorously until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the meat loses its granular texture. Form into small balls, about an inch in diameter. The quickiest, easiest way to do this is to drop a heaping teaspoon of the meat in the palm of your hand and after moistening the other hand with cold water, roll it lightly over the meat until you have shaped it into a ball. Place the meat balls, as you finish them, on a baking sheet or platter lined with wax paper. And refrigerate for 1 hour to firm the meatballs. For more firmly crusted meatballs, roll each lightly in flour just before frying them. Cover them with another sheet of waxed paper, and chill for at least an hour. When you are ready to cook the meatballs, melt the 3 Tab. butter and 2 Tb. oil over high heat in a large heavy frying pan. When the fat begins to sputter, lightly drop into the pan enough meat balls to cover the bottom about three quarters full. At once slide the pan back and forth over the burner so that they roll around in the hot fat; this will help them to keep their shapes and to brown evenly. After a couple of minutes, turn the heat down to moderate, and cook the balls 6-7 minutes longer, or until they are crisp brown all over and cooked through. With a slotted spoon, transfer the finished meatballs to a shallow casserole and continue with the remaining meatballs until they are all cooked.
SAUCE: Make the sauce in the same frying pan. If the fat remaining in it is a good deep brown; pour off all but 3 Tab. of it, if not add 3 TB of butter. Remove from heat, with a wooden spoon, stir into the pan 2 Tab of flour and mix it to a smooth paste with the fat Return the pan to a low heat and cook this roux slowly for a minute of so, stirring all the while. Then add the cup of stock. Raise the heat to moderate and, with a wire whisk, beat this sauce together until it boils, thickens and becomes quite smooth. Then turn the heat down to low simmer. Still using the whisk, stir the sour cream into the sauce, about a Tb. at a time. Use more than ½ cup if you like the sauce fairly thin. At the last, add the fresh dill, lemon juice, salt to taste. Pour the sauce over the meatballs in the casserole. When you are ready to serve them, reheat the meatballs slowly without letting the sauce boil. Serve with extra sprinkling of fresh dill.
