Scandinavia refers to the Northern Peninsula of Europe, far into the Arctic Circle. The three official countries included in the Scandinavian Peninsula are Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Iceland and Finland are included often included in Scandinavia, although they are not officially part of it. The people of Sweden are known for their cheerfulness, love for the outdoors, and their strong family connections. The Swedish are also known for their amazing foods and holiday celebrations. When we think Swedish, we think Swedish fish and Swedish Meatballs right?! Well those aren't far off. Swedish fish candies are not entirely Swedish, but their origin is Swedish based. The shape of the candy largely has to do with Swedish culture. Fish are a large part of the Swedish diet. Due to Sweden's location, seafood is plentiful, including Herring and crayfish. As for livestock, Sweden has always been very low in numbers of livestock as compared to other livestock producing countries. Cattle, pigs, ducks, and sheep are among the livestock of Sweden. Eggs and milk from Swedish livestock are important to the Swedish diet as well. All of which, can be found as ingredients in .... meatballs! Yes Swedish meatballs are a great source of protein and a great source of traditional, delicious, filling food. The Swedish furniture store Ikea, sells 2 million Swedish Meatballs a day! https://sweden.se/quick-facts/quick-fact-ikea-2/ That is just one company. Swedish meatballs (köttbullar) are made traditionally in Swedish homes by scratch, for any occasion. With a mixture of spices and a creamy sauce, they're worth more than worth it to make and to eat! This Swedish Meatball recipe has been passed down through Swedish generations, landed in my kitchen, and now in yours!
Meatball ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 large egg
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup beef broth (condensed)
3/4 cup water
Directions: yield 30-35 meatballs
Meatballs:
-Preheat oven to 350F degrees
-Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or cooking spray
-Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl, mixing until well combine
-Using a cookie scooper, shape into small uniform balls
-Bake for 30 minutes, until meat is completely cooked, and no pink is visible when cut
-Cover in sauce and serve
Sauce: Make while meatballs are in the over
-In a sauce pan, over heat, combine melted butter and flour
-Slowly add in beef broth and water
-Once all ingredients are well combined, sauce should be thick
-Once thickened, take off heat and keep warm until meatballs are ready to be served
Note: Save some extra parsley to sprinkle on top for a bit of decoration. You can play with the spices in this recipe as well. Allspice can be used instead of ginger and/or nutmeg. Make it your own! Bigger or smaller meatballs can be made, but cooking time and servings will be adjusted.
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