Swedish Meatballs köttbullar

n southern Sweden many people prefer their ground meat with a little more fat, but the further north you go, the less pork you will find in the meatball mixture. However, bread or rusk crumbs allowed to swell in milk are as important as the lingonberries on the side. They give Swedish meatballs their special soft consistency.

Conversions and abbreviations

1 g = 1 gram = 1/1,000 of a kg 1 kg = 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds (lb) 1 dl = 1 decilitre = 100 millilitres (ml) = 1/10 of a litre = 1/2 cup 1 litre = 10 dl = 1.06 quart (qt) 1 oz = 1 ounce = 1/32 of a quart (qt) = 28 ml 1 lb = 16 oz = 450 ml 1 tsp = 1 teaspoon = 0.17 oz = 5 ml 1 tbs = 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 1/2 oz = 15 ml °C = degrees Celsius (or Centigrade) °F = degrees Fahrenheit

 

Ingredients

(4–6 servings)
500 g (18 oz) ground (minced) beef/pork mixture
250 ml (1¼ cup) milk
75 g (¾ cup) white breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 onion
salt, white pepper
ground allspice

Preparation

Finely dice the onion and sauté gently in a little butter without browning. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk. Blend the ground meat, preferably in a food processor, with the onion, egg, milk/breadcrumb mixture and the spices to the proper consistency and taste. Add a little water if the mixture feels too firm. Check the taste by test-frying one meatball. Then shape small meatballs with the aid of two spoons and place on water-rinsed plates. Brown a generous pat of butter in a frying pan, and when it ‘goes quiet’ place the meatballs in the pan and let them brown on all sides. Shake the frying pan often. Serve with potato purée or boiled potatoes and raw stirred lingonberries.