Swedish Meatballs
Finnish Meatballs (and yes, my Finnish friends say there is a difference,
and that theirs are better!)
Karelian Hot Pot (Finland)
Scandinavian Almond Rice Pudding With Cherries

Swedish Meatballs

This recipe comes from the grandmother of Swedish-born Ola Fendert,
chef/owner of Oola restaurant in San Francisco. It is commonly served with
lingonberries, available at stores specializing in German and Scandinavian
foods.


For the meatballs

1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
6 ounces ground beef
6 ounces ground pork
6 ounces ground veal
1/4 cup soda water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon grated raw onion
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the sauce
1 3/4 cup beef stock
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

For the meatballs: In a medium-size bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in the milk
for 10 minutes. Mix the meats in with the breadcrumbs and add all the
other ingredients, except the butter. The mixture will be a bit wet and
sticky. Using your hands dipped in cold water, form the mixture into small
meatballs of uniform size, about 1 inch in diameter. Heat half of the
butter in a frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs, a few at
a time. After half the meatballs are done, add the remaining butter and
continue. When browned, put into a medium-size saucepan and set aside.

For the sauce: Raise heat to high and deglaze the pan that the meatballs
cooked in with 3/4 cup of the beef stock. Add to the saucepan holding the
meatballs and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan and
set aside; add the remaining cup of stock and bring to a boil. In a small
dish, mix the flour and water to form a thin paste and add it to the
boiling sauce, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Lower the heat and
simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cream, and simmer for another 2 minutes
until the sauce is slightly thickened. Add the reserved meatballs to
rewarm prior to serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the meatballs with the sauce, lingonberries and boiled potatoes.

Serves 4-6

PER SERVING: 320 calories, 18 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 23 g fat (12 g
saturated), 101 mg cholesterol, 668 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.





Finnish Meatballs

Time: 1 hour

3/4 cup whole milk
3 slices white bread, crusts removed
6 ounces Valley Shepherd Califon Tomme, Cato Corner Dutch Farmstead or
other mild
and buttery Gouda-style cheese
11/2 cups loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, finely minced
3/4 cup finely minced onion
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup chicken or beef broth
1/4 cup vegetable oil, or as needed
1/2 cup heavy cream.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk just until steaming.
Remove from heat and press bread into the milk; set aside.
Grate cheese on large holes of a box grater and place in large bowl. Add
parsley, onion, eggs, salt, white pepper, black pepper and allspice. Stir
well to combine. Add ground beef, ground pork and milk-soaked bread. Knead
by hand or mix with a large wooden spoon until well-blended.
Spread flour on a plate. Roll meat mixture into 11/2-inch balls, and roll
in flour to coat. Place a Dutch oven over very low heat, and add broth.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Working in batches, add enough meatballs to loosely fill pan. Sear for
about 1 minute, then shake pan to turn meatballs. Continue until well
browned on all sides, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Transfer
meatballs to Dutch oven and allow them to gently simmer for 20 to 30
minutes, stirring carefully from time to time. Add cream and heat just
until warmed. If desired, serve with small potatoes or egg noodles that
have been tossed with butter and parsley.

Yield: 8 servings.





Karelian Hot Pot

6 to 8 servings

Mikko Kosonen, executive chef of the Embassy of Finland, is a fan of this
traditional meat stew that comes from the Karelia region of Finland. Don't
trim the visible fat from the pork prior to cooking; it adds flavor to the
stew. Back home, as well as at the embassy in Washington, the stew is
served with boiled or mashed potatoes and lingonberry preserves.

1 pound boneless beef round roast, cut into 1- to 1 1/2 -inch cubes
1 pound boneless pork shoulder or roast, cut into 1- to 1 1/2 -inch cubes
1 large onion, cut into wedges
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 -inch rounds
4 bay leaves
Salt
10 whole black peppercorns

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a roasting pan or large ovenproof dish, place all of the ingredients
and just enough water to cover the meat. Roast, adding water if necessary,
for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is tender. Check seasonings, adding
salt to taste. Discard the bay leaves. Transfer to a platter and serve
immediately.

Per serving (based on 8): 226 calories, 19 g protein, 3 g carbohydrates,
14 g fat, 64 mg cholesterol, 5 g saturated fat, 100 mg sodium, 1 g dietary
fiber

Scandinavian Almond Rice Pudding With Cherries

Tara Duggan eats this dish every year at her family's traditional Swedish
Christmas Eve dinner.



Rice Pudding

3/4 cup converted rice (such as Uncle Ben's)
2 1/2 to 3 cups low-fat milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 whole almond
1 pint heavy whipping cream

Cherry Sauce
1 (16-ounce) can dark sweet cherries
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon Cherry Herring liqueur (optional)

The pudding: Combine rice and 2 1/2 cups milk in a saucepan. Bring to a
simmer. Cook over very low heat until rice is tender, about 45 minutes.
Check halfway through cooking time and add more milk, if needed. Let cool.
Add sugar, almond extract, slivered almonds and the whole almond.
Whip cream until very stiff, then gently fold into the pudding.
Refrigerate until serving time.

Cherry sauce: Combine 1 teaspoon cherry liquid from can with the
cornstarch. Put cherries and their remaining liquid in a saucepan; bring
to a boil. Add cornstarch slurry, stirring until slightly thickened. Let
cool, then stir in optional liqueur. Serve pudding in glass bowls with
cherry sauce on the side.

Serves 8

PER SERVING: 385 calories, 7 g protein, 29 g carbohydrate, 27 g fat (14 g
saturated), 86 mg cholesterol, 67 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.


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