Swedish Meatballs

 I came across a meat mixture in Aldi the other day - ground beef, veal, and pork. It's a meatball and meatloaf mix from Thomas Farms. I'm not a meatloaf-maker, but what came to mind was Swedish meatballs that I had as a kid a hundred times. I usually get them at Ikea when we stop for lunch after shopping. There's something so comforting about this simple food. Ikea serves

I went to my trusty New York Times International Cookbook from the 1970s. I relied on the book many times in the past - especially for stuffed cabbage. I found three Swedish meatball recipes on pages 529 and 530 and chose the one that sounded closest to what I was looking for and adapted it Swedish Meat Balls II.

That recipe actually is very nearly like one that I am sure my mother used from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, of which she was a devotee. Here is my adaptation:

Meatballs (small; make 30-40)

1-1/4 lbs. meatball and meatball mix

1 cup bread cubes or large crumbs (I used some large crumbs from sourdough baguettes that I had frozen)

6 T. light cream

3 T. finely grated onion

1 clove garlic, finely minced (I used one T roasted garlic)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/4 ts. grated allspice

1 egg, lightly beaten.

Brown the meatballs in 2 T oil and 1/8 c. butter on all sides. Remove from the pan and place in a baking dish. Cover with 2-1/2 cup beef stock and bake for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees.

Sauce

Blend 1/8 c. butter with 2 T. all purpose flour. Stir the bits left in the pan into this roux and cook a few minutes. Mix in the broth (using something like Kitchen Bouquet to darken the sauce.)  Add the meatballs to the sauce. Serve hot over cooked
egg noodles. 

Just like home as a kid!

Lamb Shanks Curry

 We love lamb shanks and I find them at Whole Foods consistently. They freeze well, too. Rather than make the traditional lamb shank recipes I've posted before, I thought I'd try them with Indian spices. I served them over while basmati rice cooked in the rice cooker with a few Star Anise and a bit of butter and salt. I minced a handful of cilantro and tossed it in when the rice was hot. 

This recipe is adapted from Archana Mundhe's The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook. 

Start with 4 lamb shanks. The recipe called for them to be cut into 2 inch pieces. I used whole shanks. Pat them dry.

Make a paste with 2 T fresh lemon juice, 2 tsp. kosher salt, 2 tsp. minced garlic, 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger, 2 tsp. ground coriander, 1-2 tsp. Kashmiri red chile powder or another mild chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin and 1 tsp. turmeric. Rub the paste all over the shanks.  I placed them in a plastic bag and put heaping teaspoons of paste on them and used the plastic bag to spread them. Massage the paste into the shanks.

Let sit 3 hours to overnight.

Slice 2 large yellow onions, thinly.

When ready to cook, pour 1/4 cup oil into the instant pot and saute the onions until limp and yellow. Do not burn or brown heavily. Press cancel and place the shanks in amongst the onions, covering each shank with some onion. Make sure any browned bits of onion are scaped off the bottom of the pot. Pour 1/2 cup water into the plastic bag - shake to combine any spice that was not on the lamb. Set this water aside.

Secure the lid and set the pressure release to Sealing. Select Meat/Stew and set the cooking time for 40 minutes on high pressure. The pressure will adjust and the seal will seal after 5-10 minutes. The countdown to 40 will begin. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Move the pressure release to vent to allow all steam to escape. Remove cover. Return meat to the pot.

Remove hot shanks to a meat board and remove all the meat in chunks. 

Stir 1-2 tsp. garam masala into the 1/2 cup reserved water. Pour into the pot with the onions, broth and lamb. Stir and saute for about 5 minutes. It will thicken slightly.

Spoon the meat mixture onto the prepared rice. Serve with Naan pockets if desired, filling them in halves.