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!