Swedish Meatballs with a secret ingredient
Dec 30, 2021
Swedish Beef Meatballs with my Secret Ingredient - Chicken Liver
Organ meats are the most nutrient-dense part of the animal - from 10 to 100 times richer in vitamins and minerals than muscle meat. For those that aren’t thrilled with consuming organ meats as a main course, meatballs are a great way to “hide” them and get a nutrient packed meal. I puree them to create a dark, rich meatball using grass-fed beef. They are delicious, but you can’t quite figure out why. It’s the secret ingredient!
Note: Meatballs freeze really well. See freezing directions below.
I like to serve Swedish style meatballs with my Fermented Cranberries. You can also mix the fermented cranberries with cranberry sauce or lingonberry jam 50/50.
Flavor options:
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Swedish version: Make the mushroom gravy below and serve with lingonberry or cranberry sauce
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Change the spice to dried oregano and add to tomato sauce and serve over pasta
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Add smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Serve with sautéed peppers and onions over rice
Ingredients:
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1/2 white onion grated using a box grater or minced fine
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2 garlic cloves, finely minced with a pinch of salt to create a paste
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1 ¼ Lbs 85-90% lean ground beef
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½ Lbs mild Italian sausage
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¼ to ½ Lbs chicken livers drained on a paper towel (or increase beef to 2 Lbs)
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½ cup to ¾ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs, gluten-free breadcrumbs, or almond meal
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2 medium or large eggs
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2-4 Tbls minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
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1/4 tsp or more sea salt
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Fresh ground pepper
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½ tsp ground nutmeg, or dried oregano, or smoked paprika
Directions:
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Preheat the oven to 400˚F degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
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With an immersion blender or in a blender, pureé the chicken livers, eggs, and garlic**. Add this mixture to a bowl large enough to fit the remaining ingredients. Add ½ cup of bread crumbs and stir.
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Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Using your hands is easiest; I use disposable gloves. If the mixture is sloppy and not firm, add the remaining breadcrumbs. Overworking the meat melts the fat and makes a tougher meatball.
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To check the seasoning, melt some butter in a frying pan, add a little piece of the meat mixture and fry. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
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If you can, chill the mixture for 30 minutes.
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Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the meatballs all at once onto the baking sheet and then roll each into a ball. Leave room in between the meatballs.
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Bake for 15 minutes and then check the internal temperature. Meatballs should be 165˚F when served. If you’re going to add them to a sauce and continue cooking, cook the meatballs to about 140˚F then add them to your sauce and check the temperature again when ready to serve.
**Note: You can also mince the livers with a knife into tiny pieces. In the bowl, whisk the eggs with a fork. Add the liver and garlic and continue with step 3.
Freezing instructions:
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Place the parchment-lined sheet pan of uncooked meatballs in the freezer. After 1-2 hours, and once frozen, transfer the meatballs into freezer bags. Label and date.
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You can bake the meatballs when frozen. Add 10 minutes and then check the internal temperature.
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These meatballs are great with tomato sauce, in soups, sandwiches, and over pasta.
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Switch the Italian sausage for spicy Italian sausage, or chorizo.
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If serving with tomato sauce, use the sausage. If you’re going for a Scandinavian feel, replace the sausage with more beef or a combination of beef and veal.
Gravy - Makes 2 cups
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2 Tbls butter or fat from the pan
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1/2 cup diced mushrooms (optional)
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2 Tbls AP or GF flour
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2 cups broth (beef is ideal but I use whatever I have including chicken or vegetable broth, or a mixture. For a traditional Swedish cream gravy, use 1 ½ cups broth and ½ cup cream
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2 tsp soy sauce or Tamari
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1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
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You need about 2 Tbls of fat in the pan to begin. If you’re starting from scratch, use butter.
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Melt the fat over medium-low to medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté just until cooked.
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Add the flour stirring well to create a “roux” which is a butter-flour paste. Cook the roux while stirring to cook the flour and allow the roux to turn a golden color. Watch carefully. If the the roux looks “greasy”, add a bit more flour so that it looks “pasty”.
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Add the broth or broth and cream. Stirring or whisking, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring all the while. Simmer for several minutes.
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Add the soy sauce, mustard and season to taste with salt and freshly cracked pepper.