The only introduction I had to Swedish meatballs, prior to going to Sweden, was at IKEA. I honestly thought it was a gimmick. A food that was mass-produced by IKEA to export to the world, and not something that Swedish people ate. I was wrong. The Swedes do in fact eat meatballs, they love it and it's delicious. I couldn't believe how tasty it was with creamy potato mash and pickles on the side. An addition of lingonberries is also welcomed. It was one of those meals that lingered on well after my holiday. One of the many memorable meals I had in Sweden. I just had to re-create them at home.

More photos from my Swedish trip coming soon. But I have to mention the Swedish light and clean, minimal design was inspiring. It's found it's way into my photography and styling.






On another note, I recently launched my portfolio website. It's been in the works for sometime and I finally put the finishing touches to it. It is a collection of food, lifestyle and travel photos I have proudly produced over the past year, as I re-kindled my passion for photography, as well as food styling. The hope is, that over time, I'll update it to add more recent photos. I hope you enjoy perusing it.

Serves 4-6 people

FOR THE MEATBALLS

500g mince pork
500g mince beef
1 onion finely diced
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp all spice
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped dill
2 eggs beaten
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
400ml double cream
100g butter
300ml beef stock
1 tbsp flour
Olive oil


FOR THE PICKLES

200g radish thinly sliced
1 cucumber thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt


METHOD

Combine the pork, beef, onion, breadcrumbs, all spice, garlic, eggs, parsley, dill, salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl. Mix all ingredients together (I use my hands). Cover and leave in the fridge for 30 mins to allow the ingredients to come together.

Meanwhile make the pickles by combining the rice vinegar, sugar and salt to a bowl, and mix until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the cucumber and radish to the bowl then refrigerate for at least 30 mins, mixing occasionally.

Remove the meat mixture from the fridge and roll balls approximately 5cm in diameter. You should get at least 24 meatballs. Heat some olive oil in a large pot on medium heat to shallow fry the meatballs. Fry the first batch and remove from pan. Continue until all meatballs are cooked. In the same pan, add the butter until melted. Then add the beef stock and bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Add the flour and thoroughly mix to remove lumps. Then stir in the double cream and add all the meatballs. Simmer for another 10 mins. If the sauce is still too runny, add more flour. It should be a thick consistency like gravy. Add another handful of chopped herbs. Serve with mash and pickle vegetables.


NOTES

The Swedes like to eat this with lingonberry sauce. Unfortunately, I have not been able to source lingonberry in UK. But you can substitute it for lingonberry jam, if you can find it.