Pete and Leo Williamson’s Dad has been a mightily impressive cook for as long as they can remember, but he never liked the limelight. So the Surbiton brothers started their own hit blog – What Dad Cooked – to share his recipes, hints and tips.

Now they are sharing their recipe for Swedish meatballs – just like you had at Ikea - with us.

 

Swedish meatballs

 

Serves 4, Time: 1 hour

Swedish meatballs are a family favourite. They are easy on the palate, comforting and fun to eat - children love them and can help make them too. All meatballs are made by mixing minced meat, fillers, binders and flavourings.

Tips: The flavourings (and sauce) change the style of the dish: cream and allspice for Swedish meatballs, tomato and oregano for Italian, harissa and tomato for Moroccan etc. Try your own variations…

They are easy to prepare but require a little patience. This is why they are so familial and good to eat – each one is homemade and therefore special.

 

Ingredients (makes around 24 meatballs)

 

Meatballs

500g-600g mix of beef and pork mince, one onion, one egg whisked, 75g bread crumbs, 200ml single cream, two tablespoons oil and one tablespoon butter, half a teaspoon allspice, flour.

Gravy

Two onions, 500ml chicken stock, half a teaspoon allspice, one bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, 10g dried chopped porcini mushrooms (optional), 125ml white wine (optional), 100ml single cream, one tablespoon redcurrant jelly, one tablespoon flour, one tablespoon oil, one tablespoon butter.

 

Method

 

1. Make the gravy. Finely chop the onion and fry in oil and butter on a low heat for 10 minutes. Add the herbs and spices, mushrooms (if using) and flour. Stir for a minute then add the wine (if using) and cook for five minutes. Add stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the redcurrant jelly. Add the cream. Season with salt, pepper and lemon to taste.

2. Make the meatballs. Chop an onion as fine as possible and fry in oil and butter. Sweat gently for about 10 minutes. Combine the cream with the breadcrumbs. Mix the meat, egg and breadcrumbs together in a large bowl. Add allspice, season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly and form walnut-size balls. For best results rest the meatballs in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm-up.

3. Cook the meatballs. Coat the meatballs in flour and fry in butter and oil until golden brown. Do this in batches, setting aside cooked meatballs after each batch. If necessary, clean the pan of burnt residues between batches adding more butter and oil.

4. Combine the meatballs and gravy. Add the cooked meatballs to the gravy and heat gently for five minutes, allowing the flavours to blend and the sauce to thicken. Add more stock or water if the gravy is too thick.

5. Serve the meatballs. Serve with boiled or mash potatoes, pasta or rice. For an authentic Swedish touch add lingonberries or redcurrant jelly or sauce. Finish with parsley.

Go to whatdadcooked.com for more.

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