All Swedes remember the plates of köttbullar carefully prepared by mom. The brown sauce, the jam, the creamy homemade mash… Each family has its own little techniques and tricks, passed down from generation to generation. And while the Ikea meatballs are worth a detour, the traditional Swedish recipe is so simple to make and so tasty that it will make you forget about your furniture needs for the duration of a meal. You have been warned!
In the Swedish language, the letter “k” is pronounced “ch” when it appears before the letters “i”, “ä” and “ö”. Thus, the name of this famous recipe is actually pronounced “choetbullar” (and not “kotbullar”).
The ingredients of köttbullar
For the meatballs
For 8 people, you need about 500g of ground beef, and the same amount of pork. Köttbullar are usually made from a mixture of ground meat, very often pork and beef, but can also be made with beef only.
Add 40g of breadcrumbs, 1 tsp of chopped parsley, the same amount of finely chopped onion, 2 egg yolks, and 1 tbsp of garlic powder. For spices, count ½ tsp of chili powder, ½ tsp of nutmeg, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of pepper. Finally, we plan on a little oil for cooking.
For the sauce
It’s impossible to serve these small, round balls without the brown sauce that goes with them. Like the köttbullar, the latter can obviously be bought in a ready-made version from the Swedish furniture giant, but it’s also very easy to make at home. To do this, prepare 4 tbsp. butter, 3 tbsp. flour, 25cl diluted beef broth (about two cups), 175g thick cream, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. mustard, a little salt and pepper.
The recipe for Swedish meatballs
The meatballs
In a bowl, place all the ingredients except the oil: meat, spices, onions, herbs, breadcrumbs and egg. Once everything is well mixed, shape small balls by hand and roll them on a lightly floured work surface. Finally, all that remains is to fry our köttbullar over low heat, in a hot pan with a little oil, turning them continuously until they are golden brown. Drain them on absorbent paper before starting to prepare the sauce.
Köttbullar sauce
In a frying pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter to which you gradually add the flour to prepare a roux. You have to whisk well until the mixture turns brown. Then, add the beef broth, mixing the preparation well, then in a second step, the heavy cream, the Worcestershire sauce, the mustard, the salt and the pepper. Let everything cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.
The tasting
To enjoy this Swedish national dish properly, köttbullar are served piping hot, generously covered in brown gravy, with homemade mashed potatoes and a spoonful of lingonberry jam. Lingonberries are wild berries, similar to cranberries, that grow in the northern climates of Scandinavia.
