Swedish Meatballs

"Swedish meatballs. A dish of seasoned pork or beef meatballs covered with a brown gravy. There are endless variations on this dish, which is most popular in the Midwest and derives form Swedish origins. Swedish meatballs are usually served at buffets and smorgasbords, a custom that reflects their Swedish origins. Buttered noodles are the traditional accompaniment. Swedish meatballs date in print to the 1920s."

---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 318)

In northern Scandinavian countries beef was a luxury item, meatballs were highly prized so it was traditionally only served on special occasions.

Here in present day USA we are blessed (or cursed) to have foods readily available from all over the world right at our fingertips.  The reason I say cursed is that we no longer have seasonal food - it kind of takes the fun out of it.  Kind of like watching "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" - (bear with me a minute) When we were kids we had to wait for it to come on the television at that special time of year; now with the advent of VHS, DVD, and the internet we can watch it any time we want.  Better? Worse? You can decide for yourself.

The Recipe:

1lb. Ground Beef

1/2 Cup chopped Onion

1 Slice of Bread

1 Egg

1/2 tsp. Salt

Generous dash of Pepper

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/3 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

Mix Beef, Onion, Egg, Bread, Salt and Pepper.  Shape into balls (about 1-1/2" thick), brown in frypan.  Add Soup and Water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Blend sour cream in with meatballs - heat through and serve.

This is a very simple recipe.  Maybe an hour tops from start to finish.  (A note on times:  Many of the cooking shows will tell you that a recipe will take 1/2 hour.  We have tried some of these recipes and we have come to the conclusion that if you have someone to prepare all of the ingredients - chop them up and put them in little clear dishes for you so all you have to do is put them together - you may be able to make them in 1/2 and hour.  When we give you a time it is how long it took us to chop up, prepare, cook, etc.  From the time we bagan the recipe to the time we sat down to eat.)

Jill and I will follow up with a review in the comment area - don't forget to check the comments!

You can serve with rolls, noodles, etc. 

Lefse Chicken Wraps

Potato Lefse originated in Scandinavia.  It is a soft Norwegian flatbread.  It has recently been growing in popularity in many countries around the world because of it's versatility (and it tastes good too).  There are variations on the recipe, Tjukklefse (thick lefse) often served with coffee as a cake, Tynnlefse (thin lefse) that is rolled up with cinnamon, sugar and butter - served (obviously) as a dessert.  Also, it can be stuffed with almost anything you want to eat -from PB&J to BBQ Pork.

Today we are making a Lefse Chicken Wrap - Yummmm!

You will need the following ingredients for the Lefse:

3 Medium Potatoes (Add 1 more potato for the mashed potatoes in the wrap)

2 TBSP Butter

1 TBSP Milk

2 tsp Salt
2 Cups Flour (maybe a little more)

2 baked chicken breasts

Just use your favorite method of baking a chicken - if you don't have one this recipe is simple and tasty.

You will also need:

Mixer or Potato Masher
Large pot for boiling potatoes
Frying pan

Rolling Pin

Peel the potatoes. Cut them in half. You want them to be roughly the same size so they all cook at the same speed. Put them in a big pot and fill it with enough water to cover them. Add about a teaspoon of salt. Cover the pot, and go browse your favorite blog - may we suggest: Passalong Plants a wonderful gardening blog.  (a shameless plug for our other blog) It will take about an hour after the water is boiling for the potatoes to be done.

To test if the potatoes are done poke a toothpick into one of them - if it goes in easily they are done.  When the potatoes are done, take them out and drain the water.  Add the tablespoon of milk, tablespoon of salt, and two tablespoons of butter to it and then mash away.  If you own a stand mixer (lucky you) use it to mash the potatoes; If not, you can use a potato masher (that's what it's for), or a fork, or whatever you like to mash potatoes with - to each his own. After they are mashed measure out two cups and set aside whatever you have left over.

Now put it in the fridge until it's cold. Cover it with plastic wrap or put it in a tupperware - whatever you have.   A couple of hours should be long enough, although longer won't cause any harm.  (within reason of course - if it's turned green and fuzzy, probably too long)

Take the potatoes out of the fridge and make sure that they're cold. Not room temperature - cold, and slightly stiff. Spread some of your flour over the flat surface where you'll be rolling out the dough. Put the mashed potatoes in the middle of the floured area and pour about half a cup of flour on top of it.

Knead it for about ten minutes, gradually incorporating the rest of the flour. Once it is mixed with the flour it will feel more like dough and not so much like mashed potatoes anymore.

Now you need to divide it into eight pieces and ball up each piece.

Spread more flour onto your surface. Lefse sticks a lot when rolling it out. The best way to avoid it is to flip the dough over each time you roll it out, spread a little more flour under it, and roll the other side. Keep your rolling pin well floured, too. You want the Lefse to end up about as thin as a flour tortilla. They should end up around nine inches diameter.  I have read that they should be square - round is easier.

After you've rolled out all eight pieces, heat up your frying pan and grease it slightly if it isn't non-stick. Flip one of the uncooked lefse into the pan and quickly unfold any creases with a spatula. Only turn your lefse once - when you see air bubbles forming underneath.

It won't need to cook for as long on the other side. Watch, again, for the bubbles; it's a little harder to see this time. Be careful not to leave it on too long or it will burn!

Add the filling!  Like I said when I started this is a very versatile food.  We are making Lefse Chicken Wraps but you could put just about anything in it you like!  Even PB&J - we are big fans.

So, now cut the chicken into bite size pieces and put a schmeer of mashed potatoes in the Lefse and roll it up.  Drizzle some gravy over the top and Bon Appetit!

This would be great to use when you have leftovers in the fridge - stuff it with just about anything and it makes a delicious meal.  (I'm still working on my presentation skills - maybe a piece of parsley would pretty it up??)

Jill and I will follow up tomorrow with our reviews!