"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 Beef1/2 Cup chopped Onion1 Slice of Bread1 Egg1/2 tsp. SaltGenerous dash of Pepper1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup1/3 Cup Water1/2 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.)
You can serve with rolls, noodles, etc.
Matt's Review:
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful! This is one of those recipes that even better warmed up later as leftovers.
Easy to make - delicious to eat (with or without a side dish) - a must try!
I'm still working on my presentation though - I've noticed that some of these recipes look less than appetizing. Anyone that is great at side dishes and garnishes - write me a note with a few hints!
Eat up - For tomorrow we blog!
This is very similar to my stroganoff recipe. We just cook the ground beef scrambled-like, and then add the mushroom soup and sour cream and serve it over cooked egg noodles. It's one of my family's all-time favorites, and quicker to make than the meatballs. I would love to try the meatballs sometime.
ReplyDeleteJill's Review:
ReplyDeleteThis is a very easy and good tasting recipe. The ingredients are simple and fast to make. I enjoyed the taste and my whole family liked it.( thats a bonus). You can even add things to it to make it your own such as green peppers or mushrooms, whatever your taste likes. Have fun with it!!
Yum!! I'd love to eat it with egg noodles - and the addition of mushrooms like Jill mentioned. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd seriously, aren't all (well, that might be an exaggeration :) ) published recipes totally not liberal enough on the time it takes to complete? It makes me feel like I'm so slooowwww at cooking. lol