Recipe: Swedish meatballs

Since I do not make my meatballs in the traditional Swedish manner, I consulted my book on Scandinavian Recipes put out in 1940 in Minneapolis. The intent of the book was to preserve the recipes of the immigrants as they were changing even then. Except for the veal, the recipe is identical to that of my former neighbor (she passed on at age 105 in the early 90s). This recipe is actually very similar to what I use for meatloaf. You may have to adjust these recipes slightly as dairy was not pasturized or homogonized then and meats are much leaner today (of course, the eggs are larger too, so maybe it balances out). Finally, don't forget to do a search for Swedish Meatballs on this site. There are many good recipes--not always traditional.

Swedish Meat Balls

3/4 pound beef
1/4 pound lean pork
1/4 pound veal
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 eggs
butter

Grind meat twice. Beat milk and eggs together and pour over bread crumbs. When soft, mix with meat and work well together. Add spices and then add the fried onion (fry onion slowly in butter without browning). Work all together until light and fluffy. An ordinary potato masher will be found very convenient for this. Form into small balls and brown in butter. A little hot water may be added while simering. Serve with brown gravy made from drippings, combined with 1 tablespoon flour and 3/4 cup cream.

To compare, here is a recipe for the norwegian version.

Norwegian Meat Balls

1 pound ground steak
1/4 pound fresh pork
1 egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 medium sized onion, minced
1/2 cup milk, scalded
salt and pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ginger

Grind meat very fine, beat eggs slightly and add with milk and cornstarch to meat mixture. Mix well. Add rest of ingredients; beat thoroughly until very light, then form into small balls. Brown in butter, simmer slowly until done, adding a little water, if necessary. When done, remove meat balls, add more butter to drippings, add flour and brown, then add enough water to make a medium thick gravy. Season with salt and pepper and add meat balls.