It seems meatballs are having their moment in the sun. Or should I say in the oven, or on our plates? Much like the fatigued cupcake has proven, you know when New Yorkers start lining up in droves for something, it’s a thing. Big or small. Swedish, Greek, or Italian. Nestled next to a heap of starch in the form of creamy potatoes or on top of old smoky all covered with cheese. Beef, turkey, pork, or lamb. We want to eat them. We will line up for them. Sadly for me, unlike my New York City counterpart, lining up at the Meatball Shop is not an option when little balls of perfectly seasoned meat are required. So to the kitchen I go.

Spaghetti and meatballs make regular appearances at our dinner table, as do little Greek lamb keftedes with fresh tzaziki, but Sweden had not made its way into the international ball rotation yet. That is until I received my September 2011 issue of Bon Appétit. A recipe for Swedish meatballs from NYC’s Smörgås Chef, combining beef, pork, and yes, bacon, made Sweden a tough competitor in my kitchen meatball Olympics. Perfectly seasoned with the nutty aroma of nutmeg and allspice, and bathed in a rich and creamy gravy, these little meat treats are perfect next to a heap of mashed potatoes. In my kitchen, proper mashed potatoes means put through a ricer, and mixed with plenty of melted butter and warm cream. With some buttered fresh peas on the side, and of course the essential IKEA lingonberry jam, Sweden is winning gold as of late. Like they weren’t already stylish and fabulous enough. I recommend enjoying with a side of Jens Lekman.

Swedish Meatball (from www.bonappetit.com)
Serves 6-8

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 1/3 cups low-salt beef stock, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 cup minced onion
2 thick slices bacon, minced
1 pound ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sour cream, whisked

Mix breadcrumbs and 1/3 cup stock in a small bowl. Set aside. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer onion to a large bowl.

Wipe out pan and return to medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to bowl with onion. (Reserve bacon fat.) Add next 8 ingredients to bowl with onion mixture, mixing with your hands to blend. Fold in breadcrumb mixture. Using a 1 Tbsp. measure, roll meat mixture into balls; transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

Melt 1 Tbsp. butter with reserved bacon fat in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat. Working in 3 batches and adding 1 Tbsp. butter between batches, brown meatballs on all sides, about 6-8 minutes per batch. Transfer meatballs to a plate. Drain all but 2 Tbsp. drippings from pot. Whisk in flour until smooth paste forms. Stir in 2 cups stock; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Return meatballs to pot. Cover; simmer until meatballs are cooked, 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in sour cream, and stir to coat meatballs.

Image courtesy of www.wednesdaychef.com

The internet is a great source for all things foodie, and we’re constantly bookmarking, starring, and emailing intriguing recipes, food porn, and inspiration. Here’s a selection of clippings we think are worth checking out.

A tomato salad sandwich sounds like a perfect solo supper.

Although it’s unlikely that my cherry obsession will allow me to do anything but eat the sweet spheres by the handful, I think these roasted cherry brownies might be worth the effort.

The same thing goes for blackberries, but I could also make the effort for large, buttery blackberry oat scones.

After polishing off the brownies and scones, I should probably lighten up a bit and try this yogurt pasta carbonara.

Completely unrelated, how ’bout we make this beef rendang?

I am about to tell you something that you may find controversial. Especially in the summer. During BBQ season.

I prefer my burgers out of a pan.

A heavy cast iron pan. Brushed with a little olive oil. Heated to HOT. Simple organic ground beef pressed into a 3/4 ” patty. Generously seasoned with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Thrown into the hot pan and left to sear, rendering lovely, sweet, brown bits all over the surface. One flip, add a thin slice of sweet onion, top with cheese. Melt. Add to one soft burger bun (I fancy Sobey’s version). Lettuce, mayo, mustard, ketchup. Simple and perfect. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Honestly. Off the griddle is so much better than off the grill. Good news for the rainy weekend ahead, no?

In Vietnam, I ran across noodles as often as rice—fat or skinny, in a soup, as a salad, or on their own.  My spaghetti dreams were adequately filled. At the Red Bridge Cooking School, I had the opportunity to make my own noodles for pho.  I stirred the thin batter, poured it on taut cotton, steamed it, carefully lifted the thick rice crepes, and then cut them into noodles to add to my soup.  I’m not sure I could ever do it again without the watchful eye of Chef Phi, but it was an experience I won’t soon forget.

Most often, I order bun at home with a lemongrass protein (usually beef or chicken) rather than something on a skewer or only spring rolls. I like that the lemongrass sauce as it were adds another layer to the nuoc cham sauce that comes on the side.  (Note:  If you’re only getting straight fish sauce as your bun dressing, you’re getting cheated out of flavour.)

I went with beef, and as my Vietnamese cookbook had no recipe for bun, I took amalgamated inspiration from bun bo xao recipes that came from Food Safari and Williams-Sonoma.  I’m not a big fan of bean sprouts so I left those out. I found brown rice vermicelli and just followed the directions on the package (even with the trendy fibre, they are ready in less than 5 minutes).  My shredded carrots were in the nuoc cham.  The beef was marinated for about 20 minutes.  The Food Safari recipe calls for perilla.  If you can find this herb, I highly recommend using it (with mint like I did).  It has quite a strong flavour and is almost warming when compared to the freshness of the mint.  As important as the lemongrass is for flavour, so is the nuoc cham that you add before eating.  Make sure you have enough.  In my previous post, my friend Hong posted her recipe and it is very close to what I made.  I will reproduce hers as parts are easier to multiply than measurements.  I would go with one clove of garlic and one chili per serving.

Hong’s Nuoc Cham 

1 part fish sauce
4 parts water
2 parts fresh lime juice
2 parts sugar
fresh chillies (chopped)
fresh garlic (minced/chopped)

Stir everything together.

This “dressing” can be kept in your fridge for a couple of weeks. She uses this for everything (eggs, salads, meat, fish, etc). 

Don’t forget to mix!