WHOLE NEW (MEAT) BALL GAME
Savoury yogurt dressing ups the ante
Meatballs turn up in many cultures, says the author of Scandinavian Comfort Food, who offers her grandmother’s meatballs (frikadeller) with an herb flavoured yogurt dressing.
Copenhagen chef and food writer Trine Hahnemann recommends the recipe as an element of hygge, the trendy Danish word for hunkering down with friends and family over food and drink.
Hygge is best celebrated by candlelight in winter, she suggests in her cookbook (Quadrille/Raincoast, $50).
She writes with authority, noting that she runs a food-service company that serves lunch to 3,000 people daily. Particularly tempting are such onepot meals as root vegetable stew, duck legs with apples and vegetables, and a fish and seafood soup.
MEATBALLS SCANDINAVIAN STYLE Serves: 8
1 lb (454 g) medium ground beef
1 lb (454 g) ground pork
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh, chopped thyme
2 red chilies, finely chopped
3 eggs
1 ¾ cups (430 mL) fresh bread crumbs
6 tbsp (90 mL) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (180 mL) milk
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
3 tbsp (45 mL) butter
Yogurt dressing
(see recipe below)
1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef and pork, onions, garlic, thyme, chilies and eggs, combining well.
2. Stir in the bread crumbs and flour, mixing well. Then stir in the milk, and about 1 tbs (15 mL) salt and some pepper to taste.
3. Shape meat mixture into round balls about
1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter. Heat the oil and butter together in a large, heavy frying pan and fry the meatballs on all sides.
4. Transfer to a baking pan large enough to hold them in a single layer and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
5. Serve hot with yogurt dressing.
Yogurt dressing: Spoon 1 3/4 cups (430 mL) Greek yogurt into a small bowl and stir in 2 tbsp (30 mL) each fresh lemon juice, chopped fresh dill, mint and parsley. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve chilled.