I had such terrific Swedish Meatballs lastweek (at Travails pop-up Uffda, lasting just a few more weeks, you should go!) that I was inspired to revisit this recipe, which I first published several years ago. I decided to update themeatballs to be Paleo, AIP, and Whole30-compliant so everyone can enjoy them!
It was a verrrrry delicious week for me. Im feelingquite lucky.
On Thursday night, I attended an EatWith dinner at host Mohamed Kotbs home. Stephanie March of Minneapolis/St Paul Magazine wrote about the organization here. I think of it as an Airbnb sort of experience EatWith is an international organization, where you can sign up to dine in someones homein cities all over the world.
There are a few hosts in the Twin Cities andthe dinner Iattended on Thursday was such a WOW, you guys. Absolutely incredible experience.
Mos home is warm and inviting, hes a charming and gracious host, I had a blastmeetingthe other guests, and the food was a beautiful combination of Egyptian and Persian delights. We began with a gorgeous spread of dips enjoyed in front of the fire. Then at the table, lentil soup with lemon and cumin; Egyptian rice-stuffed zucchini and eggplant; chicken braised with pomegranate, walnuts, and endive; butternut squash roasted with ras hanout, brown sugar, rosemary, and finished with chartreuse liqueur; salad of cucumber, tomato, and onion; and ice cream for dessert.
Like I said, WOW. Absolutely one of the bestmeals Ive had in quite a long time. If youre looking for an exciting and new dining experience, book it!(Art by Mos incredibly talented son.)
So back to the meatballs. Yall already know what a fan of meatballs I am. Theyre one of my top 5 favorite batch cook items, so make a big batch and freeze them. Theyre so easy to pull from the freezer to rewarm a few at a time.
This recipe takes the balls one step further, with a signature beefy pan sauce. Mashed potatoes are an obvious and incredibly delicious accompaniment. You could low-carb it with cauliflower mash or sauted greens and that would not be a badidea at all. In fact: yum. Ill leave the addition of lingonberry jam up to you.
Before I leave you with the recipe, I posted this Facebook Live video last week for you us late bloomers!
I absolutely consider myself a late bloomer and I personally find it incredibly exciting. I turned 53 last week and I feel better in my skin and more excited about my career and life than I ever have. I am FOR SURE a younger person than I was at 43 years old, and I credit being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease for putting my health as my top priority.
Eating nutrient-dense food, avoiding sugar and processed food, getting good sleep, working out, and bonus activities like saunas(Iown this portable sauna and love it) and even cold water immersion (in a frozen Minneapolis lake) are more important to me than ever before.I consider facing these small but mighty discomforts every day a path 1) tokeeping and improving myhealth (and vibrancy!), of course, but also 2) to exciting new chapters and people in my life.
It took me a long time to fully absorb that everything everything I want my life to be is on the other side of facing down fear and discomfort. Better late(ish) than never, right? Yes indeed. Cheers to a 2020 full of challenges to conquer.
And with that, I leave you with the meatball recipe. These are neither scary nor uncomfortable think of them as a reward for hard work well done, ha. Enjoy!
xoxo Stephanie
Swedish Meatballs (Paleo, Primal, AIP, Whole30)
Serves 4 as a main course, or makes 30 1-inch meatballs
Note: I give the option of using ghee and cream for the Primal or Paleo folks who can have some dairy. For Dairy-free/AIP/Whole30, follow the avocado oil and coconut milk option. If you batch cook the meatballs to freeze, freeze them without gravy.
4 tablespoonsghee (or avocado oil), divided
1/2cupmincedonion
Sea salt
3/4 pound groundbeef
3/4 pound groundpork
3tablespoons tapioca starch, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon groundallspice (more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon freshly gratednutmeg
3 cupsbeefbroth (rich chicken broth works well too)
1/4 cup heavy cream (substitute full-fat coconut milk for Dairy-free/AIP/Whole30)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
In a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat,add1 tablespoon of the ghee (or avocado oil). Add the onion and a pinch of salt andsaute until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine theground beef, pork, 1 1/2 tablespoons of tapioca starch, 1 teaspoon ofseasalt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions.Using your hands, combine until mixture is quite uniform and smooth.
Usinga small ice cream scoop, gently formmixture into 1-inch meatballs (not larger).
Heat the remainingghee (or oil)in the saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.
Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of tapioca starch to the pan.Whiskfor 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beefstockand whisk untilsaucebegins to thicken. Add thecreamand heat until thickened (do not boil for a long time the starch will lose its thickening power). Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with thegravyand serve.
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