This version of Swedish meatballs features larger meatballs made of all beef instead of the traditional beef/pork combination. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

This version of Swedish meatballs features larger meatballs made of all beef instead of the traditional beef/pork combination. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

Meatballs and weddings

When my husband and I got married, Swedish meatballs were served as part of our dinner spread

My sister came down for a visit this past weekend and along with some lawn seeding and garden weeding we had an important job to do — we were on a mission to find the site for her upcoming wedding ceremony.

Both she and her fiancé are artists, painters, and although the mountains of the Mat-Su valley are a beautiful backdrop to their everyday lives (and frequently the subject of their artwork), they had something different and particular in mind for the background of their nuptials next September: a rocky beach.

We toured our favorite beaches with them, and they fell in love with one that features enormous boulders and patrolling eagles and a view of the mountains across the sea. We schemed and dreamed about flowers and gowns while we strolled together down the shoreline, taking pictures and making notes for color palettes and seating options and contingency plans.

It was wonderful to see her so happy — her eyes sparkled like the sun on the waves, and I am so excited to get to help her plan this most joyous occasion.

When my husband and I got married, Swedish meatballs were served as part of our dinner spread, and they were so delectable and memorable I can’t think of my wedding without remembering them.

My version is all beef (versus the traditional beef/pork combination), and I make my meatballs a little larger when serving a family instead of a congregation — just to save myself a little time and effort — but you can make them bite sized in the traditional style if you choose.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

¼ cup breadcrumbs (panko or unseasoned)

½ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ white onion very finely chopped or pureed

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg

Splash of olive oil

For the sauce:

½ stick butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups beef bone broth

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl combine your beef, allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, white pepper, salt, egg and breadcrumbs.

Use your clean hands to knead the mixture until it is smooth and homogeneous. If the mixture feels dry, add a splash of milk.

Roll into balls. I made mine about the size of golf balls, but smaller than that is traditional. For bite-sized meatballs aim for them to be about the size of a quarter.

Arrange the balls on a tray, cover with plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour. This step will help prevent them from breaking apart while cooking.

Brown the meatballs in a little olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Keep them moving and be careful to not let them flatten as they cook — spherical balls are prettier on the plate. Do not cook the meat completely, just brown the outside, because they will finish cooking in the sauce. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, melt the butter and scrape the bottom well. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour has a nutty smell, about 5 minutes. This step prevents your sauce from tasting like flour.

Whisk in your beef broth and heavy cream and cook until the sauce thickens slightly. When the sauce has come to a simmer, return the meatballs to the pan.

Allow the meatballs to cook in the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring gently to keep them coated in sauce. After 20 minutes, remove the largest one and cut it open to check doneness before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Tradition dictates these be served with lingonberry sauce, but we used cranberry rhubarb jam. Any tart jam will be an excellent accompaniment.

More in Life

Will Morrow (courtesy)
Springing ahead

I’m not ready to spring ahead

Murder suspect William Dempsey is pictured shortly after he was captured on the outskirts of Seward in early September 1919. (Photo courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks archives)
A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 8

Dempsey spent more than a decade attempting to persuade a judge to recommend him for executive clemency

Promotional image via the Performing Arts Society
Saturday concert puts jazz, attitude on stage

Lohmeyer is a former local music teacher

The author holds a copy of Greta Thunberg’s, “No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference,” inside the Peninsula Clarion building on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Off the Shelf: Thunberg speeches pack a punch

“No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference” is a compilation of 16 essays given by the climate activist

White chocolate cranberry cake is served with fresh cranberries. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
Hard-to-ruin cranberry cake

This white chocolate cranberry cake is easy to make and hard to ruin — perfect for my students aged 3, 6, 7 and 7.

Virginia Walters (Courtesy photo)
Life in the Pedestrian Lane: It’s March

March is the trickster month, probably why we see so much raven activity these days

After Pres. Woodrow Wilson commuted his death sentence to life in prison, William Dempsey (inmate #3572) was delivered from Alaska to the federal penitentiary on McNeil Island, Wash. These were his intake photos. (Photo courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks archives)
A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 7

The opening line of Dempsey’s first letter to Bunnell — dated March 19, 1926 — got right to the point

Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel in “The Last of Us.” (Photo courtesy HBO)
On the Screen: ‘The Last of Us’ perfectly adapts a masterpiece

HBO unquestionably knew they had a hit on their hands

Chocolate cake is topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A cake topped with love (and white chocolate cream cheese)

He loved the frosting so much he said he never wants anything else on his cake

In 1914, Pres. Woodrow Wilson appointed Charles Bunnell to be the judge of the Federal District Court for the Third and Fourth divisions of the Alaska Territory. (Photo courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks archives)
A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 6

Prosecution lawyers were fortunate to have a fallback plan: witnesses to the crime.

The author displays her daily vitamin, three yellowish clear bubbles of Vitamin D, and 20 mg of Paxil. (Photo by Meredith Harber/Minister’s Message)
Minister’s Message: Accepting all parts of your story of growth

I started taking Paxil almost six years ago, after a lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression

Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion 
A copy of Marie Aubert’s “Grown Ups” sits on a desk in The Peninsula Clarion building on Wednesday in Kenai.
Off the Shelf: Good for her

Marie Aubert’s “Grown Ups” caught my attention with a flashy cover and a review from Independent Ireland on the cover