I have been on a Finnish food kick lately, oddly enough. I find it ironic because when I was living in Finland, I
HATED Finnish food. Couldn’t stand it. Now I’m in my kitchen cooking it.
Life, you have a sick sense of humour!
SUOMALAISEN LIHAPULLATFinnish Meatballs
Meatballs:
- 500 g (about 1 lb.) ground beef or substitute part of the beef with ground pork (I use ground beef mixed with Jimmy Dean’s Sage-flavoured ground sausage)
- 50 ml (about 3-4 Tbsp) dry breadcrumbs (I used much more than this—if you find the meat mixture is too soft, add until it firms up)
- 150 - 200 ml (a little less than 1 c.) heavy cream
- 1 small egg
- 1 small onion
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1/8 tsp allspice
For Gravy:
- 2 - 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 - 2 Tbsp butter
- about ½ l beef stock
- 50 - 100 ml sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Grate or chop the onion extremely fine. Mix the cream and the breadcrumbs and let the mixture stand for a few minutes until the cream is absorbed in the breadcrumbs, making them thoroughly soft. Add the egg, meat and seasonings.
Knead the mixture thoroughly by hand until it is smooth and firm. Form the mixture into small balls (2½ - 3 cm) with clean, moistened hands.
Melt some butter in a medium-sized hot skillet. Add meatballs—about 20 or less at a time—and lower the heat to medium-high. Using a wooden spatula or cooking tongs, gently keep turning the meatballs over until they are lightly browned from all over and hold their round shape.
Continue cooking by shaking the skillet every now and then so that the meatballs roll around and brown evenly. They will be further baked in oven, so they do not have to be cooked through at this stage. Pour the meatballs in a deep oven casserole (with a lid) to wait for the sauce.
Preparing the gravy:
Bring the stock to the boil and keep it hot. Pour the flour in a medium-hot, dry skillet. Using a wooden spatula, keep stirring the flour without a break until it turns golden brown in colour and starts to develop a nutty aroma. Make sure not to burn the flour.
Add the butter to the flour and mix quickly, so that it will be absorbed in the flour. You may need some extra butter—all of the flour should be mixed with it. Immediately start pouring the boiling hot stock in the skillet a little at a time, using a whisk to constantly stir it in. Watch out for the hot steam. You may not need to use all of the stock. Mix well, whisking until no lumps remain. You can also transfer the gravy back into the pot you used to boil the stock if it makes whisking easier.
Add sour cream to taste, whisking until thoroughly mixed. Bring to a boil and then pour over meatballs.
Cover casserole dish with lid and put into the oven at 200°C/390°F until meatballs are cooked through and sauce has thickened.
Serve with potatoes (boiled or mashed) with lingonberry jam.
