An antidote for winter

Winter in Paris is very temperamental.

At the end of November last year, it snowed really heavily that it was the worst snow the city has had in decades. In December, the temperatures warmed up a bit before plummeting and bringing in more snow that caused numerous flight and train cancellations... Just last week, temperatures were averaging between 8-12 degree Celsius. But now, at the end of January, it's dropping below zero again.

It's definitely a much colder winter than the one I'm used to in Melbourne. And with such cold bouts of wind, there's nothing better to do than turning up the radiator at full blast (thank goodness for oil radiators), tucking in under the blanket, watching movies and eating steaming hot food.

My new comfort food these days have been soups or anything that can be served boiling hot that's thick and hearty. Couple of weeks ago, it was the yuk gae jang, a spicy korean beef stew. This week, I made Swedish meatballs.

Ikea's probably the most well-known place to try this Scandinavian favorite. I've been there several times while I was growing up in Singapore. My mom loved the shop but sadly she didn't like the meatballs so I never really knew them. More than a couple of friends were shocked. Anyways, if you're like me, wondering what they are, the internet is rife with recipes of the famous dish. They're made the same way as Italian meatballs but with different spice and different sauce. Although traditionally served with boiled potatoes, I liked mine with steamed rice :)


Swedish Meatballs
adapted from SimplyRecipes
serves 4-6 people


Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 egg
750g minced beef
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp all-spice
1/2 tsp curry powder
Sauce:
50g butter
50g flour
800ml beef stock
1/2 cup sour cream
salt


Method

1. In a medium bowl, mix the milk and the breadcrumbs. Let soak for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, saute the onions over medium-heat until they softened and turn translucent. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Add the cooled onions to the bowl with the breadcrumbs and add all the other meatball ingredients.
4. Using your hands, mix for 2-3 minutes until the breadcrumbs, spices and onions are well distributed in the meat.
5. Taking about a tablespoon of the meat mixture, roll it between your palms into a ball until they slightly unstick from your palms. Set each one aside on a sheet pan or plate.
6. Heat 50g of butter in a large frying pan and once it has melted and is bubbling, add the meatballs. Don't crowd the pan and brown them on all sides (at this stage, we don't want to fully cook them).
7. Once browned, set aside.
8. Heat the remaining butter on medium until hot.
9. Slowly whisk in the flour and stirring all the while, cook until it's the color of coffee with cream. This is a roux.
10. As the roux is cooking, heat the beef stock in a separate pan.
11. After the roux has reached the desired color, add the stock a ladle at a time, stirring all the while. It will solidify but keep stirring and adding the stock. Eventually, it will loosen up and become silky.
12. Add the meatballs and bring the sauce to a boil. After that, turn the heat on low and simmer for 10 minutes.
13. To finish, take the pan off the heat and stir in the sour cream.