Chef Mik's Swedish Meatballs

Ah, Swedish meatballs, is there anything more iconic or synonymous with the Swedish food? I can’t think of any, in fact the closest I come are pancakes but that’s another story for another day. As for meatballs, served with lingonberries and pickled cucumbers, I mean what could be better, or simpler for that matter? In my humble opinion meatballs are the original ambassadors of the Swedish kitchen. Sure there are a lot of imposters out there and a lot of misinformation, that’s why I’m here to set the record straight! To that end, the base for Swedish meatballs is typically a combination of ground meat more often then not beef, veal and pork with the addition of eggs, milk, onion, breadcrumbs, salt and white pepper. That’s not to say that they don’t very from place to place back in Sweden, some examples would be the substation of game meat, potatoes in place of breadcrumbs, or additional seasoning such as all spice, or even the juice from a can of Swedish style anchovies, debates over raw verses sautéed onions are quite common place as are debates over pan frying verses baking first and then there is the question of whether they are best served on their own or in sauce.  But by the time they hoped the pawn they must have went through a massive overhaul, and become hardly recognizable as that simple but oh so wonderful little treat they once were! I say this from personal experience having sampled ground meat haphazardly shaped into balls flavored with canned mushroom soup no less under the heading “Swedish Meatballs” which had me doing a double take and scratching my head in disbelief! For the record, Swedish meatballs are not the size of soft balls, and never, and I mean never are they served with egg noodles! Well, ok sometimes they will be accompanied my stuvade makaroner which are elbow macaroni either cooked in milk flavored with onion and nutmeg or macaroni finished is sauce béchamel (think Swedish mac and cheese) although that’s normally reserved for kids, for the rest of us potatoes in some form or other is the typical starch de jour. But I digress; Swedish meatballs are a classic no matter how you slice it and a must on the Swedish Christmas table known as “Julbord” or smörgasbord but can also be enjoyed all year round and make a great party treat simply served with a tooth pick and pickled cucumbers. We serve these little gems everyway imaginable and present them in at least as many.

Chef’s tips: Today I am only using one type of meat, namely Angus ground beef 15% fat, I will say the finer the grind the better it is for this type of cooking, also if the meat is to lean there is the chance the meatballs will dry out during the cooking processes as a good quantity of liquid is expelled. Having said that, I don’t want to have to add a lot of milk so to that end I am puréeing my onion to create as much juice as I can in order to circulate a nice onion flavor and help keep the meat moist.

Resist the temptation to overwork the meat less it become thread like, break up the meat first add all components and quickly mix to combine and add more bread crumbs as needed. When done take just a little and pan fry up quickly to sample flavoring and consistency before forming balls

Back in school many, many years ago we experimented with seasoning the breadcrumbs and adding them to the meat, we also experimented with soaking the breadcrumbs first in milk then adding it to the meat. The idea being a more equal distribution, how ever side by side test results did not warrant this extra step, the idea is to add just enough breadcrumbs so that the second you can form a ball your done, because of this I tend to season the meat first, then finish with dry bread crumbs. If you like experiment yourself and see which result works best for you.

Shopping List

Ground beef

Onions

Eggs

Milk

Bread crumbs

Salt

Pepper

My Mad Method

Break up 500g ground beef; add 1 onion pureed along with what ever juice is generated

Add 2 whole eggs

Add 1 to 2 dl milk, you can use whatever type milk you like I use whole milk for the fat which helps keep the meat moist

 

Season with salt and white pepper to taste

Add just enough breadcrumbs so that you can form a ball

 

Mix to combine but be careful not to over work the meat or it will become threadlike, form 20g balls

Bake in an 185c preheated oven for 12 minutes or until just finished and are firm to the touch

Brown in clarified butter or a butter and oil blend 

Ready to eat!! 

 

Chef Mik's Cream of Mushroom Soup

Classic cream of mushroom soup is an oldie and a goody for sure, back at the kitchen we offer all kinds of mushroom soups, everything from consommés, miso based Asian style, to wild mushroom bisque or corn and mushroom chowder, but I keep coming back to this simple but elegant version. Now there isn’t one universal method used by one and all to prepare this soup though the basics are pretty darn close. Sometimes more of a béchamel while other times more of a velouté. At any rate once you master this one go on and experiment with it. As for this recipe here today like I said I am keeping it simple which in itself is one of the best methods all around in my opinion, simply letting the ingredients speak for themselves. That said I am allowing myself one luxury I have some nice mushroom powder (dried pureed mushrooms) which I will be using to heighten the mushroom profile in terms of the dining experience. But you might add a touch of sherry for example or maybe substitute portobello, shitake or even porcini for the champignon mushrooms. Another idea is changing the thickener in this case I am using a roux but you might try some form of nuts such as pine nuts, walnuts, or peanuts. One last tip you can use this soup as a base for a soufflé or add a little extra thickener and use it for a casserole, a gratinated sandwich or base for a sauce   

Shopping List

Mushrooms

Onions

Milk

Cream

Flour

Clarified Butter

Mushroom powder, optional

My Mad Method

Begin by sautéing one diced onion in clarified butter or butter/oil blend

Add 700g mushrooms sliced continue sautéing

As you sauté mushrooms you’ll notice they will start to release liquid

Sauté the mushrooms until the liquid has cooked off

Add one heaping TBSP unbleached all purpose flour, mix to combine

Slowly start adding 5dl each whole milk and heavy cream, stir to prevent lumps from forming, I have added mushroom powder

Bring to boil reduce temperature, simmer for 30 minutes, adjust seasoning with salt and white pepper to taste

Puree the soup to desired temperature, reheat and its ready to serve!!

Chef Mik's Most Super Simple Pasta Salad Ever!

If there is one this I love on a hot summer’s day its cool pasta salad. In fact I love a good pasta salad basically anytime of year and seeing as it’s basically summer all year round here in Southern California why not even enjoy a good pasta salad in the dead of winter? We must make 100’s of different types of pasta salad at work each one better then the last till you go back and try one of the old one’s and that becomes the new favorite all over again! But people around here most love them because they keep requesting them all the time, which is a good thing no doubt, as for me well I’m just glad they keep coming back for more! At any rate pasta salads are super simple to make are great way to use up what you have lurking around the fridge. So no not all the ingredients have to be super fresh all organic products from the specialty store on the other side of town to make a good decent salad! I mean sure you could go through all the trouble and make a great salad no doubt but for today it’s about working with what’s available here at home. For the record, I remember when I was a teenager around 17 or so the father of a girl I knew made a great pasta salad with left over pasta, marinated artichokes, canned olives, along with what ever other fresh, frozen or canned vegetables he had on hand and prepared store bought Italian dressing and it was great! That’s sort of the bases for this pasta salad although I'm using homemade roasted pepper vinaigrette I made the other day, I am also adding some left over diced prosciutto, and some marinated mozzarella balls to my salad, but like I said from the beginning this is a great way use up whatever leftovers and whatever else you’ve got on hand you feel like tossing into the salad bowl. As for the dressing I like a homemade verses store bought myself but either one is ok for this salad, as for the flavor most vinaigrettes will do nicely such as roasted pepper or tomato vinaigrette, balsamic vinaigrette is also nice, as is Italian or just plain old oil and vinegar.

Shopping List

Pasta, I’m using a try color rotini (cork screw)

Tomatoes

Olives, I’m just using simple California pitted black olives

Artichoke hearts, I’m using marinated

Roasted bell peppers

Mushrooms, I’m using canned but fresh are of course fine

Prosciutto

Salami or pepperoni, I’m using a mini pepperoni  

Salad dressing, I’m using roasted bell pepper vinaigrette

My Mad Method

Boil pasta in salted water, drain well, and toss with extra virgin olive oil

Dice some prosciutto, for best results chill it well so you don’t have to compete with the fat

Slice some salami or pepperoni thinly

Drain a jar of marinated mini mozzarella balls

Drain a small jar of marinated artichoke hearts

Slice store bought or homemade roasted peppers into thin strips

Drain a medium sized can of black olives

Drain a small can of mushrooms

Slice one small basket of cherry tomatoes in half length wise

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl with a generous amount or salad dressing

Plate up in a serving bowl garnish as desired

Ready to serve!!!

 

Chef Mik's Saucy Stir Fry

Asian style stir fry’s taste great and are easy to make. There are several ways to go about preparing them as well. For example it’s very common to start by sautéing garlic and ginger in oil then add onions, peppers, other vegetables, meat of some sort or seafood and finish with just enough sauce to coat. Another method is by sautéing the vegetables together with or without meat or seafood then adding a ready made sauce sometimes including a thickener sometimes finishing the sauce with a thickener if need be.

One thing I like to do when I am working in the kitchen is save what ever trim I have left over while preparing meats from other dishes and use them for a good stir fry. I also typically save vegetables that would be good in a sauté or stir fry and set them aside to have on hand if I have to prepare something on the fly and time is a factor. For the home cook though it might take up to much space in the fridge so I suggest either preparing your own mix and freezing it or simply buying a prepared mix at your local grocers. One other thing I love doing is preparing my broths, stocks, demi glace, glace from scratch and that goes for my Asian style broth as well to that end I save whatever mushroom stems and scraps from most mushrooms including shitake and steep them in a light poultry broth flavored with a little ginger. You can also dehydrate your mushrooms and grind them down to a powder and add that to your broth if you like and have a little extra time on your hands. For today’s recipe though however any prepared broth will do fine as your base. From this prepared stock I will add flavorings which can be done ahead of time so that it is ready to use when you need it, I sauté my vegetables along with my meat add my prepared sauce let that cook through and finish simply with a touch of sesame oil and a thickener comprised of corn starch and water or broth

Shopping List

Chicken

Shitake mushrooms

Bell peppers

Onions

Stir fry vegetable mix, homemade or store bought is fine

Broth

Semi dry sherry

Oyster sauce

Soy sauce

Mushroom soy sauce

Sesame oil

Ginger

Garlic

Sambal oelek

Peanut, canola or olive oil

My Mad Method

Dice chicken into equal pieces marinate in soy sauce, a touch of sherry, ginger and garlic to taste

Slice one bell pepper into thin strips

Slice 100g shitake mushrooms

Cut 1 yellow onion or sweet onion into thin strips

Combine 6dl broth, 1 dl oyster sauce, 2 tsp each: minced garlic, ginger and sambal oelek, 1 TBSP sherry, to taste: soy sauce and mushroom soy sauce

Brown chicken in 1 TBSP oil set aside

Sauté onions and peppers in oil until onions are translucent add mushrooms and sauté 2 or 3 minutes longer

Add the chicken back to the pan and heat through

Add sauce and stir fry vegetable mix bring to boil, reduce temperature and cook on medium heat until chicken is cook through and sauce is reduced by a couple cm’s

Off the heat add thickener (1 dl broth and one heaping TBSP corn starch) and sesame oil to taste return to stove bring to boil adjust seasoning

Serve on its own, with rice or Asian noodles...

Ready to eat!!

Swedish Style Braised Red Cabbage

I love braised vegetables in general but there is something wonderful about braised leafy vegetables that is just magical, be it braised endive, kale, mustard greens, brussel sprouts or cabbage. As this is that time of year I am braising Swedish style red cabbage and I’m in hog heaven! The seasoning is tied heavily to Yuletide or "Jultid" in the north, the flavors and aromas echoing that sentiment and are incredible! Highlighted by allspice and cloves which carry throughout, from the potato casseroles, the ham, the cabbage to the gingerbread cookies; it’s enough to make ones mouth water thinking about it! Truth be told every year I prepare tons of holiday food for the Swedish community here in Los Angeles and depending on where they come from in the country there are minor tweaks here and there but overall this is the basic recipe for Swedish braised cabbage. It’s not hard to make just takes some time and patience but the end result is truly rewarding!! Bear in mind it doesn’t necessarily have to be mid winter to enjoy Swedish style braised red cabbage its great all year round. It has kind of a sweet and sour flavor generated by the vinegar and sugar, one way to really flesh out that flavor is by using a Swedish style distilled vinegar known as ättiksprit it has a 12% alcohol content and is really kind of potent but wonderful in dishes like this as well as pickling and mulling.

Chef’s Tips

Don’t baby the cabbage it will do fine all on it’s own just stir it from time to time to keep it from burning, and you can focus on other priorities that need your attention.

You can start the cooking process with clarified butter, duck or goose fat or even bacon drippings, but you don't have to a little water works great in this particuler instance.

Most Swedes prepare this dish adding flavoring as they go along, the catch is a lot the essence dissipates over time, thus the continual addition of seasonings. Because of this its quite common to go through a lot of provisions as such I start my cabbage simply with onions and apples and allow the fiber to break down as the cabbage slowly begins to wilt then add my seasoning about ¾ of the way through allowing just enough time for the seasoning to have a chance to cook in but not evaporate. That said if you adjust seasoning when the cabbage is done by adding more cloves or allspice be sure to give it little cooking time or else it will be over powering. At any rate adding another addvantage to adding the seasoning later as apposed to earlier is that from a budgetary stand point at least it doesn’t hurt the bottom line as much either,  which is not a bad thing if I say so myself…

Shopping List

2 heads red cabbage

2 granny smith apples

1-2 onions

Red wine, apple cider, distilled vinegar (ättiksprit), or rice wine vinegar

Caster sugar or brown sugar

Cloves, powdered

Allspice, powdered

Salt

White pepper

Filtered water or mineral water

My Mad Method

Begin by cutting the cabbage into 8^th and removing the stem

Shred cabbage, it doesn’t have to be perfect but try and keep it as uniform as you can

Dice 2 granny smith apples

Dice 1 or 2 sweet Maui onions

Combine onions, apples and as much of the cabbage in a large pot, add more as it breaks down until all cabbage is incorporated with 2dl water cook on medium heat

After about 45 minutes the cabbage should be reduced by at least half, at this point add 1dl sugar, 1 dl vinegar, 1 tsp each cloves and allspice

When the cabbage is fully cooked adjusts seasoning and its “Ready to serve!!!”

Chef Mik's Jansson's Temptation " Jansson's Frestelse"

Janssons Temptation is for me one of the highlights of the Swedish holiday season and holiday table known as “Julbord” aka smörgasbord; it is basically a potato gratin style casserole topped with bread crumbs and has the addition of anchovies. Here in the States peoples faces begin wrinkle up at the mere mention of anchovies but these are a different beast all together, distant relatives of their Southern European brethren as these are sprats that are marinated in a sweet brine flavored with allspice and cloves. The casserole it self has its own history attached to it that is as rich and wonderful as the dish itself. For you see in central Stockholm there is a famous nightclub called Café Opera which is in the same location the opera house has been for centuries, they are well known for their menu as much as they are for the stories that happened their and this is one of my favorites. There once was a famous opera singer named Pelle Jansson who sang at the Opera house every weekend in the late 1800’s. Now, Pelle Jansson was something of a moody guy and would routinely refuse to leave his dressing room. This of course would drive the promoters and the manager of the concert hall crazy, one can only imagine the chaos as the auditorium would fill up and the star they had all come to see might or might not perform. This went on for quite some time, then one day while the chefs in the restaurant attached to the hall were preparing this particular potato casserole for that nights service the aroma made it’s way through the whole of the auditorium permeating Pelle’s dressing room and a curious this happened Pelle went seemingly mad demanding to have the casserole at once but he was already late for that nights performance. Thinking quick on his feet the manager of the hall told him if he just went out and sang when he was done he could have as much of it as he could eat, if he just went out and sang, and amazingly he did! So every week there after they were sure to have this dish on hand incase Pelle would fall into one of his foul moods, for as it turned out this was his one and only weakness, bending his will forcing him to do it’s (their) biding. As such the people who worked in and around the hall and the restaurant began to refer to the dish simply as “Jansson’s temptation” and the name stuck! It is now so ingrained in the heart and soul of every Swede, included in every book on Swedish cooking and a must on any true Swedish Holiday table so much so in fact one would have a hard time thinking of the Holidays without it! 

On a side note, there is however a casserole is Eastern Europe that closely mirrors that of the Swedish classic although they substitute herring for the anchovies, a forerunner to this dish no doubt but all the same I’ll take this one any day!

Chef’s Tip: I have made a couple small modifications to the basic dish first most Swede’s simply sauté the onions were as I have caramelized mine completely in order to lend an extra sweetness to round off the dish. Typically in Sweden people spread the bread crumbs over the top of the casserole then dot it with small pieces of butter, were as I on the other hand have soaked my bread crumbs in melted butter to assure an even and consistent flavor throughout. Today’s Jansson’s is for an order I am preparing so I am using a foil baking dish

Shopping List

Potatoes, russet are fine

Onions

Swedish anchovies

Cream

Bread crumbs

Butter

Salt

White pepper

My Mad Method

Start by slowly caramelizing 2 onions

Meanwhile melt 100g butter, and add about 4 dl bread crumbs mix to combine if to wet add more bread crumbs if to dry add more butter

Peal 8 potatoes

Cut the potatoes into long slender strips

By now the onions should be done, they should have a brownish translucent look to them and be very tender

Brush a nonreactive baking dish with butter and add an even layer of potatoes

Add a layer of anchovies I am using one 100g tin, reserving the juice to add later on

Add a layer of onions, season lightly with salt and white pepper

Repeat with another layer of anchovies or simply fill with another layer of potatoes, pour 5dl heavy cream mixed together with reserved anchovy juice over potatoes

Spread a layer of the soaked bread crumbs over the top and bake in a 175c preheated oven for about 45 minutes to an hour

The casserole will be ready when the cream has reduced well; potatoes are cooked through and nicely browned on top. Ready to serve!!