Skinnier Swedish Meatballs

 

I went to IKEA on the weekend and came home with thoughts of painting every surface in my house white, making clever use of every available nook and cranny in my humble abode and eating meatballs. I did one of those things.



Skinnier Swedish Meatballs
Serves 4

2 slices of rye bread, crusts removed
1/4 cup low fat milk
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon extra if needed
1 shallot, finely chopped
Sea salt flakes
700g ground turkey breast fillet
1 egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup plain flour
3 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons light sour cream
1 tablespoon raspberry jam

Heat the oven to 100 degrees C to keep the meatballs warm while you fry them in batches and make the sauce.

Break the bread up into small pieces and place them into a small bowl. Pour the milk over and set aside.

Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into a large frying pan. Add the shallot and cook on a low heat until softened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, put the bread and shallot into the bowl of a food processor and blitz to a mush.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes, egg, pepper, allspice, nutmeg and the bread and shallot mush. Mix with your hands to combine thoroughly. Pinch off small pieces of this mixture and roll into walnut-size balls. Place the meatballs onto a baking sheet lined with foil.

In the pan you fried the shallot in, add a tablespoon of the olive oil and heat to medium. Cook the meatballs in 2 batches until they are golden-brown all over, keeping them warm in the preheated oven while you fry the next batch and make the sauce.

Once all the meatballs are cooked, using the same pan you fried them in, add the flour and decrease the heat to low. Stir the flour into any remaining oil and golden bits that have been caught on the bottom of the pan. Add another tablespoon or so of olive oil if needed. Stir until the mixture is golden then slowly add the beef stock, whisking continuously. Once all the stock has been added, cook until the sauce thickens. Add the sour cream and the raspberry jam and whisk to incorporate. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Pour the sauce over the warm meatballs and serve immediately.