Marcus Samuelsson's Swedish Meatballs

My daughter's school served Swedish meatballs for lunch a few weeks and it was the first thing she talked about fresh off the bus that day. A new and loved food is rare in our house so I had to give it a try. I was shocked at how quick and easy it was to throw together, and how much flavor came out of these few simple ingredients. Check out Marcus Samuelsson's Quick Pickle recipe as well and make them to go with this dish! 

For the Meatballs

• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 lb ground chuck or sirloin
• 1/2 lb ground veal
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 large egg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter

For the sauce

• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup lingonberry preserves
• 2 tbsp pickle juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Prepare the meatballs: Combine the bread crumbs and heavy cream in a small bowl, stirrin with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Ad the onion and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, onion, honey, and egg, and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the bread crumb-cream mixture and mix well. With wet hands (to keep the mixture from sticking) shape the mixture into meatballs the size of a golf ball, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. You should have about 24 meatballs.

4. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes, until browned on all sides and cooke through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate, and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

5. Prepare the sauce: Return the skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves, and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through. Serve hot with mashed potatoes, preserves, and pickled cucumbers.

Bolognese Sauce

I love this dish. It is warm, filling, and always a crowd pleaser. I use a combination of turkey and sirloin, but this can work with any meat of your liking. Every year after Thanksgiving, I chop up our leftover turkey and use that instead of the ground meat and the flavor is out of this world. I prefer to serve the sauce over a fresh, thick noodle. 

1 pound ground turkey meat

1 pound ground sirloin

3 large carrots

3 celery stalks

1 small onion

3 garlic cloves, peeled

5 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 cup of milk (If you are kosher, you can swap out the milk for 1 1/2 cups of jarred tomato sauce)

1 cup of red wine

2 plum tomatoes, diced

kosher salt/pepper

olive oil

1. Wash and peel carrots, then roughly chop them along with the celery and onion.

2. Place carrots, celery, onion and garlic in a food processor, and pulse until vegetables are finely chopped and combined.

3. Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil, and add the vegetable mixture. Add two tablespoons of kosher salt and stir for 5 minutes.

4. Add ground turkey and sirloin into the pot, along with two more tablespoons of kosher salt, and two teaspoons of pepper. Stir the meat with a wooden spoon until it is mixed together with the vegetables. 

5. Remove the thyme leaves from the stems and add into the pot.

6. Continue stirring until all of the meat is browned. 

7. Add the milk, red wine and diced tomatoes. Stir, and bring the sauce to a boil. 

8. Once boiling, bring it down to a simmer and cook for one hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste.

This sauce taste best after a day of resting, so allow the pot to cool for an hour, and place in the refrigerator overnight. Re-heat and serve with pasta.

Seasonal Vegetable Soup

As I type this, it's about 30 degrees outside, and I could not be happier that this soup is simmering on the stove. Any vegetable is a possibility with this soup. I've thrown in leftover broccoli, cauliflower, peppers -- you name it.  It all starts with a great mirepoix (carrots, celery and onion), and whatever you want to add from there is up to you.

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped

2 large butternut squash peeled and chopped

2 corn on the cob 

olive oil

chicken or consomme bouillon powder

salt/pepper

1. Turn the stove to a medium heat and coat the bottom of a large soup pot with olive oil. Add the carrots, celery and onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.

2. Using a knife, slice the corn off the cobs, and add it to the pot. 

3. Add squash and continue to stir for another 5 minutes. Add in the corn cobs.

4. Fill the pot with water until all of the vegetables are covered plus 2 inches.

5. Add four heaping tablespoons of the chicken or consomme  powder. Stir and cover pot. Bring to boil.

6. Once the soup is boiling, bring the heat down to a simmer and allow the soup to cook for 30 minutes.

7. Turn the heat off, remove corn cobs from the soup, and discard. 

8. Using an immersion blender (or hand blender), puree the soup until is smooth. You can also transfer the soup in batches to a food processor if an immersion blender is not available to you.

9. Add additional salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

This soup will stay in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If you plan on freezing the soup, it tends to separate after defrosting. To fix this, create a rue: Melt 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine in a small pan, and add two tablespoons of flour. Whisk together and add into the soup. Use the immersion blender to bring the soup back to it's original consistency.

Coconut Chicken

My sister-in-law taught me this recipe, and it is SO easy yet SO impressive. The amount below is perfect for 4 adults, so just double the recipe if you are having more company than that. Chicken can be garnished with dried tomatoes (recipe in the blog!) and chopped green onions and served with a white rice.

12 chicken thighs and legs (mixed)

1 can of coconut milk

cumin

paprika

salt/pepper

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Arrange in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper. 

2. Sprinkle the chicken with cumin and paprika. You want to make sure that each piece has an thin, even layer of the spice . Flip the chicken, and repeat with seasoning on the other side.

3. Vigorously shake the can of coconut milk before opening as the liquid tends to separate. Pour over the chicken, and marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. 

4. Set rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Roast chicken for 20-20 minutes until skin begins to darken and crisp. Flip each piece of chicken over, and continue roasting for another 20 minutes. Flip chicken once more and cook for another 15 minutes.

5. Place chicken in a serving dish, and pour remaining sauce over it. Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Soup & Maple Beer Bread

Rainy, cold nights call for hot soup with a hearty side. This soup and bread can be made at the same time, in about 1 hour. Minimal ingredients and prep, but a massive addition to your dinner time routine. Prepare the bread first, and then make the soup while it is baking.

For the bread:

3 cups of of all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 tablespoon of salt

2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup

1 12-ounce bottle of hard cider (I like the Woodpecker brand)

1/2 cup of butter

1. Melt the butter in a small pan on the stove. Once melted, remove from heat and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

4. Mix in the hard cider and maple syrup until the dough comes together. It should be sticky and clumpy looking.

5. Pour half of the butter into the loaf pan. Then add the bread batter. The batter will seem small in the large loaf pan, but don’t worry, it will rise and spread as it bakes. Add the rest of the butter on top of the batter, and use a pastry brush to evenly coat it.

6. Place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes until the top is golden brown.

For the soup:

2 28 ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes

1 small onion

2 tablespoons of butter

4 cups of chicken stock

1/2 cup of heavy cream

kosher salt / pepper

1. Roughly chop up the onion and place it in a pot with the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the two cans of tomatoes and the chicken stock. Using a wooden spoon, break up the large pieces of tomatoes. 

3. Add three tablespoons of kosher salt, and bring to a boil. 

4. Turn down heat and allow soup to simmer for 30 minutes. At this point you can taste the broth to see if you need more salt.

5. Turn off the heat, and use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Once smooth, add the heavy cream and blend again. You can also do this in a food processor if you do not have an immersion blender handy. 

6. Season soup again with salt and pepper to your desired taste and serve.

I like to serve the soup and beer bread with a simple salad of red leaf lettuce, avocado and cucumber. 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Delicious, gluten free, zero carbs, and my kids love it, so it’s basically the best pizza ever. But don’t get me wrong, this is not supposed to taste like a flour based pizza crust. It is, however, the perfect pizza replacement for when you are trying to eat lighter, or get your kids to eat more veggies. I highly recommend using a pizza stone to get the crispest crust possible.

1 small head of cauliflower

4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspsoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper Flakes

1 egg

1. Place pizza stone in the oven on the middle rack and preheat to 400 degrees.

2. Roughly chop up cauliflower, and place into a food processor. Pulse until cauliflower has the consistency of snow.

3. Place cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl, and microwave it for about 1 minute. Allow it to cool for a minute or two and place all of it onto a clean towel.

4. It’s important to remove all of the water from the cauliflower, so twist the towel and ring out as much liquid as possible.

5. Place cauliflower back into the bowl and mix in the dry ingredients. When fully incorporated, add in the egg and mix together with your hands to bring the dough together into a ball.

6. Spray a sheet of parchment paper with olive oil and place onto a large cutting board. Put the dough on the paper, and gently flatten it out into a round shape. You will want it to be as thin as possible without it breaking apart. 

7. Transfer the dough with the parchment paper to the hot pizza stone in the oven, and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the crust starts to brown.

8. Remove the stone from the oven, and gently try and pull the parchment paper out from underneath the crust. Add your sauce and toppings and place back in the oven until cheese is bubbling, about another 15 minutes.

9. Remove pizza from oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes, otherwise the crust can crumble apart.

Enjoy!

To reheat leftovers, place the pizza stone back in the oven and heat to 400 degrees again. Place pizza on top, and bake until heated through.

Wanda's Chicken Soup

My mother-in-law taught me to make this soup, and my husband claims it is the best chicken soup he has ever tasted. It is perfect for a holiday, cool weather, or for soothing the soul. 

6 chicken legs

3 turkey wings

3 beef marrow bones (or soup bones)

3 carrots (peeled)

2 large parsnip (peeled)

1 medium onion

4 celery stalks 

1 large green zucchini

1 bunch of Italian parsley

Osem Consomme Soup Mix

salt / pepper

1. Rinse chicken, turkey and beef bones and place at the bottom of a large soup pot.

2. Roughly chop carrots, parsnip, celery, zucchini, and onion (pieces should be on the larger side). Add to the pot.

3. Rinse parsley and add to the pot.

4. Fill pot with enough water to cover all of ingredients plus two inches.

5. Add four heaping tablespoons of the consomme mix, cover tightly and bring to boil.

6. Once the soup is boiling, bring the temperature down and simmer for 1 hour. 

7. Remove chicken, turkey, carrots and parsnip from the soup and set aside. 

8. Place a pasta strainer in a second large pot, and pour the entire contents of the soup through the strainer. Discard what is left in the strainer and bring the chicken soup back to a simmer on the stove. Add salt and pepper to taste.

9. Debone chicken and turkey, and slice carrots and parsnip into bite size pieces. Place in the refrigerator.

10. Remove soup from the stove and allow to cool for 1-2 hours. 

11. Refrigerate soup overnight.

12. Once removed from the refrigerator, immediately skim the fat that has congealed at the top of the pot. Reheat and serve as you wish with chicken, turkey, carrots and parsnip. Noodles are always a good choice as well.

If you find yourself with a lot of leftover chicken and turkey, you can whip up a delicious chicken salad with celery, cranberries, mayo and some curry powder!

Tangy Dried Tomatoes

This is my favorite way to eat a tomato. They come out of the oven super concentrated with flavor, and are the perfect addition to salads, sandwiches, eggs, and pretty much anything you would want a tomato with. This recipe gives the dullest tomato a tangy and salty taste. I specifically like to add this to a salad of butter lettuce, cucumber, and roasted corn or in an egg sandwich. YUM!

4 plum tomatoes

5 sprigs of fresh thyme

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

salt / pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.

2. Cut tomatoes into thin slices. One average size plum tomato should yield about 8 slices.

3. Line the slices on the parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Drizzle on the balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Remove thyme leaves from their stems and sprinkle over the tomatoes.

5. Bake for 45 minutes. Tomatoes should have a dry look to them, with charred edges. 

You can enjoy these immediately or refrigerate for later use.

Za'tar Challah

My husband claims this is the best challah he has ever tasted. That's all.

7 grams active dry yeast (about 1 packages)
1/2 tablespoon (7 grams) granulated sugar
7 ounces lukewarm water
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon (7 grams) fine sea salt
4 cups (500 grams) King Arthur bread flour

These measurements are small enough to make this in a stand mixer. 

1. In a bowl, dissolve yeast and  1/2 tablespoon of sugar in water and let it sit for 5 minutes.

2. Beat in the eggs and oil.

3. Pour liquid ingredients into the bowl of a stand-mixer. Turn mixer, fitted with the dough hook, on to a low level (level 2) and slowly add in flour, salt and 1/4 cup of sugar.

4. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated or about 2 minutes. Pull dough off of hook, and allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.

5. After resting, kneed dough with the hook for another two minutes.

6. Remove dough from the hook and the mixing bowl, and slide into a clean, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 1 hour. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated for 24 hours. When you are ready to use the dough, bring it back to room temperature, and then allow it to rise for one hour).

7. Once dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and place it on a floured work surface. Cut the dough into 6 even pieces. At this point, you can create one large challah with six braids, or two smaller ones with three braids.

8. To make a 6-braid challah, take the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Place braided loaf (or loaves) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with at least 2 inches in between.

9. Let the dough rise for another (or at this point you can freeze the dough).

10. When ready for baking, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the loaf with an egg wash, and sprinkle generously with za’atar.

11. Place in the heated oven for 30-40 minutes or until a thermometer placed in the center of the bread reads 200 degrees.

12. Remove loaf and place on a cooling rack.

Slow Cooker Short Ribs

This dish will pack a major punch at your dinner table. Prep time is about 15 minutes and then you’re basically done until it’s time to eat. Give yourself about 9-10 hours of cook time for the most tender results. 

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 - 3 pounds of beef short ribs (with or without bone, but I prefer with the bone)

1/4 cup of butter or margarine

1 cup beef stock

3/4 cup of red wine vinegar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chili sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon of chili powder

1. Put flour, salt and pepper in a bag.

2. Add ribs and shake to coat.

3. Brown ribs in butter (or margarine) in a large skillet.

4. Move ribs from the skillet into slow cooker.

5. In the same skillet, combine remaining ingredients.

6. Bring to a boil while stirring.

7. Pour over ribs.

8. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours.

Serve with polenta or creamy potatoes. 

Apricot Chicken

Easiest chicken in my repertoire. Make the marinade for this in the morning in under 5 minutes and cook when you get home. The dish comes out super tender with a sweet flavor.

12-18 chicken legs and thighs (mixed)

1 jar apricot jam, 13 oz (plum jam works great too)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

5 garlic cloves

15-20 sage leaves

Salt and pepper

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together jam, olive oil and vinegar.

2. Thoroughly clean chicken pieces, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper. 

3. Place pieces in your preferred baking dish, and pour jam mixture over the chicken so that all pieces are coated.

4. Disperse garlic and sage over the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

5. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Roast chicken for 20-30 minutes until skin begins to darken and crisp. Flip each piece of chicken over, and continue roasting for another 20 minutes. Flip chicken once more, and cook for another 15 minutes.

6. Serve immediately.