What tidings can a blog offer for a meaningful place in the celebration?
Many years ago, I found the recipe for Swedish Meatballs in the Toronto Star. They have taken their place among children, spouses of children, grandchildren, friends of grandchildren and now great grandchildren.
Grandchildren elevated them to their current status. They have become a tradition . Modest and homely they may be, yet they deserve their place of honour.
Preparation takes hours. No skill is required. Patience and attention to detail are key to excellence.
Onions must be finely and evenly chopped. Pieces must be no larger than the grind of the lean beef, pork and veal.
Salt must be precisely measured. Nutmeg freshly grated for an exact element of spice. From a jar, there needs to be more than half a teaspoon. Up to a spoon, if need be.
Bread crumbs must be soft. Not from freshly baked but bread no more than one day-old.
Eggs and milk must be beaten to the smoothness of nog .
One doesn't think of meatballs as souffle. But they are. Beaten eggs and milk are exactly the makings of a puffy pancake or fluffy scrambled eggs. Worcester sauce is added. Freshly ground pepper also blends better at this stage.
Two pounds each of lean beef, lean ground pork and ground veal is a substantial measure. The onions are added to the meat. There's no better way to blend than with bare hands.
Salt and nutmeg are tossed with the breadcrumbs before adding to the mixture.
Eggs and milk are the final addition to be worked in. A wooden spirtle is useful for this task.
Meat balls should be eaten the day they are cooked. They should not be chilled and re-heated. Light juicy texture is reduced with re-heating. The whole recipe cooked at once takes time. Everything else can be done the night before.
The prepared mixture should be covered gently in its bowl with saran. Flavour must be kept in and it should not be exposed to air.
A heaping teaspoon, shapes like a small egg in the palm of the left hand. Dropped onto a flour covered plate and sprinkled with flour from a sieve makes the right bite- sized morsel. Gently rolled in flour and cooked in hot vegetable oil creates a crunch to contrast with the soft moist interior.
A short rest on absorbent paper towel is the final touch before dropping into a crock pot, the heat set on low and the lid replaced after each batch is added.
The Christmas Feast is a symbol of blessings we enjoy and a celebration of life. The cook is a priest or priestess in the kitchen. A proper appreciation of the meal is their rightful due.
God Bless Us, Every One.
It is useful to try everything in practise anyway and I like that here it's always possible to find something new. :)
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