Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Alla Helgons Dag

Swedish meatballs are something my mother never made from scratch, but we ate a lot of it, thanks to Stouffer's. I sure did love that crap, and didn't realize how much I missed that flavor until I started thinking about recipes for this week.

Swedish Meatballs have a LOT of ingredients going on, but with some shortcuts and Trader Joe's, I was able to pare it down. Lingonberry preserves are missing from this; you are welcome to add them if you'd like, but the only jar I could find was at The Wedge, and that shit cost more than I had in my account. Also, since the meatless meatballs from TJ's are already chock full of bread crumbs, we can skip the whole soaking bread in milk and adding it to the meat part. Blech. So glad I'm vegan. I don't miss that kind of prep work AT ALL.

Vegan Swedish Meatballs
This wasn't my favorite shot, but I'm using it because if you squint, you can see some cuddlin' felines in the upper left.

Swedish Meatlessballs
makes 5 servings

1 large onion, finely chopped
8 oz sliced crimini mushrooms
2 1/2-3 cups hot vegan beef broth (I used 2 Edward & Sons Not-Beef cubes dissolved in boiling water), mixed with a tsp of gravy browner (I picked up some Kitchen Bouquet gravy browner at the supermarket, and it has helped my beef-y recipes out a TON. Totally optional, though)
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 16-oz package meatless meatballs (if you don't have a Trader Joe's, I've seen other brands at the co-op, as well as Whole Foods)
splash wine
2 tbsp pickle juice
6 oz (about half a tub) vegan sour cream
2-3 tbsp fresh minced parsley
mashed potatoes or noodles to serve, if desired

Spray a large, deep skillet with cooking spray or heat a tbsp olive oil. Add onions and mushrooms, and cook until soft. Add a splash of wine to deglaze. Whisk cornstarch into 2 cups broth until dissolved, and add to the pan. Stir, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and cook until gravy thickens. Throw in the meatballs.  Stir, turning the meatballs over until they are heated through. Add more broth if needed. Push the meatballs over to one side of the pan, and stir the sour cream and pickle juice into the gravy. Mix well, and then incorporate the meatballs and remainder of the gravy. Throw in parsley, combine, and serve over mashed potatoes, noodles, or by themselves. 

Don't forget Swedish Fish for dessert!

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