Swedish Meatballs, with Cranberry Jam

This is another really good recipe the original recipe said to use half and half mince/ground (beef and pork) but I used bacon instead of the pork, I finely chopped it but in retrospect I would probably have been better off if I had whizzed it in the food processor, not until it was mush, but so that it was more of a mince/ground consistency. These turned out to be the best meatballs I have ever made. I very nearly didn’t put the cranberry jelly on it. I am glad I did though because it really makes the dish. I served it with roast potatoes, green veggies and cauliflower. It would have been perfect had I served it with mashed potato I think, with the meatballs and sauce on top.

Swedish Meatballs

For the meatballs

Handful of mixed herbs

300g bacon, finely chopped  (or whizzed)

300g minced/ground beef

1 large egg

75g dried breadcrumbs

1tsp ground allspice

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

For the sauce

Juice of half a lemon or a dash of concentrate

300ml beef stock

1tbsp flour

60ml double cream

 cranberry jelly/jam

1. Put some of the herbs to one side and the rest into a large bowl along with all of the meatball ingredients bar the oil. Using your clean hands (because I love using my hands in squelchy stuff) mix and squeeze until it is well combined, if you feel the mixture is a little dry add a little milk. Roll the mixture into little balls and put them on a lined tray into the fridge to firm up for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet, add the oil and cook the meatballs gently for 10-15 minutes, tossing once in a while until they are cooked through.
3. Transfer the meatballs to kitchen paper to drain. In the same pan you used to cook the meatballs, add the lemon juice, some of the stock, the flour and cream, season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat; you want a thick consistency that will stick to the meatballs. Return the meatballs to the pan and stir to coat them in the sauce add the remaining herbs. Serve with potatoes, or rice and vegetables with a dollop of cranberry jelly/jam on top.  

A festive ham

For me Christmas is all about family and I love doing a really special Christmas feast. The Americans know exactly how to do a festive ham and both Christmas’ we were out there; we bought one of their beautiful hams. For our first Christmas in Germany we bought a prepared ham, well it was a gammon joint to be honest which isn’t quite the same thing. I cooked it according to the package directions and was most disappointed, it was almost inedible, and there was no way I was about to start fridge picking at the cold meat in the middle of the night, after all what is the point in cooking a massive ham if you aren’t going to pick at it, for the whole Christmas period?

The forth Christmas was spent at my Mum’s and a usual the ham, gammon, was cooked to perfection, she always gets Christmas dinner spot on. Christmas 2012 I did this one and to be fair we all really enjoyed it, I would have picked at it for days, but my sister requested left overs to take home, so that she could pick! I don’t mind too much because money is tight for everyone and if I can afford to give her a little extra so that she can have something tasty too then why not……. I did miss having the cold ham in the fridge though that year. This recipe does take several hours to make and is probably best spread over the space of two days.

 

Festive Ham

3.5kg gammon

2l cranberry juice

2l apple juice

2 cinnamon sticks, halved

2 onions, halved but not peeled

1tsp juniper berries

2 star anise

For the glaze

4tbsp cranberry jelly

1tbsp runny honey

1tbsp English mustard powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1. Place the gammon in a large saucepan, cover it with cold water and bring it to a boil. Drain the water away and rinse the gammon under running cold water.
2. Put the gammon into a crock pot, along with the cranberry and apple juices, and all the spices, on a high setting and allow to cook for about 4 hours.
3. Remove the gammon from the crock and allow to cool completely. Then use a sharp knife to remove most of the fat, leaving a very thin layer over the ham. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F.
4. Score the fat into diamond shapes. Heat the remaining ingredients into a smooth glaze and let it boil into a syrupy like consistency.
5. Line a roasting pan with foil, put in the ham and pour the glaze over the top to cover the ham, baking for 40 minutes.