Once upon a time, in my youth, which we all know was a million years ago, I landed the most exciting job a young girl looking for adventure could land…one that gave me the opportunity to travel (well, the most exciting if that young girl was me…which it was). I flew to different countries in Europe and lived like a local for about three months at a time. I would have my own flat and be, for the first time in my life, totally and completely on my own. I worked during the week and travelled some more during the weekends. I was smitten by the clean air and shy people (and the overabundance of personal space!) of Finland. I rode a hot air balloon and went para-gliding in Switzerland. I saw Stonehenge on a very, very windy day. I visited the Greek islands with their brilliant white houses and crystalline aquamarine waters. I took a train into Russia and a ferry to Estonia. I lived by the red light district in Amsterdam. Our house in Athens had grape vines growing on the rooftop where we would hang up our washing. I went to Belgium to have what I still believe to be the best frites in the world.
I was in heaven.
It was during this time that I really fell in serious love with cooking. I already loved to eat, but up until then, someone always managed to do the cooking for me. All of a sudden I was far away from home with a grumbling tummy and a thinning wallet. I couldn’t afford to eat out every day, and at the time, wanted to spend all my money on travel during the weekends. So off I went to try my hand at cooking regularly for myself. Surrounded by beautiful markets and gorgeous produce, and with nobody looking over my shoulder to critique my work (that was the important bit actually!), I dove head first into what is now one of my biggest passions.
But that’s not all I fell in love with while I was away. I met C here, soon before I left the country. Or should I say, I “re-met” him (we first met when I was 16 and, well, let’s just say we both had a few wild oats to sow before being serious about anything). We connected, it was barely the potential of something wonderful, and then I was gone. I went my way and he went his but we kept resolutely in touch. Emails, calls, postcards, texts. When I would come home to visit we would zealously reunite. He came out to visit me in Amsterdam where we spent a starry-eyed two weeks…with an even more starry-eyed weekend in Paris squeezed in for good measure. And then…another goodbye.
Eventually, my adventure abroad ended, and I came home. I surprised him in a restaurant and the rest is, as they say, history. A proposal and a heartfelt yes…and happily ever after.
But even now, settled into “real married life”, two kids in, sleepless nights and highly unglamorous states, squabbles and annoyances, tightening of belts, both of us not as bright and shiny as we used to be. Even now, even then, I can still remember clearly, not so much the flush of early romance, but the heavy ache every time we said goodbye.
And now, when times are fraught, and we are all not at our sunniest, I remember that. That ache in my heart when we would part, in a busy airport, in a darkened car, outside my parent’s house. It isn’t the thrill of ardor’s first awaking, or those first seasons of love, that are important…but the ache your heart remembers still, even now, when you say goodbye to that imperfect man.
And, no matter how far you ramble, the comfort of coming home, back into his arms.
Swedish Meatballs
(adapted from Damn Delicious)
- Canola oil, for frying
- Half a medium white onion, finely chopped
- 300 grams ground beef
- 200 grams ground pork
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sour cream
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Chopped parsley to garnish
– Place a skillet over medium high heat. Add about a tablespoon-full of oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté, stirring, until soft and caramelized.
– In a large bowl combine the cooked onions, beef, pork, panko, egg yolk, allspice, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well until everything is combined…I like using my hands for this. Roll mixture into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch balls.
– Wipe down your skillet and return to the heat. Add enough oil just to cover the bottom of your pan in a thin layer. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs, taking care not to over-crowd the pan. Cook in batches if you need to. Cook until all sides are browned, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
– Now make the sauce. In another pan, or the same skillet cleaned out, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly browned, about a minute. Gradually whisk in the broth, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened. Stir in sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
– Place the meatballs in the pan with the sauce and stir gently to coat. Cook further, stirring occasionally, until heated through and the sauce has thickened a bit more. Remember that the sauce with thicken further as it cools!
– Remove from the heat and serve garnished with the parsley.
This would be perfect served with some lingonberry jam, but I have no idea where you can find any here. I think cranberry jelly would be a satisfactory substitute. We didn’t have either, so we had it with rice and it was perfect. I halved the original recipe so you can head over to Damn Delicious if you’d like a bigger serving. This served my family of four (two adults and two kids) quite well.
Meatballs will always be comfort food for me. Coming home food. My mom made it with tomato sauce, and so do I, but I wanted to try something new this time, and have always liked Swedish meatballs…so there you have it. I am happy to report that everyone in the family enjoyed this dish, and I hope you and your loved ones enjoy it as well.
As you may know, if you follow me on Instagram, I just came home from a short trip to Spain. It was a lovely trip…work was productive and inspiring, and being in one of my favorite cities was fantastic as always. But also, as always, it was equally fantastic to return to the wonderful, messy, simple, awesome place and people that I call home.
Haaay, you are one of the rarest people in this planet who can magically transform a food blog into an ode to love…the heartaches of goodbyes and the sheer happiness of hellos.
But let’s not forget the meatballs- can’t wait to try them soon.
Hi Josephine!! Wow! Thank you for such a nice compliment!! Food, love, and life are so intertwined in my mind and heart 🙂 But yes, meatballs, always a good idea! 😉
Amiga – the word you need is “saudade”. 🙂 And I think meatballs are on the cards this week – temps are frosty here. Yes – the best frites in the world are indeed in Belgium. 🙂
Ling! I had to look that up, heehee 🙂 I love it!! Hope you enjoy the meatballs! (and absolutely yes on the Belgian frites!! my fave sauce combo would be mayo + satay sauce!)
This is by far, my most favorite blog entry of yours. *huggggs* Loved this entry so much. I could feel the heartaches of goodbyes, the exhilaration of getting reunited, the curiosity (need?) for cooking that got turned into a passion. And those meatballs — they look so goooood. Such a lovely read. 🙂 Thanks, Joey!
Aww!! Toni!! So glad you enjoyed the post and I am super flattered! 🙂 🙂 🙂 I’m kilig!
Okay, I admit. I read the recipe first before the blog entry. It looks delicious, and maybe I will attempt it one of these days. It reminds me of my mom’s almondigas and IKEA.
Let me pin this for later.
Hahaha! That’s OK! The meatballs are yummy…my mushy musings on love? hmmm, that would be debatable, LOL!
Now, when will IKEA open here? That’s the question!
Just read your About page…I also love sushi!!
Good God, Joey, I’m in tears!!! I’m such a sap. This post is so beautiful!
You know, whenever MrC and I are going through a rough day, I try and remember what life was like without him. When I can’t remember what that was like, as if that time never existed (it’s not hard, we fell in love when we were 16,) it helps me get over the bad stuff. Things automatically feel better for us. Life no longer makes sense without him, and I just need to remind myself of that sometimes.
*Sniff-sniff* And now I think I need to go make myself some meatballs. Those look so good. And he’s been asking for some, actually. Thank you for sharing the recipe! 🙂
Oh Patty!!! Oh I’m so thrilled the post touched you…thank you for your sweet and kind words! *sniff sniff* indeed :’)
Gosh 16…you guys are like those trees that are planted close together and when they grown they become entwined, eventually becoming one big beautiful tree! But yes, there are definitely tough times. I’ve always though that the man I wanted to marry was the one that, when the horrible times came, as long as it was him across me at night, that I would be ok.
Wow! I feel we need a coffee or a cocktail now! Sometime in the future for sure! But for now…hope you enjoy the meatballs! 🙂
Yes to cocktails! Haha! Hope I get to see you again soon, Joey! 🙂 And OMG, how beautiful was that thing you said about trees!!! *sniff-sniff*
Hi Patty!! Yes, definitely let’s see each other soon! Cocktails or cupcakes or coffee 🙂 Aw! That was really the image in my head when you were talking about you and your man 🙂 🙂
You made me crave for meatballs! I can’t wait to try this! <3
Hi Jam! Hope you like them! 🙂
Joey! I love, love, love the story that went with this recipe. This makes the dish even more meaningful! Like you, I’ve fallen in love with cooking and baking out of necessity. And like I said before, I hope to be as skilled as you one day. 😀
Hi Deanne! Thank you!! I’m happy you enjoy my little sappy ramblings!! I loved my journey to food and cooking…we are all learning together I think 🙂
what a beautiful story of the different stages of your life and love life. I’d like to try this recipe one day, it looks really good!
Hi Missy! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post and thank you for your kind words! Hope you do try the recipe out one day…it’s really yummy!
Thanks Joey for the recipe. I will try this soon. One of my happiest memory is in Sweden where I went for a 5 week training. Of.course, we were served meatballs by our weekend host. How some food can stir up wonderful memories!
Hi Corrine! That sounds like a lovely memory! Finland was the only part of Scandinavia that a was assigned to and it has always been my wish to explore more of it! I would love to see Sweden one day 🙂 I can imagine the yummy meatballs…straight from the source!
I remember that for the first time, I didn’t have asthma attack and my skin improved… all.because of non polluted air in Stockholm!
Haha! I remember thinking my lungs would go into shock from the clean air in Finland! 🙂 I enjoyed it so much…no pollution, no crowds, and wonderful water to drink right out of the tap!!
It’s nice to meet people (online haha) who shares the same story as mine, in some ways. I’m working in Switzerland now, traveling around Europe almost every weekend and making the most out of this assignment. Just like what you said, it feels like heaven, it’s the dream! But accepting this opportunity meant I had to leave my husband alone in Singapore for a few months and although he can visit me every 2 months, it’s still painful to say goodbye in the airport… We experienced that when I was still in Manila and he was in Singapore, so I eventually moved to the Lion City to be with him where I learned and started to love cooking. We live near the Ikea store in SG and Swedish meatballs is our favorite and will also be a comfort food for me. I was actually asking myself what I should cook in the next few days and I think I just got the answer! Oh gosh, I’m craving for it now haha. 🙂
That’s what is so wonderful about this virtual world…distance no longer becomes a problem when meeting new people! But yes, distance is definitely a challenge for any couple. Happy to hear you are making the most of your stay in Europe (I love Switzerland!)! But I know you hard that airport goodbye can be. Sounds like you guys have had quite the cross-continental romance! Just think of all the interesting stories you will have for your grandkids 🙂
Now…when will Ikea open in Manila?? Hihihi 🙂
I can’t wait to try this! This and the Chicken Chorizo and Bean Bake! 🙂
Hi Rae! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you like this and the chicken! 🙂
goooood, all of your recipe looks so good…
official became my favoutire food blogger <3
Youtube: Reina Tsukada
Awww… I thought I was reading through a Nora Roberts novel fusioned with Nigella’s cookbook… ha! <3
Heeheehee!! Oh boy! I can get cheesy sometimes!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
The swedish meatballs looks delicious. I’ll definitely try to cook this one of these days. It won’t look as beautiful as this though. Excellent post btw, the food looks like art!
Hi Diane! Thank you for your sweet comment!! I hope you give it a try, and enjoy it! I am sure it will look just as good! I am not much of a food stylist…I just try to shoot the food at it’s natural best. That means tweaking it a bit yes, like making sure you brush with some sauce so it doesn’t look too dry, or wiping down the plate or bowl, or using pretty plates and bowls, or (most important!) having good natural light! But other than that I try not to fuss around too much with the food 😉
Your blog entry made me feel like I went to Europe too and fell in love! 🙂 And meatballs!!!! 🙂
Hi Chrissy! Aw!!! I’m so happy you enjoyed this post! 🙂