Finnish Meatballs Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Swedish and Finnish meatballs? ›

"Finnish meatballs are meatier and bigger than Swedish meatballs. They are also served with lingonberry jam and boiled/mashed potatoes, and a gravy, but they are juicier and yummier.

Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, cream, salt, and allspice in a bowl with your hands until evenly mixed. Roll the mixture into golf ball-sized balls. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.

Pick the right meats.

While you can make meatballs out of any ground meat, fattier meats like beef, lamb, and pork will yield more tender meatballs. If you use leaner meats like chicken or turkey, be careful not to overcook them or they can become tough. For great flavor, use a blend of different kinds of ground meats.

It's pork. Of the meat eaten, pork accounts for approximately 41 percent, poultry meat for 33 percent, and beef for 25 percent. In addition, Finns eat reindeer, game, mutton and lamb, as well as very small amounts of rabbit meat and other special meats.

Horse meat, lamb and reindeer make up a small portion of the total meat consumption, but they are widely available. In addition to domesticated animals, there are long traditions of hunting and fishing in Finland. The hunters focus on deer, moose and bear, but small game such as hare, duck and grouse are popular.

For this reason, many recipes will include a binding ingredient like egg, and a filler like breadcrumbs. You only need a small amount of egg – it's there only to help the cooked meatball retain its shape, and shouldn't detract from the meat's flavour or texture.

While broad beans are often used to produce meat substitutes in Finland, Latva-Mäenpää said other interesting plant-based products include hemp, potatoes and rapeseed.

So, we all know meatballs are made with minced beef. However, there's another version in Iceland that Icelanders swear by meatballs made with sausage meat. The sausage meat is basically the same as in the famous Icelandic hot dogs.

Is it better to use milk or water in meatballs? ›

Milk: We will mix a bit of milk with the breadcrumbs to form a panade, which will help to keep our meatballs nice and moist. Ground beef and pork: I like to use a 50/50 mix of the two to make meatballs, but you can also make all-beef or all-pork meatballs if you prefer.

They are super flavorful but what makes them so so tender and moist is this: Plain Greek Yogurt. The lactic acid from the yogurt tenderizes the meat while adding subtle flavor. The addition of egg and parmesan cheese help keep the meat together so that you get delicious weeknight meatballs in minutes.

The longer the simmer, the more tender and succulent the meatballs become. 3. Concentration of Flavors: Simmering at a low temperature for an extended period also encourages the sauce to reduce and thicken.

Baking soda, otherwise known as sodium bicarbonate, appears often in köfte recipes. It raises the PH level of the meat, making it harder for the meat's protein molecules to bond. This in turn allows the meat to retain water as it cooks. And more water means a moist meatball.

Italian Meatballs vs Swedish Meatballs: Swedish Meatballs are typically smaller in size than Italian meatballs and they are usually made with a 50-50 ratio of ground pork and ground beef.

The Danish meatball is a little rugged in texture and can be served in multiple ways – with a lightly spiced curry sauce, for example, or a rich gravy. A Swedish meatball, in comparison to the crispy, pan-fried Danish version, is often a little smaller, with a very smooth, even texture and a rounder shape.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off about 1 1/2 tablespoon meat mixture per meatball; form into balls. Place meatballs into the skillet and cook, turning often, until browned, about 5 minutes. Insides of meatballs will still be pink.

A taste of the times. For almost 40 years we've been serving up our own very own version of the classic Swedish meatball to hungry IKEA shoppers. Over the years our iconic balls have evolved, but one thing that's never changed is their delicious taste.