Ikea has shared the recipe for its iconic Swedish meatballs and meatball sauce, encouraging customers to recreate the popular dish in the comfort of their home during the coronavirus lockdown.
If Ikea is your go-to store for home furniture and accessories, then it's likely that during one of your many shopping trips (where you've come out with plant pots, a new bedside table, two rugs, three cushions and basically everything else that wasn't actually on your list), you've probably popped by the in-store restaurant and tucked into a plate of meatballs, or maybe bought a frozen pack at its in-store Swedish food market to take home.
Meatballs with mashed potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberry jam is Sweden’s No.1 dish, and Ikea's meatballs have long garnered a reputation among its most loyal customers, so with everyone staying indoors due to lockdown, Ikea is enabling customers to recreate the famed dish at home, providing they have all the ingredients to hand.
'We know that some people might be missing our meatballs, which is why we’ve released an at-home alternative which, using easily accessible ingredients, will help those looking for some inspiration in the kitchen,' says Lorena Lourido, Country Food Manager at Ikea.
'Staying at home can be hard, but we want to help make everyone’s lives that little bit easier and more enjoyable. Bon appétit or, smaklig måltid, as we say in Sweden!'
See Ikea's step-by-step recipe below:
INGREDIENTS
• Serves 4, makes 16 - 20 meatballs
Meatballs
- 500g beef mince
- 250g pork mince
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic (crushed or minced)
- 100g breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 5 tablespoons of milk (whole milk)
- generous salt and pepper
Cream sauce
- dash of oil
- 40g butter
- 40g plain flour
- 150ml vegetable stock
- 150ml beef stock
- 150ml thick double cream
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine beef and pork mince and mix with your finger to break up any lumps. Add finely chopped onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg and mix. Add milk and season well with salt and pepper.
2. Shape mixture into small, round balls. Place on a clean plate, cover and store in the fridge for 2 hours (this will help them hold their shape whilst cooking).
3. In a frying pan, heat oil on medium heat. When hot, gently add meatballs and brown on all sides.
4. When browned, add to an ovenproof dish and cover. Place in a hot oven (180°C or 160°C fan) and cook for a further 30 minutes.
5. Melt 40g of butter in a pan. Whisk in 40g of plain flour and stir for 2 mins. Add 150ml of veg stock and 150ml of beef stock and continue to stir. Add 150ml double cream, 2 tsp of soy sauce and 1 tsp of Dijon mustard. Bring it to simmer and allow sauce to thicken.
6. When ready to eat, serve with your favourite potatoes – either creamy mash or mini new boiled potatoes. Enjoy!
STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO
Need a demonstration to ensure you recreate the Swedish meatballs perfectly? Ikea has shared a video of co-worker Paul recreating the dish. 'You may have seen that we shared instructions on how to recreate Ikea meatballs at home. Our co-worker Paul has tested out the recipe with some mouth-watering results,' said Ikea.
Ikea closed all of its stores in the UK and Ireland on 20th March as a precautionary measure against the ongoing risk of COVID-19. Customers are still able to shop online at Ikea.co.uk and Ikea.ie, and have products delivered directly to their home with contact-free delivery.
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