Yes, you heard me. I've only gone and made a syn FREE, healthy version of Ikea's famous Swedish meatballs.
I've been a fan of Ikea meatballs for as long as I can remember. Those meaty morsels are just too temping, I'm sure the Ikea kitchen extractor fans waft that smell round the store. The last time I went on a solo health kick, Ikea's meatballs were the first hurdle I fell at (no horse meat pun intended, although you'll find neighhh horse meat in this recipe).
These meatballs have had rave reviews:
'Yum yum in my tum!' said Dylan, 2.
They also received two thumbs up from B.
Ok, I'll stop. Basically everyone ate them without crying/whinging or leaving a morsel. Which in my house is the equivalent to a standing ovation at the Oscars.
Ingredients
Meatballs
250g 5% Fat Beef Mince
250g Turkey Mince
2 Wholemeal Bread Buns
6- 8 Shallotts
2 Egg Yolks
1tsp Allspice
1tsp Nutmeg
1tsp Oregano
1tsp Rosemary
2tsp Garlic Powder
1tsp Onion Salt
1tsp Course Ground Black Pepper
Sauce
100ml Chicken Stock
100ml Beef Stock
250g Fat Free Fromage Fraise
Parsley Leaves
1/2 tbsp Worcester Sauce
How It's Done
Tear up your bread buns and whazz them in a food processor to make bread crumbs.
Grate your shallots. Yes, grating is important if you want your meatballs to have the same texture as Ikea meatballs.
Next, bang all your ingredients for the meatballs together in a bowl and smush it all up with your hands until both meats have combined and the mixture is an even colour.
Now shape into meatballs and add to a frying pan on a low heat with fry light. I used Olive Oil fry light but that's not particularly important.
Frying on a low heat for a longer period of time is the key here. Cooking with fry light can be disastrous if you need something to cook thoroughly without burning the s**t out of it. Plus all the lovely sticky flavour left at the bottom of the pan is great for your sauce but won't be much good if your pan is just one black charred mess.
The meatballs become quite firm when cooked all the way through, keep them moving about the pan and keep giving your meatballs a little squeeze with a spoon. You'll notice they go from quite squishy to firm.
Once cooked pop them in a bowl or on a plate out the way or the bottom shelf of your oven to keep warm. Make sure you take your pan off the heat so it doesn't burn.
Add your chicken stock, beef stock, chopped parsley, Worcester sauce and crème fresh to the pan and whisk until smooth.
Pop your pan back onto the heat, this time you want it quite high. Let the sauce reduce. It won't become really thick like it would with cream but it does get less watery.
Voila. Ikea meatballs and gravy. Enjoy!
Note This recipe makes enough for 3-4 people. If you're not using the bread bun as a healthy extra then this recipe would be 1.5 syns (if divided between 4) or 6 if divided between 2.