Swedish Cabbage Rolls

Swedish Cabbage Rolls

Adapted from a recipe in the Casserole Cook Book, page 70.
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Casserole Cook Book by Better Homes & Gardens, printed in 1961. This recipe sounds very good, on my to make and taste list. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Swedish
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking Pan (7x11 inch)

Ingredients
  

  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup onion, finely diced
  • cup milk
  • 250 grams ground beef, (8 oz / ½ lb)
  • 250 grams ground pork, (8 oz / ½ lb)
  • ¾ cup cooked rice
  • 6 large cabbage leaves
  • 1 can condensed tomato soup, (10½ oz / 298 g), Shortcut
  • 1 soup can water, (1¼ cups)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
  • boiled potatoes, for serving.

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the first 6 ingredients and mix well.
  • Add the beef, pork, and rice, and mix together.
  • Steam cabbage leaves for for 3 minutes or just until wilted and flexible.
  • Slit the heavy vein in each leaf about 2½ inches, to make them easier to fold.
  • Place ½ cup meat mixture on a leaf, fold in sides, and roll ends over meat. Place roll in an ungreased 7x11 inch baking pan. Repeat with remaining leaves.
  • Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F).
  • In a mixing bowl, add the soup, water, and brown sugar. Mix together.
  • Pour soup mixture over the cabbage rolls.
  • Bake for 1¼ hours or until meat is cooked through.
  • Serve with boiled potatoes, enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Tomato Soup.
Salmon Gravlax III

Salmon Gravlax III

This recipe and variants for Gravlax is graciously provided by Jen Reviews.
This recipe for Gravlax comer from a very reliable source that tests, adjusts, and tastes the dishes they prepare. Gravlax is a Scandinavian/Swedish way of preserving salmon. This is not a cooked dish, just cured. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 2 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Scandinavian, Swedish
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Cheesecloth

Ingredients
  

For the Brine

  • 1 kilo center cut salmon fillet, pin bones removed, (2 lb)
  • 2 cups buttermilk, Shortcut
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the Dry Cure

  • 2 cups fennel fronds, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried dill
  • 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cognac, more or less to taste, optional

Instructions
 

  • Using a non reactive bowl (such as glass, stainless steel, ceramic, or plastic), stir together the buttermilk and salt then add the fillet, ensure the fillet is covered with milk. Set this aside to soak for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • While the fish is soaking, mix together the Dry Cure ingredients except the cognac, in a mixing bowl.
  • When the fish is ready, remove from the buttermilk and rinse off the brine under running water, then pat dry with paper towels, be gentle with the fillet so as not to damage it. Discard the buttermilk brine.
  • Place the large piece of cheese cloth in the bottom of a non reactive baking dish, a Pyrex or ceramic dish would be ideal for this. Pour half of the dry cure mix in the middle of the cheesecloth and spread it out to just a bit larger than the fillet you have.
  • Place the fillet on to of the dry cure, skin side down. add the remaining dry cure mix on top of the fillet and spread it out evenly to totally cover the fillet, top, bottom, and sides should all be covered.
  • Gently wrap the fillet with the cheesecloth, ending with the skin side down once again, in the middle of the baking dish. We'll call this a salmon package now.
  • Sprinkle on the cognac if using, this is optional.
  • Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the "salmon package".
  • Now place a heavy plate on top of the package and place a large canned item on the plate. The weight helps with more even curing.
  • Place the baking dish, with the plate and canned item, in the fridge. At 12 hours, remove the baking dish, remove the plate with the canned item, remove the plastic wrap and discard. Flip the package over, place another piece of plastic wrap on the package and return the plate and canned item back on top of the plastic wrap. Place the baking dish back in the fridge.
  • Repeat this for a minimum of 2 days, if the fillet is thick, like over 2 inches thick, continue this process for 3 days.
  • Once the 2 or 3 days have passed, remove the baking dish from the fridge and place the salmon package on a cutting board, unwrap the cheesecloth and gently brush away the dry cure using a paper towel, DO NOT rinse the fish. Now you have Gravlax.
  • Using a very sharp knife, slice the fillet across the grain at a 45 degree angle, then off the skin. Slice thinly, about ⅛ inch thick.
  • Serving idea is on bagels with cream cheese, capers, red onion, and fresh dill. Or on rye bread. Or with eggs as a breakfast.

Notes

I cannot price this until I go to Makro again as that is the only store I know that carries large pieces of salmon. For now I will say High cost per serving.
Safety Note: Most times the salmon you will buy is frozen or was previously frozen, perfectly acceptable. If wanting to make this with fresh salmon, it is highly recommended you freeze the salmon first at -17° C (0° F) or colder for at least 48 hours to kill off any parasites that may be in the fish.
Shortcut: Buttermilk.
Variants: 1. Feel free to use fresh herbs instead of dried, or herbs of your choosing, such as fresh dill in place of the fresh fennel. 2. Change the sugar (white) to light brown, as long as you keep the amounts of salt and sugar the same, as that is key in the curing process for this.
Salmon Gravlax II (Gravad Lax)

Salmon Gravlax II (Gravad Lax)

Simply Recipes, Elise Bauer, United States.
This is the Swedish version of Gravlax, and is salmon cured with salt, sugar, white pepper, and the herb used is just dill. This is not a cooked dish, just cured.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Passive Time 2 days
Total Time 11 minutes
Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Swedish

Ingredients
  

To Prepare the Salmon

  • 1 kilo salmon fillets, see Step 1, (2 lbs)
  • ¼ cup sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons crushed white pepper
  • ½ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

For the Sauce (Gravlaxsås)

  • 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • ¾ cup neutral flavored oil, slightly less than ¾ cup is perfect
  • salt and white pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup fresh dill, finely chopped

Instructions
 

To Prepare the Salmon

  • Ideally, you would want two 500 gram (1 lb) skin on fillets from the center cut of the fillet, remove the pin bones if that is not already done. But you can use the smaller fillets from Tesco, as what is in this photo. When I make this, I will use two of these fillets on the bottom, and two on top, just reduce the salt and sugar in equal proportions.
  • Mix together the salt, sugar, and white pepper. Rub the mixture into both sides of the salmon fillets.
  • Put half of the dill between the fillets, then divide up the remaining dill between the top and bottom, place in a ziplock bag and seal after removing as much as as you can. Place the bag in a backing dish and place a smaller dish on top and weight it down with some canned goods.
  • Place in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, flip the bag about every 12 hours.
  • Remove from the fridge and remove from the dish. Rinse the fillet very well with cold water, and use your fingers to rub off all the salt and dill. Dry the fillets with paper towels.
  • Place a fillet skin side down on your cutting board, hold your knife at a angle and slice as thin as you can down to the skin but not through the skin. Repeat with remaining fillet or fillets.

For the Sauce (Gravlaxsås)

  • Mix together the mustards and sugar, stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the vinegar.
  • Using a mixer or food processor, very slowly add the oil, continuously mixing, start with just drops at first and when it binds (like making mayo), you can increase the amount of oil you are adding at a time. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Mix in the dill.
  • Serve with the sliced salmon as an appetizer on rye bread or with boiled potatoes for a lunch or dinner.

Notes

The salmon fillets I will use will be from Tesco, 69 Baht each for 140 to 160 gram fillets, frozen, from Norway. Initial test will be 4 fillets for a total of 276 Baht, about $8.40. I don't know the number of servings as an appetizer until I make this and I will update the pricing. For now I will say High Cost per serving.
Safety Note: Most times the salmon you will buy is frozen or was previously frozen, perfectly acceptable. If wanting to make this with fresh salmon, it is highly recommended you freeze the salmon first at -17° C (0° F) or colder for at least 48 hours to kill off any parasites that may be in the fish.
Swedish Meatballs (Svenska Kottbullar)

Swedish Meatballs (Svenska Kottbullar)

Adapted from an internet recipe.
I love Swedish Meatballs, and have had the honor and pleasure to have them made by a Swedish lady about 7-8 years ago, had not had them since, I need to change that. I have contacted several Swedish friends and I am always pointed to this recipe to use. So here it is and I look forward to making this and reporting my findings. The spices stated are important. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Swedish
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking Pan

Ingredients
  

For the Meatballs

  • 2 slices day old bread, crumbled
  • ½ cup heavy cream, Shortcut
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 300 grams ground beef, (10 oz)
  • 150 grams minced pork, (5 oz)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder

For the Gravy

  • pan drippings
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour, or as needed
  • 2 cups beef stock, or as needed
  • 100-220 grams sour cream, to taste, (3½-7 oz)
  • salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180° C (350° F). Get out a large baking dish.
  • Place the bread crumbs into a small bowl, and mix in the cream. Allow to stand until crumbs absorb the cream, about 10 minutes. While the bread is soaking, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until it turns light brown, about 10 minutes. Place onion into a mixing bowl; mix with the ground beef, ground pork, egg, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. Lightly mix in the bread crumbs and cream.
  • Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off about 1½ tablespoon of the meat mixture per meatball, and form into balls. Place the meatballs into the skillet, and cook just until the outsides are brown, about 5 minutes, turning the meatballs often. Insides of the meatballs will still be pink. Place browned meatballs into a baking dish, pour in chicken broth, and cover with foil. Bake until the meatballs are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove meatballs to a serving dish.
  • To make the gravy, pour pan drippings into a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the pan drippings until smooth, and gradually whisk in enough beef broth to total about 2½ cups of liquid. Bring the gravy to a simmer, whisking constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Just before serving, whisk in the sour cream, taste so you do not over do the sour cream. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
  • Serve the gravy with the meatballs and mashed potatoes or boiled macaroni.

Notes

Figure about 150 Baht for the beef and pork. For 6 servings this is about 75 cents per serving. You can keep the meatballs and gravy warm in a slow cooker.
Shortcut: Heavy Cream.