Swedish meatballs are the epitome of comfort food, warming heart and soul. We’ve re-worked the umami in this recipe a little. Save yourself a trip to Ikea and make some of these at home!
Ingredients
¾ cup panko
1 medium onion, grated
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
½ tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tsp pepper, divided
1 tsp salt, divided
2 lb ground beef or 1 ½ lb ground beef and ½ lb ground pork
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 ½ cups low sodium beef broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground allspice
Directions
In a large bowl, combine panko, onion, eggs, 1 tsp pepper, ¾ tsp salt, garlic powder and parsley. Gently mix in ground meat.
Shape mixture into 1 ½-inch meatballs and brown in batches in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove meatballs with slotted spoon to drain on paper towels, reserve drippings in skillet.
Stir flour into drippings, cooking over medium-high heat until light brown and fully incorporated without lumps. Slowly whisk in heavy cream until smooth. Stir in beef broth, spices, Worcestershire, Dijon, ½ tsp pepper and ¼ tsp salt. Bring to a boil and cook/stir until thickened.
Reduce heat and return meatballs to pan. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Adjust salt/pepper as needed.
Serve with noodles, mashed potatoes or your choice of starch.
Move over potatoes, there’s another veg who comes “fully loaded.” It’s that long, tall, cool drink of water, celery! Our crunchy friend is a blank canvas, or should we say ‘flavor boat,’ just waiting to set sail at the first “snack-ortunity.”
Ingredients
4-5 celery stalks, trimmed/peeled
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ cup bacon, cooked/chopped
2 globe radishes, diced very tiny (brunoise)
¼ of a medium red pepper, diced very tiny (brunoise)
2 Tbsp grated/shredded carrot
1 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp chives, chopped
¼ tsp garlic granules
Pinch smoked paprika
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Optional: 2 Tbsp pecans, toasted/chopped, and 1 Tbsp each additional bacon and chives for garnish
Directions
Cut celery stalks in half and set aside.
Whip cream cheese until smooth using a food processor or hand mixer. Add cheddar, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic granules, chives and parsley and pulse to combine.
Add bacon, radishes, carrot and red pepper and pulse very slightly to combine without chopping these ingredients up too small.
Fill each celery “boat” with cheese mixture. Top with optional garnishes (if using) and serve immediately.
Wedge salads look great, taste great and are a lot of fun to deconstruct with your knife and fork as you enjoy them. Using romaine and grilling the lettuce will make your salad truly “wedge-endary!”
Ingredients
2 heads romaine lettuce
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup crumbled blue cheese – we like Point Reyes Original Blue
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4 slices bacon, cooked/chopped
¼ cup grated asiago cheese
Maldon Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Optional (and highly recommended) garnishes: ½ cup thinly sliced shallots, 1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Dressing:
½ cup blue cheese
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup sour cream
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp garlic granules
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
If using shallots, soak slices in cold water for about 15 minutes. Drain.
To a small bowl, add buttermilk and sour cream. Mix in blue cheese until fully combined. Stir in mayonnaise.
Add red wine vinegar, Worcestershire, Dijon, garlic granules and sugar. Add salt/pepper to taste and let flavors meld while preparing the rest of the salad.
Slice romaine in half lengthwise. Oil a grill or grill pan and set at medium-high heat.
Brush sides of romaine with olive oil and grill on each side until grill marks have formed, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to large platter.
Dress romaine wedges evenly and then add toppings. Sprinkle with Maldon Sea salt and fresh black pepper.
Lamb’s bold flavor works in so many different dishes. The key is accentuating and highlighting it while keeping things simple. Cultures around the world have their take on traditional lamb stew as well as chops, shanks and ground lamb.
Here’s a recipe shared by our General Manager, Chris Maher, who enjoys cooking lamb. Credit goes to Bobby Flay, “why try and reinvent something this good?”
Whisk together oil, garlic and thyme in a shallow large baking dish. Add the chops and turn to coat. Cover and marinate for 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the refrigerator.
Remove the chops from the refrigerator 20 minutes before grilling. Heat grill to 700 °.
Grill the chops for 5 to 6 minutes per side to sear. Reduce heat to medium by turning one burner off. Move lamb to that side of the grill and close cover.
Cook until meat is 135°. in the center for medium doneness. Remove and rest for 2 minutes. Slice into individual chops.
Brush the cut side of the lemons with the oil and grill, cut side down on high for 1 minute. Turn lemons 45°. to make hatch marks and remove.
Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the platter of chops. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with fresh sprigs of oregano and dill. Serve the remaining grilled lemons on the platter with the chops.
Lamb’s bold flavor works in so many different dishes. The key is accentuating and highlighting it while keeping things simple. Cultures around the world have their take on traditional lamb stew as well as chops, shanks and ground lamb.
Here’s a go-to recipe from our General Manager, Chris Maher, from Nagi Maehashi of Recipe Tin Eats.
Ingredients
4 lamb shanks, around 13 oz each
1 tsp EACH cooking/kosher salt and pepper
2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 onion, finely diced (brown, yellow or white)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrot, peeled, finely diced
1 cup celery, finely diced
2 ½ cups red wine (full bodied good value wine, not expensive!)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock, low sodium (or water)
5 sprigs of thyme (preferably tied together), or 2 tsp dried thyme
2 dried bay leaves (or 4 fresh)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Pat lamb with paper towel to dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbsp oil on high heat in a large oven-safe pot on the stove. Get it hot before adding meat.
Sear lamb until brown on all sides – about 3-5 minutes each side. Set aside. Lower heat to medium and wait a moment. Add remaining olive oil. Add diced onion and garlic. Stir.
Cook for 5 minutes. Add seasonings. Add carrot and celery. Cook 5 minutes more until carrot begins to soften.
Add red wine and scrape any brown bits from the sauce pan up with the liquid. MMMM Tasty stuff!
Add stock, paste and tomatoes. Stir until heated through. Add shanks back to the pot.
Cover the pot and transfer to preheated oven for 2 ½ hours. Remove pot from oven. Take lamb out and set aside.
Strain veggies out of the sauce into a bowl. (Reserve veggies for other tasty things like pasta.)
Put strained sauce on the stove back in the pot and cook for 10 minutes more over medium high heat to reduce and thicken. Taste, add salt if needed.
Serve shanks on a grain or potatoes, covered with sauce. Peas are good too.
Craving something cozy, yet light? Here’s a recipe for Lohikeitto (low-hee-kay-eat-o), a Finnish salmon soup that takes only about a half hour to make. Stick with the traditional ingredients or add in some of our springy suggestions that give it a fun flavor twist.
1 lb skin-on salmon filet, de-boned/skinned and cut into small chunks
1-2 Tbsp Local Spicery’s Bada Bing Bouillon Ooh Mommy Umami
1 cup heavy cream
¼ tsp ground allspice
Pinch of dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
Optional: ½ cup thinly sliced fennel, ¼ cup chopped parsley
Directions
Prep your veggies, reserving any peels, leek stalk, carrot tip/top. Remove skin from salmon and place with veggie scraps and Bada Bing Bouillon Ooh Mommy Umami in a large saucepan with 5 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a soup pot and sauté leeks for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft.
Strain broth and add to saucepan with leeks, potatoes, carrots, fennel (if using) and half the dill. Cook another 10 minutes or until potatoes are just tender.
Add salmon to soup along with cream and allspice. Gently simmer on low heat a few minutes until cooked through. Add remaining dill, parsley (if using) and salt and pepper to taste. Close lid and wait another 10 minutes before serving.
