Norwegian Church Meatballs Recipes

BJARNE'S NORWEGIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a jelly roll pan.
• Combine bread crumbs, milk, eggs, onion, ginger, salt, nutmeg, garlic, and black pepper in a mixing bowl. Let stand until bread crumbs absorb milk, about 5 minutes. Stir until just mixed and add ground beef. Mix until well blended. Shape mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place on the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 18 minutes. Set meatballs aside.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Slowly add broth; cook and stir gravy until smooth and thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Blend in cream, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
• Gently stir cooked meatballs into gravy and heat through, but do not boil, about 5 minutes more.

NORWEGIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Combine eggs, milk, bread crumbs, onion and seasonings. Let crumbs absorb milk. Add meat.
• Shape into 1 inches size.
• Place on greased pan and bake 400 degrees for about 18 minutes.
• For gravy, melt butter and saute onions until tender. Stir in flour and brown lightly. Slowly add broth. Cook until smooth and thickened.
• Blend in cream, cayenne and white pepper.
• Add meatballs and heat till boiling.

NORWEGIAN MEATBALLS (VIKING SOUL FOOD STYLE)

Steps:

• For the Norwegian meatballs: Small dice the yellow onions, or grate on a cheese grater on the largest holes. Warning: The cheese grater method is effective, but you'll likely have a tearful experience!
• Combine butter, 1 teaspoon salt and the grated onions in a small pot. Cook on medium-low until onions are browned and smelling sweet, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Chop up rye bread by hand or in a food processor until crumbly, but don't obliterate it. Add heavy cream, whole milk, and rye breadcrumbs to a pot. Heat gently on low until breadcrumbs have absorbed dairy and are softened and aromatic, then remove from the heat.
• Grind allspice berries and black peppercorns together in a spice grinder until fine.
• Combine rye breadcrumbs, eggs, flour, caramelized onions, remaining teaspoon salt and the spices in a large mixing bowl. Mix together until a smooth paste forms, then incorporate the beef and pork, squeezing with your fingers to make sure the starchy ingredients break up into the meat. At the same time, make sure not to overwork the mixture, as that would yield tough meatballs.
• Let stand at least 2 to 3 hours in the fridge, then roll into balls. We roll our meatballs to 1 1/2-ounces each, but all you need to do is make sure your meatballs are consistently-sized, so they cook at the same rate when they hit the oven.
• Preheat the oven to 550 degrees F, preferably on convection. Roast meatballs until well-browned on the outside, about 10 minutes in a convection oven or 12 minutes in a conventional oven.
• For the surkal: Thinly slice cabbage (1/4-inch thick) with a knife or mandoline. Avoid cutting into the core; you just want the purple leaves.
• Toss cabbage and salt together in a large bowl and allow to sit.
• Combine white sugar, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, ground caraway seed, bay leaf and 3 cups water in a large pot, then bring to a boil. Pour over cabbage and cover, then refrigerate for about 1 day. This will help lessen the harshness of the vinegars and soften the cabbage.
• After 24 to 36 hours, remove bay leaf and stir cabbage mixture to make sure caraway is well-distributed.
• Refrigerate until ready to eat.
• For the Gjetost cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a pot on medium heat and brown slightly. Add the flour and whisk well. Allow the roux to brown on medium-low heat until it reaches a rich golden brown color; it should smell nutty. This takes 20 to 30 minutes.
• Add the milk gradually in increments, whisking vigorously as you go. If you happen to have an immersion blender, run it through and get rid of any lumps. Reduce heat to low and watch carefully, whisking often and making sure the bottom doesn't burn. You want to see bubbles popping up to the surface every few seconds.
• Add the Madeira, white wine, salt and nutmeg. Cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 40 minutes, then grate the Gjetost cheese into the pot.
• Allow the sauce to cook gently and continue to thicken for about 1 1/2 hours. Be sure to whisk the bottom occasionally to get up any browned bits. If you have one, get your immersion blender in there and run it through until smooth and velvety. When finished, sauce should be the consistency of thick gravy and taste of toasty bread and goat cheese.
• Allow to cool for a half hour or so, then place in the fridge if you aren't going to use it right away.
• For the meatball lefse wrap: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Halve 2 of the meatballs and roast until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Toast a piece of lefse in a nonstick pan or better yet, on a lefse griddle, on both sides. Remove toasted lefse to a cutting board. Begin layering: 1/2 cup shredded green cabbage, 1/2 cup surkal/pickled cabbage, the heated meatballs and finally about 1/3 cup warm Gjetost cheese sauce. Roll it tightly like a burrito. Cut in half if you're sharing, but you probably won't want to.

NORWEGIAN MEATBALLS - NORWAY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix milk and 1/4 cup cornstarch until well blended.
• Add meat, onion, salt, nutmeg, pepper and egg.
• Mix until well blended.
• Cover.
• Refrigerate at least 20 minutes for easier shaping.
• Shape chilled meat mixture into 1in balls. In a 12in skillet, over med heat, heat oil until hot.
• Cook meatballs, half at a time, until browned on all sides, about 8-10 minutes.
• Remove with a slotted spoon.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings, adding oil if necessary, to make 1/4 cup.
• In a med bowl, mix beef broth and remaining 1/4 cup corn starch until well blended.
• Pour into skillet.
• Over med heat, cook while stirring constantly, until sauce boils and thickens.
• Add meatballs and reduce heat to low.
• Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
• Stir in sour cream and remove from heat.

NORWEGIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Mix ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, milk, egg and spices; mix well.
• Shape into 1 inch balls.
• Heat 1 tbs butter in pan.
• Place meat balls in pan and cook, turning as necessary to completely cook meat balls.
• When meatballs are done, take them out of the pan and place them on a plate.
• Mix flour, sugar, salt and pepper together.
• To remaining drippings in pan, add flour mixture, stir with whisk.
• Add water to make a gravy.
• Slowly add 1 cup cream, stirring constantly.
• Stir until thick.
• Do not boil.
• Add meatballs to gravy and keep heat low.
• Allow flavors to blend.
• I would personally serve them with rice as a main course, but I don't think that would be traditional.
• I think my mom used them as appetizers- to go with a smorgasbord.

NORWEGIAN MEATBALLS WITH GJETOST SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix vigorously to blend (by hand or electric mixer) all the ingredients above.
• Shape into 3/4 inch meatballs with moistened hands.
• Pour 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan. Place over medium heat and add meatballs. Cook, shaking gently to turn meatballs, about 10 minutes for the meatballs. Remove as they brown.
• For Gjetost sauce: Remove as much oil from the pan as possible and blend in butter and flour. Remove from heat and blend in light cream. Add chicken broth, bring to boil, stirring and cooking until thickened. Mix in Gjetost cheese. Turn heat low.
• Blend some of the sauce into sour cream, then return sour cream to sauce. Add chopped parsley or fresh dill.
• Re-add meatballs and simmer until heated through.
• Serve with cooked rice or potatoes.