“Make it Snappy” is presented by Goldfish Swim School of Chapel Hill. With recipes that only take 45 minutes or less to prepare, Christy helps you stay afloat at dinner time! 


As I sit down to write this recipe, freezing rain is falling steadily outside and I’m craving comfort food. When I think of warm and hearty meals from my childhood, I remember my mother making Swedish Meatballs because she knew it was my favorite. As I grew older and began cooking for myself, I often requested her recipes and was always met with “well, there really isn’t one.” She cooked from experience, feel and taste and in most cases, she didn’t follow a written recipe. After much nagging and pestering, she began to jot down notes for me as she cooked, but I only got a handful of her recipes documented before she died. Here, I have not tried to create an “authentic” or traditional Swedish Meatball recipe, I’ve simply chased the flavor of my childhood.

This month’s Make It Snappy shortcut, premade meatballs, removes virtually all of the labor involved in preparing this meal. These can be found at the butcher’s counter, in the fresh meat case or even in the frozen food aisle. While making meatballs from scratch is very simple, it also takes quite a while. So to have this meal on the table in under 45 minutes, we’re taking a little help from the grocery store and embracing perfectly seasoned, premade meatballs.

Learning to cook with my mom and joining her in the kitchen as adults are some of my happiest memories. In May of 2017, my mom, Dina Bray, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Three weeks later, she passed away. Her diagnosis came as a shock since her symptoms masqueraded, as ovarian cancer almost always does, as “normal.” Upset stomach, bloating, discomfort in the abdomen. I share this with you now because it has become a passion of mine to increase awareness of ovarian cancer and in particular, its mundane symptoms. I encourage you to learn the signs and encourage the women in your lives to speak up if they are noticing a persistent occurrence of these symptoms.

Unfortunately, there is currently no reliable screening method to diagnose ovarian cancer, so the best we can do is listen to our bodies. I have established Dina’s Dynasty Ovarian Cancer Fund at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in her memory with an aim to develop an early screening method and provide outstanding patient care. I invite you to learn more at www.dinasdynasty.org.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

By: Christy Bray Graves

SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb. prepared or frozen meatballs
  • 1 – 12 oz. bag egg noodles
  • ¼ cup salted butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ cups beef stock*
  • ¼ – ½ cup full fat sour cream**
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • Fresh, flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat or cook the prepared meatballs according to the package directions. If you’re baking the meatballs, place them on a rack in a rimmed baking sheet. This will allow them to cook on all sides so that you do not have to turn them halfway through cooking.
  2. Prepare the egg noodles according to package directions.
  3. In a large skillet, make a roux by melting the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to break up the clumps of flour until fully incorporated into the butter. Keep whisking the mixture constantly over medium heat to allow the raw flour flavor to cook out, approximately 5 minutes until the roux just begins to darken and smell nutty.
  4. Slowly pour in the beef stock, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until the roux and stock have fully blended. Add the Worcestershire Sauce, Dijon mustard, black pepper and dried thyme. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  5. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in sour cream, beginning with ¼ of a cup, adding more up to ½ cup until you’ve reached your desired creamy sauce texture.
  6. Taste the sauce! Adjust the salt and seasoning to your tastes adding in more Dijon or Worcestershire Sauce for extra depth of flavor if desired.
  7. Add the meatballs to the sauce and put the skillet back on the stove over medium-law heat until evenly heated through.
  8. Serve over hot egg noodles. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!

NOTES

*Any stock or broth you prefer or have on hand is fine! Beef, chicken, turkey or a blend of what you have!

**Using full fat sour cream ensures that the sauce does not separate.

 


As a wife and mom of three young boys, I often consider myself a master “chaos coordinator.” Between running our family business, Chapel Hill Toffee, managing our household and balancing busy schedules, I love to create quick and simple recipes that I know my family will enjoy – and my kids will actually eat!

My recipes are more of a guide than a perfect plan. I will always encourage you to use what you have on hand and make substitutions to suit your tastes. I invite you to share your own ideas, questions and final products with us on Facebook  and on Instagram by tagging @christybgraves and @wchlchapelboro.


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