Swedish meatballs with blackberry anise sauce
Most packets of minced meat, especially minced pork, come in larger quantities than this recipe so just double or triple the amounts and freeze them once cooked, without the sauce.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
For the blackberry anise sauce
- 150 g blackberries
- 100 g sugar
- 30 ml water
- 1 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
For the meatballs
- 190 g beef mince
- 190 g pork mince
- 35 g dried breadcrumbs
- ½ a small onion
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 40 ml milk
- 150 ml double cream
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- To make the blackberry sauce, put all the ingredients in a pan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, gently crushing the blackberries with a spoon.
- Discard the star anise and bay leaf. Pass the sauce through a sieve to remove the seeds and leave the sauce to cool and thicken. Once cold, check the consistency. Add a splash of water if too thick, or place back over the heat for 5 minutes if you want it to be more jammy.
- Finely dice the onion. Mix together the two minces, breadcrumbs, onion, rosemary and milk. Season generously with salt and black pepper, stir to combine then shape into small balls, roughly an inch in diameter.
- Heat a good glug of oil in a large frying pan and cook the meatballs over medium-high heat. If you’re cooking a large quantity fill the pan in batches. Turn them as they darken and caramelise, ensuring every side is cooked.
- Gently lower the heat and pour the double cream into the pan. It will bubble and thicken. Stir around the meatballs so all the juices and scraps of meat on the pan are absorbed into the sauce. Stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and a large splash of water if the sauce is too thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper. To make sure they are fully cooked, cut one open. If the meat is no longer pink, the juices are clear and it is piping hot they are done.
- Serve the meatballs with the blackberry sauce on the side and a large dollop of mashed potato.