Meatballs Norway Style

December 6th ♥

Kjøttkaker

Not specifically Christmas but certainly very Norwegian are kjøttkaker literally translated to meat cakes.  The Norwegian's answer to homemade burgers.  My daughter requests these every time we
travel to Norway or whenever mamma comes here.  They are a staple in Norway, quick to make, easy to freeze and a great standby dinner.  In this busy month, there will be many families eating kjøttkaker.

We laugh in our family saying any time a Norwegian visits us here in England, it does not matter what food we serve them they will ALWAYS comment on the potatoes, usually something like,  'Oh these potatoes are lovely,'  as if they had never eaten potatoes before.  In Norway a meal is not a meal without potatoes and if truth be told preferably boiled potatoes at that.  Kjøttkaker, therefore, is usually accompanied by boiled potatoes, gravy and kålstuing (cabbage in white sauce) and tyttebær (similar to cranberries).  My daughter prefers chips, after all, she is not 100% Norwegian!



Mamma's Kjøttkaker (Meat cakes/meatballs)

You will need:
♥  500g good quality beef mince
♥  water
♥  salt
♥  pepper
♥  0.5 tsp nutmeg
♥  1 heaped tsp cornflour for the meat
♥  1 heaped tsp cornflour for the gravy
♥  gravy browning

♥  Place the mince, a good amount of seasoning, nutmeg and cornflour into a mixer, add enough water to make the meat soft and pliable, add gradually whilst mixing.  I use a Kenwood mixer, but you could mix by hand, although mamma always says the Kenwood or equivalent is the best for the job.

♥  Once all the ingredients are mixed well together.  Leave to stand whilst you heat up a large frying pan with a big knob of butter and on medium heat, melt the butter.




♥  Next, using a tablespoon, spoon out a small palm-sized amount of mince into your hand, see photo and shape into a ball.

♥  Place each kjøttkaker into the frying an and with the edge of the spoon slightly flatten the ball into more of a burger shape, see photo for clarification.





♥  Fry the kjøttkaker on both sides until brown, we are not cooking them all the way through, just browning them at this stage.  You may need to remove them once browned to make room for the remainder.










♥  Next, and this may seem off place the kjøttkaker into a pan of boiling water and simmer with the lid on for 15-20 minutes.  This cooks them all the way through, ensures that the meat cakes stay moist and produces the stock for the essential gravy.
















♥  Whilst the kjøttkaker are simmering, make the gravy thickening.  Place a tablespoon of cornflour into a container that has a lid (an old jam jar would be excellent) and fill halfway with water.  Place lid tightly back on and shake vigorously to ensure there are no lumps in the cornflour mix.













♥  Once the kjøttkaker have been cooked, remove from the water and set aside.  Keep the used water and leave on medium heat, adding in the cornflour mix and gravy browning, stirring continuously.

♥  Add the kjøttkaker back into the gravy and you have Norwegian meatballs!

Serve with kålstuing (see below) boiled potatoes or chips and tyttebaer (cranberry jam) and enjoy an everyday meal from Norway.

If you are not going to eat them immediately and say have made them in advance and have put them in a fridge, they should last in the gravy and covered for 2 days.  Just gently heat up the kjøtkaker in the gravy when required.  Remember the meat is already cooked through, so you are only needing to heat them up.  The kjøttkaker also freeze well for up to 3 months.

Kålstuing (Cabbage in white sauce)

You will need:

♥  white cabbage
♥  butter
♥  flour
♥  milk
♥  ground nutmeg
♥  salt and pepper

♥  Chop the cabbage into thick strips, discard the hard centre.  Place the cabbage into a pan of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes.

♥  Meanwhile, make the white sauce.  Place a very large knob of butter in a saucepan and add two heaped tablespoons of plain flour.  Continually stir with a wooden spoon the flour into the melted butter, I always find this tedious, but do it for 3 minutes.  This is to remove the taste of the flour.  Gradually add milk and whisk continuously to avoid lumps forming, keep adding the milk until the desired consistency is reached. I like my white sauce to be quick thick, but it is personal preference.

♥  Sprinkle in nutmeg and seasoning to taste.

♥  Drain the cabbage and add to the white sauce.

Kjøttkaker and kålstuing

♥  Do you have any stand by meals?  ♥