Sweden (Europe) 19 September, 2021

Sweden is located in the continent of Europe. It has the Arctic Ocean and the northern parts of Norway and Finland to the north, Finland to the northeast, the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic       Ocean to the east and south, Poland, Germany and Denmark to the south, the North Sea to the southwest, and Norway to the west.

The capital is Stockholm.

The official language is Swedish.

The climate is favorable, but changeable. With the north closer to the Arctic Circle, temperatures range between 23 and 32F to the south between 59 and 63F.

The staple foods are pickled and fermented foods, cucumber, cabbage, root vegetables, porridge, breads, milk, cheese, pork, fish, elk, meatballs, potatoes, lingonberries and so much more (https://visitsweden.com/what-to-do/food-drink/swedish-food-culture/):

https://www.britannica.com/place/Sweden

SWEDISH MEATBALLS WITH MASHED POTATOES AND LINGONBERRIES (https://visitsweden.com/what-to-do/food-drink/recipes/traditional-swedish-meatballs-recipe/):

• 2 TBSP breadcrumbs
• ¼ C single cream
• 1 egg
• 1 TBSP concentrated stock from beef, calf or chicken
• ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 TBSP butter
• 1 lb. ground mince (half pork and beef)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• About 1.5 tsp of salt
• Butter to fry in

Sauce:

• 1 C double cream
• 1-1/2 tsp dark soy
• 1 C beef stock (not concentrated)
• 2 TBSP butter
• 1 TBSP corn starch (or something similar) to thicken the sauce with
• Salt and pepper
• 2 TBSP jam from lingonberries or cherries

To Serve:

• Mashed potatoes
• Lingonberry jam
• Chopped parsley

1. Fold together breadcrumbs, cream, stock and egg and leave to rest for about 5 minutes.
2. Fry the onion in the butter until soft and then mix it with the breadcrumb-cream.
3. Add salt, pepper and mince and work everything together, with your hands or fork. Try not to work it too much, as this will make the meatballs compact.
4. Take a small piece of mince and fry it to test the flavors. When satisfied with salt and pepper, roll the rest of the mince to small balls (about one TBSP mince per ball).
5. Make sure your hands are wet with water, then the mince won’t stick to your hands.
6. Fry the meatballs until golden brown and thoroughly cooked, then put aside.
7. Mix cream and the cornstarch and then pour this, stock and the soy in the pan where you fried the meatballs.
8. Whisk through the pan and let boil for a couple of minutes.
9. Taste with salt, pepper and jam for a little bit of sweetness.
10. Put the meatballs back in the sauce and serve with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, maybe some chopped parsley on top too.

KLADDKAKA (Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake) (https://tasty.co/recipe/swedish-sticky-chocolate-cake-kladdkaka):

 Makes 6 servings

• 1-1/3 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ C flour
• ¼ C cocoa powder
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ C butter, melted
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1 TBSP cocoa powder
• Powdered sugar
• 1 C berry, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until the mixture is pale yellow in color.
3. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
4. Fold until incorporated.
5. Mix in the butter and vanilla.
6. Grease a pan with butter and sprinkle cocoa powder to coat.
7. Pour in batter and smooth out. Batter will be very thick.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top has hardened. The center should still be soft.
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
10. Add berries (optional).
11. Enjoy!!