A very good friend gave me an Ikea gift card for a house-warming gift. Somewhere between the Aspelund bedside tables and the Husvik lamps, I discovered the Ikea restaurant. Drawn to the heady aroma of coffee, I abandoned my cart full of Forhoja cutlery trays and Grundhal spotlights and placed my tray on the tray tracks. The overhead sign said, 'Breakfast. $1.00'. And there was an accompanying photo of a plate filled with scrambled eggs, little square cubes of potatoes, and 2 sausages. All for one dollar! This did not include coffee, so I decided to spring for a cup of coffee too. That was another dollar. Everything was delicious! $2.00 and it was a party in my mouth! Lunch was a plate of pasta with a flavourful sauce for just $1.99! I didn't stay for the Ikea dinner but the Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce look amazing. Bit of a jump price-wise for dinner, for $6.49 you get 10 meatballs with gravy, lingonberry sauce, potatoes or fries and a soft drink. After dinner, you can tuck into one of the Grimstad beds with Ektorp cushions and if you stay quiet til morning, you can be first in line for the $1.00 breakfast and start a delicious day all over again in the Ikea restaurant. I think we should have our staff Christmas party there. From Ikea's own kitchen, here is the recipe for Ikea meatballs:
Ikea's Swedish Meatballs:
250gm minced beef
250gm minced pork
1 egg
200-300ml cream and water (or milk and water)
2.5 tbsp. finely-chopped onion
50ml unsweetened rusk flour
2 cold boiled potatoes
4-5 tbsps butter, margarine or oil
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Heat the onion till golden in a couple of tablespoons of lightly browned butter.2. Mash the potatoes and moisten the rusk flour in a little water.3. Mix all the ingredients until there is consistency and flavour generously with salt, white pepper and (optional) a little finely crushed allspice.4. Use a pair of spoons to shape the mixture into relatively large, round balls and transfer to a floured chopping board.5. Fry them slowly in plenty of butter.
How to make the cream sauce:
Ingredients:
100ml cream
200ml beef stock
Chinese soya sauce
1 tbsp white flour
Salt, white pepper
Instructions:
1. Swirl the boiling water or beef stock in a pan.2. Add cream and thicken with white flour if preferred.3. Season well with salt and pepper.4. Serve the meatballs with the sauce, freshly boiled potatoes, uncooked lingonberry jam and salad.
There you have the perfect Swedish meal! Yum!
