St. Mark's Swedish Meatballs

Have meat ground together twice. When I am not able to find ground veal easily, I use half ground beef and half ground pork.

Soak breadcrumbs in cream for at least 5 minutes. I let them soak while sautéing the onions.

Melt 1 tablespoons butter and saute the onion until tender but not brown.

Combine meats, crumb mixture, onion, egg, parsley, and spices. I am not a fan of nutmeg in meatballs and I do not add that ingredient.

Mix thoroughly.

Choice, brown meatballs in a skillet on the stove a few at a time until all have been cooked through OR bake in a 350 oven on cookie sheets until cooked through.

If you cooked your meatballs in a skillet, use the fat to start the gravy. If you made them in the oven, use the fat you have and a few tablespoons butter. Sorry, this part is not exact but as I figure it out I'll update.

Stir 2 tablespoons flour into fat.

Add beef broth, water, and instant coffee. I have also used a small amount of coffee left in the pot. I start with a Tbsp or so and just keep taste testing until I find a flavor I like.

Heat and stir until gravy thickens.

Salt and pepper gravy to your liking.

Add meatballs into gravy and cook slowly for 15 to 30 minutes. This is the forgiving part of the recipe, if your meatballs are a bit pink inside, simmer until they finish cooking.

Note: If you are new to making gravy and need to add more flour to make a thicker gravy, disolve the additional flour in an equal amount of water and slowly add to your gravy. Stir constantly while adding the flour mixture and for a a few minutes afterwards. By doing this you should be able to avoid a lumpy gravy. You may need to adjust the seasoning when you are done.

Note: Cooking and preparation times are only a guess.