From Maine to Sweden and
Back
It must be the weather and the time of
the year that makes me associate the scenery of our forests and waters with those
of Sweden. Through the years I have traveled in Sweden, read a fair bit of its
literature and enjoyed much of its history and culture. Which probably explains
why my first encounter with Maine many years ago resulted in a decision to live
here, even if I’m not of Swedish origin.
Swedish immigrants have a long history
in Maine, the beginnings of which were eloquently recorded by William W. Thomas
in his “Fascinating Story of New Sweden” in
1919. As a result of the Homestead Act of 1862 and increasing population
movement West, it became desirable to populate sparsely inhabited part of
Aroostook County for economic reasons and border security with Canada.
The 23 year old W.W. Thomas, graduate
of Bowdoin College, had been appointed by President Lincoln as a War Consul of
America and sent to Sweden, where he spent 3 years and became convinced that
the honest and hard working Swedes would make perfect Maine immigrants. After a
couple of tries, he convinced the Maine legislature early in 1870 to approve the
160 acre lots and housing for the 51 Swedish immigrants who arrived in July of
1870. By end of 1871 there were 553 men, women and children living in Aroostook
Co., which became New Sweden in 1895. Stockholm became incorporated in 1911.
All of which leads me to one of my
favorite foods, Swedish meatballs. Most recipes of Swedish meatballs can’t help
but to make you aware that they were developed by sturdy women cooking for
woodsmen coming in from bitter cold in the middle of winter, leaving snow and
ice at the kitchen door. This explains the requirement for cream with
breadcrumbs and heavy cream as the sauce for meatballs fried in butter. High
calorie food then was necessary and welcome! Unless you are a skier, who spent
the day on the slopes and missed lunch, these criteria no longer apply.
However, the delicious aroma and taste can be preserved at a considerably
reduced caloric cost.
Swedish
Meatballs -Light
In a large bowl stir 1 cup fine bread
crumbs with 1 cup 1.5 % milk and allow to sit for a few minutes until the bread
absorbs the liquid. Melt 1 tblsp. butter in a small pan and sauté a finely
chopped onion on medium heat for 10 minutes with occasional stirring. Stir into
the moistened bread crumbs: 2 beaten eggs, 2 tsp. salt, ½ - ¾ tsp. pepper according
to taste, 2 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce, 2 tblsp. chopped parsley and the
cooked onions. To this well stirred mixture add: 1 lb. lean ground beef, 1 lb.
ground pork and ½ lb. ground veal. Mix all well together by hand, shape into 1
½ inch balls and place on an oiled baking sheet well separated. Roast in a
preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until browned, turning once.
Remove from pan and discard the fat. If you wish, you may freeze half of the
meatballs for later use at this point, the rest will go into a creamy
sauce. In a large pan melt 1 tblsp.
butter with 1 tblsp. olive oil and on low heat stir in scant 2 tblsp. flour
making a roux and immediately start adding ¾ cups beef broth with stirring to make
the sauce. When sauce is thick and smooth, add 1 tsp. salt, 1 tblsp. Gravy Mix
and stir in ¾ cups half-and -half. Add the meatballs and stir to heat
everything without boiling. Serve with dilled boiled potatoes or noodles.
Cucumber
Salad with Sour Cream
Cucumbers go well in an excellent
salad with the above Swedish meatballs. Slice thinly 1 English cucumber and
toss with ¾ tsp. salt, 1 tblsp. chopped chives or scallion greens and 1 tblsp.
chopped fresh dill. Toss with 2-3 tblsp. sour cream mixed with 2 tsp. rice
vinegar. Serve as a salad by itself or for an elegant presentation serve on a
leaf of butter lettuce.
You don’t need aquavit to say SKÅL to those early Maine Swedish immigrants!
(I. Winicov
Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and
Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website:
www.winicov-harrington.com)
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