Swedish Meatballs and Lynfred’s Vin De City Red: 4/5
Lynfred’s Vin De City Red: 54/100
Having the day off, Michael and I lazily lounged about the apartment—outside the day was cast in a gray monotony, scattered with flecks of gentle snow. Finally gaining enough momentum, we decided to go and get something to make for dinner. Featuring Lynfred Winery this week, I was a bit unsure of what to pair with a “table wine”.
As I flipped through The Better Homes Cookbook, I thumbed to the meats section, littered with titles like Hamburger Pie, and Chili-Pasta Skillet, not exactly what I was looking for. Then I scanned across Swedish Meatballs, and was automatically transported to Ikea. If you’ve never indulged in a plate of swedish meatballs from ikea, I’d at least do it once. I never feel as Swedish, or quite in the mood to furniture shop, as I do with a stomach full of Ikea’s meatballs.
With the thought, I was sold. Now the recipe out of Better Homes was a little to processed for my tastes—using bouillon cubes, and store bought bread crumbs, so I hit the internet and found Alton Brown’s Swedish Meatball recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/swedish-meatballs-recipe/index.html) As with most Alton Brown recipes you can expect higher quality ingredients and exact measurements. Does that mean the recipe will not turn out delicious if you make your meatballs larger than 1oz? Of course not, but I have to hand it to Alton, his food can be practically cloned if you follow his recipes to a T.
Traditional Swedish Meatballs are made with ground pork and beef, but looking to save a buck, I decided to substitute ground venison for the pork. (but that’s kind of killing a “buck”, isn’t it?) My mom and dad live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, just south of the Wisconsin border, and with solitude comes deer, especially in the mid-west. Not big hunters themselves, my parents allow their friends to come and hunt on the land, and once or twice a season, are rewarded for their kindness with an abundance of venison. When I make it home, my mom doesn’t let me leave without a good couple pounds of free meat—fine by me.
If you’ve never cooked with venison, you’ll be surprised to find how lean it is. Alone, venison has a gamey flavor, but when mixed with ground beef or used in chili or sloppy Joes, you won’t even notice. Not caring for the flavor when I was younger, my mom became a professional at disguising venison, and as she would say, “It’s good free meat, we can’t just let it go to waste.”
So what makes Swedish meatballs, Swedish? Nutmeg and Allspice. When mixed in with the meat balls, the flavors seep out into the grease while they are frying in the pan. And when the gravy is made with the leftover drippings, it takes on a warm spicy undertone, indicative of Swedish Meatballs.
Since I was pairing a table wine I thought the subtle warmth of nutmeg and allspice would bring out the vanilla and cherry in the wine. Allowing my bottle to breathe, I corked it before I started cooking. Taking an initial whiff of the bottle I was met with a strong ethanol aroma, like sniffing a bottle of vodka, which made me a bit concerned about the quality of the wine.
Adding the cream into the pan, my gravy took on a warm carmel hue and sent smells of onions, nutmeg, and beef floating about the apartment. As the gravy reduced, I prepared Michael and I’s plates with rice and green beans. Have you ever wondered how restaurants get their rice to hold such a wonderful shape? It’s easy, take a biscuit cutter, or small shallow bowl, and pack in some rice, good and tight. The starches in the rice will hold like glue so when you lift your bowl, a nice “rice castle” will be left behind, and your presentation will look clean and professional. Topping my rice castles with meat balls the plates were complete and ready for photography.
Pouring a glass of wine, the aroma of black cherry and oak met my nostrils with a slight burn. With a semi translucent reddish purple hue, I noticed the legs of the wine begin to separate instead of streak down the side of my glass. Examining my glass, I could not find anything that would be making the wine do this, but as soon as the wine hit my palate I knew what the culprit was. Having a very high ethanol concentration, the Vin De City Red attacked my palate with a harsh, burning sensation of a very young Cabernet Sauvignon. With high levels of acidity, and a noticeable astringency, my first swallow caused my face to twist a bit—not exactly what I was expecting.
Followed by bite of meatballs, the warm underlying spice was able to tame the burn in my mouth from the wine, making the flavors of cherry and vanilla more present as the meal continued. Sending little rushes of nutmeg and onion around my palate, coated in a rich creamy gravy, the meatballs were, do I dare say, better than Ikea’s—not to fatty, or salty. Combined with the wild rice and green beans, the result was a meal I didn’t have to feel guilty about eating.
Following my first bite with another sip of wine, my palate was more accepting, but still a bit reluctant. In my mind a pairing should enhance both the food and the wine, and with this I think the food played a lion taming role. Unfortunately I have had many better $10.00 wines. Just in case the wine needed an exceptionally long time to breathe I saved a small glass for lunch today. Although better than last night, the harsh presence was still over powering.
What will the Vin De City White hold? Hopefully a Perfect Pair.
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