Wallenbergare - Swedish husmanskost at its best (gluten-free)

Wallenbergare, a rich and satisfying mince patty is Swedish husmanskost at its best!

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It's hard to think of more classic Swedish husmanskost than Wallenbergare, rich mince patties covered in bread crumbs and fried in butter. Ok, there are the meatballs. But this rich and comforting dish has more than deserved its place in the running. 

There are several stories behid the origins of the dish, but sadly none of them feature Raoul Wallenberg. It would have been so wonderfully wholesomely Swedish if the man who saved tens of thousands of Jews from Holocaus would have also had time to entertain his friends at a chequered cloth covered table set under the garden's apple trees, serving them his signature dish, all washed down with beer and merry laughter twinkling in the summer's evening, slowly turning into night.

(And, seeing how this is my fantasy, followed by fika with princess tårta).

But no. In reality the man behind the dish is someone called Marcus Wallenberg who, having feasted on a calf mince patties on his trip to Europe, wanted to have something similar at this regular hangout Cecil's in Stockholm. 

Or Marcus Wallenberg, whose wife's father Charles Emil Hagdhal, a famous cookbook author, was actually the brains behind the dish. 

(I still think that my version featuring the Princess cake is a lot more hygge. But thanks to Donald Trump, the world really doesn't need any more alternative truths. )

So, let's get to the point. 

A perfect Wallenbergare requires two things: cold ingrediens straight out of the fridge, all mixed together quickly and that the patties are formed and fried directly afterwards. Originally Wallenbergare was made using finely miced, lean calf, but feel free to use any lean mince you come across. In Gothenburg  I've even had Wallenbergare made of elk. 

Depending on the size makes 4-6 burgers

Classic Wallenbergare:

400 g (lean) mince

3 egg yolks

2 dl double cream

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

Also: 1 dl bread crumbs (gluten-free if needed)

For frying: butter and/or oil 

To serve:

mashed potatos, lingonberries, peas, browned butter

Mushy peas with dill:

200 g peas
4-5 tbsp chicken (or vegetable stock)
3/4 tsp dried dill (or mint)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Sauté the peasin a little butter. Puré half of them with the stock and seasoning. Fold in the remaining peas and serve.

For the wallenbergare combine mince, seasoning and yolks in a food processor and mix. Then add cream in a thin stream until you have a mixture that's loose, but still sticks together.

Form into x patties, cover them in bred crumbs and fry in butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side until golden brown and done on the inside. 

Serve.

Traditionally Wallenbergare is served with mash, lingonberries and peas. I like to drizzle some browned butter on mine as... well, because browned butter just makes everything better.

And a classic this good deserves accompaniments every bit as good, so for my so-good-it'll-make-you-cry mash, just see here.

How about you guys? Familiar with Wallenbergare yet? Or is there another husmanskost classic that's captured your heart?

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