I first fell in love with köttbullar (Swedish for "meatballs") during summer trips to Door County, Wis. with my grandparents. As a huge treat, they would take me to breakfast at the famous Al Johnson's in Sister Bay. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. From time to time, I find myself craving a plate full of Swedish pancakes doused in lignonberries with a side of meatballs for breakfast. I've never ventured—as tempting as it may be—into IKEA's cafe for a nasty rendition of the Swedish staple. When we visited Stockholm in 2008, all I wanted was a giant plate of the bastards. Swedish restaurants were completely misrepresented for me through my experience in Wisconsin because I was expecting the damn streets to be lined with 'em. But, I had no such luck. A few days into our trip, we found ourselves in Pet Sounds (in Södermalm) chatting with the owner. I figured he would have the inside scoop on where we could find köttbullar. He directed us to Pelikan, another restaurant by the opera house, and one in Gamla Stan. He also mentioned that the culinary tastes of the city didn't really focus on the more traditional, countryside meal I was hoping for. We, however, found ourselves at the restaurant in Old Town (I later discovered Pelikan had the best in town for $27). I was underwhelmed by what seemed to be a tourist-trap meal: $20 for five measly köttbullar. On our return home, I vowed to find a killer Swedish meatball recipe and on January 25, I found it. Following this phenomenal recipe by Kalle Bergman, using pork lard instead of butter and He'Brew Messiah Bold for the beer, we made some lip-smackin' meatballs and I couldn't be happier.
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