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Marcus Samuelsson's Helga's Meatballs

Made with Pickled Cucumbers

The top master chef shares some simple recipes for your big party.

From the kitchen of Marcus Samuelsson

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1/2 pound ground chuck or sirloin

1/2 pound ground veal

1/2 pound ground pork

2 tablespoons honey

1 large egg

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the sauce

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup lingonberry preserves (see below)

2 tablespoons pickle juice (see below)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pickled cucumbers:

1 English (hothouse) cucumber

1 tablespoon kosher salt

11/2 cups water

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup sugar

1 bay leaf

2 allspice berries

For the ligonberry preserves:

1 cup lingonberries

2 cups sugar

1 quart water

Cooking Directions

Prepare the meatballs: Combine the breadcrumbs and heavy cream in a small bowl, stir in with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, onion, honey, and egg, and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the bread crumb-cream mixture and mix well. With wet hands (to keep the mixture from sticking) shape the mixture into meatballs the size of a golf ball, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. You should have about 24 meatballs.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes, until browned on all sides and cook through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate, and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

Prepare the sauce: Return the skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves, and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through. Top with Quick Picked Cucumbers.

For the pickled cucumbers:

Slice the cucumber as thin as possible (use a mandoline or other vegetable slicer if have one). Put the slices in a colander, toss them with the salt, and let stand for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf, and allspice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Rinse the salt off the cucumbers, and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Put the cucumbers in a medium bowl and add the pickling solution: they should be completely covered by the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours before serving.

For the ligonberry preserves:

Put in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low flame. Simmer until syrup consistency. Cool and serve.

This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.

Recipe courtesy Marcus Samuelsson.