Swedish Tempeh Balls with Cream Gravy

Meatballs, made of meat, Right? Eaten with red sauce, Right?

How about made with tempeh and served with a creamy gravy?

Whhhhaaattttt????

Yes! I'm telling you, they are a revelation!

Swedish meatballs have floated in my blogosphere before but never quite took hold until finally I broke down and looked at this recipe. So intriguing, so we had them for dinner.

Hubby loved them. I loved them. Kids will DEFINITELY love them.

A revelation indeed!

Do not be daunted by what appears to be a long recipe; it's just a matter of multi-tasking, and really won't take more than 20 minutes of prep plus 20 minutes baking time. It is sooooo worth it!

Swedish Tempeh Balls with Cream Gravy (inspired by The New York Times)
(serves 2-3)

1 package tempeh
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
1/2 piece sandwich sized day old bread
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, grated fine
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmet
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (or grate an allspice seed on a microplane)
1 egg
salt
pepper

1/2 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup cream
1 cup veggie stock
1 tablespoon Marsala wine
salt
pepper
oil for frying

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small sauce pan add soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf and 1/2 cup of water and tempeh, cut into 8 pieces. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer covered and cook for 10-12 minutes until liquid is gone. Remove bay leaf and place tempeh and garlic in a bowl.

While tempeh is steaming, soak bread in milk, pressing down on the bread to really absorb the milk; place a weight (like a can of tomatoes) on top to ensure absorption.

While bread is soaking, saute onion in olive oil until it softens and just begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove half of the onion and place in the bowl with the tempeh. Squeeze milk out of the bread and roughly chop it. Add it to the bowl with the tempeh. Add bread crumbs, garlic, nutmeg, allspice and egg and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and form into balls 2 inches round and set on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until crisp and golden.

Returning to the pan with the onion, deglaze with the Marsala wine and cook until it is absorbed. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Add the stock and whisk to incorporate. Taste for salt and pepper and keep warm. Spoon over baked balls with mashed potatoes!

Hugs!