Danish Frikadeller ~ Family Food Memories

As Mother's Day approaches, we all start thinking of motherhood and family, both of which are very important to me. Although my mother and father have passed away, my family now includes a wonderful husband,  two lovely grown daughters and two small grandsons that my husband and I adore. 

We all have memories of the food we ate while growing up and it's amazing how eating that food, years later, can transport us emotionally back to our childhood and thoughts of a mother's kitchen. I wanted to share a recipe from my childhood that most clearly stands out in my memory.

Since my ancestry is Danish with grandparents or great-grandparents from both sides of my family immigrating from Denmark, frikadeller were something that was a recurring dish on our family table. 

Paraphrasing from Wikipedia...Frikadeller are flat, pan-fried patties of minced meat, often compared to meatballs. Although there are many variations of frikadeller, they are usually made with a combination of of ground pork and beef (salted pork was a staple in early Danish kitchens).  They include chopped onions, eggs, milk (or water - sometimes selzer water), bread or bread crumbs, salt and pepper and sometimes allspice. They are made by forming the meat mixture into slightly flattened patties and pan-fried in pork or beef fat. Today, butter, margarine or vegetable oil are used for frying. Small patties would be made for lunch and larger ones for dinner. At dinner, they would be served with boiled white potatoes and gravy and accompanied by pickled beets or cooked red cabbage. Cold frikadeller and potato salad is a popular choice for picnics or potlucks and cold, thinly sliced fridadeller are also enjoyed as a traaditional Danish open faced sandwich on rye bread topped with pickles or red cabbage. 

They were an inexpensive and filling way to feed a family.  I remember my mother making a pan gravy from the browned bits in the frying pan after frying the frikadeller. 

Above, my mother with me in her arm, my big sister and my dad.  A crocheted tablecloth that my mother made as young wife before I was born, a craft I'm happy she taught to me.

When I became a mother, my two daughters grew up enjoying frikadeller often in our home as well. Made with love, as my mother made them.  I usually made them without gravy and my girls would eat them with ketchup on the side, along with a green vegetable and sauteed potatoes. Although mine were most often made with plain, lean ground sirloin, for this post, I decided to add the traditional ground pork and prepared some beets (pickled beets would also be a traditional side dish).  I made a pan gravy, like my mother's, which my husband really enjoyed.  

One of the best things about making a big batch of frikadeller is using the patties the following day to make Danish open-faced sandwiches! I found a very good substitute for Danish rye bread in this Sunflower rye by Rubeschager.  No need to go all Danish though, a good hamburger bun is fine :)

Frikadellers (My Mother's Way)
Printable Recipe

This is a simple and traditional recipe. Make them with love for your family.    

1 pound lean ground beef or a mixture of half ground beef and half ground pork (ground veal may also be used)
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 large slice hearty white bread, cut into small cubes - about 1 cup (day old is good but not necessary)
1/4 cup milk
Salt and Pepper to taste (feel free to add your favorite seasonings)
Pan Gravy - Recipe Below

Soak the cubed bread in milk for 5 minutes - do not drain.

Place the ground meat in a large bowl and add the soaked bread cubes along with any remaining milk.  Add the beaten egg, chopped onion, and salt and pepper and mix until blended. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to make handling easier.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add about two tablespoons of butter or vegetable oil to the pan.  

Form the beef mixture into patties with your hands. You can make them as small or large as you wish. Flatten slightly with your palms. Add to the preheated skillet and brown the patties well on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side. After they are well browned, add some water to the pan (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup).  Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, covered, for about 20-25 minutes.

You can make a gravy with the pan drippings and serve with boiled potatoes.

To make the pan gravy, remove the cooked frikadeller patties from the skillet, leaving the juices in the pan.  Place 1 heaping tablespoon of all purpose flour into a glass or small bowl.  Stir in about 1/2 cup of water, a little at a time, to the flour, mixing until smooth.  Add this to the pan juices and turn the heat to high.  Stir until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add a little more water, as needed if the gravy is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the frikadellers.  Strain the gravy through a sieve, if necessary. 

Three Recipes from My Mother

My mother wasn't a gourmet cook by any means. She never had a mother to teach her and almost all of the family recipes came from aunts or other relatives. What she knew was how to be a wonderful and gracious hostess to anyone who would visit and visitors were many. She always had something ready to offer guests. She was cheerful, adventurous, outdoorsy and had hobbies and collections that fascinated everyone.

I tried to choose a few recipes that brought back the most vivid memories of my mother while growing up with my older sister. The first is her simple cucumber salad. This was often made with fresh cucumbers from her garden.

Since my family was Danish, frikadellers were something that was a recurring item our family table. There are many recipes for frikadellers, some of which include ground beef, veal and pork and some that are pork only. Some are bound with flour and egg, some with bread and egg. My mother usually used ground beef and sometimes pork as they were the easiest to find at the grocery store. They were often served with potatoes and pan gravy from the frikadellars. They were an inexpensive and filling way to feed her family.  My family grew up enjoying them as well. 

My mother loved making refrigerator cookies. They were always baked with either black walnuts or hickory nuts that she had gathered and dried herself. My father would crack them with a vice and then she would  pick out the nut meat. Now that black walnuts are readily available at the grocery store, I used them in my cookies. These are the cookies that were almost always on the table when friends and family stopped in to visit.

I was a little worried that I would be overcome with emotion the first time I made them after she passed away but, as I tasted the cookies, I remembered all the good times and conversations we had while eating them :)

Lastly, another treat that was always on the table when company dropped in was Danish Kringle. Growing up in a predominantly Danish city with Danish culture and bakeries, you never had to make Kringle at home.  You could buy wonderfully flaky pastry Kringle in several well-known, authentic Danish bakeries in town. My favorite was and still is pecan Kringle but it's made with all sorts of delicious fruit and nut filling varieties. Raspberry is another favorite.

I hope you enjoyed this tribute to my mother and Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers!

Mother’s Pickled Cucumber Salad
Printable Recipe

1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon salt

3 cups peeled and sliced cucumbers
1 cup peeled and thinly sliced red onion

Mix first three ingredients and stir until dissolved.

Place cucumbers and onion slices in a large enough bowl to fit them plus the liquids. Add liquid mixture, celery seed and salt and stir to combine.

Keeps in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.

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Frikadellers - My Mother's Way
Printable Recipe

• 1 pound lean ground beef or a mixture of ground beef and ground pork
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 slice hearty white bread, cut into small cubes - about 1 cup total (day old is great)
• 1/3 cup milk
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Soak bread cubes in milk for 5 minutes. Add soaked bread cubes with milk, egg, onion, salt and pepper to meat and mix just until blended (don't overmix).

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to make handling easier. Form into small patties with your hands - using about 1/8 cup or more of mixture - you decide. Flatten slightly.

In large, heavy skillet (seasoned cast iron is preferred), over medium heat (with a tiny bit of oil or butter, if needed) brown patties well on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side. Continue to cook until no longer pink in the middle - about 20 minutes.

You can make a gravy with the pan drippings and serve with boiled potatoes.

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My Mother's Refrigerator Nut Cookies
Printable Recipe

1 cup sugar
1 cup margarine
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
3-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup finely chopped black walnuts or hickory nuts

Cream sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, baking soda and nuts. Divide dough into three parts. Shape each part into a roll 1-1/2 inches in diameter and about 7 inches long. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Heat oven to 400F. Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

Immediately remove from baking sheet.