Swedish Meatballs in honor of Stieg Larsson

1/2 cup chopped onion
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 beaten egg
1 cup light cream
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely snipped parsley
1 1/4 tsp salt
dash ground nutmeg
dash ground ginger
dash pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef*
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp. instant beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. instant coffee granules

Cook onion in 1 Tbsp. of the butter or margarine until tender. In a mixing bowl, combine egg and cream; stir in cooked onion, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and pepper. Add ground beef or meats; mix well. Chill mixture. Shape chilled meat mixture into 3/4 to 1-inch balls.

Brown meatballs, half at a time, in the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine; remove from skillet. Stir flour, bouillon granules, and coffee crystals into pan drippings. Add 1 1/4 cups water. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add meatballs. Cover; simmer about 30 minutes, basting meatballs occasionally.

*Or, use a mixture of 3/4 pound ground beef, 1/2 pound ground veal, and 1/4 pound ground pork for meatballs.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook