{"id":23186,"date":"2025-12-05T21:49:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T02:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/2025\/12\/05\/spicy-swedish-meatballs\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T21:49:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T02:49:02","slug":"spicy-swedish-meatballs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/2025\/12\/05\/spicy-swedish-meatballs\/","title":{"rendered":"Spicy Swedish Meatballs"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Holiday Appetizers Get a Festive Upgrade<\/h1>\n<h2>Introduction to Holiday Appetizers<\/h2>\n<p>Thanksgiving may be all about the turkey, stuffing and pie, but at our house the real magic begins long before the bird hits the table. At any holiday get-together, it\u2019s the appetizers that set the tone, welcoming friends and family with comforting aromas and bold flavors. A mix of textures, temperatures and flavors keep guests engaged and the table more interesting, which is why we\u2019ve created some unexpected and sophisticated bites to get the party started.<\/p>\n<h2>Sophisticated Bites for the Holiday Season<\/h2>\n<p>From a creamy whipped Brie cheese dip served with fragrant and easy-to-make brown butter baked saltines to elegant endive spears stuffed with smoked salmon mousse and topped with a fun green apple slaw, this collection has something for everyone. Best of all, most of these recipes have a make-ahead element which will lighten the \u201cday of\u201d load and the stress level. It\u2019s supposed to be fun, after all. That\u2019s why they call it entertaining.<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<h3>Smoked Salmon Endive Cups with Green Apple Slaw<\/h3>\n<p>Serves 4 to 6. Light and refined, these crisp endive spears cradle a silky smoked salmon mousse. An unexpected green apple slaw adds brightness and crunch to every bite. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>4 oz. cream cheese, softened<\/li>\n<li>4 oz. hot smoked salmon, crumbled<\/li>\n<li>2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp hot sauce<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp. lemon zest<\/li>\n<li>1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice<\/li>\n<li>1 medium Granny Smith apple<\/li>\n<li>1 tbsp. white wine vinegar<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp. honey<\/li>\n<li>Pinch salt<\/li>\n<li>3 large endive heads, leaves separated<\/li>\n<li>1 small Fresno chile, thinly sliced crosswise, optional<br \/>\n<h4>Directions for Smoked Salmon Endive Cups<\/h4>\n<p>Place cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until smooth. Add smoked salmon, cream, hot sauce, lemon zest and lemon juice. Process the mixture again until creamy and smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be made up to 8 hours in advance.)<br \/>\nCut the apple into thin slices. Stack slices and cut into thin strips.<br \/>\nMix white wine vinegar, honey and salt in a medium bowl. Add the apple and mix to combine.<br \/>\nWhen ready to serve, place a spoonful of salmon mousse into each endive spear (you can also use a piping bag) and top with some of the apple slaw. Place a slice of the fresno chile on top, if using. Serve immediately.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Moroccan-Spiced Chicken and Stuffed Date Skewers with Mint Yogurt Sauce<\/h3>\n<p>Makes 32 skewers. Boldly spiced bites of tender, moist chicken meet sweet, almond stuffed dates in this crowd-pleasing skewer. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 c. plain Greek yogurt<\/li>\n<li>2 tbsp. finely chopped mint, plus more for garnish<\/li>\n<li>1 clove garlic, minced<\/li>\n<li>1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice<\/li>\n<li>Salt and freshly ground black pepper<\/li>\n<li>2 tbsp. olive oil<\/li>\n<li>2 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt<\/li>\n<li>1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp. ground cumin<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp. ground cinnamon<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp. ground coriander<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp. ground cardamom<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd tsp. ground turmeric<\/li>\n<li>1 \u00bd lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 \u00bd-in. chunks<\/li>\n<li>1 c. toasted sliced almonds<\/li>\n<li>16 large dates or 32 small dates<\/li>\n<li>Wooden skewers<br \/>\n<h4>Directions for Moroccan-Spiced Chicken and Stuffed Date Skewers<\/h4>\n<p>In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, mint, garlic, lemon juice, \u00bc teaspoon salt and \u00bc teaspoon pepper. Cover and keep chilled until ready to serve. (Can be made up to 4 hours in advance.)<br \/>\nIn a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, 1 \u00bd teaspoons salt and \u00bd teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and mix to thoroughly coat. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.<br \/>\nPreheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.<br \/>\nIn a food processor, combine the almonds with 2 tablespoons water and a pinch of salt. Pulse until finely chopped. Use a small, sharp knife to make a lengthwise slit in each date, being careful not to cut all the way through. Remove and discard the pits. This creates a small \u201cpocket.\u201d Stuff some of the almond mixture into the pocket of each date. If using large dates, cut each in half crosswise.<br \/>\nThread one date and one piece of chicken onto each soaked skewer and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.<br \/>\nTransfer skewers to a serving platter and serve with yogurt sauce topped with chopped mint.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Chili Crisp and Lingonberry-Glazed Swedish Cocktail Meatballs<\/h3>\n<p>Makes 50 meatballs. An addictive twist on a classic Scandinavian dish, these meatballs get a sweet-heat glaze with a surprising combination of chili crisp and lingonberry jam. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>3 oz. white bread, crusts removed, cut into \u00bd-in. pieces (about 1 \u00be unpacked c.)<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd c. milk<\/li>\n<li>1 tbsp. unsalted butter<\/li>\n<li>1 small onion, finely chopped<\/li>\n<li>1 lb. ground beef<\/li>\n<li>1 lb. ground pork<\/li>\n<li>2 large eggs<\/li>\n<li>1 \u00be tsp. salt<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd tsp. freshly ground black pepper<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd tsp. ground allspice<\/li>\n<li>10 oz. lingonberry jam<\/li>\n<li>\u00bc c. chile crisp<\/li>\n<li>1 tbsp. brown sugar<\/li>\n<li>1 \u00bd tsp. lemon juice<br \/>\n<h4>Directions for Chili Crisp and Lingonberry-Glazed Swedish Cocktail Meatballs<\/h4>\n<p>In a medium bowl, combine bread with milk, tossing to coat. Let stand until bread is completely softened and most of the milk has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.<br \/>\nMeanwhile, in a small skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.<br \/>\nIn a large bowl combine ground beef, ground pork, soaked bread, cooked onion, eggs, salt, black pepper and allspice. Mix together with wooden spoon.<br \/>\nPreheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.<br \/>\nShape meat mixture into 50 meatballs (a generous tablespoon each) and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, switching baking sheet positions after 10 minutes, until cooked through.<br \/>\nIn a large bowl, whisk together the jam, chili crisp, brown sugar and lemon juice. Add the meatballs and toss to coat. Place in a serving bowl and serve immediately.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Whipped Brie with Maple Balsamic Reduction and Brown Butter-Spiced Crackers<\/h3>\n<p>Serves 8 to 10. Creamy, tangy and indulgent, this luxurious cheese spread gets a lift from a sweet-tart maple balsamic drizzle. Easy-to-make brown butter saltine crackers will make this dish the star of any appetizer table. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, preferably European style<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp. ground cinnamon<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp ground cardamom<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd tsp. ground nutmeg<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd tsp. ground ginger<\/li>\n<li>8 oz. saltine crackers<\/li>\n<li>3 (8-oz.) wheels of Brie, cold<\/li>\n<li>\u00bc c. heavy whipping cream<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd c. pure maple syrup<\/li>\n<li>\u00bc c. balsamic vinegar<br \/>\n<h4>Directions for Whipped Brie with Maple Balsamic Reduction and Brown Butter-Spiced Crackers<\/h4>\n<p>Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 6 minutes, until the sizzling has stopped and the milk proteins are golden brown and fragrant. Place the brown butter in a medium bowl and add cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and ginger; stir to combine. Let sit for a few minutes to cool slightly.<br \/>\nPour brown butter mixture over crackers in a large bowl and gently mix to coat. Arrange crackers in a single layer on two large baking sheets. Brush any of the butter mixture that may left in the bottom of the bowl onto the crackers. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, switching the pan positions after 5 minutes, until the crackers are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.<br \/>\nMeanwhile, remove all of the rind from the chilled Brie, while leaving as much of the cheese as possible. Chop into pieces and set aside to come up to room temperature.<br \/>\nPlace Brie in a food processor and run for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. Add cream and continue to process for another 1 minute. Transfer to a serving bowl. (Whipped Brie can be made 1 day in advance and kept refrigerated. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.)<br \/>\nCombine the maple syrup and balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 6 to<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Holiday Appetizers Get a Festive Upgrade Introduction to Holiday Appetizers Thanksgiving may be all about the turkey, stuffing and pie, but at our house the real magic begins long before the bird hits the table. At any holiday get-together, it\u2019s the appetizers that set the tone, welcoming friends and family with comforting aromas and bold [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":23188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23186","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/202511190926MCT_____PHOTO____FOOD-HOLIDAY-APPETIZERS-DMT_3e515c.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all&w=1400&resize=1400,968&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23186"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23186"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23189,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23186\/revisions\/23189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}