A warming winter dish courtesy of Aquavit London.

The latest addition to the St James’ Market development in London – which also houses Anzu and Veneta, outposts of Tonkotsu and Salt Yard respectively – Aquavit is already well known across the Atlantic. When it opened in New York in 1987, the restaurant was an early pioneer of Nordic cooking, and has since been rewarded with two Michelin stars. This success saw a Tokyo outpost open in 2008 – a restaurant which offers some of the best Scandinavian food in the city.

The London branch opened late last year, and while various elements of the menu catch our eye – such as the rare lamb, the venison tartare and the turbot served with brown butter – we’re pining for something simple and warming that we can whip up to keep us going during the winter months. With this in mind, we asked executive chef Ms Emma Bengtsson – who has come over from the US to oversee Aquavit London – and head chef Mr Henrik Ritzén for their Swedish meatball recipe. Not only will they be superior to the ones you’ve inevitably tried in Ikea, you don’t have to leave your house to eat them.

“Swedish meatballs seem to be a dish that everyone associates with Swedish food – and they are always a popular dish at Aquavit London,” says Mr Ritzen. “There are so many variations in Sweden, but this is a simple, easy recipe to get you started, with a comforting sauce that is perfect in this cold weather."

The meatballs

Ingredients:

1.4kg (3lb) minced beef 450g (1lb) minced pork 180g (6.4oz) minced fat cap, optional 150g panko breadcrumbs 32.5g salt 4g black pepper, toasted and ground 150g onions, peeled, chopped and browned in a pan  50g mustard 2 eggs

Method:

Combine all ingredients with the minced meat in a KitchenAid fitted with a paddle attachment, or mix thoroughly by hand. Chill the mixture for 1 hour.

Roll into small balls, about the size of a walnut, then place on a tray lined with parchment paper.

Cook in the oven at 180ºC for 22 minutes, until warm throughout, then leave to cool.

Just before serving, caramelise the meatballs in a pan with butter, then serve with some mashed potato and the pickled cucumber, meatball sauce and lingonberries.

Pickled cucumber

Ingredients:

200ml 12 per cent vinegar 200g sugar 200ml water 1 cucumber, thinly sliced

Method:

Combine the vinegar, sugar and water, then place the thinly sliced cucumber into this liquid. Leave for 2 hours before removing the cucumber from the liquid. Save the pickling liquid for the meatball sauce.

Meatball sauce

Ingredients:

500ml good quality brown veal or beef stock 500ml double cream 50-100ml pickled cucumber juice, left over from making the pickled cucumber salt and black pepper

Method:

Bring the stock to the boil, then add the cream and return to a simmer. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Season and add the pickled cucumber juice to taste.

Macerated lingonberries

Ingredients:

200g frozen lingonberries 50g sugar

Method:

Mix the lingonberries with the sugar and stand in a warm place for about 1 hour, stirring from time to time but without breaking up the berries too much.

Keep up to date with The Daily by signing up to our weekly email roundup. Click here to update your email preferences.