Taste of Stockholm - Wallenbergare at Opera Bar
1 February 2015
Opened in 1905, Opera Bar is a Stockholm institution and chef Gustaf Nathorst and his team specialise in traditional dishes, or Husmankost, including this "posh Swedish hamburger"
Ingredients
For the Wallenbergare:
500g cold veal mince
400ml cold cream
4 egg yolks
0.5 tsp all spice
1.5 tsp salt
100ml breadcrumbs
To serve:
150g peas
500g potatoes
200g lingonberry jam
50g butter, plus extra for pan-frying
Steps
Blend eggs, cream, all spice, mince, breadcrumbs and salt together and place the mix in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
The key here is to blend together ingredients when they are cold, so when you handle them they don’t fall apart Boil potatoes until soft (around 10 to 15 minutes) and set aside
Boil peas until cooked, set aside but keep warm
Melt the butter until the white separates from the yellow, pour off the yellow and discard the white; the yellow melted butter is the sauce
Make approximately four patties around 2.5cm thick, and roll in the breadcrumbs
Melt some butter in a pan and fry the patties for approximately four minutes each side
Pour butter over the patties and serve immediately with peas, potatoes and lingonberry jam
History
While there is a story behind all iconic dishes, Wallenbergare has more than just one. Two of the stories suggest it originated in the 1930s, and that it was created for Marcus Wallenberg, head of Sweden’s dynastic financial family. The first story is that Marcus had been to Italy, where he had enjoyed a marvellous minced veal dish, and on his return to Stockholm asked the infamous chef of Stockholm restaurant Cecil’s, Julius Hansson, to try to replicate the dish for him.
The second story is that Marcus had a bad stomach and asked his cook to make him something that was regarded as a “light” dish at the time. Considering the list of ingredients, it would be interesting to know what a heavy dish was. The third story is that it was created by Marcus’ father-in-law, the famous 19th century cookbook author Charles Emil Hagdhal, in honour of his daughter. Whichever story is true, this dish has stood the test of time and can still be found at restaurants all over Stockholm.