Swedish Meatballs

For Swedish Meatballs, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, sauteed onions, honey, egg, bread crumbs and heavy cream and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper. With wet hands (to keep the mixture from sticking), shape the mixture into about 24 meatballs the size of a golf ball and place them on a plate lightly moistened with water.

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes, until browned on all sides and cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

Prepare Knorr® Classic Brown gravy mix in the skillet according to package directions. Whisk in the cranberry preserves and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the gravy, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through.

For Quick Pickled Cucumbers, slice the cucumbers as thin as possible (use a mandoline or other vegetable slicer if you have one). Put the slices in a colander, toss them with the salt and let stand for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and allspice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Rinse the salt off the cucumbers and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Put the cucumbers in a medium bowl and add the pickling solution, to completely cover cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours before serving. Remove bay leaf before serving.