Posts Tagged Recipe
Poached skrei, traditional style
Posted by admin in Food and drink, Photos and videos on February 24, 2010
For more info on skrei, including recipes, see www.seafoodfromnorway.com
Skrei, or Arctic cod
Posted by admin in Food and drink on February 24, 2010
The arrival of the skrei, or Arctic cod, in the Lofoten Islands every winter is a big event, and one eagerly awaited by gourmets all around Norway. Skrei (and Old Norse word meaning ‘wanderer’) is much prized for its lean, firm white flesh, and the unique flavour of its tongue, liver and roe, all of which are delicacies much loved by Norwegians. It doesn’t just taste good – it’s also an extremely healthy food, low in fat and a rich source of vitamin D in the sunless winter months. And because it’s only fished seasonally, it’s also a sustainable species.
More good news? Now is the time to try skrei! The spawning season, which lasts from January to March, has started, and skrei has as a result started to appear on menus in restaurants up and down the country. Do give it a go – you won’t be disappointed.
If you’d rather try skrei at home, do as the Norwegians do (they cook skrei in very much the same way they cook cod): bring a pan of water to the boil, slice the fish into thick slices, then remove the pan from the hob and let the fish stand in the just-boiled water for about 10 minutes. You’ll know the fish is ready when the flesh starts to come off the bone.
Skrei is usually served with boiled potatoes and melted butter, sometimes with hard-cooked eggs. Its mild and delicate flesh is also used in gratin and fish balls, although I personally think this is a bit of a waste… such gorgeous fish is best eaten on its own, to reveal all its flavour.
Read more about skrei here www.seafoodfromnorway.com/News/News/View+media+article?key=23066 and www.seafoodfromnorway.com/Fishlovers/News/View+article?key=23067
Crusty and golden – just perfect!
Posted by admin in Food and drink, Photos and videos on February 5, 2010
Norwegian waffles
Posted by admin in Food and drink on February 5, 2010
Norwegians are very fond of their waffles, and waffles are on sale pretty much everywhere in Norway, from local cafes to petrol stations, kiosks, school fetes, open-air markets, mountain or ski huts, etc. They taste delicious, particularly when served still warm, and I personally can’t think of a better snack on a cold winter afternoon. Want to try making your own at home? Here is an easy recipe that’s been tried and tested a few times, and always gets the thumbs up.
You will need:
- 2 eggs
- 100g sugar
- 500g flour
- 50g butter
- 5dl milk
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- A pinch of salt
…
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and let it cool for a few minutes.
Mix the sugar, the eggs and the melted butter in a bowl.
Add a pinch of salt (you can add a bit of cinnamon or vanilla too if you like).
Add the milk in and stir.
Incorporate the flour gradually until you get a smooth batter (it should be a bit thicker than a pancake batter, but still runny).
Add the baking powder in.
Let your batter rest in the bowl with a kitchen towel over it for about 30 minutes (the batter needs to settle a bit).
Preheat your waffle iron and have a bit of butter on it so that the batter doesn’t stick to it.
Use a laddle to pour the batter onto the hot iron so that it roughly covers the surface (don’t pour too much as it may overflow once you close the iron).
Leave to cook for about 3 minutes, or until golden. Note that the first couple of waffles usually take a bit longer than subsequent ones – it then gets quicker as the iron gets hotter.
…
Norwegian waffles are traditionally eaten with either strawberry or raspberry jam and sour or whipped cream. Enjoy!
Pepperkake recipe
Posted by admin in Food and drink on December 21, 2009
Pepperkaker are Norwegian Christmas biscuits. Tradition dictates that each housewife should bake no fewer than seven different kinds for Christmas, although in practice most people nowadays bake one sort, and buy the rest. Here is a fool-proof recipe that even novice bakers can successfully pull off. An ideal one to try with the little ones.
You will need:
660g flour, 220g thick dark syrup, 220g sugar, 220g butter, 2 eggs, 1ts cinnamon, 1ts cloves, 1ts ginger, 1/4ts pepper, 1ts baking soda
Melt the butter and add the sirup while stirring. Mix this with the whisked eggs, sugar and spices, then sieve in the flour and baking soda. Your dough should rest in a cold place for a few hours, or overnight if possible.
Roll out the dough. Use shapes to cut your biscuits, and remember to make a hole in them if you are planning on hanging some of them.
Cook at 210°C for 8-10 minutes, or a little bit less if the dough is thin and your biscuits small.
Pinnekjøtt Recipe
Posted by admin in Food and drink on December 15, 2009
Pinnekjøtt is a traditional Norwegian dish that’s very popular at Christmas. It consists of salted, dried and sometimes smoked mutton or lamb ribs which are rehydrated and then steamed, usually over birch twigs (pinne). You can buy pinnekjøtt fresh or frozen. Prices vary from about 150kr to 300kr a kilo, and the more expensive the meat, the leaner (and better) it’s likely to be.
How to prepare pinnekjøtt:
(Allow 400g of meat per person).
- Place the ribs in cold water overnight.
- In a big casserole, leave a wire rack or birch twigs (always remove the bark) at the bottom and fill with water so that the water covers the twigs and reaches just below the meat.
- Let it steam on medium heat for about 2-3 hours, or until the meat begins to come loose from the bone. You might need to keep topping up with water as you don’t want it to run dry.
- Serve with boiled potatoes and mashed swede.
- The drinks of choice to accompany this dish are, as more often than not with Norwegian Christmas dishes, beer and aquavit. Cheers, or rather Skål!
Pork Belly Recipe
Posted by admin in Food and drink on November 24, 2009
Pork belly is a popular Christmas dish in Norway, traditionally served with boiled potatoes, sauerkraut, kjøttkaker (literally ‘meat cakes’) and Christmas sausages. Feel free to eat it that way, or try this alternative with green lentils and roasted fennel, two vegetables that go incredibly well with this particular cut of meat. What matters is to get the meat right. We’re great fans of the dish in our household, and had pork belly no fewer than four times last December, which admittedly might be overdoing it a bit (I mean, it’s hardly healthy stuff!), but so be it – I just like it too much. We’ve experimented with several recipes but this is the best we’ve come across so far, somehow the crackling comes out just perfect.
Serves 4
You will need:
Pork belly (allow about 250-300g per person)
800g green lentils
2 fennel bulbs
4 garlic cloves
A few laurel leaves
Salt
A couple of days beforehand:
Take your pork belly out of the fridge. Rinse it under cold water, then pat it dry. With a good knife, cut a criss-crossing pattern on the skin side, quite deep in (you should cut a bit of the meat under the outer skin too). Add quite a lot of salt and rub it into the cuts, using your fingers to do so. Cover with cling film and put back in the fridge.
On the day you cook the pork belly (allow 3 hours)
Pre-heat the oven to the max temperature (250°C). Put a bit of oil on the baking tray, then lay your pork belly upside down (i.e. thick skin side down) on the tray. Pour water into the tray so that the thick skin (the crackling to be) is covered, but not the rest of the meat. (This is the secret to the best pork belly ever, so make sure you don’t skip that step!). Reduce the temperature down to 200°C. Cook for about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Take your pork belly out of the oven, turn it round (so that the crackling side is now on the top) and put back in the oven for another 1 hour 40 minutes with what remains of the water. Occasionally take a spoon and pour some of the water over the meat. You should do this about 4 or 5 times. This is because the crackling expands with water, and the more air in it, the crispier it will be.
About 30 minutes before the pork belly is ready:
Remove the water from the tray and use it to make a gravy, mixing it with some of the fat from the pork belly and some flour. Cook your lentils (plus garlic cloves and laurel leaves) by covering them in water and cooking for about 25 minutes (or until soft). Slice the fennel and roast in the oven with the pork belly (about 25 minutes too).
Lutefisk Recipe
Posted by admin in Food and drink on November 5, 2009
My preferred way of cooking lutefisk is to just stick it in the oven (well, life’s just too short for complicated recipes, that’s what I think).
Allow about 300g per person.
- Heat your oven to 400F (205C).
- Arrange your lutefisk skin side down on a sheet of aluminum foil and season with salt.
- Place on a rack in a large pan and bake for about 20 minutes (or until the fish has acquired its jelly-like texture).
- Drain out excess water before serving.
- Serve your lutefisk at once, ideally on hot plates, with bacon or pork drippings, melted butter, green peas and boiled or steamed potatoes. Enjoy!
Tip: Do not overcook the fish as it will shrink, and done excessively it will all but disappear (yes it’s true, it happened to me the first time I attempted to cook lutefisk). Now don’t say I didn’t warn you…
Fårikål Recipe
Posted by admin in Food and drink on September 26, 2009
Serves 4 people
You will need:
800g-1kg mutton or lamb
1 white cabbage
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons juniper (optional)
4-6 dl water
1. Cut up the meat and the cabbage.
2. Alternate layers of meat and cabbage in a big pan, with the fattest meat at the bottom. Sprinkle a bit of flower, salt, pepper and juniper in between the various layers.
3. Pour the water over the lot. Cook to boiling point.
4. Reduce the heat and let cook for 1.5-2 hours with the lid on until the meat is soft and tender.
5. Adjust the seasoning, and serve with boiled potatoes.