North Wild Kitchen

Category: Spring

Cured Trout with Spruce Tips (gravet ørret med granskudd)

By late spring, my watchful eyes are on full alert as I wait for the slightest sign of small buds emerging from the silent company of spruce trees spread thickly across the terrain. Speckles of light green dotted across spanning arms.

The first buds can sneak by unnoticed if you aren’t paying attention and, before you know it, in a few short weeks their season is all but gone. There’s a slight urgency to gather what is necessary and begin making a myriad of savory and sweet things like delectable syrups, salads, ice cream, and pickled tips.
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June 12, 2019
Wild Nettle and Pea Soup (Brenneslesuppe med erter)

Bring on the wild nettles.

It’s the season again when these wonderfully nutritious, wild greens pop up all over. They pack a punch with their sting, but once tamed they make the most wonderful feature in any dish or dessert, such as this Nettle and Honey Cake.
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May 31, 2019
Pavlova Cheesecake (Ostekake) with Fresh Berries

In moments of indecisiveness, inspiration can come unexpectedly. Sometimes, it just takes a good friend and a simple conversation to provide a little clarity that sparks an idea. That is how this cake – a combination of pavlova and cheesecake – came to be.

You see, the month of May is prime cake table ´kakebord´ time in Norway. With confirmations, weddings, celebratory parties, and, of course, 17 Mai (Norway’s Constitution Day), there’s no reason not to bake or at least indulge in the dessert conversation. There are traditional cakes, like kvæfjordkake, bløtkake, marzipan cake, kransekake. There are also newer favorites such as pavlova and brownies. One thing for is for sure, whether it’s chocolate, vanilla, meringue, marzipan, simple, extravagant, old or new, the most important thing is the love that is poured out and shared during the occasion and the cake is just a sweet indulgent that adds to memory.
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May 12, 2019
Sosekjøtt & Spring Mashed Potatoes

The sun is setting behind the mountain’s edge and as I look out the window, the trees sway in the gentle breeze. There’s an undeniable change happening as winter’s grasp seems to be giving way. Spring is officially here. And today, it’s Sunday.

In the pot – gently simmering away – is a dish so simple, so classic, so unbelievably comforting it’s a wonder we don’t eat it more often. It’s the ideal Sunday dish; when the whole family has more time to take things slow, which in turn is reflected in the meal. Pieces of fatty chuck steak slowly cook in a rich, beef sauce flanked with onion slices a bay leaf. After a few hours, it’s ready. This perfect and simple stew called sosekjøtt, also referred to as kjøtt i morke “meat in the dark”.
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March 24, 2019
Rhubarb Soup and Spruce Tip Ice Cream (Rabarbragrøt og Granskuddiskrem)

Rhubarb plants – with their ornate and statuesque figures – have long been sought after and used as garden staples for centuries. Rhubarb cultivation in Norway is mentioned to have first begun around the 1700s, with rhubarb prized for its medicinal benefits. The root was dried and taken for preventative measures as well as used as medicine for digestive problems.

Rhubarb eventually found its way into the Norwegian kitchen in the 19^th century. Its sour stalks appealing – and sugar being its greatest companion.

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June 12, 2018
Outdoor Skillet-Bread with Lamb and Pea Pesto (Bålbrød med lam og erterpesto)

A crackling fire set amidst the backdrop of nature is one of the most pleasant and fulfilling ways to cook. There’s a connection between the ingredients, the process, and the finished meal that completely transcends the traditional kitchen.

One thing you learn quickly when living in Norway is that your home extends beyond a structure’s walls. Your time is shared both under a roof and in the open expanse of the surrounding landscape. Not even bad weather can, nor should, contain an individual to an enclosed space. That’s why every opportunity to explore the outdoors is relished upon. (more…)

April 6, 2018