Scrumptious lamb, slow-cooked atop cabbage that has softened while baking in all the juices is just one of the autumn dishes I look forward to the most this time of year. The combination is simple. No fuss. Just allowing the flavors of the ingredients to shine. (more…)
Tag: lamb
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Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder and Cabbage with Pan-Fried Apples
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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…)
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Pinnekjøtt with Flatbread, Rutabaga, Crispy Potatoes & Lemon Browned Butter
Traditions are like threads. Threads pieced together from generation to generation. Some threads break loose and are replaced with newer ones, but others remain at the core. The dishes we eat are just a few of those threads. Everyone has their favorites, their must-haves, and when those are satisfied, there’s room for a few new threads.Tradition is a celebration of time past and tells the stories that make up our memories, but it also celebrates the present and our evolving tastes. In tradition, there is room for innovation and the embrace of individual desires.
While reflecting over Norwegian Christmas traditions, I was asked, dare I say challenged, to come up with a unique way of presenting the dish that one third of Norwegians consume every Christmas Eve. Pinekjøtt. Rather than create smoke and mirrors, I decided to package it all in a different way.
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Påske Lamb with Orange & Dill Sauce
Visiting friends usually means finding yourself sharing cake and coffee amongst a centerpiece of overflowing, grapefruit-sized oranges gleaning from a warmer Spanish climate. A tradition owning itself to a time when merchants would return to Norway in the Spring with the year’s first harvest from Southern Europe. It’s a recently new tradition, very much like most of the traditions practiced today. From yellow adornments to colorful eggs to chocolate and the Sunday meal. Most borrowed, all evolved. History, combining a variety of faiths and practices, to today’s more global and commercial influences have all contributed to the celebrations surrounding Easter, whether practiced religiously or not.
Serving lamb, for instance, is not an old tradition. For the long, dark Norwegian winters delay the gestation period for sheep, meaning lambs are not large enough to be ready by Easter. The lamb is either imported or from last year’s yield. Nonetheless, lamb is important to the table today. Often served on the bone, it is roasted with simple herbs and seasonings. -
Far’s Traditional Pinnekjøtt (Lamb Ribs)
Pinnekjøtt. Salty. Rich. Chewy & tender. ‘Tis the season when the year’s hard work of rearing, raising, rounding up, & preserving culminates into a grand finale. For 1.7 million Norwegians, that means pinnekjøtt. And thanks to the lovely ladies at Rollag Stasjon, I got to indulge a little bit earlier this year. They prepare pinnekjøtt from the famous spælsau from Numedal (read more about Numedal). Spælsau has grazed more on scrubland, willow and herbs than other sheep breeds, which gives the meat a more wild feel. The meat has less fat and is well marbled. Raised & processed in Numedal, it is some of the best lamb you can get in Norway. (more…)
