North Wild Kitchen

Tag: lunch

  • Crusty Rolls with Oats (Rundstykker med Havregryn)

    Crusty Rolls with Oats (Rundstykker med Havregryn)

    Norwegian Crusty Rolls with Oats (Rundstykker med Havregryn)It’s not difficult to see just how important bread plays a role in Norway. The Nordic food culture is built upon grains and the varieties of bread types have an historic thread throughout the region.

    The most usual practice was to mix a variety of grains for daily bread or porridges. These grains would have been course and unrefined – with refined flours only entering the diet in the 1900s. The most common cereals would have been rye, barley and oat. Wheat and wheat flour were viewed as luxury (high society) items, but they eventually became common for all classes of society in the late 1800s. (more…)

  • Jordskokksuppe (Jerusalem Artichoke Soup)

    Jordskokksuppe (Jerusalem Artichoke Soup)

    Jordskokksuppe (Creamy Jerusalem Artichoke Soup)Jordskokksuppe (Creamy Jerusalem Artichoke Soup)There’s a certain joy that comes from being able to watch another person prepare a dish. Being the student and able to just listen and learn and see the creativity of another person unfold. I am lucky to have many friends and neighbors who are wonderful cooks and who are happy to share their recipes and techniques with me. One such friend is the beautiful and kind Maj-Lis.

    Maj-Lis is already busy in the kitchen when I come through her door. Her hands are dusted in flour and she greets me with a warm hug and smile before she returns quickly to her countertops to carry on kneading the dough.

    She is making a couple of her specialties and dedicating the majority of the day to the kitchen. The menu consists of creamy jordskokksuppe (Jerusalem artichoke soup), homemade valnøttbrød (walnut bread) and her famous Glitreboller (sweet pastry filled with cinnamon, sugar and raisins and topped with almonds). She shares the stories about each recipe and works her way between each dish as I sit back and listen. While the dough rises, she cuts the Jerusalem artichokes. While the soup is on, she prepares the boller.   (more…)

  • Surost (Homemade Farm Cheese)

    Surost (Homemade Farm Cheese)

    Surost (Norwegian Farm Cheese made from Sour Milk)Following a magnificent seter feast filled with Sonja’s homemade products of cheese, cream, jams and cured meat, Sonja shared her recipe for surost.

    Surost is a farmhouse cheese made from fresh cow’s milk which has been left to sit overnight in a warm spot to allow for curdling. The milk takes on a slightly sour taste, hence the name ‘sur’ ost. When it is ready, Sonja takes some of the sour milk from the container into a large pot and places the pot into a water bath on the stove. Within a short time, the curds separate from the whey and are placed in a colander where the whey continues to strain out.

    This process is very simple and very effective. The cheese is similar to cottage cheese, yet with a tad more tanginess that comes from the milk being sour. I debated whether to provide an alternative recipe using pasteurised milk, but this simply would not be the same since pasteurised milk can not be left to sour. True surost must be made out of soured milk. You can, however, make a simple farm cheese with pasteurised milk by adding an acid to it, such as vinegar, while you heat it directly in a pot over the stove. A good recipe for this can be found from the Nourished Kitchen. (more…)

  • Wild Garlic – Soup and Bread with Potatoes (Ramsløksuppe og Ramsløkbrød)

    Wild Garlic – Soup and Bread with Potatoes (Ramsløksuppe og Ramsløkbrød)

    Wild garlic or ramps, known as ramsløk in Norwegian, can be found along the coasts and in the forests of Norway mainly during May and June. The season is short, only a few weeks, and as quickly as they grow up, they wither before the start of summer. They are a culinary treasure, used by chefs and home cooks who wish to serve up the perfect taste of springtime. They are also incredibly nutritious, and have been used for centuries for their medicinal properties.

    This delightful plant grows wild, and has a subtle garlic flavor. It makes a nice addition to soups, salads, tarts and sauces as its taste is incredibly versatile. It’s one of those greens that needs only a little imagination to go a long way. If you can’t get your hands on any wild garlic, you can substitute it with garlic chives.

    Wild Garlic Soup and Wild Garlic Potato Bread ( Ramsløksuppe og Ramsløkbrød)Wild Garlic Soup and Wild Garlic Potato Bread ( Ramsløksuppe og Ramsløkbrød)Wild Garlic Soup and Wild Garlic Potato Bread ( Ramsløksuppe og Ramsløkbrød) (more…)

  • Knekkebrød (Norwegian Crisp Bread)

    Knekkebrød (Norwegian Crisp Bread)

    Norwegian knekkebrødA Norwegian breakfast and lunch is never complete without a slice of bread or a type of knekkebrød. These ‘crisp breads’ or ‘breaking breads’ which are flat and dry, resembling a cracker, probably originated in Scandinavia close to 500 years ago. Some sources say that crisp bread was a staple of the Vikings as they could store them for long periods of time. These crisp breads would have been baked on hot stones, while today’s knekkebrød is baked in the oven. Baking them in the oven is what makes these crisp breads so different from the Norwegian flatbrød, which is baked on a flat griddle, much like lefse.

    Once considered a poor man’s diet, knekkebrød has become widely popular boasting a healthy lifestyle with numerous variants from slightly sweet to nutty to herby & salty. They are easy to make, forgiving, and require only a few ingredients, which can be interchanged depending on what you have available in your cupboards. All one needs is a little imagination and water.

    Norwegian knekkebrød

    Norwegian knekkebrød (more…)

  • Pan-Seared Fish & Radish Salad with Slow-Fried Potatoes

    Pan-Seared Fish & Radish Salad with Slow-Fried Potatoes

    It’s that time of year when winter seems to be letting go of its grasp upon the terrain. The daylight sojourns longer and the trees aren’t wrapped in a constant blanket of snow. It’s that time when you start to anticipate an early spring, even though you know full well winter is not quite ready to say its farewells. And like a passionate game of tug-a-war, you go back and forth between the stronghold of winter and the up and coming burst of spring.

    Instead of serving up a hot lapskus/stew or heartier fare, the plate yearns for something which resembles a longing for spring, but yet still understands its place in the winter. And this salad – a warm & substantial salad – does just that. With fish and almond potatoes from northern Norway at its center, it is dressed up in simple greens, seared radishes and fresh dill. A salad befitting of both seasons. Something to bring harmony to the in-between.  Simple, yet complex. Elegant, yet rustic. Light, yet satisfying.

    Pan-Seared Fish & Radish Salad with Slow Fried PotatoesPan-Seared Fish & Radish Salad with Slow-Fried Potatoes Pan-Seared Fish & Radish Salad with Slow-Fried Potatoes (more…)