North Wild Kitchen

Tag: snack

  • Chanterelle & Goat Cheese Skillet (Kantareller og Geitost)

    Chanterelle & Goat Cheese Skillet (Kantareller og Geitost)

    Skillet Chantarelle and Cheese Fondue (Kantarelle med Geitost) Skillet Chantarelle and Cheese Fondue (Kantarelle med Geitost)

    The forest is full of gold this time of year.  Skogens gull. The time of year when mushrooms can be found by anyone desiring to look. And the mushrooms seemingly worth their weight in gold are the chanterelles (kantareller). With their bright, golden hue and curved caps, they are easily identifiable and almost give themselves away against the green, mossy forest bed.

    Last week, we went on a sopptur, or mushroom hunt, to find these delicacies that grow all over this mountainous region. These hunts are one of life’s little pleasures and Norwegians view this time as a great way to combine fresh air, exercise and a good meal following a successful pick. This was our first hunt. The first of many to come. As we came along the path, not far from where we parked our car, we spotted the first chanterelle. My son had the honor of the first pick and quickly took to becoming one of the best chanterelle spotters and pickers around. We felt like we had hit gold that day. After an hour, we had filled all of our containers to the brim and even came across the biggest spoil right before returning home. Even without the copious amounts of chanterelles the evening still would have been a success as we laughed, chatted, snacked on wild blueberries and took in the serenity of the babbling brook as the sun’s rays shone through the elegant branches of the trees.

    Skillet Chantarelle and Cheese Fondue (Kantarelle med Geitost) Skillet Chantarelle and Cheese Fondue (Kantarelle med Geitost) (more…)

  • Numedal Matfestival { A Gathering }

    Numedal Matfestival { A Gathering }

    A celebration. A feast.  A coming together. Signifying an homage, a compliment if you will, to Numedal’s landscape, its people, its past and its present. A gleeful and relaxed dinner to crown off the day’s festivities. For two evenings the candles are lit, flowers are placed in glass jars, the place settings are arranged and rows of white-clothed tables line up under a large, white tent. A stage, which will be the platform for many laughs and traditional music and dance, overlooks the tables. Waiters, dressed in formal attire and frilly aprons, will begin to scurry around, taking drink orders, filling cups, and, at times, chiming in with song. The nights are centered around food and theater. The Numedalsgruppen, under the charge of Chef Micke Bergvall, have created a 7-course menu to entice the tastebuds and challenge the thinking of traditional Norwegian food. They base each course on local products and ingredients; some plucked and picked from nature only hours beforehand. This is the celebration; an acknowledgment of those who create and cook and utilize what Norway has to offer. The dinner will begin. Drinks will be poured. Plates will start flowing. Music will sound. Conversations will echo. A performance will begin, and laughs will proceed. More drinks, more food, more laughs, more merriment. The whole tent will retire outside where coffee, cooked over flaming logs, will be served from a coffee master’s hand. Cakes will be passed around. And then the dancing will commence. A concert will start. The sun will still give its light, even though the hour is late. This is the Matfestival in Numedal.

     

    The Menu

    Brød og Smør / Bread and Butter

    (Homebaked bread, flatbrød from Uvdalsleiven, butter from Håvardsrud Seterliv)

    Spekemat Fjøl med det beste fra Numedal / Cured Meats from the best of Numedal

    (Fenalår from Spælsau lamb, Smådølkurv from Kirkebygda Produkter and Nabosnabben from Nabokjerringan, Flatbrød from Mollas bakery and sour cream from Håvardsrud Seterliv)

    Varmrøkt Sik med Eggerulle og Jordskokk / Smoked White Fish with Egg & Jerusalem Artichoke

    (Sik fish from the waters of Norefjord, egg fra Prestmoen Farm and Jerusalem Artichokes from Årud Farm)

    Vente Pølse i Brød / Sausage in Bread

    (Matopplevelser’s lamb and wild garlic sausage served with pickled red onions from Holm Farm, course mustard and tyttebær ketchup and bread from Veggli Bakeri)

    Fjellvitt-Gravet Ørret / Cured Trout with Aquavit

    (Trout from the Låkåsetvann, cured in Aquavit from Numedal and served with troll-potato croutons, whipped sour cream from Håvardsrud Seterliv and trout roe from Hadangervidda rakfisk)

    Fritert Troll-Potetskrell / Fried Troll-Potato Skins

    (Served with sour cream from Håvardsrud Seterliv)

    Brassert Storfe Bryst av økologisk Telemarks Kalv fra Uvdal / Organic Braised Beef Breast from Uvdal

    (Served with carrot purée, carrot pieces from Lågen, onion, and salt-roasted Troll potatoes)

    BlåKu med bærbrød / Blue Cheese with Berry Bread

    (Blue cheese from Thorbjørnrud, served with dried berry bread, honey from Gardås forest and rhubarb marmalade) 

    Tjukkmjølk-Pudding med Skogens Syrlige Bær / Thick Milk Pudding with Forest Berries

    (Thick milk from Håvardsrud Seterliv and berries from the local forest)

    Bålkaffe og Bakst / Campfire Coffee and Baked Goods

    (Coffee made by Ola Hov, snipp from Mollas Bakery, kling and rømmebrød fra Uvdalsleiven Tradisjonsbakst)

    Brød og Smør & Spekemat / Bread and Butter & Cured Meats

    Numedal Matfestival (more…)

  • Uvdalsleiven Tradisjonsbakst’s Kling (Lefse)

    Uvdalsleiven Tradisjonsbakst’s Kling (Lefse)

    Norwegian Kling (Lefse) from Uvdalsleiven TradisjonsbakstNorwegian Kling (Lefse) from Uvdalsleiven TradisjonsbakstMy second visit to Uvdalsleiven Tradisjonsbakst is underway and as I draw nearer to the bakery, I pass the Nore og Uvdal Bygdetun with Uvdal’s  stave church towering above the hill; a reminder of the days past and the history of this place. The horses have come to graze nearby and I stop for a moment to take in the surroundings. There’s a peacefulness in Numedal, in the towns which lie throughout. Enriched by gentle people, the structures of their labor and their heritage amidst a landscape of pure, unadulterated nature. I’m reminded how food has shaped and been shaped by the culture, and how certain delicacies remain as pure as the landscape. One such iconic product, which is so commonplace and at the same time ensues such nostalgia and longing for, is kling.

    My second visit to Uvdasleieven is underway and as I draw nearer to the bakery, I pass the Uvdal Byggdetun & Stave church, a reminder of the days past and the history of this place. The horses have come to graze nearby and I stop for a moment to take in the surroundings. There’s a peacefulness in Numedal, in the towns which lay throughout. Enriched by gentle people, the structures of their labor and their heritage amidst a landscape of pure, unadulterated nature. I’m reminded how food has shaped and been shaped by the culture, and how certain delicacies remain as pure as the landscape. One such iconic product, which is so commonplace and at the same time ensues such nostalgia and longing for, is Kling. Hanne and Hanne K greet me with smiles as they carry on mixing, rolling and baking. Their day started at 5.30 this morning, and I’m only now joining them as they carry on working until the work is done. No clock to follow, only the work of their hands counting down the minutes. Today, they are making kling. You and I might call it lefse, but to anyone from these parts, it is kling. Whether with a smear of butter and sugar or served plain, this is kling from Uvdal. Hanne’s recipe has won over many fans, boasting a light and delicate kling, with my favorite being sugar and butter sandwiched between two kling and cut into large triangles. Rolling each kling by hand is a practice not suitable to the demands of production. These days, a machine aids in the rolling, but in no way is an indication of the process being easy. Each dough must go through the machine a total of 14 times, and each time through, the ladies must flour, turn, adjust and observe. There is an unspoken synchronization at work. It is second nature to them, but I can see it clearly. One makes the dough, the other rolls the prepared dough and when enough kling has been rolled out, one will make their way toward the takke. If cooking one at a time isn’t hard enough, they cook two simultaneously. Alternating and flipping. And this method carries on, with each task being traded off between the two of them so there is a balance. For both body and mind. The recipe is from her grandmother. And as each one begins to bubble and brown, they are placed on top of each other and wrapped in a blanket of plastic and fabric. Stored overnight, they will be prepared the following day. Some will be given a coating of butter and sugar, while the rest will be left plain. Hanne tells me that the plain kling goes well with warm beta soup, or topped with some butter and eaten with rakfisk. She reveals that her custom is to eat it with a bowl of risengrot (rice porridge), although this is not common practice. A habit she indulges in at home on the rare occasion. There’s a quietness today. Hanne is quick to explain that on kling days they generally keep conversation to a minimum. They work in auto-mode and move to the beat of the radio playing in the background until it’s time for a short break. Coffee, served black and taken on the front steps. We reminisce over the area and the history of the place. We discuss kling and markets. We agree that tradition is strong in these parts and that everyone is proud of their heritage, their recipes and the hard work that goes into every morsel. I’m not from here. I’m only a guest, but I feel closer to this valley and the people, because of these conversations and people like Hanne and Hanne Karine. Hanne is a great example of the labor and love that goes into maintaining tradition and running a business. Her products speak for themselves in quality and flavor. And in an area where everyone makes their own version of her products and swears by their family recipe, she certainly has to work even harder to standout. And she does so gracefully. She is a great advocate for Uvdal and the traditions of the community. She’s not the only one, but she is a voice and her products carry a certain weight of importance as they tell the stories of the area’s food culture to those passing through and they can also inspire others to see the value in local products. Norwegian Kling (Lefse) from Uvdalsleiven Tradisjonsbakst (more…)

  • Lompe with Carmelized Onions & Roasted Tomatoes

    Lompe with Carmelized Onions & Roasted Tomatoes

    Brunch is one of those meals, where anything goes. Hot and cold. Savory and sweet. Honestly, it’s just a good excuse to discard routine mealtimes and have people around to share a laugh, some stories and some good food. One of my favorite little dishes to serve is carmelized onions and roasted tomatoes atop gently fried Norwegian lompe.

    Lomper are flat, round potato ‘cakes’, or smaller versions of potato lefse. Lompe is incredibly easy to make at home, with only a few ingredients – a recipe we will touch on in the near future. The great thing, about most baked flatbreads, is that it’s versatile. While it is quite common here in Norway to eat a sausage/pølse wrapped in a lompe, or have it spread with something sweet, I like to think of lompe as a creative base that’s at its best when fried in a little oil. By frying the lompe, the taste is more prominent, with a slight sweetness, making it an ideal base for a variety of toppings. It also makes it a little crispier, lending a greater texture.

    With winter still dredging its heels, it’s nice to have something that can give a glimpse into summer. Cherry tomatoes are perfect for freezing whole with their skins on. So, if you’re like me and end up with a little too many after the summer harvest, you can simple freeze them and take a couple out when needed to either roast them in the oven or use in soups and sauces.

    Lompe with Carmelized Onions and Roasted Tomatoes Lompe with Carmelized Onions and Roasted Tomatoes (more…)

  • Fastelavnsboller

    Fastelavnsboller

    Fastelavn. Shrovetide. Carnaval.

    Seven weeks before Easter, and sitting at the cusp of Lent, is a celebration spanning the centuries, and evolving to what is known today in Norway as Fastelavn, or ‘the fast evening’. Three days encompass the fastelavnsfeiring celebrations, starting on Fastelavnssøndag (Sunday), followed with Blåmandag(Blue Monday) or Fleskemandag and concluding with Feitetirsdag (Fat Tuesday) or Hvitetirsdag (White Tuesday).

    The roots of Fastelavn tie into the fertility cult. When those with life – women, animals & trees – would be awakened to fertility by being struck with the branches of birch trees. This practice is known as Fastelavnris. Birch trees often had buds at this time of year, and those twigs were referred to as life twigs. It was believed that those branches which did not bear buds at this time, had the fertility effect in itself, and were regarded with even more favor. The blossoming buds were also used for crop and weather predictions. Later, with the associations of Christianity, the twigs were regarding as symbols of the Passion of Christ and as the beginning of Lent.

    FastelavnsbollerThe concept of awakening later turned into an old tradition of waking early from bed and grabbing birch branches to then playfully spank those who were not yet awake. It was normal, up until far into the late 1900s, for children to whip their parents for fun and to be treated to a cream-filled bun afterwards. These buns are still eaten on Sunday.

    The star of Fastelavn: a bun. A boller, to be exact. Freshly baked. Sweetened cream nestled inside. Topped with a generous dousing of powered sugar – just enough to crown the lips of the one lucky enough to take a bite. These are decadent, yet simple. Sometimes, a spreading of jam will grace its interior as well, or custard, but traditionally, the cream should suffice. It’s possible these buns originated from the dumplings which previously were eaten with fatty soup and meat on Sunday as a practice of gluttony.

    fastelavns3

    Fastelavnsboller

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  • Smoked Trout Mousse (Røkt Ørret Mousse)

    Smoked Trout Mousse (Røkt Ørret Mousse)

    Numedal boasts some of the best fishing in Norway. And if you have ever tasted trout or salmon from this area, you would have to agree. Permit-holding, pole-bearing men, women and children head out during the season to collect their bounty. Some make it a weekend affair and hike to the tops of mountains to hidden lakes year after year. The freshly, caught fish cooked then and there is like eating melted butter. The rest, is saved for later – either frozen, smoked, or fermented.

    smoked-trout-mousse-rokt-orret

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