North Wild Kitchen

Tag: vegetables

  • Cheesy Rutabaga, Bread & Beer Bake with Vinegary Greens, Toasted Mustard Seeds, and Horseradish

    Cheesy Rutabaga, Bread & Beer Bake with Vinegary Greens, Toasted Mustard Seeds, and Horseradish

    Cheesy Rutabaga & Beer Bake served with Vinegary Greens, Toasted Mustard Seeds and HorseradishCheesy Rutabaga & Beer Bake served with Vinegary Greens, Toasted Mustard Seeds and Horseradish

    This is the second part of my three-part series of autumn dishes featuring Rutabaga

    Rutabaga (aka kålrot, kålrabi, swede) is one of those vegetables that can easily be overlooked, but has long been used in Norwegian and Scandinavian cooking. It takes on a whole other flavor and quality when cooked and this cheesy rutabaga bake merely affirms just how amazing rutabaga is.

    In case you missed it, the first recipe featured was Flourless Rutabaga Roulade with Cardamom Cream. This time around, I wanted a savory take on rutabaga. When combined with cheese, bread, and beer, it makes for one incredibly rich and delicious comfort dish. To round it off, I pair it with vinegary spinach leaves and top it with toasted brown mustard seeds and some grated horseradish. (more…)

  • Flourless Rutabaga Roulade with Cardamom Cream (Kålrabirullekake med kardemommekrem)

    Flourless Rutabaga Roulade with Cardamom Cream (Kålrabirullekake med kardemommekrem)

    Flourless Rutabaga Roulade with Cardamom Cream (Kålrabirullekake med kardemommekrem) Flourless Rutabaga Roulade with Cardamom Cream (Kålrabirullekake med kardemommekrem)

    This is the first part of my three-part series of autumn dishes featuring rutabaga.

    For me, these days have been all about rutabaga, or kålrabi, kålrot, swede, and neep. Those large, matte-purple, and slightly rough-looking root vegetables, which are a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. They are also referred to as Nordens appelsin, or “the North’s orange” because of their high content of Vitamin C. The idea of cooking one, let alone eating one, can seem daunting – leaving them often overlooked or reserved only for specific dishes throughout the year. But, they are a vegetable I have become quite smitten with since being introduced to the Scandinavian lifestyle. (more…)

  • Potato Dumplings with Spring Vegetables (Raspeballer)

    Potato Dumplings with Spring Vegetables (Raspeballer)

    Norwegian Potato Dumplings with Spring Vegetables (Raspeballer)Norwegian Potato Dumplings with Spring Vegetables (Raspeballer)One of my first introductions to Norwegian food was raspeballer, potato dumplings. The memory of my husband’s grandmother proudly shaping a mixture of potato and flour into large rounds the size of my fist is one I have imprinted in my memory. She served them with boiled meat and large sausages. Less that was not enough, she also topped them with a generous portion of fried bacon and fat.

    It’s no surprise they lean toward the starchy and dense side with a tendency to stick to your ribs. They are reminiscent of a traditional Norwegian lifestyle, where simple foods that filled you up were the order of the day. Nonetheless, they are good and satisfy those salty, hearty, meat-indulgent, comfort food cravings that pop up now and then. Therefore, it’s easy to see why they have earned a place in the mainstream diet. Even the mere mention of them has people swooning over the memories these conjur up. (more…)

  • Rutabaga & Apple Salad (Kålrabi Salat med Epler)

    Rutabaga & Apple Salad (Kålrabi Salat med Epler)

    Rutabaga Salad with Apples (Kålrabi Salat med Epler)Mother nature has been busy these past few days. Our snow has almost entirely melted and our skies have been clear and bright. The sunrises and sunsets have been a vibrant aura of orange, red, yellow, pink and purple hues. Temperatures have been higher than normal and it almost feels as though spring is just around the corner. The weather has a calmness to it, like the stillness of a snow globe when it rests on a shelf, unsuspecting of change. Seemingly ignorant that at any moment everything could change. (more…)

  • Pinnekjøtt with Flatbread, Rutabaga, Crispy Potatoes & Lemon Browned Butter

    Pinnekjøtt with Flatbread, Rutabaga, Crispy Potatoes & Lemon Browned Butter

    Pinnekjøtt with Flatbread, Rutabaga Puree, Crispy Potatoes and Lemon Browned ButterPinnekjøtt with Flatbread, Rutabaga Puree, Crispy Potatoes and 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.

    Pinnekjøtt with Flatbread, Rutabaga Puree, Crispy Potatoes and Lemon Browned Butter (more…)

  • Rødkål (Braised Red Cabbage)

    Rødkål (Braised Red Cabbage)

    Rødkål (Norwegian Braised Red Cabbage)Rødkål is a sweet and sour braised red cabbage. A side dish that is a necessity for many Norwegians when it comes to the Christmas Eve meal. Tradition dictates its presence and it is most often paired with ribbe (pork ribs with a layer of crispy fat) and potatoes.

    Cabbage has been an integral part of the Norwegian livelihood for centuries, as well as Scandinavia and the rest of the world. As cabbage can be stored throughout the winter, it makes an appropriate ingredient during the colder months. It is also extremely healthy and in some cultures, a sign of luck and prosperity.

    Rødkål (Norwegian Braised Red Cabbage) (more…)