North Wild Kitchen

Tag: vegetables

Elggryte (Norwegian Moose Stew)

Following on from my story about Moose Hunting in Norway (Elgjakt), here is a recipe for elggryte, a traditional moose stew utilising the flavors of the forest. Gryte means pot in Norwegian, and what better way to cook in the colder months than with everything stewing together in one pot.

The mountainous regions of Norway are famous for moose and other types of venison. These meats are used in a variety of dishes such as karbonader (meat patties), kjøttkaker (meatballs), pølser (sausages), and spekemat (cured meats). Stews are a great way to tenderize the meat and concentrate the flavors. They are warming and filling, and easy to make. Best of all, they cook together in one pot and can be made both indoors and outdoors. (more…)

November 1, 2016
Jordskokksuppe (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…)

October 18, 2016
Fårikål (Norwegian Lamb & Cabbage Stew)

As September arrives in Norway so does the annual round up of the sheep from the mountain pastures to return them to their respective farms. Days of carefully planned and established methods see flocks move across the terrain guided by people and shepherd dogs alike. This is a special time. Days are set aside, bags are packed and groups of people take on this task together – moving and guiding the sheep, sleeping (sometimes bundled in sleeping bags in one-room cabins) and sharing communal meals. If the weather is favorable, the experience is said to be one of the most beautiful and remarkable excursions one can have in nature.

Once the sheep have returned, the inevitable must occur. A large proportion of the lambs, which have grown big and strong, will go straight from the pastures to the slaughterhouse. Others will spend a few more weeks at the farm to achieve the right weight. This is the time of year (aside from the early spring) when lamb becomes the highlight of many dishes. As the sheep have grazed among grass and wild herbs, the meat takes on an exceptional flavor. Most arguably, the favorite dish to feature such a wonderful bounty in the autumn is fårikål (lamb and cabbage stew). (more…)

September 21, 2016
Viking Plankefisk and Rugbrød (Plank Fish and Rye Bread)

The woods, blending well into the deep valley, are welcoming on this day. Edged against the great river, a short distance from the main road, and yet well hidden, lies the Medieval Forest. An emerging area dedicated to the preservation of history, culture, and traditional skills. A way to step back into time, learn authentic crafting and become more aware of nature and personal strength.

It is here that I meet up with Kjell and Maj-Lis for a glimpse inside the eating habits of the Vikings. The husband and wife team are passionate about their country’s history and the area of Numedal. Every year, during July, they, and other enthusiasts, put on a week-long festival featuring local music, courses on textiles, leather, blacksmithing, archery (to name a few) and other festivities centered around the Middle Ages / Viking Age. The week’s festivities held in Stave churches and historical buildings, among other places, create an atmosphere true to Norway’s history for all ages and all types of interests. It’s an opportunity to step back into time – and even ride in a copy of a Viking ship from 850AD.

The valley, known as Numedal, is a glimpse into life during the Middle Ages. A place to experience how Norwegians once lived. Today, Numedal has named itself the Medieval Valley of Norway (Middelalderdalen). They can safely make such a proclamation because within the valley lies the largest remaining collection of houses and buildings older than 1537 AD. In Rollag, Nore og Uvdal municipalities, there are between 50-60 buildings including 4 stave churches, dating back to the 1100s. The predominance of so many medieval buildings still intact may be due, in part, to the wealth local people gained from the extraction of iron. They could then afford such high quality materials and craftsmen to build enduring structures. The valley has also acted as a pathway and crossroads for trading between the east and west for as far back as one could imagine. Knowledge, culture, religious beliefs and other outside influences most likely came through this area because of this important pathway. It also offered locals a way to barter and trade for what they could not produce.

And so here we are today, meeting at a crossroads, to delve into Norway’s past. Kjell starts a fire in-between the stone walls of the hand built oven. The dough has finished rising and a locally-caught trout lies on a wooden plank near the fire pit. We are making a small feast of plankefisk (plank fish) and rugbrød (rye bread with barley grains). Kjell is also showing me a fun way to cook eggs over an open fire. (more…)

July 13, 2016
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

(more…)

July 7, 2016
Rhubarb & Strawberry Soup (Rabarbrasuppe)

Today is the longest day of the year for those living north of the equator. The summer solstice. A day when the sun seems to stand still; when the earth is actually farthest away from the sun. It arrives just days prior to the celebration of Sankthans in Norway, or Midsummer. And this year, there will also be a full moon, making it quite a special occurrence.

Interestingly, folklore refers to the June moon as the Strawberry Moon, among other names, as this was a way to signal when fruits were ready to be picked. In Norway, strawberries and midsummer come hand in hand. There’s nothing quite like strawberries to mark the start of the summer season, especially Norwegian strawberries. They are vibrant, sweet and highly prized as the cooler climate allows the berries ripen much slower, developing a more intense and sweet taste. The small and sought-after wild strawberries, which grow abundantly in our area, will also start to appear around this time. (more…)

June 20, 2016