Scandinavian Redux

January 2010 Cooking Adventure

Scandinavian (mostly Norwegian and Icelandic)

All recipes from Kitchen of Light by Andreas Viestad

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Mussels with Aquavit, Cream, and Tarragon (served with good crusty bread)

Chicken with Saffron and Cinnamon

Green Beans and Peas with Celeriac and Mango

Savoy Cabbage with Dill Butter and Bacon

Cumin-baked Parsnips with Salmon Roe

Pears with Ginger, Juniper Berries, and Caraway Cream

Homemade Aquavit

Mussels with Aquavit, Cream, and Tarragon

serves 2 as a main course, 4 to 6 as an appetizer

2 lbs mussels, scrubbed under cold running water and debearded

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

1 garlic clove, crushed, plus 1 more to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons tarragon vinegar

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon aquavit or brandy

2 tablespoons heavy cream or creme fraiche

Fine sea salt

Throw out any mussels with cracked shells or that did not close when you scrubbed them.

Heat the butter over medium heat in a pot just large enough to hold the mussels. Saute the shallots and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes. Add half the tarragon, the thyme, vinegar, fennel seeds, aquavit, and mussels. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cover and let steam for 6 to 7 minutes, until the mussels have opened. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl; discard any that did not open.

Add the cream to the cooking juices and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, until slightly reduced. Season with salt and a little more minced garlic, if desired. Pour the cooking juices over the mussels, sprinkle with the rest of the tarragon, and serve.

Chicken with Saffron and Cinnamon

Note from chef/author: This recipe is taken from a medieval cookbook discovered in Iceland, and probably dates back to the fourteenth century….I have adapted the recipe considerably for modern cooking methods. The inclusion of saffron and cinnamon indicates that this was food for the wealthy -- and is a reminder of how international the Scandinavian elite was in its orientation. Since the easiest way to travel was by sea, it was often easier to travel between remote ports in different countries than to go inland.

Serves 4

One 4-pound free-range chicken, cut into 8 pieces

2 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch of saffron threads

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup white wine, preferably semi-dry

2 chicken livers, finely chopped, or ½ chicken bouillon cube

Place chicken pieces in one layer in a baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, saffron, cinnamon, salt, flour, vinegar, and olive oil, stirring until smooth. Rub the chicken all over with the spice mixture. Cover and let marinate for 45 minutes at room temperature, or up to 1 day in the refrigerato.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Bake the chicken pieces skin side up for 30 minutes.

Add the wine and chicken livers (or bouillon cube) to the pan. Bake for 20 to 30 more minutes (stirring once or twice if using a bouillon cube), or until the juices run clear -- not pink -- when the chicken is pierced in the thickest part with the tip of a sharp knife.

Serve with bread to sop up the juices.

Green Beans and Peas with Celeriac and Mango

Note from chef/author: The combination of green beans, green peas, and celeriac is not uncommon in traditional Norwegian cooking, but the addition of mango is a modern influence. Norway’s largest non-European minority is from Pakistan, a country that produces fantastically sweet and juicy mangoes. If Pakistani mangoes are not available, any ripe mango without fibers will do.

1 pound green beans, trimmed

1 ½ cups shelled green peas

½ pound celeriac, peeled and cut into matchstick-size pieces

¼ cup olive oil

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Fine sea salt

Sugar to taste

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into ¼-inch-wide by 1 ½-inch-long pieces

Cook the green beans in a medium pot of boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Add the peas and cook for 3 more minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl. While the vegetables are still hot, add the celeriac and mix well.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard. Season with salt and sugar to taste; mix well.

Pour the dressing over the beans and peas and toss. Add the mango, mix gently, and serve.

Savoy Cabbage with Dill Butter and Bacon

Note from chef/author: Savoy cabbage has a nice sweetness to it that is emphasized by a good lump of butter. The best is home-churned sour cream-based butter. [see attached recipe]

Serves 4

3 tablespoon lightly salted butter, preferably home-churned butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

¼ cup salt

2 medium Savoy cabbages, cut in half lengthwise

¼ pound bacon, diced

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, using a fork, mix the butter with the dill. Refrigerate.

Combine 4 quarts water and the salt in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the cabbages, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the cabbages are tender but still offer some resistance when pricked with a fork.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon in the unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat for 7 to 9 minutes, or until crisp.

Drain the cabbages well and place on individual plates. Add the dill butter and bacon, season each plate with salt and pepper, and serve.

Home-churned Butter

3 cups sour cream

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

Fine sea salt

Place the sour cream and cream in a blender and blend on high speed for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cream separates into yellow butter lumps and white buttermilk. Strain and reserve the buttermilk for other purposes.

With your hands, squeeze out as much of the remaining buttermilk as you can before the heat of your hands starts melting the butter. Place the butter in a large bowl of cold water and continue squeezing gently for 2 minutes, until the water is white. Transfer to a small bowl and add salt to taste. Remove from refrigerator 20 minutes before serving.

Cumin-baked Parsnips with Salmon Roe

Serves 4

2 parsnips, peeled and halved

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1 small garlic clove

4 to 6 tablespoons salmon roe

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place the parsnips in a small baking dish. Sprinkle with the cumin, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Cover with the foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until soft and sweet. Let the parsnips cool off until nicely warm.

Meanwhile, with a mortar and pestle or a mini blender, crush or pulse the parsley, garlic, and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil until you have a smooth sauce.

Place the parsnips cut side up on the plates. Spoon the parsley sauce over the parsnips, add the salmon roe, and serve.

Pears with Ginger, Juniper Berries, and Caraway Cream

Serves 4

¼ cup honey, preferably heather honey

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 pears, such as Anjou, peeled

2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger

8 juniper berries, ground or finely crushed

¼ teaspoon chili powder

½ cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed

1 tablespoon aquavit (optional)

1 tablespoon superfine sugar

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the honey and butter until a dark caramel starts to form in the center of the pan. Immediately reduce the heat and add the pears, ginger, juniper berries, and chili powder. Cook the pears, turning them every few minutes, for 20 minutes over medium-low heat, or until tender but still somewhat firm near the core. Remove from the heat.

Whip the cream in a small bowl until stiff. Fold in the caraway seeds, aquavit, and sugar.

Place the pears on plates and spoon the honey caramel sauce over, followed by the whipped cream.

Serve immediately.

Homemade Aquavit

2 teaspoons caraway seeds, or more

1 tablespoons fennel seeds

2 teaspoons dill seeds

2 star anise

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 whole clove

One 1-inch cinnamon stick (optional)

2 teaspoons cumin seeds (optional)

One 1-liter bottle potato vodka

Add the spices to the vodka bottle and cover tightly. Let stand for 2 to 3 weeks, depending on how strong you want the aquavit to be. Shake the bottle every once in a while.

When the aquavit has reached the desired intensity of flavor, strain and discard the solids; return the aquavit to the bottle.