Scandinavian Peasant Dishes

Scandinavian-Style Rice Porridge
Swedish Peasant Bread
Stewed Spinach, Fried Potatoes, Eggs and Frankfurters
Swedish Pancakes
Øllebrød (Danish Beer and Bread Soup)
runkålssuppe (Danish Cabbage Soup (Brown)

Scandinavian-Style Rice Porridge Yield 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 Min Cook Time: 1 Hr 45 Min

   Porridge has a long history in Norway. In fact, it is the country's oldest warm dish, a mainstay of peasant diets since Viking times until the advent of the potato in the 1850s. Porridge was also considered a festive food, served most often at special occasions, or for Christmas. It could be 'risengrynsgrot,' a creamy rice porridge, or 'rommegrot,' a mixture of finely ground flour cooked in sour cream and topped with a generous amount of golden butter. Norwegian-American immigrants brought their own versions of the dish to America.

8 whole green cardamom pods, lightly crushed to remove seeds, discarding pods

1/2 gallon whole milk

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

3 TB unsalted butter, or amount desired

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Using a rolling pin, crush the cardamom seeds until very fine. Place the cardamom, milk, rice, and butter into a deep, heavy pan. While slowly stirring the milk mixture, cook over medium heat for 90 minutes. Lower the heat if necessary to prevent the milk from boiling or overheating. Stir in the sugar, and continue cooking until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes more.Pour the rice mixture into a serving bowl. Place 3 tablespoons butter on top, and allow to melt. Dust with cinnamon. Serve warm or cold.

Swedish Peasant Bread   Makes 2 loaves

For scalding mixture:
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp salt
3 ounces whole wheat flour
3 ounces rye flour

For dough:
3/4 cup warm water (105º to 115º F)
2 tsp white vinegar
1/3 cup (4 ounces) light corn syrup
4 1/4 tsp active-dry yeast
2 TB honey
4 TB butter, room temperature
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground fennel
4 ounces whole wheat flour (about 1 cup), plus extra for dusting loaves
1 pound unbleached bread flour (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 egg, lightly beaten for an egg wash

1.  To make the scalding mixture, whisk together the salt and the two flours in a heat-safe bowl.  Pour the boiling water over and mix until smooth.  Cover and let stand for 1 hour.

2.  To make the dough, combine the warm water, vinegar, and corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer, until the corn syrup has dissolved.  Add the yeast, stir to combine, and let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the scalding mixture, honey, butter, cumin, and fennel.

3.  Reserving a few ounces of the bread flour, add the remainder and the whole wheat flour, and mix with the dough hook for about 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping the bowl if necessary.  Adjust the consistency with the reserved bread flour as needed; the dough should be just barely sticky, but should clear the sides of the bowl.  Knead until smooth, about 2 to 4 minutes more.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.

4.  Divide the dough in half.  Gently knead and roll each half into a round ball.  Using the side of your hand (like a karate chop), press down into the center of one ball.  With a sawing back-and-forth motion, roll the loaf under your hand until you have almost divided the two halves.  You should end up with two smaller rounds, connected with a little strand of dough.  Repeat with the other round.

5.  Brush the loaves with egg wash and dust liberally with whole wheat flour.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Using a sharp serrated knife, decoratively slash each loaf.  Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.  Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

6.  Bake at 375º F for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove to a rack and let cool.

Notes:
1.  I can’t vouch for it, but I imagine the scalding mixture (after it’s cooled to room temperature) could be left to sit overnight, refrigerated.  All that could happen is the flavors become more complex, right?  Maybe?

2.  If possible, grind your own fennel and cumin seeds, rather than using the pre-ground stuff.  The oils and flavor compounds are much fresher that way; I find pre-ground spices a bit dull and flat.  (Whole seeds are usually cheaper, too, if you can buy them in bulk.  Whole Foods, anyone?)

3.  When shaping the loaves in step 4, don’t be afraid to really almost divide the dough in half.  The strand of dough connecting the two round halves can be as thick as just a couple of fingers; remember, it will puff up as it rises.

Stewed Spinach, Fried Potatoes, Eggs and Frankfurters  Serves 2

4 large potatoes
butter
olive oil
salt
white pepper
sugar
flour
milk
nutmeg
frozen chopped spinach
eggs
frankfurters

Peel the potatoes and cut into small dices. Fry in plenty of butter and oilve oil on medium heat until they’re done. Season with salt, white pepper and 2 pinches of sugar (very important and the key to perfect fried potatoes). Make a roux of butter and flour, add milk (warm milk makes it quicker), stir the whole time and let it thicken. Season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Add as much frozen chopped spinach as you think is good (I used about 400 g for 750 ml milk). Let the spinach heat up. Fry eggs and frankfurters and serve with the potatoes and spinach-bechamel.

Swedish Pancakes Prep Time: 30 mins Total Time: 40 mins

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

2 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

1 tsp Baking Powder

5 TB flour

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

Allow eggs and milk to rise to room temperature.

Beat eggs until frothy; slowly add milk.

Blend in each ingredient separately.

Add the flour 1 tablespoons at a time; add the butter last. (Batter will be thin and may contain lumps- not to worry!) Heat griddle or skillet on medium to med –low heat.

Add a small amount of butter and swirl around.

Pour batter onto the hot griddle by the tablespoonful; turn pancakes when they become bubbly.

Cook until golden and remove to plate.

Note: You may keep stacks warm in the oven on low while you cook a bunch of these up.

Serve with butter, Swedish lingonberry or Swedish strawberry preserve and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Øllebrød (Danish Beer and Bread Soup)   Serves 6

½ pound whole wheat bread

½ pound pumpernickel bread

4½ cups water

4½ cups dark beer or ale

6 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick cinnamon -- 1" long

¼ lemon, peel only

Soak breads in water overnight (covered). When ready to make soup, cook covered over low heat, stirring frequently, until a thick paste. Add remaining ingredients and boil a few minutes.

Serving Ideas : Spoonful of cream or whipped cream in each bowl.

Brunkålssuppe (Danish Cabbage Soup (Brown) - Serves 6

1 cabbage

1 tablespoon sugar

4 tablespoons butter

2 quarts stock

Salt

Peppercorns

Cut the cabbage finely and fry brown in the butter and sugar, which must be done very slowly, so as not to burn it. For this process nearly an hour is needed. Once the cabbage has become a nice brown color, the warm stock is poured over, the peppercorns are added and, if the color is not quite brown enough, a few drops of browning. Cover the saucepan with a lid. The soup requires a further 2 hours of boiling before it is ready.