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Blodpudding with lingonberriesFried blood pudding with lingonberries

Blodpudding is a weeknight supper in northern Sweden and a school-lunch classic in Finland (where it is veripalttu's milder cousin): slices of ready-made blood pudding, made from pork blood, rye flour and spices, fried until crisp at the edges and eaten with sweet-sharp lingonberry jam. It contains pork blood and often pork fat, so it is not for vegetarians. Serve it with boiled potatoes or crispbread and a glass of milk, as Swedes do. The common mistake is cutting the slices too thin, so they crumble in the pan. Chef's tip: fry in butter over a steady medium heat and leave the slices alone until a dark crust forms; flipping early makes them stick.

10 minScandinavian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Saltkjöt og baunirSalted lamb with split pea soup

Sprengidagur, 'bursting day', is Iceland's Shrove Tuesday, and the custom is to eat salted lamb and split-pea soup until you can eat no more before Lent begins. Salted lamb is simmered in a thick yellow split-pea soup with onion, carrot, swede and potato, then the meat is sliced and served alongside the soup. The common mistake is skipping the soak, so the meat is too salty to eat; soak it overnight in the fridge. Chef's tip: cook the meat in the soup itself so its flavour seasons the peas, and only add salt at the end, after tasting.

170 minScandinavian Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

SpekematCured meat platter

Spekemat is the Norwegian summer celebration table: on 17 May, at confirmations and on light Midsummer evenings at the cabin, platters of thin-sliced cured meats come out with crisp flatbrød, soft lefse, sour cream (rømme), scrambled eggs and cucumber salad. The classics are fenalår (salt-cured, air-dried leg of lamb), spekeskinke (cured pork ham) and morr or other cured sausage. All are bought ready cured and are not cooked, so the platter is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system; keep the meats chilled and put them out no more than 2 hours before eating. For a safer version for those guests, serve slices of cooked ham and roast lamb instead. Chef's tip: slice the meat as thin as paper, across the grain, and let it sit out for 15 minutes before serving so the fat softens and the flavour comes through.

30 minScandinavian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

FastelavnsbollerCustard and cream pastry buns

On Fastelavn, the Danish Shrovetide Sunday, children dress up, knock a barrel full of sweets and are rewarded with fastelavnsboller. The bakery kind is made from laminated Danish pastry, baked into round shells around a spoon of vanilla custard, then split, piped with whipped cream and finished with glossy icing. They are messy, rich and eaten once a year. The common mistake is letting the butter melt into the dough while rolling, which loses the flaky layers; keep everything cold. Chef's tip: a quick home lamination with a block of grated cold butter gives proper layers without a day's work.

95 minScandinavian Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

JordgubbstårtaStrawberry cream layer cake

On Midsummer Eve in June, Swedes dance round the maypole in the countryside, eat herring and new potatoes, and finish with the first Swedish strawberries of the year, very often in a Jordgubbstårta. It is a light sponge split into three layers and filled with vanilla custard, whipped cream and sliced strawberries, then covered in more cream and crowned with whole berries. Make the sponge and custard the day before so you only assemble it on the day. Chef's tip: beat the eggs and sugar until really thick and pale; the air in the eggs is the only thing that makes this sponge rise.

80 minScandinavian Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

JulekakeCardamom raisin Christmas bread

Julekake is the Christmas bread of Norway, baked in the days before Christmas Eve and eaten for breakfast on Christmas morning, sliced and spread with butter and brown goat's cheese (brunost). It is a soft, round, golden loaf enriched with milk and butter, perfumed with freshly ground cardamom and dotted with raisins and candied citrus peel. It is plain enough to enjoy every day of the holidays, and leftovers make wonderful toast. Chef's tip: crush whole cardamom seeds yourself just before baking; ready-ground cardamom loses its scent within weeks.

65 minScandinavian Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Imelletty perunalaatikkoSweet baked potato casserole

Imelletty perunalaatikko is the most traditional of the Finnish Christmas casseroles, made in the days before Christmas Eve. Mashed potato is mixed with a little flour and left warm for hours, so the potatoes' own enzymes turn starch into sugar ('imelletty' means sweetened), and then it is baked slowly until the top is a deep caramel brown. The result tastes gently sweet with no added sugar and is eaten with ham, herring or, on a vegetarian table, with mushroom salad and beetroot. Chef's tip: keep the mash at hand-warm (about 55 °C) while it sweetens; too hot and the enzymes die, too cool and nothing happens.

300 minScandinavian Sides

by KrazyBadal 0 views

HamborgarhryggurGlazed smoked pork loin

Hamborgarhryggur, 'Hamburg-style loin', is the most common Christmas Eve centrepiece in Iceland, served at six o'clock when the church bells ring Christmas in. It is a cured and lightly smoked pork loin on the bone, simmered gently, then glazed with brown sugar and mustard and baked until shiny. It comes to the table with caramelised potatoes, red cabbage, green peas and a creamy sauce. Use a smoked pork loin (Kassler) from a butcher. Chef's tip: keep the poaching water just trembling, not boiling, so the cured meat stays juicy.

150 minScandinavian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

MedisterkakerSpiced pork patties

On Christmas Eve in eastern Norway the main dish is ribbe, crackling pork belly, and on the same platter come medisterkaker: soft, pale pork patties seasoned with nutmeg, ginger and white pepper, fried in butter and then simmered gently in the ribbe juices. They are made from medisterfarse, a fine pork mince lightened with milk and potato starch, and are just as popular on ordinary weeknights with brown gravy. Chef's tip: beat the mince with the milk a little at a time until light and sticky, as this is what makes the patties so tender.

50 minScandinavian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

MaksalaatikkoLiver and rice casserole

Maksalaatikko is a baked casserole of rice, milk, minced liver, onion, raisins and a little syrup, and it is one of the old dishes on the Finnish Christmas table, eaten all year too. It sounds unusual, but the liver softens into a mild, savoury custard and the raisins and syrup give a gentle sweetness, all cut by sharp lingonberry jam. This version uses pork or calf's liver, minced or very finely chopped; pork liver is the most traditional. Chef's tip: soak the minced liver in milk while the rice cooks, which mellows the flavour.

100 minScandinavian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

JuleribbeRoast pork belly with crackling

In much of Norway, Christmas Eve means ribbe: a slab of pork belly with the ribs left in, roasted until the scored rind puffs into crackling and the meat beneath is soft and juicy. It is served with medisterkaker, tangy caraway sauerkraut, red cabbage, boiled potatoes and gravy from the pan. Butchers sell ribbe ready scored in squares at Christmas. Chef's tip: salt the rind and leave it uncovered in the fridge for 1–2 days; a dry rind is the secret of the crackling.

230 minScandinavian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

RosettbakkelsFried rosette biscuits

Rosettbakkels are another of Norway's seven traditional Christmas biscuits, delicate fried flowers made by dipping a heated metal rosette iron into thin batter and then into hot oil, where the batter puffs, crisps and drops off as a lacy rosette. They are dusted with icing sugar and kept in tins for the Christmas visitors. You need a rosette iron, sold in kitchen shops at Christmas. Chef's tip: dip the iron into the batter only three-quarters of the way up, as batter over the top locks the rosette onto the iron.

45 minScandinavian Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

VörtbrödDark Christmas rye bread

In Sweden the Christmas smörgåsbord (julbord) is never without vörtbröd, a dark, soft, slightly sticky rye loaf flavoured with wort, the sweet malty liquid brewers start beer from, plus dark syrup, orange peel, clove and ginger. It is sliced, buttered and eaten with the Christmas ham or with cheese. Many home bakers use dark beer, which contains alcohol; this recipe uses a non-alcoholic dark malt drink, which gives the same malty depth. It keeps for 4 days, and freezes well. Chef's tip: rye dough is sticky and never feels smooth like wheat; resist adding lots of extra flour or the loaf will be dry.

70 minScandinavian Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

PorkkanalaatikkoCarrot and rice casserole

A Finnish Christmas Eve table is set with a row of oven-baked casseroles called laatikot, and porkkanalaatikko, the carrot one, is the children's favourite. Grated carrots are folded into soft rice porridge with milk, egg and a spoon of golden syrup, then baked until the top is caramel-brown with a ring of crisp edge. It is served hot beside the ham or, in vegetarian homes, with beetroot salad and potatoes. It can be made a day ahead and reheated. Chef's tip: use the rice porridge cold, so it holds the egg mixture and the casserole sets into soft, sliceable layers instead of a runny mash.

85 minScandinavian Sides

by KrazyBadal 0 views

KrumkakeThin wafer cones

Krumkake are one of the 'syv slag', the seven kinds of biscuit a Norwegian household traditionally bakes for Christmas. A thin, buttery batter is pressed between the plates of a patterned krumkake iron, then each lacy wafer is rolled round a wooden cone while still hot and pliable. They are served plain, or filled at the table with whipped cream and cloudberries or other berries. You do need the electric or stovetop krumkake iron. Chef's tip: roll each wafer within seconds of lifting it off the iron, as it sets crisp almost at once.

60 minScandinavian Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

SerinakakerAlmond and pearl sugar butter biscuits

Serinakaker are the easiest of the Norwegian seven Christmas biscuits, so they are often the first one children help to bake in Advent. Small balls of rich butter dough are flattened with a fork, brushed with egg and topped with chopped almonds and pearl sugar, then baked until the edges just colour. They taste of butter and vanilla, with a crunch on top. Chef's tip: use baker's ammonia (hjortetakksalt) if you can find it for the traditional crisp-light snap; baking powder works too but gives a softer biscuit.

32 minScandinavian Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

SandkakerAlmond butter tartlet biscuits

Sandkaker ('sand cakes') are small, crumbly almond and butter biscuits pressed into fluted tins, and they are a fixture among the seven Norwegian Christmas biscuits. The dough is short and rich with ground almonds and a few bitter almonds or almond extract, and the shells are served upside-down as they are, or filled with whipped cream and berries. You need small fluted tartlet tins (sandkake forms). Chef's tip: press the dough as thin as you can against the tin sides, because thick shells stay doughy in the middle and won't release cleanly.

55 minScandinavian Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

RjúpurPtarmigan in cream sauce

For many Icelandic families, rjúpa (rock ptarmigan) is the true Christmas Eve dish, a small wild bird with dark, gamey meat that is hunted in autumn under strict seasonal limits and kept frozen for the holiday. The breasts are browned, then braised gently in stock made from the legs and carcass, and the sauce is finished with cream and a spoon of redcurrant jelly. Serve with caramelised potatoes and red cabbage. Outside Iceland, use partridge, pigeon or pheasant breasts. Chef's tip: make the stock from the legs and carcasses the day before; it is what gives the sauce its deep game flavour.

180 minScandinavian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

NässelsoppaNettle soup

In Sweden the first young nettles of April and May go straight into nässelsoppa, a smooth, grassy green soup often served at Easter or on Walpurgis Night with halved boiled eggs. It tastes a little like spinach with a mineral edge, and is eaten with crispbread and butter. A bowl with one egg gives about 10 g of protein, so it is a light soup, not a high-protein meal; add a second egg each if you want it more filling. Wear gloves to pick and wash nettles: blanching removes the sting completely. The most common mistake is cooking the nettles too long, which turns the soup khaki and dull; add them at the end and blend straight away. Chef's tip: pick only the top four to six leaves of young plants before they flower; older leaves are tough and gritty.

35 minScandinavian Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

KålsoppaCabbage and root vegetable soup

Kålsoppa is old-fashioned Swedish home cooking, the soup of cold autumn and winter evenings in Skåne and the countryside, when white cabbage and root vegetables fill the cellar. The cabbage is first browned in a little oil with a pinch of syrup, which gives the broth its gentle sweetness and golden colour, then simmered with carrot, swede and potato and seasoned with whole allspice. Many families float small meatballs in it; this is the vegetarian version without them. It has about 4 g of protein per bowl; serve with crispbread and a hard cheese, or add white beans, for more. The common mistake is rushing the browning: the cabbage needs a good 10 minutes of slow frying to caramelise. Chef's tip: crush the allspice berries lightly before adding them, so their warm, clove-like scent fills the soup.

60 minScandinavian Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

RotmosMashed swede and carrot

Rotmos, literally 'root mash', is a Swedish winter staple, cooked from Skåne to Norrland when the cellars are full of swede, and served beside sausages or boiled pork at home dinners, and on Thursdays with pea soup. Swede gives the mash its golden colour and gently peppery sweetness, potato makes it smooth, and a little butter and allspice round it out. It is a vegetarian side with about 3 g of protein per portion; try it with fried halloumi or a bean stew. The common mistake is mashing it straight from the pan: watery roots give a sloppy mash, so steam-dry them first. Chef's tip: leave the mash a little coarse; Swedes like to see flecks of swede and carrot rather than a smooth purée.

40 minScandinavian Sides

by KrazyBadal 0 views

PyttipannaPotato and meat hash

Pyttipanna, 'small pieces in a pan', is Sweden's great leftover dish: diced potatoes, onion and whatever cooked meat is left from Sunday (roast beef, ham or sausage, often pork) fried together until crisp, then served with a fried egg on top and pickled beetroot on the side. It is a weekday lunch in every Swedish home and canteen, and a well-known hangover breakfast. The mistake that leaves it pale and steamed is putting everything in the pan at once; the potatoes need a head start to brown before the meat goes in. Reheat the leftover meat until it is steaming hot right through (74 °C). Chef's tip: cut potatoes, onion and meat into the same 1 cm dice, so every forkful has a bit of each.

30 minScandinavian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

VaniljekranseVanilla almond butter rings

No Danish Christmas tin is complete without vaniljekranse, the ridged rings of buttery vanilla dough with finely ground almonds that snap and then melt. Many homes in Denmark make dozens in December, traditionally pressing the dough through a mincer fitted with a star plate to make long ribbons, then curling them into wreaths; a piping bag with a large star nozzle does the same job. They are eaten with coffee, gløgg or a glass of cold milk, and are a favourite for children to help shape. Some recipes leave out the egg, and a spoonful of milk works just as well here. Chef's tip: chill the piped rings on the tray for 15 minutes before baking so the ridges stay sharp; dough that is too warm is the trap, because the rings spread and lose their pattern.

58 minScandinavian Baking

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Korv StroganoffSausage in tomato cream sauce

Korv Stroganoff is Swedish family food from the 1970s that children still ask for: strips of falukorv, a mild, smooth pork-and-beef sausage, browned with onion and simmered in a pink sauce of tomato purée, mustard and cream. It is a 25-minute weeknight dinner across Sweden, served over boiled rice with a grated carrot or cucumber salad. Falukorv is already cooked, so it only needs heating until piping hot; the common mistake is boiling the cream sauce hard, which can split it and toughen the sausage. Check the sausage label if you need it gluten free; Polish kielbasa or a mild smoked sausage works if you can't find falukorv. Chef's tip: brown the sausage strips properly before adding liquid, because that caramelised edge is where the flavour comes from.

25 minScandinavian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

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