The Susanne

To make the perfect Rotemos, all you need is some swede, carrots, butter, salt, pepper and water!

this feeds four:

• 1 kg swede, peeled and chopped in 2 cm pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped in 2 cm pieces
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp butter or margarine

Boil the vegetables until tender, then drain over a bowl to keep the water.

Mash the vegetables with the butter and a little of the water from the cooking. Only use about 1 dl water or just enough to give the mash a lovely consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you’re also making Pinnekjøtt, an alternative could be using cooking juices from the meat in the mash instead of the water from the vegetables, but be careful so it doesn’t become too salty.

Here’s my quick’n’easy, no fuss, wham-bam-thankyoumam aioli that will leave your guests wanting more more more!

You’ll need:

• 2 dl light mayonnaise (the Norwegian kind is best but I’m sure other types will work also. Maybe whisk in an egg yolk if you find it lacks the mmmmmm factor)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed (I’m a garlic fiend and can easily be caught using more – it all depends on what you like!)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (or any kind you have around)
• 1 medium-sized boiled potato (left over from last night’s dinner?)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Here’s what to do:
in a small mixing bowl, throw in the mayonnaise (and the egg yolk if you’re adding that. It’s easier to mix in without the other stuff already in there). Stir in the mustard, the lemon juice and the crushed garlic. Mix it all together. Then peel and mash the boiled potato and mix it in with the rest.

Place in the refrigerator to cool and for the flavours to blend properly, for about 30 minutes or until people arrive!

Yum yum.

I recently bought a side of smoked salmon for 17. Mai and thought ‘well how on earth are we going to eat all that salmon?’. Now, what I came up with didn’t reduce the amount of salmon in any way, but it did help spice it up so to speak. What I thought was how lovely it would be to have both smoked salmon and gravlaks for 17. Mai – and here’s how I made it happen! (if you want to make regular gravlaks just use raw salmon and follow the same instructions, but use a tablespoon salt instead of just a teaspoon) Let’s just say, this was a big hit! And for all you out there who worry about gravlaks being ‘raw’… well, this one isn’t!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• ½ side smoked salmon
• 1 bunch dill
• 1tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 cl whisky or cognac

Here’s what to do:
Mix salt and sugar in a bowl. Coarsely chop the dill and mix it all together.

Spread half the mixture in the bottom of a shallow dish that is large enough for the salmon to fit in.

Place the salmon on top, skin side down. Rub the remaining mixture into the salmon.

Pour over the booze.

Put something heavy on top of the salmon to weigh it down, cover, and place in the refrigerator for four to five days.

Take it out twice a day and turn it over, making sure there is always dill mixture covering the salmon.

Scrape off the dill and brine before serving and slice thinly.

Serve with mustard sauce…Yum!

Tzatziki is such a yummy Greek treat, and it goes well with so many things that are especially tempting on a hot summer’s day. Off the top of my head I can mention bread, potato wedges, a lovely Greek salad, salmon (or trout) in any shape or form, cured ham, fenalår, dyrekjøtt(cured horse meat, it’s excellent!) steak, chops, roast beef… the list goes on and on!

Here’s a recipe for a refreshing, low-fat tzatziki:

• 1 cucumber
• 3 dl 0,1% Kesam
• a sprinkle of salt
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 sprigs fresh mint
• a few drops of hot sauce

Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds. Coarsely grate the cucumber and place in a sieve. Sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 30 minutes, then cover with coffee filters and press down to squeeze out the rest of the liquid.

Mix the grated cucumber with the kesam, the crushed garlic and the lemon juice. Finely chop the mint, and mix it in. Add the hot sauce last, to taste.

Place the tzatziki in the refrigerator and let it chill for about 1 hour before serving.

This is the traditional accompaniment to Irish stew. I found it in dad’s book ‘Recipes from Ireland’.

• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground Cloves
• 1 tsp ground Ginger
• 1 tsp ground Pepper
• 1 L Vinegar
• 0,6 dl Salt
• 5 dl hot water
• Red Cabbage

Prepare the spiced vinegar:
In a saucepan, add the spices to the vinegar and bring just to the boiling point. Cool, strain and set aside.

Prepare the brine:
Dissolve the salt in the hot water, and let cool.

Prepare the cabbage:
Discard the outer, wilted leaves of the cabbage. Shred finely, place in a bowl and cover with brine. Let it stand overnight.

The next day, drain the cabbage well, pack into jars and cover completely with the spiced vinegar. Set it to pickle for one week. It will keep for up to two months.