Smorgasbord

Havarti and Jarlsborg Cheese, Herring (large jar), Smoked Salmon.  Serve with cocktail rye.

Swedish Jul Glogg 

Ingredients:

1 Fifth Akvavit
1 bottle Paisano wine
10 Cardamom seeds
5 whole cloves
3 orange peels
4 figs
1 c. almonds
1 c. raisins
1-2 cinnamon sticks
1 ½ lbs. cube sugar

Directions:

1. Simmer “spirits” with spices until boiling.
2. Light alcohol, pour liquid through a strainer filled with sugar cubes.
3. Let cool.
4. If you wish to use later, pour into bottles—separate fruit and liquid.
5. When ready to use, heat liquid—serve warm with fruit in each cup.

Swedish Meatballs (Kottbullar) and Potato Sausage (Potatis Korv)  – Serves 6

Note: Potatis Korv (Potato Sausage) can be purchased at either HyVee or Fareway at holiday time.

Ingredients: (Swedish Meatballs)

3 slices white bread, crumbled
1 T instant minced onion
1 ½ t salt
¼ t pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 T flour
¾ cup milk
2 lbs. meat-loaf mixture
1 cup light cream
¼ c butter or margarine
1 can beef broth

Directions:

1. Combine the bread, onion, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and milk in a large bowl; let stand 10 minutes.
2. Stir in meat-loaf mixture until well blended; form into 36 balls. Shape with a gentle touch so they will stay fluffy during cooking.
3. Brown in butter  in a large skillet and place in a 10 cup baking dish.
4. Blend flour into drippings in pan; cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly.  Stir in the beef broth and cream; continue cooking and stirring until sauce thickens and bubble; pour over meatballs in baking dish; cover.
5. Bake in slow over (325) for 30 minutes.

Brown Beans (Bruna Bonor)

Ingredients:

48 oz. White Northern Beans (in a jar or cans in the canned vegetable aisle)
1  small onion, diced
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ to 1 cup ketchup
1 cup dark molasses
½ lb. bacon, fried crisp, drained, and crumbled into small pieces.

Directions:

1. Drain beans well in strainer.
2. Mix all ingredients and store covered overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 ½ hours.
4. Recipe can be doubled if needed.
5. Don’t use a metal pan for baking; always use a ceramic, pottery, or glass baking dish.
6. Do make sure to drain the beans well (don’t rinse them) about 20 minutes is good.  This will keep them from being too runny.

Swedish Rice Pudding (Risgrynsgrot)

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain rice
1 can (13 oz) evaporated milk
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. mace (optional)
2 t. almond extract
6 eggs, beaten
1 ½  c. sugar
2 t. nutmeg
1 T vanilla
1 qt. whole milk
Butter
Raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook rice as directed until tender, drain, and rinse.
2. Mix with next 9 ingredients until well incorporated.
3. Add raisins if desired.
4. Dot top of pudding with butter.
5. Bake in large casserole dish at 250 degrees for 2 hours.  (If you do not have a large casserole, divide into two parts.)

Swedish Rye Bread (Limpa)

Ingredients:

1 pkg. dry yeast
½ t anise flavor
¼ c. powdered milk
1 c. rye flour
¼ c. brown sugar
3 c. white flour
1/3 c, dark molasses
1 ½ c, warm water
1 T. oil or soft margarine
1 t. salt

Directions:

Bake in bread maker on the white bread setting.  You will need two loaves.  Please bring butter or margarine with the bread.

Ostkaka

Ingredients:

3 c. cottage cheese (small curd)
2 c. milk or cream
4 eggs—beat until creamy.

Directions:

1. Mix together ½ c. sugar and 3 t. vanilla or 1 t. almond.  (I would use almond)
2. Bake in 9/13 glass pan at 350 degrees for 1 hr.  You might want to double the recipe.  If you need another glass pan, let me know.
3. Note: Paul and I will provide lingon and pepparkakor (see below) to go with the ostkaka.  We will have both on hand for the holidays anyway.

Pepparkakor – Yields 7-8 dozen bars

Ingredients:

1 c. butter
1 ½ c. sugar
1 T. Karo syrup or molasses
1 large egg
1 t. soda
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. ginger
1 scant t. cloves
2 ½ c. sifted white flour

Directions:

1. Cream together butter, sugar, and syrup until very smooth.
2. Add egg and beat into batter.
3. Stir in soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
4. Fold in flour.
5. Add more flour if necessary to make batter easy to handle without sticking to fingers or cookie press.
6. Using the bar design of a cookie press, press out several long strips of batter on ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 7 minutes.  Strips will be a medium brown.
8. Remove from oven and let rest for 1 minute, cut into 2 inch pieces.
9. When cool, remove to brown paper.  Store in air-tight containers.  Makes 7-8 dozen bars.  (Some people roll out and make cutout cooks—the cookie batter is sticky and requires a very floury board if one chooses to do cut outs.  We do the cookie press version.)