Norwegian Recipes

My dad's Norwegian heritage determined a lot of the recipes that we used when I was growing up--especially around Christmas time.  The following are just a few of those favorite recipes.  Remember this is a dieter's nightmare and over the years these goodies actually became less and less and the large quantities were not made anymore. 

Norwegian Lefse or Potato Cakes

5 large potatoes (pared)

1/2 light cream

3 T butter or margarine

1 t salt

flour

 Boil potatoes until tender, drain, and mash or rice.  Beat in cream, butter and salt.  Cool to room temperature.  Use 1/2 c flour for each cup of potatoes, mix well.  Roll out a heaping tablespoon of dough (size of an egg) on a well-floured surface to a 6-inch circle.  Repeat for all the dough.  Heat griddle.  Cook lefse, browning, turn.  Place between paper toweling or wax paper to keep soft.  Serve; spread with butter or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Kumla

To make the "kumla" grate 4 large potatoes into a mixing bowl and add a tsp. of meat broth for each potato.  Sift 4 cups flour, a tsp. of salt, a tsp. of baking powder, mix with potatoes.  Mixing all together to a soft though firm batter and shape into spoon size balls.

 Moisten hands in cold water, then take a spoonful and put it in the left hand.  Place a 1/2 inch cube of fat or "dut" taken from the meat in the center of the kumla, folding the mixture over the fat with the right hand and drop the kumla into the hot meat and broth.  Repeat using all the potato mixture.  A little more flour may be needed if the potatoes are very large.

Slowly simmer a piece of ham or corned beef in plenty of water for about 4 hours or until tender.  Then put in potato dumplings and cook about another hour.  Ladle up and serve dumplings with plenty of butter.

 Lutefisk

3 1/2 to 5 lbs. of lutefisk

2 quarts of water

1/3 cup of salt

 Pull skin off fish and cut into desired pieces.  Bring water and salt to a boil.  Place fish in and let it cook gently for about 5 minutes.  Melt about 1/2 lb. of butter in a small saucepan until hot, and serve separately.

Lutefisk can be soaked in salt water prior to cooking.

Rosettes

Whip 2 eggs with a fork; add 1 tsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 c milk and 1 c flour.

Beat until smooth.  Let stand 1 hr before baking.  Bake with Rosette iron in very hot fat (oil).  Serve plain or dust with powdered sugar.

 Kling

4 cups flour

1/2 lb. shortening

1 tsp. salt

2 cups water

2 eggs beaten

6 T milk

 Mix like pie crust the flour, salt and shortening.  Add water and knead will.  Divide into balls the size of a biscuit.  Roll each one out as thin as possible on floured board.  Bake on grill.  When slightly browned, brush the top with the egg and milk that has been mixed together, then bake until this mixture is set.  Turn and bake on other side until lightly browned.  Dampen the baked rounds with lukewarm water to soften.  Spread with butter and sprinkle with sugar.  Fold or cut into triangles.  Keep covered with damp cloth so as not to dry them out.

 Norwegian Rice Pudding Or Grout

1 cup rice (not minute)

2 quarts milk

1 pint half and half

2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter

 Wash rice and soak for about an hour.  Heat the milk to boiling and put the rice in and stir, stir and stir (may be cooked in a double boiler).  Add the salt and when the pudding becomes thicker add the half and half and more milk may be added.  Put butter in just before taking off the head and stir well until melted.  Serve in dishes and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon and optional raisins on top. 

My cousin Beverly sent my Mom and Dad the following recipe saying, "There wasn't a time that your mother, Uncle Gilbert, didn't have sugar cookies in the pantry for us.  She was such a sweet lady."  This lady was Bertha Hillestad, my grandmother.

So here are my 

 Grandma's Sugar Cookies

 1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup shortening

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour milk

1 teaspoon soda

5 cups flour

 A little nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Chill and in 1 hour roll out, cut and bake at 400 degrees about 8 minutes.  Sprinkle sugar on top before you bake.

My mom changed it over the years and actually had it published in a newspaper.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies (Grandma's Sugar Cookies)

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

4 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with sour cream; mixing well after each addition until smooth; blend in vanilla.  Chill overnight or until firm enough to roll.  Roll out on floured board 1/4 in. thick.  Cut with cookie cutter and place on ungreased baking sheets.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Can be adapted to holiday cookies.  Bake 375 degrees for 12 min. or until brown.

Janet A. Hillestad

©2000 Glow

Last Changed 01/09/11

Live on 7/16/2000

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