| A Fine Spring Meal (Tested Recipes) |
|
|
|
advertisement
|
By Beatrice Ojakangas
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune I take notes on the meals I eat while I travel. On a trip to Denmark last year I stumbled onto a menu found in village after village. It was a memorable meal that suits our spring celebrations as well. In Danish churches throughout this season, 13-year-olds go through the religious rite of confirmation. Mothers have their own rite: preparing the menu for the celebrations that follow. One mother confided that, though the children could select anything they wanted for the menu, the choice usually ends up the same from one family to another, and from one village to another. (Not unlike our ubiquitous Thanksgiving menu that centers on a roast turkey and all the trimmings.) The menu starts with Klarsoppe, a clear beef broth with peas, carrots, tiny Danish meatballs and ever-so-light tiny dumplings. The main course is Crackling Roast Pork, a pork loin with a cover of fresh bay leaves stuck into the fat surrounding the meat and roasted to crackling crispness. A special ice cream cake completes the meal. I was assured by the Danes that altering the menu is acceptable, as long as the basic structure -- soup, pork and ice cream cake -- remains intact. When I make the soup (being that our baby peas aren't even planted yet), I use frozen sugar snap peas. The menu seems to scream for a green salad. So, I added spring greens with a vinaigrette. I also added roasted asparagus and carrots, dressing them with browned butter for delicious results. And the dessert -- well, a fresh strawberry sauce added just the right touch. Recipes: Meatball and Dumpling Soup, Crackling Roast Pork with Bay Leaves, Sugar-Glazed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus and Baby Carrots with Browned Butter, Ice Cream Cake with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce. This soup is served on almost every special occasion in Denmark, sometimes as a nightcap signaling the end of a party.
Meatball and Dumpling Soup Ingredients for Meatballs: 1/2 lb. ground meat (pork, veal, beef, turkey or meatloaf mix)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. ground allspice 3 Tbs. flour
3 Tbs. milk
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Dumplings (see recipe) Ingredients for Broth: 2 quarts well-flavored beef consomme (homemade or canned)
1 cup diced cooked carrots
1 cup frozen sugar snap peas Preparation for Meatballs: Put ground meat and onion in a food processor with the steel blade in place; process until very fine. (Or, put through a food grinder three times until very fine.) Add the salt, pepper, allspice, flour, milk and egg white; process until smooth. Turn out into a bowl and let stand 30 minutes (mixture will thicken). Shape the meat into 40 (3/4-inch or smaller) balls. At this point you will need to cook the meatballs using either the Danish method (see following), which produces a very lightweight meatball with little color. Or the American method can be used, where the meatballs are baked in the oven and become brown. Either way, the meatballs can be made a day ahead of time, then warmed in the soup. Danish method of cooking meatballs: Bring 2 inches of water in a skillet to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt for each quart of water. Drop meatballs into boiling water and boil 4 to 5 minutes until cooked through. Lift out of the water with a perforated spoon. Place in a sieve, rinse with cold water and let meatballs drip until dry. Warm in soup. American method of cooking meatballs: Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Place meatballs in a baking pan and place in oven until nicely browned and cooked through, stirring occasionally so that all sides are browned (time will depend on size of meatballs). Do not overcook the meatballs. Make dumplings (see recipe). To serve: Heat the consomme to boiling. Add the carrots, snap peas, meatballs and dumplings. Ladle into bowls. Serves: 8
Nutrition information per serving with 5 meatballs and 5 dumplings: Calories:290, Carbohydrates:20 g, Protein:13 g, Fat:17 g, including sat. fat:9 g, Cholesterol:130 mg, Sodium:880 mg, Calcium:53 mg, Dietary fiber:2 g. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable exch., 1 bread/ starch exch., 1 med-fat meat exch., and 2-1/2 fat exch.
Dumplings Ingredients: 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt, plus more to salt water
1 cup flour
3 eggs Preparation: In a saucepan, bring the butter, water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously. When the dough forms a smooth, shiny ball that comes away from the sides of the pan, remove from the heat. Cool 10 minutes. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well. Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in a wide, shallow skillet and add 1 teaspoon salt per quart of water. Shape the dough into 40 (3/4-inch or smaller) balls. Use 2 teaspoons or a small scoop. As you finish shaping a dumpling, drop it into the simmering water and repeat as the others are being completed. As you're working, bring the water to a boil; as soon as it boils, add a small amount of cold water. Return to a boil and repeat three times, adding water and bringing the water to a boil again. The dumplings will then be done all at one time. Lift dumplings out of the water and drain in a sieve. Dumplings can be made a day ahead of time and then warmed in the soup. Serves: Makes 40 dumplings. Note: This soup looks long and involved, but only because it is composed of three elements, two of which can be made earlier and reheated in a rich vegetable-garnished beef broth (which is the third element). Both the dumplings and meatballs are very light and tender.
The classic Danish roast is done with a pork loin with the rib bones and fat cover left on the meat. I've adapted the recipe for boneless pork loins. Look for a loin that has as large a cover of fat as possible, then be sure to roast it on a rack. Fresh bay leaves are the herb of choice, although I sometimes like to include sprigs of thyme as well in the "wrap."
Crackling Road Pork with Bay Leaves Ingredients: 1 (3 to 5 lb.) boneless pork loin
3 tsp. coarse kosher-style salt
12 or more fresh bay leaves
1 quart boiling water Preparation: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Score the fat cover on the meat using a sharp knife in 1/2-inch intervals lengthwise and about 2-inch intervals across. Makes these all on the diagonal, about 1/2-inch deep. Rub with the salt and insert the stem-end of the bay leaves and sprigs of thyme in the cuts. Place the roast on a rack with the fat-side up in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan and reduce the oven to 350 degrees, and continue roasting until the meat reaches 160 degrees in the center (insert an instant-reading thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the flesh). It should take about 1 hour to reach this temperature. If necessary, add more boiling water to the pan if it boils dry. Remove the roast from the oven. Let stand for 20 minutes before carving. Slice the meat thinly to serve. Serves 8 to 12 Nutrition information per 1/12 serving: Calories:214, Carbohydrates:0 g, Protein:23 g, Fat:13 g, including sat. fat:4 g, Cholesterol:69 mg, Sodium:421 mg, Calcium:5 mg, Dietary fiber:0 g Diabetic exchanges per serving: 3 lean-meat exch., and 1 fat exch.
Note: As the name indicates, these potatoes have a sweet coating. If you prefer savory potatoes, simply eliminate the sugar and you will end up with nicely browned potatoes.
Sugar Glazed Potatoes Ingredients: 2 lb. small, firm potatoes
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter Preparation: Wash the potatoes, place into a deep pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, just until tender. Remove from heat, pour off water and rinse potatoes in cold water. Peel off skins and set aside. (This can be done up to 4 hours ahead). Refrigerate potatoes until needed. Before serving, in a heavy skillet over medium heat, melt the sugar, when the sugar turns light brown around the edges, add the butter and stir until melted. (You need to do it in this order or the sauce won't work. Do not melt the sugar and butter together or it congeals.) Rinse the peeled potatoes in cold water. Drain well and add them to the caramelized butter-sugar mixture. Cook, shaking the pan often, until potatoes are evenly glazed and heated through, about 10 minutes. Note: As the name indicates, these potatoes have a sweet coating. If you prefer savory potatoes, simply eliminate the sugar and you will end up with nicely browned potatoes. Serves 8 to 12. Nutrition information per serving: Calories:160, Carbohydrates:27 g, Protein:2 g, Fat:6 g, including sat. fat:4 g, Cholesterol:16 mg, Sodium:43 mg, Calcium:10 mg, Dietary fiber:2 g Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/ starch exch., 1 other carb. exch., and 1 fat exch.
The traditional Danish accompaniment to the pork is red cabbage. For Americans in the spring, however, asparagus is often the vegetable of choice. Here it is along with baby carrots, for color on the plate. This recipe is good either with or without the browned butter drizzled over the vegetables.
Roasted Asparagus and Baby Carrots with Browned Butter Ingredients: 6 Tbs. butter
3 lb. fresh asparagus
1/2 lb. baby carrots
2 Tbs. olive oil
3/4 tsp. kosher salt Preparation: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the butter into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the butter turns golden brown; keep warm over lowest heat. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard. Place asparagus, with the carrots, in a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt; toss. Roast until just tender, 5 to 10 minutes or more (depending on thickness of asparagus and carrots). To serve, drizzle with the browned butter. Serves 8 to 12
This wonderful frozen dessert, much like a frozen cheesecake, is not made with ice cream at all. It takes a bit of effort to make, but is well worth it. Here it's served with a strawberry sauce, but in Denmark it would be served with lingonberries.
Ice Cream Cake with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce Ingredients for Ice Cream Cake: 3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups heavy cream Ingredients for Strawberry Sauce: 2 pints fresh strawberries, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 to 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar Preparation: Line the bottom and sides of a 9-or 10-inch springform pan or a deep cake pan with plastic wrap. Place the egg whites in a large metal bowl. Place the yolks in a medium-sized metal bowl. Have a shallow pan of simmering water on the range for when you need it. First, whip the egg whites in the bowl until frothy, then slowly beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar. Place the bowl over simmering water and beat with a hand-held mixer at high speed and gradually add 1/4 cup more of the sugar until the mixture is glossy, thick, and fluffy and the temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove the egg-white mixture from the heat and set aside. Keep the water simmering. Beat the egg yolks in the bowl until thick and frothy and gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Place over the simmering water and beat at high speed until thick and frothy and the temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from the heat. Beat the cream cheese into the egg yolk mixture until light. Add the lemon rind and vanilla. Fold the yolk mixture into the whites. In another bowl, beat the cream until thick. Fold into the egg mixture. Turn into the prepared pan, cover tightly, and freeze for 4 to 8 hours or longer. To serve, remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving and cut into wedges. Serve with the strawberry sauce. To make the strawberry sauce: Crush or mash 1 pint of the berries with 1/2 cup sugar; stir in the balsamic vinegar. Slice the second pint of berries, and add to the crushed berries. Note: This eggs in this recipe need to be cooked to 165 degrees for them to be pasteurized and safe. Pasteurized eggs cannot be substituted because they will not whip properly. You will need a thermometer to make this recipe (a digital one is handy because it works quickly.) Serves 8 Nutrition information per serving: Calories:480, Carbohydrates:33 g, Protein:8 g, Fat:36 g, including sat. fat:22 g, Cholesterol:190 mg, Sodium:210 mg, Calcium:97 mg, Dietary fiber:2 g. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 other carb. exch., 1 high-fat meat exch., and 51/2 fat exch.
Use this simple vinaigrette with a salad of mixed greens.
Basic Vinaigrette Ingredients: 1/2 cup white or red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1-1/2 cups salad oil or olive oil or a combination Preparation: In a jar, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper and oil; mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate if made ahead, but bring to room temperature and mix again before adding to a salad. Serves: 2 cups
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)
| 
