21 January, 2010

Lapskaus!

I made lapskaus for dinner yesterday and it was YUMMY! It's really simple and I thought I'd walk you through it if anyone wants to try.

I started out making stock by first browning and then simmering some rather tough meat and a piece of bone with a couple of carrots, half an onion and a bay leaf. You don't have to do this, though, but I had the time! You could skip this step and use sirloin or something similar + stock.

If you're not making stock you start at this point. I had my tender pieces of beef back into the pot after sieving the stock off. I took half a carrot and mashed it up with a fork hoping it would add nice flavours to the gravy after boiling in the stock for so long. I just made that up today, though.
Then add diced potatoes, carrots and pretty much any vegetables you like. Root vegetables are traditional. I just use carrot and potato but I will usually stir in some chopped, frozen spinach when it's done.
Add your stock, either home made or bought so everything is covered.
Let simmer for at least half an hour. Season to taste - salt (if you use home made stock at least) and pepper (I use lots of pepper). Don't stir it too much, but you want the edges of the potatoes to break up (I often mush up a couple of pieces if it turns out to be too soupy). My meat was a bit too tender by the time I got in the vegetables and so it broke up a bit with the final stirring... And I didn't get any pix with the spinach added. It should be a thick porridgy texture. PA ate his with a fork.
I have a little bit of leftovers for later. It's one of those dishes that taste better the next day making it great food when you have company over since you can make it in advance and just re-heat it. You can also use more stock so it remains a chunky soup (suppelapskaus). Any meat and even sausage can be used, but this is my favourite and the most common version.

Did you know 8th Avenue in New York once was known as Lapskaus Boulevard? That was back when Bay Ridge in Brooklyn was the center of the city's Norwegian/Scandinavian community. You can still find the deli "Nordic Delicacies" http://www.nordicdeli.com/history/history.htm

Anna asked if you were to brown the meat before simmering or just chucking it in. You can do either, but browning it will add a bit more flavour and color.

Ane

14 comments:

Tama-Chan, Benny, Vidock, Violette, Ollie, Heloise, Momo, Ryu said...

That looks quite delicious!

BRUTUS said...

That's some food that would certainly stick to your ribs and be yummy on a cold day! Mom's not much of a stew person, but I hear her tummy growl (I was laying on it, after all) while she read your post!!

Snorts-
Brutus the Frenchie

Anna the GSD said...

Mom has a question, the yummy meat you use for the stew, do you brown it first or just put it raw in with the veggies and stock?

Anzu said...

That looks like "Nikujaga"
of a Japanese dish.
I love it. yum-yum !

Miss Lizzy said...

Thank you for sharing this -- yum! I love hearing/reading about foods from other places & trying them too. I also love food history, so cook books that focus on this are right up my alley.

Amy & the house of cats said...

That reminds me of something my mom used to make, but I have no idea what the name for it was. Thanks for sharing how to make it with us!

Unknown said...

Lapskaus? Where? May I kindly have your address? I'm thinking about visiting and having some yummy porridge. You said it's even better once it's been sitting around. Save me some :)
Twink!

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Mom says that looks furry yummy!

She's a big fan of all root vegetables - and spinach too!

Tank woo fur sharing this with us!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

Two French Bulldogs said...

Wow..sure looks great. We are suddenly hungry
Benny & Lily

Molly the Airedale said...

Oh my! This looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!

Love ya lots,
Maggie and Mitch

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Twink is so funny:) That sounds like a very tasty dish. Thanks for telling us about it.

Woos, Phantom and Thunder

Pee Ess, if there is any left after Twink gets there, save it for us, we are on our way too.

The Devil Dog said...

Mom says now she's hungry and wants some. What time should she come over. lol

Roxy

Puglette said...

yummy! i love stew. it is so good as leftovers. did the boys get the tough meat you used for stock? yummy, now i am craving stew!!
hugs,
puglette
:o)

Dexter said...

That is just the ticket during the dark and cold winter months.

Slobbers,
Mango