Norwegian Inspired Winter Solstice Dinner!
Kjøttkaker med Brunsaus
I know I said I was taking a break – but here is one more post for the year!
Monday marked the holiday of Winter Solstice or Yule as it was known to the Germanic peoples in pre-Christian times. The word Yule or Jul is still used in Nordic countries to describe the Holiday or Christmas season – which also coincides with the 12 Days of Christmas. Yuletide is a melding of the secular and religious celebrations of the season. Originally Yule was a Solstice celebration of the coming of the sun after the longest night and has been celebrated for likely as long as humans have been around to live through the longest night of the year and rejoice the longer days ahead.
I enjoy celebrating the Solstices and Equinoxes throughout the year. It helps me stay connected to the natural world and appreciate the natural cycles that could have meant life and death to our early ancestors if they were unprepared. In turn, these celebrations help me think about being more prepared in my own life by canning and preserving foods and enjoying a more seasonal bounty. Winter Solstice is a time to celebrate the bright and joyous times in our lives and give thanks for days filled with more light and less harsh times.
I get very inspired to cook Norwegian foods this time of year. When I lived in Norway I really enjoyed all the special foods that were served and enjoyed during the Christmas season. Of course in my family we have own own traditional foods that we enjoy during this season too. So when I came back to the US, I decided that I would celebrate the Winter Solstice by feasting on Nordic cuisine, that way I could enjoy all of the food traditions that I love this time of year. Usually I make Gløgg and Rommegrøt however, I already made versions of them this year for my birthday party that you can read about on a guest post I contributed to Outside Oslo . So I wanted to make something different.
Pinnekjøtt is a dish that was served during the Christmas I lived in Norway. It is a preserved and roasted mutton rib dish. The mutton is generally cured in brine or sea salt and served on Christmas eve with boiled potatoes and Akvavit or Akevitt – a distilled potato or grain liquor that is typically flavored with caraway seeds. Pinnekjøtt means “stick meat” in Norwegian because traditionally a layer of twigs from a birch tree is placed in the bottom of the saucepan instead of a metal steamer.
Since I have no access to Pinnekjøtt, and did not plan for making it, I decided to make some Norwegian spiced meatballs – or Kjøttkaker med Brunsaus – meat-cakes with brown sauce for our Solstice dinner. Kjøttkaker are very common in Norway and every family has their own “in house” version. I made the gravy using turkey stock from our Thanksgiving bird, although a gravy made from beef is traditional. I also served it with roasted potatoes and carrots (why have boiled if you can have roasted? Even if it is not the traditional Norwegian way) and sauerkraut.
This is a quick but festive meal – and I enjoyed every bite, reliving many wonderful times spent in Norway.
For dessert we had Yule log cookies. The cookies are fragrant with rum and nutmeg, and the perfect crunchiness, while the icing made with brown butter is truly heavenly. We decorated them with some toasted coconut and cocoa powder to make them look more like logs. (Recipes under the cut)…
Speaking of cookies, don’t forget to make some treats for the furry creatures in your life. We just made some for Pepino and Cipollina today! For some healthy ones, try these Holiday Cookies for Pets .
Happy Solstice and Happy Holidays to everyone! Thanks for reading this blog! Wishing everyone health, happiness and love this New Year!
Kjøttkaker
INGREDIENTS:
2 ¼ lb ground beef
2 TBS salt
4 tsp flour
2 TBS bread crumbs
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
1 onion minced
1 tsp ground cloves
butter
1 liter of brown gravy (or use homemade)
For Homemade Gravy:
3 cups of homemade stock (I used turkey)
salt & pepper to taste
splash of Akvavit
1 TBS non-GMO corn starch
METHOD:
Mix all ingredients together and form into oval shaped cakes. Make the gravy. In a small saucepan, mix the stock, salt and pepper and Akvavit. Heat over medium heat. Whisk in the corn starch and cook until thickened into gravy. Fry meatballs in butter on all sides, in a large pot. Add the brown gravy until thoroughly cooked – about 5 minutes.
Yule Log Cookies – see recipe at Kicked Up Cookie Recipes
The Duo Dishes - December 22, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Yeah for roasted over boiled potatoes! All that crispy, crispy is something to look forward to. Love reading up on so many different cultural dishes.
Anita - December 22, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I’ve never tried Norwegian food before, it sounds lovely though. Have a great holiday and New Year!!
Jenn - December 22, 2009 at 7:38 pm
The Pinnekjøtt sounds interesting. I’ve always been interested in trying mutton. Nice choice in the meatballs. They looks really tender and juicy.
Jamie G. Dougherty (JAMIE|LIVING) - December 22, 2009 at 8:21 pm
YUM! Thanks for the recipe. I made something similar last night and plopped them into a soup.
Bob - December 22, 2009 at 8:53 pm
I’m down with anything that has as an ingredient “1 liter of gravy”!
I’d love to try pinnekjøtt, I ‘ve always wanted to try mutton.
patsy - December 22, 2009 at 10:53 pm
What a perfect way to celebrate the solstice! Happy Holidays, Jenn!
Rosa - December 23, 2009 at 12:42 am
A wonderful meal!
I love your cute dogs!
Cheers,
Rosa
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie - December 23, 2009 at 1:13 am
An excellent and delicious way to celebrate winter solstice! The spiced meatballs look so good! Happy holidays!
Peter - December 23, 2009 at 6:15 am
What’s Norway getting these days….four hours of daylight? I know you spent time in Norway and your sharing of this lesser known cuisine is mucho appreciated. Over to the meatball platter!
HoneyB - December 23, 2009 at 6:52 am
Jen I would love to sit and enjoy a meal like this with YOU! I’m sure you make it in a way that makes it authentic – whereas I haven’t a clue what it is supposed to taste like!
Your yule logs are pretty awesome and the coconut chocolate addition to make them look more real is probably pretty darn tasty too.
Your puppies are cute (and so are you!) – Happy Winter Solstice Jenn!
bellini valli - December 23, 2009 at 8:30 am
We hope your Christmas is filled with joy, laughter and many kitchen successes in the New Year….who knows what 2010 will bring. Happy solstice. I suppose in a way I celebrate one solstice since L’il Burnt Toast was born on September 21st. I would love to be at Chitzen Itza at that time.
Natashya - December 23, 2009 at 8:50 am
Wonderful, I love learning about how other cultures celebrate winter holidays. Christmas dinner is pretty tame at my house. Dictated by the boys. I can’t wait until they let me expand into more interesting fare for the holidays!
Peter G - December 23, 2009 at 9:44 am
The solstice marks a time when the days get shorter for us!!!! No! I love your connection to the earth and the feasts you prepare in its honour! I also love the meatballs. Especially fried in butter! Mmmmm!
ValleyWriter - December 23, 2009 at 10:10 am
I love hearing how other people celebrate their chosen holidays – and this sounds like a great celebration to me! Can’t wait to go check out the brown butter frosting recipe – yum, yum!
Happy Holidays!
dawn - December 23, 2009 at 11:46 am
is that why you celebrate solstice? how very interesting indeed. not many people give thought to our ancestors that far back and the how & why of solstice. very nice read Jenn–I always love your reads.
Erica - December 23, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Happy holidays,Jenn!
Michelle - December 23, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Can’t wait to see what exciting dishes you have prepared for Christmas Eve!!
Dharm - December 23, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Looks like a great meal!! Have a Blessed Christmas Jenn and lots of love from all of us here in Malaysia!
kat - December 24, 2009 at 9:28 am
Reminds me a bit of the Swedish meatballs I made for a holiday dinner with my parents the other day.
Pam - December 24, 2009 at 11:07 am
Jenn, that is such a cute photo of you and the pups!
Merry Christmas to Roberto and you!
Enjoy!
P.S. I gave you a “Happy 101” blog award Jenn, if you would like to check it out!
D. @ Outside Oslo - December 25, 2009 at 3:08 am
Jenn, thanks so much for contributing to Outside Oslo. Your guest post was great, and I’m really so happy I could share your perspectives and recipes with my readers.
Have a merry Christmas and happy New Year!
Ivy - December 25, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and Roberto. Everything sounds delicious.
Simply Life - December 26, 2009 at 9:07 am
Oh this looks wonderful!
Cynthia - December 26, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Hey Queen! I love the pic in the new header and the entire new look and feel of the template!
Happy Holidays!
Bianca @south bay rants n raves - December 27, 2009 at 1:33 am
I love it! Happy Holidays!
Jan - December 27, 2009 at 4:47 am
A very interesting dinner – it looks lovely! Sorry I’m late with wishing you a very Happy Christmas Jenn. All the very best for a wonderful 2010 xx
Lori Lynn - December 27, 2009 at 11:58 am
Wishing you and Roberto a very happy healthy New Year Jenn. Wilson sends his regards to Pepino and Cipollina! Thanks for the dog cookie recipe.
LL
Kris - December 28, 2009 at 12:49 pm
This looks fabulous! I am going to try and be more in-tune with the natural holidays as well. So festive and it’s fun to celebrate all that nature give us!
Johanna - December 28, 2009 at 8:36 pm
I love winter and summer solstice dinners and this year have managed neither but did think of the summer solstice this year – your idea of the norwegian dinner to celebrate the solstice is such a great one – and thanks for some enlightenment on yule – hope you had a great christmas
Amy @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free - December 30, 2009 at 12:29 pm
A great educational post! I had no idea you lived in Norway. I’ve never celebrated a solstice – in fact you’re the only person that I know that does this. But, I agree totally with your reasoning and am going to look into it. The celebrations really anchor me and make me feel connected, too – the holidays, birthdays…and feeling more connected to the nature’s cycles is something I’m all for.
Joanne - January 6, 2010 at 11:57 pm
What a great recipe! I loved reading all about the solstice and equinoxes. I had to research Scandinavian food for a recent blog event and loved all of the flavors that were featured. These look like no exception!