It's the time of year when we are all thinking about food. With Thanksgiving right around the corner it's hard not to, right? As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, I turn more and more to comfort foods when planning meals at home. I love good hot meals, heavy stews and thick, fragrant sauces. So, today I give you a recipe from 1924 for one of my favorite Norwegian foods, Lapskaus. I first came across this delicacy 8 or 9 years ago when I was visiting the Vegas Viking 6-152 lodge. They made an absolutely wonderful lapskaus with potatoes, and large chunks of meat in a sauce that was beyond belief. I'll never forget that when I asked for the recipe I was told they didn't really use one beyond the various type of ingredients. Too bad for me, right?
Well, in any case, when made correctly it can be the finest, yet most simple meal to enjoy on a cold November night. So, with that, I give you the 1924 recipe and a link to a more current recipe as the one below may be hard to replicate (can you even get "salt meat" anymore?).
Ingredients:
1 soup plate of boiled salt meat
1 soup plate of fresh raw meat
1/2 lb pork
1 qt potatoes
1 small onion
1/2 tsp pepper
Salt
Water
Cut the fresh meat, pork and potatoes into small cubes. Place over the fire in water. Add finely chopped onion, pepper and salt to taste. Boil under cover for about one and one-half hours. Add the salt meat after the fresh meat has boiled for half an hour. Serve.