Sweden: Sailor’s Beef and Beer Stew, with Beetroot Cream Dressing, Strawberry and Bacon Salad, and Honey-Glazed Beetroot
Sweden is a vast country with a large south to north expanse that reaches from the European mainland right up to the arctic world of the Sami reindeer herders. Not surprisingly, Swedish cuisine is traditionally quite diverse and can’t possibly be explored in one meal. There are significant regional differences between Swedish culinary practices of the south and the north.
Officially known as the Kingdom of Sweden, this Northern European country is blessed with amazing access to seafood thanks to a large expanse of easterly coastline facing the Baltic Sea. Swedish cuisine is further shaped by the region’s seasonal evolution from long, warm summer days of intense light through to severe, dark winters.
Sweden is part of Scandinavia and the country’s near Nordic neighbours include Finland to the east, Denmark to the south-west and Norway to the west. Many traditional Swedish dishes employ simple, contrasting flavours such a berries with meat and cream. The Swedes have been surprisingly open to adopting foreign food influences for centuries which can be seen in the echoes of French cuisine (that was absorbed into Swedish food culture during the 17th and 18th centuries), that can still be tasted today.
Our Swedish menu included
Sailor’s Beef and Beer Stew
with
Beetroot Cream Dressing
Strawberry and Bacon Salad
and
Honey-Glazed Beetroot
...................................................................
SAILOR’S BEEF AND BEER STEW
Ingredients
· 600gm beef (sirloin steak)
· 1x 330ml bottle Danish Carlsberg beer (or Belgian-style pale ale/lager)
· 4 tbs of all-purpose flour
· 1 ½ tsp salt
· 1 tsp ground white pepper
· 2 tbs olive oil
· 25 gm butter
· 2 large onions; sliced thinly
· 2 large carrots, sliced
· 4 fresh bay leaves
· 800 gm potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
· 3 sprigs fresh thyme
· 1 cup Beef stock
· 1 tsp sugar
· Whole-grain mustard, for serving
· Beetroot Cream, for serving
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 105 degrees C
2. While the oven’s warming up, cut the meat in 1cm thick slices and pound flat with a mallet (TIP: put the meat between two sheets of gladwrap to stop the meat from splitting)
3. Mix the flour with a few pinches of the salt and pepper
4. Place meat in a bag or container with the seasoned flour and shake or toss until the meat is coat evenly with the flour
5. Heat the oil in a heavy frypan over medium-high heat
6. Brown the floured beef in the hot oil on both sides then set aside on a plate
7. Saut’e the diced onions in the hot pan for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and soft
8. Now add the sugar to the onions and cook until slightly caramelized
9. Butter the inside of an oven to table casserole dish
10. Place half the potatoes on the bottom of the buttered dish
11. Add a little salt and pepper on top and repeat this on each new layer
12. Place the beef over the potatoes, then top this with the fried onions and
any pan juices, carrots over the beef.
13. Lay the remaining potatoes over the top
14. Pour in the beer and enough beef stock to almost cover the potatoes
15. tuck the bay leaves and thyme into the sides of the dish
16. Bake in the oven with the lid on the casserole dish for about 2 hours
until the meat is very tender and vegetables are cooked
17. Serve with Whole-grain mustard and Beetroot Cream (recipe provided)
Note: this dish is coming out of the oven extremely hot on the inside. Best to let it sit outside the oven on a bench to cool for at least 20 minutes especially if you are using an oven to table dish.
This is a Q-Zine original recipe informed by several sources including:
BEETROOT CREAM DRESSING
Ingredients
· 160 ml double thick cream
· 1 tsp double strength vinegar
· 1 1/2 tsp sugar
· pinch white pepper
· pinch cracked salt
· 1 tsp chilled beetroot "pink liquid" (water beetroots have been cooked in)
Method
1. Gently fold the cream, sugar and vinegar together
2. Add the salt, pepper and pink liquid and gently fold together until a pink sour cream has been created
3. Serve the dressing separately
This is a Q-Zine original recipe informed by several sources including:
HONEY-GLAZED BEETROOT
Ingredients
· 1.2 kg beetroot
· 4 tbs water
· 4 tbs apple cider vinegar
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Pre-heat an oven to 180°C (350°F, gas 4, fan 160°C).
2. Rinse and clean the beetroots, but leave whole.
Boil in salty water for about 35 minutes (depending on their size) until the beetroots are soft, but still with some bite.
Reserve a small amount of the cooking liquid for the beetroot dressing and chill
Remove beetroots from water & cool
3. When cold enough to handle, peel and cut into small wedges.
4. Add the vinegar to a saucepan and bring to the boil.
5. Add the beetroot wedges and bring back to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes.
6. Add the honey and simmer for about 10 minutes, until all liquid has been boiled away.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Optional: garnish with chopped parsley or chives just before serving
This is a Q-Zine recipe informed by several found at:
This is a Q-Zine original recipe informed by several sources including:
STRAWBERRY AND BACON SALAD
Ingredients
· 100g streaky bacon, cut into 1cm long batons
· 100g salad leaves such as red lettuce, rocket, spinach and watercress
· 1 tbs white balsamic vinegar
· 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
· 1 tspStrawberry syrup
· 250gm strawberries, hulled and halved
· 100 gm Danish Feta, cut in small cubes
· 50 gm Walnuts, broken into pieces (or whole pumpkin seeds)
· Freshly ground black pepper
TIP: Place strawberries out on the kitchen bench two hours before you want to begin making the salad to allow the berries to release their fragrance
Method
1. Start a dry frying pan on low heat and dry toast the walnuts in the pan then put the walnuts aside for later
2. Now add a little of the oil to the pan and when the pan is moderately hot fry the bacon pieces, stirring often until evenly browned and crisp
3. Remove bacon onto a plate topped with kitchen paper
4. Prepare the salad dressing by placing the vinegar, remaining olive oil, strawberry syrup, together in a jar, put the lid on and shake vigorously
5. Drizzle half the dressing over the salad greens and toss until the leaves are evenly coated.
6. Add two thirds of the bacon pieces and strawberries
7. Add the feta and walnuts to the salad and toss gently
8. Garnish with the remaining bacon and strawberries
9. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad
10. Grind some black pepper over the salad and serve
This is a Q-Zine original recipe informed by several sources including:
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