[Sca-cooks] Vesterelv's Viltgryte

[H Westerlund-Davis]

Sæll~
As part of my personal and persona research I am looking for traditional and period foods, meals, and menus the Saami would prepare. The Saami did travel and traded with the Vikings.
As their custom precious little was written down but passed orally down from father-to-son and mother-to daughter. As was also custom cooking duties were also split by gender. 
This receipe came from the Varanger Reindeer Women in Varanger Peninsula, Norway. The goals of the Varanger Reindeer Women is to educate other Saami in the traditional ways and maintain their cultural identity. Reindeer is commonly eaten. This recipe didn't mentioned what kind of meat was used. However, trying to acquire reindeer in the United States is difficult. It is easier to get red elk. The Saami did eat elk. Also, trying to find Snøfrisk Einebær (Snøfrisk -goat cheese flavored with juniper berries) in 48 hours wasn't possible. I adapted by using goat cheese and then infusing crushed juniper berries. 
The Saami do also make cheese from reindeer milk and use sorrel or angelica to flavor it.
There are some modern adaptations to this recipe but I found it easy to modify to be period as possible. Our family is also gluten free, thus the rice flour change. But, wheat flour could be used too. 
This also came out more of a stew then a "casserole." Translation?
Enjoy.... comment.....??
Tak Tak
Bless Bless
Aelina the Saami


Original Recipe in Norwegian
 
Vesterelv’s viltgryte
 
	* 3-4 ss meierismør
	* 4 dl buljong (evt. Vann og buljonterning)
	* 1 ½ ss soyasaus
	* 2 ss hvetemel utrørt i 3 ss vann
	* 10 hele peppercorn
	* 1 ts merian
	* 3 gulrøtter
	* ½ dl tyttebærysltetøy
	* 2 gule løk
	* 1 beger (125 g) Snøfrisk Einebær
	* Salt
 
Rens kjøttet for hinner og skjær det i strimler eller
terninger. Brun kjøttet i brunet smør i en varm panne, litt om gangen. Ha
kjøttsterningene over i en gryte. Bland sammen buljong (evt. vann og
buljongterning) og krydder og hell det over kjøttet i gryta og la det koke opp.
Skru ned varmen og la kjøttet småkoke.
 
Rens gulrøttene og skjær dem i store strimler eller biter.
Ha dem i gryta sammen med syltetøy og la det hele koke opp igjen. Skru ned
varmen og la det småkoke / trekke under lokk til kjøttet begynner å bli mørt,
ca. 30-40 min. til sammen. Rist sammen mel og vann til en jevning som røres i
retten.
Rens løken og skjær den i store båter. Legg dem i gryten og la dem koke med
i ca. 10 min. Rør tilslutt Snøfrisk inn i gryteretten og smak til med salt. La
det hele trekke i ca.5 min. 
Server retten med gode nykokte poteter og tyttebær til.
Translations:
·        3-4 Tablespoons dairy butter
·        1 2/3 cups broth (or water and bouillon cube)
·        1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce
·        2 Tablespoons flour (utrørt) and 3 Tablespoons
water
·        10 whole pepper
·        1 teaspoon marjoram
·        3 carrots
·        ¼ cup or 3 Tablespoon crandberry marmalade
·        2 yellow onions
·        1 cup (125 g) Snøfrisk juniper berries
·        Salt
 
1.      Clean
the meat for the membranes and cut it into strips or cubes. Brown the meat in
browned butter in a hot pan, a little at a time. Have dice meat into a pot. Mix
together broth (or water and bouillon cubes) and seasoning and pour it over the
meat in the pot and let boil. Turn down the heat and let the meat stew.
2.       Clean the carrots and cut them in large strips
or chunks. Keep them in the pot with jam and let it all boil up again. Turn
down the heat and let it simmer/pull the lid to the meat starts to get tender,
approx 30-40 minutes. Stir together flour and water to thickening of stir in the
court.
3.      Cleaning
the onions and cut it into big boats. Place them in the pan and let it boil
with the ca. 10 minutes. Stir in the Snørfrisk into the pot right and season
with salt. Let it all up in ca. 5 min.
4.      Serve
default with good nykokte potatoes and cranberries.
 
My version:
·        3-4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
·        1 2/3 cups water
·        2 Tablespoons rice flour and 3 Tablespoons water
·        10 whole pepper (crushed in pedestal)
·        1 teaspoon marjoram
·        3 carrots
·        ¼ cup or 3 Tablespoon lingonberry jam
·        2 yellow onions
·        1 cup (125 g) goat cheese and two crushed
juniper berries mixed together.
·        Salt
·        I used 1 lb elk meat
1.      Cleaned
elk meat and cut into cubes. Brown the meat in melted butter in a Dutch oven
over medium heat. (I used a propane gas stove.) Stir in water and seasonings
and bring to a boil. Turn down the meat to low and let meat stew.
2.      Clean
the carrots and cut them in a large bite size chunks. Add them to the pot with
lingonberry jam and bring back to a boil.  Turn down the heat and let simmer covered until meat starts to get tender,
approx 20-30 minutes. Stir together rice flour and water to a paste and add to
the meat mixture. 
3.      Clean
the onions and cut into wedges. Place them into the pot and let it boil with
the stew another 10 minutes. Stir in the goat cheese flavored with juniper
berries and stir until melted through, approx another 5 minutes. Season to
taste with salt.
4.      We
served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam.
 
 
 
 


 

 
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