midweek Dinner
Elk stew with root vegetables and prunes Älggryta med rotfrukter och katrinplommon In autumn, game is a good alternative to beef. There are about 350,000 elk in the wild in Sweden. Their popularity among hunters has to do both with their size, availability and great taste. Serves 4–6
1 kg stewing elk cubes 200 g smoked bacon 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp dried thyme 200 ml red wine 50 ml balsamic vinegar 700 ml game stock 1 onion 2 medium-sized parsnips 3 medium-sized carrots
2 tbsp butter 1 tbsp honey 150 g dried prunes 3 tbsp cornflour starch salt and freshly ground black pepper, according to taste, fresh thyme Serving suggestion:
Boiled or creamy mashed potatoes or cooked grain of choice
1. Dice the pork in 1 cm pieces. Heat up a little butter in a large pan and brown the elk and pork cubes together with the bay leaves and thyme, in batches. Transfer it to a large pot and add the wine, balsamic vinegar and game stock. Simmer covered for 1 hour. 2. Peel and cut the onion into quarters and the root vegetables into thick, diagonal slices. Brown them in a little butter. Pour over honey and let sizzle for a few seconds. 3. About 10 minutes before the meat is ready, add the onion, prunes and root vegetables and let everything cook together for the rest of the time. Thicken with the cornflour starch. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve with boiled or creamy mashed potatoes or cooked grain.
Carbonara chanterelles
A delicious pasta dish in which the smoked bacon has been replaced by crispy chanterelles. It tends to cool rapidly so it should be cooked just before serving. A salad is a welcome addition. Serves 4
400 g bavette or tagliatelle 500 g chanterelles, cleaned and chopped butter for frying 2 cloves of garlic 200 ml whipping cream
2 handfuls freshly grated, semi-hard cheese, e.g. Väster botten or parmesan 1 small bunch chopped leaf parsley salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper 4 egg yolks
1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain in a colander but save 100–200 ml of the water in the saucepan.
The Swedish kitchen
Kantarellcarbonara
Put the pasta back in the saucepan with the remaining water and cover to keep warm. 2. Place the mushrooms in a hot, dry pan and fry out the liquid. Add butter, and brown the mushrooms golden at medium heat together with the chopped garlic, about 6–8 minutes. 3. Pour over the cream and cook together for a minute. 4. Fold the mixture in with the pasta, together with the grated cheese. Mix in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with egg yolks, extra salt flakes and pepper on the side.
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