Ham and cheese

I'm just back from an early summer Scandinavian break, taking in south west Värmland and the most expensive place in the world Oslo. The former is clearly superior in every which way. Travelling on the hottest day of the year meant things got off to an unbelievably unpleasant start but once we landed on Scandinavian soil, with the balmy night in all its glory, everything was going to be ok. A merry gang of 8 set off in a hired minivan and it soon became clear that the rays of the midnight sun don't just stop at the Arctic circle. Having grown up on these shores I should've been accustomed to the light-as-day nights around midsummer but maybe I'm more of a naturalised Brit than I would dare to admit. Here's a pic taken at 3 o'clock in the morning.

The visiting Brits were treated to a vast array of quintessential Swedish fare: canoeing, midges, woodlands, lakes, the game of Kubb, the right hand rule (of driving that is, nowt sinister), Systembolaget, trolls, traditional snapsvisor, and of course tons of dill.

The distinctive, aniseed flavour of the Anethum graveolens herb defines Swedish cuisine and is pretty much unavoidable, particularly in the tastes of summer. Pickles, condiments, sauces, soups, cod roe, crisps, booze, they all come in dill flavours. Swedish new potatoes cooked with dill, pickled herrings, sourcream with fresh chive and rye bread with cheese pretty much sums up summer for most Swedes. Me included. And barbecues. We love a good barbecue.

As a purveyor of all food in great quantities, a visit home consists of eating a lot and doing very little of anything else. In the Thorén household a typical day starts with breakfast of porridge/yoghurt, ham and cheese on Polarkaka bread and coffee. Always ham and cheese. Then at mid-morning it's fika time: coffee with an assortment of cinnamon buns, cakes and cookies. A couple of hours later and a lunch of Swedish new potatoes cooked with dill, pickled herrings, sourcream with fresh chive and rye bread with cheese is gulped down with 3.5% lager. Then there's afternoon fika too of course. Löfbergs Lila coffee with an assortment of cinnamon buns, cakes and cookies. And come evening time there'll be a barbecue of marinated meat/spicy sausage/salmon, dauphinoise potatoes and a green salad. And some more 3.5% lager. Later on there may even be a cheeky Irish coffee on offer. My parents are always busy doing stuff so they work it off. I on the other hand have done my usual thing and returned to the UK carrying newly purchased Dressmann boxer shorts (pack of 2 for £15), salt liquorice and an increased body mass index.

As a homage to the ham and cheese breakfast, I recently bought this black t shirt, along with a short sleeved check shirt, from Topman:



They were both in the sale obviously, totalling £18, and I even got an extra 10% off thanks to the sewing escapades of @aimeehilton. Jambon et fromage to all.

Dr Tucker previously requested the recipe for Swedish meatballs, and risking upsetting the proper connoisseurs/besserwissers with a somewhat unauthentic creation, here's how I roll. As I don't tend to cook to recipes, far too much attention required - freestyling is way more satisfying, you'll have to take things with a pinch of salt. Literally.

Ingredients:
Approximately 500g minced beef or ideally a mixture of minced beef and minced pork
1-2 slices of bread, crust cut off and crumbed in a food processor
Enough milk to coat the breadcrumbs
1 small-ish onion, finely chopped
1 egg
A sprinkling of flour
Generous pinch of salt
Generous pinch of pepper
Pinch of ground allspice

Method:
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk in a large bowl
Let the mixture stand for a few minutes
Add the mince, onion, egg, flour and seasoning
Mix to an even paste
Let the mixture rest for a few minutes
Take a dollop of mince and roll into a perfectly rounded meatball
Continue rolling til all the mince has been used up
Fry in butter/oil in a shallow frying pan for about 8-10 mins, finishing up in a warm oven if needed
De-glaze the pan afterwards with water and stock to make proper good gravy

Enjoy piping hot with boiled new potatoes, gravy, pickled gherkins and lingonberry jam. Or a dollop of slow cooked onions and some grated carrot. A-ma-zing! And not a dill in sight.