>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> Up Norway, curates Norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "New Scandinavian Cooking."
>> No, take me home Take me home where I belong >> Vgan, the full taste of chocolate.
>> Grieg Suites.
Chocolate with apples from Norway.
Havila Voyages.
Pure Northern.
[ Sleigh bells ringing ] >> Ekstedt: I'm on the border between Norway and Sweden, Sweden over there, and Norway right here.
It's mid-April and still quite cold, as you can see, loads of snow on the ground, and I'm heading to Roros, a town that hasn't changed much for the last 100 years.
I'm Niklas Ekstedt, and welcome to "New Scandinavian Cooking."
Roros is located in the middle of Norway, 630 meters, or 2,000 feet, above sea level, and it's sometimes called "The Mountain Town," or Bergstaden.
Despite being one of the coldest places in Scandinavia, this whole region is actually famous for its food, and I now have a date here, actually.
Hello.
>> Hei, hei.
>> Ekstedt: [ Laughs ] How are you?
>> I'm good.
How are you?
>> Ekstedt: Are you always dressed like this here?
>> Not always.
>> Ekstedt: No?
>> You're now wearing a traditional dress.
This is called a mudd.
>> Ekstedt: A mudd?
>> Yeah, and this is called a stor hue.
>> Ekstedt: A stor hue and a mudd?
>> Yeah.
>> Ekstedt: And where are we heading?
>> We are heading to Skottgaarden.
>> Ekstedt: Skottgaarden in Roros?
>> Yeah.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
Great.
Let's go.
[ Sleigh bells ringing ] In Roros, I will meet some wonderful people and taste some of the local food.
I will use the ingredients from the region and prepare my food, a flatbread with fish roe and local sour cream, then a risotto with smoked trout and cabbage, and for my main dish, I will make a chimney-smoked reindeer with grilled potatoes.
So how come the coldest place in Scandinavia is so famous for food?
Why is it?
>> Maybe it's because of the cold and the nature.
>> Ekstedt: Mm-hmm.
>> And it gives a taste to the food.
>> So because life is so hard here you need to pleasure yourself with some great cheese and butter.
>> Yeah.
I think that and also that we tell our history and our identity in the food that we serve.
>> Ekstedt: I love that.
There's history on the plates.
>> Yeah.
>> Ekstedt: Yeah.
Wow.
Looks wonderful.
>> Yeah.
It's really great.
>> Ekstedt: Yeah.
>> Yeah, and now we're going to meet Jorid and Oda Mari.
>> Ekstedt: Okay, perfect.
>> Hi.
[ Laughter ] >> Ekstedt: Hey!
Wow.
It's warm in here, huh?
We arrived in a small inn where many Swedes in the past have stayed on their way from Sweden to the market in Roros.
>> Lots of people have walked in these steps before you.
>> Ekstedt: I can imagine.
>> Yes, and they were all sleeping up here.
>> Ekstedt: Ahh!
>> A little bit short maybe?
>> Ekstedt: Aw, no.
I'm okay.
>> Yeah?
>> Ekstedt: The place still offers lodging if you don't mind small beds and low ceiling, and it's remarkably still ran by the same family as in the past.
>> We can go down for breakfast in the big dining hall.
>> Ekstedt: So when I'm done with this, I'm actually going to cook for you, so I'm going to try to make a snack that tastes of the region.
>> Mm.
>> Nice.
>> Ekstedt: Yep.
Maybe.
I don't know yet.
We'll see.
[ Laughter ] >> Hopefully.
>> Ekstedt: Hopefully, yeah.
So it's not an easy task to cook for a family that's been on this farm for 14 generations, and still, the dish, I want it to be interesting and new and inspired by the region, but I'll try.
I'm going to do this crispy bread with soured cream, and this sour cream is flavored with a little bit of goat cheese, so it has a very strong flavor, but I think they like it here.
And then some pickled red onions.
And this is a super simple recipe.
You just chop red onions, and then you salt them, and then you add a little bit of just normal vinegar on top of that.
These are great for everything, actually super great for tacos, and on top of this, I have trout roe.
And this is really gold on a spoon, tastes amazing, and it pops a little bit in your mouth.
It's delicious.
On top of this, I'm going to shave some dried smoked reindeer, actually.
Shave this on top.
If you can't find reindeer at your local grocery store, it's okay to use beef jerk or another type of dried meat.
Okay.
Oho!
So here it is.
Let's see if I can charm the two girls with this.
So it's creamy cheese with a little bit of goat cheese in there, pickled onions, the trout roe, and then, on top, a lot of shaved reindeer.
[ Chuckles ] It's really good actually.
[ Chuckles ] !Hei, hei.
>> Hi.
>> Ekstedt: Finally, I'm done.
>> Nice.
>> Ekstedt: Yes.
This takes hands.
Give it a go.
>> Mmm.
>> Ekstedt: Is it good?
>> Mm.
It's really nice.
>> Ekstedt: Is it?
>> Yeah, and the texture is nice, as well.
>> Ekstedt: Yeah?
>> Yeah.
>> Ekstedt: Have familiar flavors?
[ Chuckles ] >> It's a taste of Roros.
>> Ekstedt: Is it?
>> Yeah.
>> Ekstedt: Good.
So I'm going to leave you two here with a little snack, and I'm going to head off to Roros and see if I can find some more people to cook for.
>> Yeah, nice.
>> Ekstedt: You can find all our recipes on our website, newscancook.com.
Okay.
I made it to Roros, and I'm dressed for the occasion.
Let's see if I can blend in here.
Even though the houses here are hundreds of years old, they are modern inside, and not everyone arrives in a sled.
It is a modern city with cars, schools, restaurants, and people who go to work and raise their families.
I am actually now in the city center, and I'm heading off to Roros Dairy, and then I'm going to meet some other people who are going to supply me with some excellent local products.
If you ask almost anyone here in Norway, "What is Roros known for?"
you'll probably get the answer, "It's the coldest place in Norway."
And if you ask, "What food do you associate with Roros?"
then the answer will be, "Sour cream and butter."
The local dairy is a story of a small-scale industry that survived.
Small dairy farmers joined together to make sure that their products continued to be made the traditional way.
All milk at the dairy come from small organic mountain farms with cows that are allowed to go outside all year long.
Here we have the famous... >> Thick milk.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
>> Tjukkmjolk.
>> Ekstedt: Tjukkmjolk.
Try to pronounce that.
>> Pour it out like you see here.
>> Ekstedt: Oh!
>> It's quite nice.
It's really creamy and thick.
>> Ekstedt: And then you mix this with the cheese?
>> Yeah, it's nice to blend it in with something, and then you need the sour cream.
>> Ekstedt: Look at that soured cream, huh?
Lot of that in there.
>> Yeah, you blend it together and usually pour some sugar on top.
[ Both laugh ] >> Ekstedt: Wow.
That's a lot of dairy.
>> Yeah.
A lot of dairy, that's correct.
You can taste that aroma.
>> Ekstedt: Wow.
It's amazing.
And this is the famous butter that they serve at Noma, as well?
>> That's correct.
>> Ekstedt: Yeah.
That also has a beautiful color, huh?
And then put that on a little bit of flatbread?
>> Yes.
That's how we eat it.
We just slice it up, so we have this thick slice.
You can really get the taste of butter.
>> Ekstedt: I've heard so much about this butter for so long, and this will actually be my first time tasting it.
>> Really?
Wow.
Enjoy.
>> Ekstedt: Hang on.
Wow.
That is great.
It's almost like a cheese.
Like, I could have this just as it is.
>> Yeah, you don't need to add anything else because you have a really strong flavor there.
>> Ekstedt: Yeah.
A glass of red wine would be nice, though.
>> Really, yeah?
Next time, wine and Roros butter.
>> Ekstedt: [ Laughs ] That's all you need.
>> [ Laughs ] >> Ekstedt: Next to a local artist's studio, I found a beautiful place for my next meal.
It'll be a dish inspired by the region.
Now I'm going to cook one of my absolutely favorite dishes.
It's a very favorite at home because all my kids love this dish.
So what I do is I make a creamy barley, cook that, and I'm going to put some of that cheese into it, and then I'm going to top that off with carrots, Savoy cabbage, and some juniper-smoked trout.
I'm going to start off with a hot cast-iron pan and put some butter in that... shallot... and then in with the barley.
If you want to do this with rice, it's okay, as well, but it's not going to be the same.
This is a little better with the barley.
And then I'm going to put some chicken stock on that.
This is better than induction.
[ Laughs ] Look at that, how hot that is.
Who needs an expensive stove?
All you need is a fire pit.
And so with the creamy barley, I want to do these blackened carrots.
This is an amazing, very simple way to cook carrots.
Just but them straight into the embers and then cover them with a little bit of hot coal like this.
Some more vegetables, Savoy cabbage.
I'm just going to cook this straight into that chicken stock.
In this dish, you can use any vegetables that is season.
So that Savoy cabbage just need to be in that chicken stock for a few minutes.
You can cook that in hot water, as well.
That's fine.
Ahh!
Cooked Savoy cabbage, just 2 minutes in that hot stock, that's all you need.
When I was a child, we always used to go out on the mountains with my dad on the snowmobile, and he used to smoke fish for us.
And you can do this with salmon.
Salmon is actually the best fish to do this with, but today I'm going to use a local trout.
You just dice the fat fish and then put that into this sieve, and it needs to be one of those with small holes into it.
Then I have these wet juniper branches that I'm going to put straight into the fire, and when the smoke starts coming up out of the juniper, I'm going to put this on top.
[ Laughs ] [ Inhales deeply ] And then you can just stir that around a little bit.
See how fast that's cooked?
It's actually done in 2 minutes.
Let's put them here.
So just finish this barley off with this sour cream and this delicious hard cheese grated into that.
Give that a little good stir, and you have the most delicious barley porridge you've ever had.
This is love in a cast-iron pot.
So these blackened carrots... And if they're a little black on the side here, you can just scrape that off.
But not too much.
That actually gives a little character to the dish, as well.
And then just start plate.
So this creamy barley in the bottom.
And then I have the Savoy cabbage.
It's delicious.
Carrots.
So this is delicious if you put some fresh carrots with some cooked carrots into a dish.
It's going to give an extra dimension to your food.
I'm going to put a little bit of butter in there because I'm going to finish it off with burnt butter on top.
So the juniper-smoked fish, and then the burnt butter on top.
And then tjukkmjolk.
If you don't have !tjukkmjolk, you could use a little bit of yogurt to this, and then just drizzle that tjukkmjolk or yogurt on top of this.
So there you go.
Let's see if the artist likes it as much as I will.
It's juniper-smoked trout, those toasted carrots, Savoy cabbage, and that creamy barley.
Remember, you can find all our recipes on our website, newscancook.com.
[ Conversing in Norwegian ] [ Chuckles ] Okay.
[ Both laugh ] In a village this close to Sweden and whose inhabitants have served both Swedish and Norwegian kings, it is not unusual to find Swedes.
One of these is known as the local brewmaster of Roros.
I'm meeting him at a bar, of course.
Hi.
I'm Niklas.
>> Hi.
I'm Lars, the brewmaster.
>> Ekstedt: Great.
>> Would you like a beer?
>> Ekstedt: Yes, of course.
Can't wait.
>> This is a lager beer.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
>> Classic beer.
>> Ekstedt: The classic lager.
>> German style.
>> Ekstedt: Yes.
>> Cheers.
>> Ekstedt: Ah!
That's good.
>> The Germans came here to work.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
>> There was hardly anyone living here, and with them, they brought along their beer culture.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
So this was in the 1700s?
>> Yeah.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
So now you make beer in an old German way in the coldest place in Scandinavia?
>> Yes.
[ Both chuckle ] Excuse me.
>> Yes?
>> Can we have two Bayer?
>> Sure.
>> We'll try a classic lager, which a dark lager.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
>> It's called Bersens Bayer.
The Bers, the name of the Bers, that's the name for the miners.
>> Ekstedt: Oh, so it's a nickname for the miners?
>> Yeah.
They drank a lot in the old days.
>> Ekstedt: Like, how much a day, like... >> 4 to 5 liters a day.
>> Ekstedt: 5 liters beer a day?
>> Yeah, the water was polluted because of the mining, so all they drank was actually beer.
>> Ekstedt: They drank 5 liters of beer a day and then a liter of tjukkmjolk.
That was the diet.
>> That was the diet.
>> Ekstedt: Yeah.
>> Can we have some ham, please?
>> Two ham?
Sure.
>> So this is from Tynset.
It's really local.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
So it's dried ham?
>> Yeah, it's dried for 2 years minimum.
>> Ekstedt: Mm-hmm.
>> And it's really nice.
Just dig in.
>> Ekstedt: Mmm.
Delicious.
>> Shall we take off to the mines?
>> Ekstedt: Yep!
>> Go gold digging.
[ Both laugh ] >> Ekstedt: Let's go.
Roros Copper Mine is 10 times as big as the city of Roros.
The majority of men in Roros used to work in the mine or with mining-related industries.
Do you know what they ate back in the days?
>> We know that they had to bring their own food, and they would bring maybe some flour to make some porridge, maybe some dried meat, and also what we call, in Norwegian, !tjukkmjolk.
>> Ekstedt: Tjukkmjolk, yeah.
But nowadays, you store aquavit down here, right?
>> That's true.
Now we have some aquavit just over here.
You want to come and taste some?
>> Ekstedt: Yes, of course.
Smells like a Swedish midsummer party.
>> Yeah.
[ Both laugh ] You think it's enough?
>> Ekstedt: Well, that's enough then.
[ Both laugh ] Yes.
At last.
I can't wait to have some aquavit.
>> Whew!
>> Ekstedt: It really does have character from the aging.
>> Yeah.
>> Ekstedt: What's that?
>> It's cherry on oak.
!Skol.
>> Ekstedt: Skol.
Cheers.
>> Cheers.
>> Ekstedt: Roros is also known for its special ceramics.
It is the design that's unique and typical Norwegian at the same time as its German influences are visible.
And look at this beautiful plate.
This is what it looks like when it's done, wonderful little bird.
This would be perfect for my final dish, actually, and I also found these wonderful little mugs that says, "Aquavit."
Yeah.
>> Okay.
>> Ekstedt: Bag.
>> Thank you.
>> Ekstedt: Thank you.
Bye, bye.
>> Bye.
Welcome back.
>> So how was your day in Roros?
>> Ekstedt: Amazing.
>> Oh, that's good.
>> Ekstedt: Yeah.
Slowly, slowly, I'm turning Norwegian.
>> Yeah.
That's good.
>> Ekstedt: Actually found this beautiful ceramic.
>> Oh, that's really nice.
>> Ekstedt: And I always thought that this was Swedish, but now I learned it's Norwegian.
>> Of course.
Today, I brought with me the king of local food in Roros.
His name is Ingulf.
>> Ekstedt: The king.
How are you?
>> I'm fine.
>> You know, we talked about, in the sled, that you should try pjalt.
>> Ekstedt: Yes.
>> So this is pjalt.
>> Ekstedt: Pjalt.
>> Yeah.
And we eat it with, of course, local butter and local cheese, so you have to try that.
>> Ekstedt: Yep.
The king first.
[ Laughter ] I can't take before the king.
And then you.
>> Thank you.
>> Ekstedt: I've found this amazing other cheese called skjorost.
>> Skjorost.
>> Ekstedt: Skjorost?
>> Yeah.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
Can I have this on the pjalt?
>> Yeah, you can try.
>> I don't think anyone has tried it, but you should be the first.
>> Ekstedt: I like to start new traditions.
>> Of course.
You know that, during the mining industry, the men of the family, they were in the mine, and the women, they ran the farm.
>> Ekstedt: Okay, of course, yeah, back in the days.
>> Yeah, back in the days.
And they didn't have a lot.
>> Ekstedt: No.
>> So they used to work together.
And I would take some of my !tjukkmjolk, and you would take some of your butter, and he would take some of his flour, and they would put it together.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
>> And in our language, it's called -- [ Speaking Norwegian ] "Put your pjalts together."
So that is why it's called !pjalt.
>> Ekstedt: Okay.
I'll take that with me back home to Stockholm.
>> Yeah.
>> Ekstedt: I'll walk around in my fur.
"Put your pjalts together."
Yep.
I like that.
>> Drink your tjukkmjolk and eat your pjalt.
>> Ekstedt: Yep.
>> [ Chuckles ] >> Ekstedt: Okay, my day in Roros is over, and what great products I have with me for my final dish.
The fur is back on but for warmth only.
Apparently people don't dress like this anymore here.
Okay.
[ Breathes deeply ] Let's go.
[ Sleigh bells ringing ] Even if most people in Roros drive cars, there's a lot of horses and sleds left, and if you really want to see the beautiful scenery, a horse with an open sled is the way to do it.
Close to the border to Sweden, there's a beautiful cottage.
It's a perfect place to prepare my last and biggest dish, this time using local reindeer meat.
I have now arrived to this beautiful little cottage with this amazing chimney coming up here.
The smoke just moves out of this house.
Some of the people that have helped me out here in Roros will soon arrive, and I'm going to cook them some reindeer, some game.
If you can't get reindeer, you can use any type of game for this dish.
I'm going to sear it in the fire, like make it dirty in the ashes, and finish it off in the chimney.
With that, I'm going to salt-boil potatoes, which I'm later going to grill and make a potato salad with and then eat that with this local bread.
Okay?
So, well, let's get to it.
So now I'm going to put the reindeer straight into the ember just like this.
Nothing on top, just leave it like that, and we're going to flip it over and sear it on the other side.
All right.
There you go.
Now I'm going to put this on this wire, and then I'm going to hang that up in the chimney and let this finish in the smoke from this birch fire.
[ Chuckles ] Don't fall, Niklas.
There you go.
A lot of salt in this recipe, one part salt, two parts potatoes.
So these salt-cooked potatoes, I'm going to put them on the grill, but I'm first going to gently crush them with a spoon.
So put the potatoes on here.
It looks like the reindeer is done now.
I'm going to take that down.
So just the way I wanted it, so this black shell and then red in the middle.
This is amazing meat.
Mmm.
So with these grilled potatoes, I'm now going to do a grilled potato salad with this amazing local cottage cheese called skjorost, and then I'm going to add some parsley and some oil into this, as well.
So with game, it's always really good to have some scraped horseradish.
So on this potato, just chopped parsley, loads of horseradish, and this local amazing cottage cheese.
Just a little bit of oil on top of this.
It's fine to use olive oil here.
And then that cheese is not that salty, so I am going to put a pinch of salt, as well, to finish this off.
Flatbread on the bottom, these grilled potatoes with the horseradish and parsley.
Reindeer.
Pinch of salt.
And I think I'm going to finish this off with some romme, this great sour cream.
There you go, flatbread, grilled potatoes, birch-smoked reindeer, horseradish, parsley, and that romme on top as the crown jewel.
And that was all for me here from Roros in Norway, and I have had an absolutely amazing time, and I think I'll be back really soon.
Bye, bye.
See you soon.
Okay.
Here you go.
For exact details on our recipes, just go to our website, newscancook.com.
>> For more of the "New Scandinavian Cooking" experience, visit our website or Facebook page.
>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> Up Norway, curates Norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "New Scandinavian Cooking."
>> No, take me home Take me home where I belong >> Vgan, the full taste of chocolate.
>> Grieg Suites.
Chocolate with apples from Norway.
Havila Voyages.
Pure Northern.
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