Kjötsúpa (Icelandic Meat Soup)

Homemade Kjötsúpa

My Icelandic food saga would not be complete without a post on Kjötsúpa or Icelandic Lamb soup. In our 10 days in Iceland, we probably had soup almost every day, and in almost half of those days, we enjoyed a bowl of lamb soup. My hubby and I could not get enough of Icelandic lamb. It has a very mild flavor and very tender. During the fall in Iceland, this warm meaty broth was the perfect lunch after a morning of activities.

I wanted to get an Icelandic cookbook while I was there, but things were rather pricey. It’s quite understandable: they had to ship everything in. Fortunately, I found a lamb soup recipe in, of all things, the free Visitor’s guide. Score! This will allow me to get more souvenirs.

Kjötsúpa from Old Iceland, Reykjavík

The recipe also calls for a tablespoon of herbs - but it was not very specific. I am guessing that this refers to Arctic herbs. I looked around and the price point was a bit too steep for me and it had added salt (which was probably key). I decided not to get it. However, one of the chefs shared with us that he used a combination of oregano and parsley. I also read that arctic thyme is part of the blend, so I added a teaspoon of that. In place of the added salt, I used a combination of salt and celery seeds to reduce the sodium impact.

Since I’ve been learning a lot of technique from watching Food Network (Chopped or Beat Bobby Flay, nowadays), I decided to add some twists to the original recipe: browning the lamb, pan roasting the veggies to bring out the natural sweetness, and adding the dried herbs at the beginning to bring out the flavors. I can use any extra flavor that I can get since I do not have Icelandic ingredients which benefit from the clean environment (no GMO’s) and glacier clear water.

Here’s what I have so far. Try it and let me know what you think.

Kjötsúpa (Traditional Icelandic Lamb Soup)

Based on a recipe from the Iceland/Reykjavík Visitor’s Guide

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp of olive oil
• 14 oz of lamb (best to get the end of the neck, I was lucky enough to get some)
• 3 1/4 cups of water
• 1 medium sized onion (about a cup)
• 1 cup of sliced rutabaga
• 1 cup of sliced carrots
• 1 potato (about a cup)
• 1-2 Tbsp of rice
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 2 tsp of dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp of celery seeds
• 1/8 tsp of salt (use up to a 1/4 tsp, if you prefer)

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Brown lamb on both sides for about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer lamb to a plate and set aside.
4. Add onions and cook until onions begin to soften.
5. Add rutabagas, carrots, potatoes, salt, and herbs. Cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Return lamb to the pot and add water. Cook at low heat for about 45 minutes.
7. Add rice (At this point, you can shred the meat too and add it back in).
8. Cover. Simmer until rice is cooked and vegetables are tender.

Simmer, simmer, simmer

Verdict

Kjötsúpa from Fjallakaffi, Modrudalur

I love this recipe. It did bring me back to our first evening in Reykjavík or that rainy day, in the middle of nowhere, where we saw an Arctic fox outside of the cafe or that other rainy day right after seeing the grandeur of Strokkur. This is a good local substitute without the airfare to Reykjavík.

Of course, this soup is not the same without the same quality ingredients as what you get in Iceland. Icelandic lamb is very good quality meat since the sheep in Iceland roam free in the hillsides and feast on grass all year. The water used in the broth is probably the best in the world. This is glacier pure water, so it is drinkable from the tap. This same water irrigates the herbs and vegetables in the soup and grass that the lamb munch on. This is what makes the soup so delicious.

In retrospect, I should have bought herbs from the local grocery store (which I love to visit) and could have purchased them at a more reasonable price than in the tourist shops. Of course, I am not sure how the TSA would react to bringing in herbs into the country. 

Kjötsúpa from Geysir Cafe - humble plating, but meaty!

Also, I did learn that each family had their own unique recipe. Some may not have any grains, while others may prefer oatmeal or barley. The vegetables may vary too depending on what is available in the market.

I am thinking this recipe will evolve with our family: most likely starting with the use of quinoa for grains and oh, do I dare say, adding kale! I think its a State law now in California that you must add kale to anything when you're cooking (joke).

Hope you enjoy!

Our Icelandic Holiday Celebration... in California

I have been in an Iceland Mode lately (with some minor breaks).  I was very inspired in our trip that I wanted to explore Icelandic food and cooking more. In fact, Iron Chef Michael Symon echoed how I felt in one of his shows (although he did not refer to Iceland). He said “Remember when I came back from Germany, I wanted to put dumplings in everything.” That is exactly how I feel... but not about the dumplings (this time).

For me, I was inspired with new food, flavors, and most of all, the fresh ingredients. I’ve been researching recipes, sometimes even translating Icelandic recipes (Takk fyrir, Google Translate), and of course, trying to experiment and recreating soups, dishes, and especially pastries that we’ve enjoyed.

Since it is the holidays, I thought it would be the best of both worlds if I write about how we adapted Icelandic Holidays and Feasts (and having a feast for only two people). 

Just a disclaimer, this post reflects what we had for Thanksgiving since we did go all out at that time (We knew Christmas would be hectic). We did design the menu so it would be more like an Icelandic Christmas. We went as far as we could, given our limited knowledge and ingredients.

Planning. Like all our meals in Iceland, we started with soup and for our entrees, had fish and lamb (not smoked though, since I can’t have it). Since we are having lamb, I opted to make vegetable soup. To make it more Icelandic Holiday style, we finished it off with Rice Pudding instead of all the cakes we (more I) enjoyed for dessert. We did have oatmeal cookies (more shortbread) handy though, just in case.

I also played with the idea of making bread for the first time, but I decided to defer it to a different time. Luckily and just in time, I found German-style rye bread at Whole Foods – Score! Not exactly Icelandic, but would do just fine! 

I also thought about trying out the caramelized potatoes but opted for a simple roast (with the lamb of course). The traditional sweet regular potatoes may be too much for my husband.

Here were the highlights of the evening:

Grænmetissúpa Með Höfrum

Vegetable soup with oats 

This recipe is from the Salt and Wind website by Blogger Ashlae Warner, who spent weeks in Iceland “uncovering that beautiful country.” I believe this recipe originated in the West Fjords, which we missed on our last trip.

Steikt þorski

Pan-fried Breaded Cod with cheese and yogurt-mustard sauce

This recipe is based on Baked cod, but I wanted to make it simpler. I deconstructed the recipe, used a panko-parmesian breading and made a yogurt sauce instead of baking with cream. Unfortunately, I could not find the source recipe at this time, but I will post an update when I find it.

Lambasteik

Roasted Lamb steak with onions and potatoes.

This is a traditional Sunday dinner in Iceland, and we decided to use for this special occasion. Lamb unfortunately is from New Zealand (Just missed the season).

Eplasalat

Apple Salad with dill and pomegranate seeds

This salad was inspired by a dish we had at the Apotek Restaurant in Reykjavík. We had scallops with apples and dill oil. I thought about this while I was cooking since I figured all this rich food needed a fresh component. As a result, I did not plan ahead and have dill oil prepared, but this is a good alternative. This recipe is loosely based on a apple and dill salad recipe from Cookbooks365.com.

Hrísgrjónagrautur

Rice Pudding with Bananas, Berry sauce and Skyr

Translates to Rice Grain Porridge. This is a traditional Icelandic dessert, especially for special occasions. This is based on Jamie Oliver’s recipe and a vegan recipe from Eating Well.

Overall, it was a simple but very hearty meal. Even though we were pretty conservative in our portions, we had leftovers for the next two days – which was the point of feasts anyway, right? We had soup for days, lamb sandwiches (instead of turkey), and my favorite way for leftover fish – fish cakes.  The rye bread became the vehicle for other sandwiches too: I could not resist having egg salad sandwiches on dark rye. I have not had those for a while.

Also, the leftover pudding – I made rice pudding pancakes for breakfast! They are another traditional Icelandic treat. Loved it!

Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to new adventures and abundance in the coming year. I hope this post inspires you to explore new food adventures.

To inspire your new adventures, here’s my Maddified recipe for rice pudding. Yummy and so easy, I may make a batch this weekend.

Gleðilegt nýtt ár.

Mad Gourmet’s Healtified Icelandic Style Rice Pudding

Based on Jamie Oliver’s Icelandic Rice Pudding and Eating Well’s Dairy-free Banana Rice Pudding

Serves 4 (1/2 cup servings)

Ingredients

Pudding:

• 1/2 cup brown basmati rice      
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tbsp gluten‐free vanilla almond milk, divided
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 stick cinnamon or 1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon (I used a full stick because I could not figure out how to do a clean break and I love cinnamon)
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract       
• Pinch or two of salt

Berry Topping:

• 1/4 cup of mixed berries
• 1 1/2 tsp of sugar
• water, to cover and smooth (about 1/2 cup)

Optional Garnishes:

• Raisins or currants, red currants if available
• Ground cinnamon
• (for non-vegans) Icelandic or Icelandic-style yogurt, vanilla

Directions

1. Put the berries in a stainless steel pan with 1/2 tablespoon of the sugar and enough water cover. Heat gently for 10 minutes, then add 5 tablespoons of cold water. Set aside. (If you prefer a smoother mixture, add 4-5 Tbsp of water and smooth in a blender.)
2. Combine rice, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes and bring to a boil.
3. Stir cornstarch and the remaining 1 Tbsp almond milk in a small bowl until smooth; add to the pudding.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the mixture has the consistency of porridge, stirring occasionally, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Mash 2 bananas in a small bowl. Stir the mashed bananas and vanilla into the pudding.
6. Spoon the cooked rice pudding into a serving dish, swirl the fruit sauce into it.
7. If desired, top with a dollop of Icelandic vanilla yogurt or scatter with raisins or fresh red currants before serving.

Mad Gourmet's Lamb Burgers ala Plaka

Gyros on a bun! (I need a better camera.)

Whoa! This is just too good not to share.

My husband had a craving for lamb burgers. Normally, he would be in charge of the kitchen in the evening, but we both were feeling a bit tired. So, I volunteered to cook while he gets the groceries.

Normally we would just have lettuce, tomatoes, Heinz 57 ketchup, and mustard (Gee, that sounds like a Jimmy Buffet song), but I thought I’d try something different. I thought a tsatziki sauce (Greek Yogurt Sauce) would be a sauce for lamb, so from memory, I asked my hubby to buy yogurt, cucumbers, lemon, and Italian parsley. He bought cilantro, though – he often gets those two mixed up. And obviously, I got it wrong (it should be mint).

I started looking through Google for a tzatziki sauce recipe, but I remembered that we bought a Greek recipe book years ago from our favorite Greek Festival in Oakland, CA. This was an awesome festival with great food made by Greek mothers and yiayias (grandmothers). It saved my iPod from being my recipe book, at least for tonight.

For some reason, I started looking through it and found the recipe for a Gyro Sandwich, Of course, I do not have oregano and thyme, but I think my Italian Seasoning has these and more. I know, I know… Greece and Italy are two different countries, but I got to make do with what I have. I think this would be a good blend to spice up the lamb.

Regarding the ingredients for the burgers, my apologies for it not being precise. I was winging it this time and was not measuring. I’ll measure it next time we make it and update this recipe.

Mad Gourmet’s Lamb Burgers ala Plaka

Adapted From “Kali Orexi! A Collection of Recipes by the Philoptochos Society of the Ascension Cathedral” (Oakland, CA)

Ingredients:

Tsatziki sauce:

• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 6 oz container of plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 2 T of chopped cilantro (I did not have mint)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Burgers:

• Ground lamb
• Italian seasoning, to taste (use sparingly, these herbs can be potent)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste (bring it on, just kidding)

Condiments:

• Tomatoes
• Red Onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Preparing the sauce:

1. With a sharp knife, peel cucumbers, cut into small dice.
2. Place in colander, sprinkle with salt. Let drain for an hour (I did not have time to do this).
3. Pat cucumber dry with paper towels (ergo, I did not need to do this, either).
4. Mix together garlic, cilantro, and yogurt, Season with pepper.
5. Stir in diced cucumber.
6. Chill while burgers are cooking.

Prepping the lamb patties:

1. Mix lamb and seasoning together. Note: Ideally, you should “marinate” the meat for an hour or two, but we did not plan ahead.
2. Make the patties and cook them in a hot pan (in olive oil) to our liking.
3. Split the hamburger buns and toast lightly on one side.
4. Spread tsatziki sauce on the buns.
5. Add lamb patties, tomatoes, and red onions.

Verdict:

These lamb burgers are awesome! It reminded my husband and I of the gyros we enjoyed in numerous Greek festivals or even in Greece! The only thing missing is a cold bottle of Mythos beer and you’re back in Old Town Plaka in Athens. Opa!