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.

Discovery Weekend (Extended): Mad Gourmet’s Epic Icelandic Food Saga

I have not had a Discovery Weekend post in a while since I decided to not focus on restaurant experiences in my blog. That is what Yelp, Foursquare, and Instagram are for, right? However, this last adventure inspired me to do one...

We recently returned from a fabulous adventure to the Land of Fire and Ice. It was a much needed rest from work and all the things that occupy us in our normal lives.  It was my husband’s choice this time, so he decided (with some of my influence) to go to Iceland (There is obviously a longer story behind this). We have been seeing a number of pictures on the web, and the country looks spectacular.

Our choice of tours was an 8-day guided classic circle tour around the island.  The tour would take us in different places around the country and allowed us to experience the varying landscape and environments. It’s really like a cruise – except on wheels (and you may need to unload your luggage every night).

Originally, I did not plan to blog about this trip because I was not expecting a lot about my food choices. As you all know by now, I have strict medical dietary restrictions so I was not expecting to have a lot of options as we tour the country. Obviously, I changed my mind after the trip.

Let us take you on short food adventure around the island, and tell us what you think...

Dinner first evening at the Old Icelandic Restaurant in Reykjavik. This is our first close encounter with cod in Iceland. I am not sure what it is, but cod tastes different here: so fresh, light and tender. Absolutely, delicious  and not a bad start...can I have another?

I did say "have another," didn't I? How about some cod in the form of Fish and Chips? This is our dinner in Akureyri at Akureyri Fish and Chips. How can you improve fried food? Make it with the best cod ever. This place is has a very hipster vibe. They have open seating, music, and funky sauces. I had mine with mango chili sauce, while my husband (who is patiently waiting in the background for the photo shoot) had it with traditional vinegar. The vinegar is served in a perfume bottle (so verify before you spray it on the fish or yourself - unless you are into that).

I really cannot go two pictures into this post without a mention of soups. I think we had soup with most of our dinners. My husband and I usually share an appetizer or two and an entree since we're not big eaters. It also can cut on the cost (Iceland is somewhat pricey). This is a curry fish soup also from Akureyri Fish and Chips (and my attempt of brand photographing). It has a very unique flavor and great with the fish and chips. You know, I will be looking for this soup recipe. Admittedly, we're hungrier than usual that day (probably from all the hiking) and should have ordered a bowl. 

My favorite soup is the Kjötsúpa or the Lamb meat soup. I actually had this on our first evening in Reykjavik but it does not photograph as well (Don't worry, there is one coming). This is a very simple soup made with lamb and vegetables (usually potatoes and carrots). I think what makes this soup is the quality of Icelandic lamb. Talk about free range... The sheep usually roam free around the country, which results in tasty and tender meat.

Speaking of soup, one cannot have good soup without good bread. The bread is probably half the equation. Breads here are so good and come in different varieties: oats, rye, spelt, barley. Since I occasionally need a wheat break, having gluten-free options are great! I probably had one of the best gluten-free breads also at the Aurora Restaurant in our hotel (Iceland Air Hotel Akureyri). These are also freshly baked... so good! Other hotels do not have GF bread like this.

Unfortunately, vegans - options are few, if not limited.

We didn't eat this well all the time. Sometimes we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere (somewhere in the midst of pseudo-craters) or the coffee shop was not serving food yet (what?). There were very limited options. In those instances, my husband opted for a deli sandwich, the freshest one that he could find and I had Skyr, the Icelandic yogurt, with one of my nut bars from my stash. I think in this photo, I ran out of bars and am carrying and munching on (what I luckily thought as) honey peanuts. The Dark Chocolate Kit Kat Bar? Those who follow me in Instagram know that I am obsessed with them, especially when I travel overseas where they have unique flavors and approaches. I can't wait for Paris where there is alledgedly a huge Kit Kat bar... but I digress. Oooh, pumpkin Kit Kat.... sorry, back to the adventure.

Of course, there are times where we ate very very well, also, because there were few options and our legs are too relaxed and are like jello from the hot mineral sulfur baths. When we were in Myatvn, a town of 200 people, we had the opportunity to taste reindeer at Hotel Reynihlid. My husband finished the steak; I just had a bite. The server said that the owner just shot it with a bow and arrow "in the east", and they are making the most of the meat. Now, that is sustainable hunting. Expectedly, the steak was gamey, yet tender and had a unique flavor, closer to, but not quite like, venison. For my sake, it was well done, but spiced well.

Other exotic meats are also available in Iceland but we did not want to try: Puffin, the black and white birds with a colorful beak, and Minke Whale. Puffin allegedly tastes like liver, and whale like beef (Forget it, PASS - for various reasons). 

If you think 200 people in one town is tiny, our lunch the next day was in the middle of nowhere, literally. According to our guide, the town name translates to "Middle of Nowhere". We stopped at a small farm house and enjoyed a simple lunch of soup and bread at Fjallakaffi (Mountain cafe). My husband had the curry vegetable soup, Grænmetissúpa. He wanted to have Icelandic moss soup, but it was out of season. I had my favorite Kjötsúpa. I figured I should take advantage of lamb soup while we're still in the country (I got to find a recipe). We were even visited by a pair of juvenile Arctic fox during lunch.

In addition to cod, we had our share of char and salmon. The char in Iceland Hotel Klaustur is considered to be the best trout anywhere. It is raised in the water that comes directly from under the Skaftáreldahraun lava field. As always, the fish was perfectly grilled and delicious. I started with cauliflower soup while my husband had lobster soup.

While we also had fish while we were in Fludir, the highlight of our visit in that city were the geothermal greenhouses. Call me old-school, but I think this is the most foodie of the foodie stops that we had. We visited Friðheimar where fresh tomatoes are grown year-round in electronically lit greenhouses. The greenhouses are powered by geothermal energy from the ground, the water for irrigation coming from the numerous rivers and waterfalls in the country. Talk about sustainable! The tomatoes are delicious and the tomato soup sold in the bar is delicious, so light and fresh and perfect with rye bread. I could not resist.

Alas, we returned to Reykjavik and our trip is almost ending. In our last full day, we went to the famous Blue Lagoon, just for a look and lunch. The lunch at the Lava restaurant was phenomenal and world-class. My husband and I shared a three course lunch. Each course was delicious and beautifully plated: we had lobster soup for an appetizer, lamb as main course, and ice cream and chocolate caramel mousse with an Icelandic donut for dessert. The soup was topped with creme fraiche, white chocolate (yes, chocolate) and seaweed flakes. It also had two langostines in the soup. Oh heavens! This restaurant is worthy for a landmark like Blue Lagoon.

Sadly, our trip had to end. We did have one last chance to have Kjötsúpa and langoustine at Norð in the Keflavik International Airport. Really what other airport can you have four lobster tails for lunch and with sunchokes too. Now, we're ready for the long flight home...

I hope you enjoyed our virtual food trip. Overall, Iceland was a wonderful experience: the majestic mountains, volcanoes, waterfalls, glaciers, and even the vast expanses of lava fields or plains are quite magnificent. We had a great time! And when you enjoy it with good food and a great beer, it makes it more enjoyable. 

Hope you can also have an Icelandic adventure soon.

P.S. No trip to Iceland is complete without trying out an Icelandic hotdog or a pylsur. I had to make the mandatory foodie visit to Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, this is the hotdog stand made popular by President's Bill Clinton and by social media. In fact, there was already one Asian young lady waiting for hers and her mom's. As advised by the guide books, I got the one with everything on it, ketchup,  mustard, remoulade, raw onions, and get this, fried onions. They add an awesome and very unexpected crunch to it. I would get one more... if I was not on my way to breakfast.