This, being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how different countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may even be a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat and what I can find in my research.
This meal is fantastic in that it is simple, uses few ingredients, and develops complex and bold, rich flavors. The braised trio of meats come out similar to short ribs, but less fatty. The cookery of the dish involves a few seemingly extra steps, but it is a shorter preparation and less fussy than the original that involves even more steps. The mashed swede is a first for me. Initially, I was wondering if this was some slur against their Nordic neighbors. But, no, “swede” is actually the local pronunciation of what we know as rutabagas. While rutabagas were cultivated and perfected in Sweden, the people we refer to as “Swedes” pronounce their country name as Sverige, so there really is no confusing the two...until the English language gets involved.
But, back to the rutabagas. They are very similar to mashed potato, except I laid off on the butter so you can tell you’re not simply eating mashed potatoes - because that would ruin the point of my premise of making an authentic foreign dish! They are finished with coriander (cilantro) which really adds a unique herbal reinforcement and surprising hint of sweetness to the root vegetable that has also been spiked with freshly ground nutmeg. In that Portuguese red blends are highly popular in Finland, I went with the same, and I highly suggest you find one you like. I would recommend the one I found from Casa Santos Lima which scored 90 points from Wine Enthusiast.
Karelian Stew with Mashed Swede
This recipe finishes with tender meat, but is very light on any excess sauce. If you would like more sauce, increase both the wine and broth by an additional half cup.
Stew
Vegetable oil
1 lb chuck steak
1 lb lamb shoulder
1 lb pork shoulder
2 onions
~1 tsp whole allspice
~½ tsp peppercorns
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
Bay leaf
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef broth
Prepared mashed swede (see below for recipe)
Dice your meat into rough 1-inch chunks and heavily season with kosher salt and pepper. Preheat a large dutch oven, with 2 tbsp vegetable oil, over medium-high heat and brown the meat for about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.
Meanwhile, slice your onions (¼-inch wide). Once the meat has browned, add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to any remaining fat left from browning the meat. Stir in with a pinch of table salt and reduce the heat to medium. Once the onion has softened, browned, and some caramelization forms on the edges, remove the onions to a separate bowl from the meat.
Return the pot to the burner over high flame and add the wine and broth and bring to a full boil, stirring to remove any fond from the bottom of the pot. Then stir in the reserved meat. Stir in the allspice, peppercorns, bay leaf, and thyme. Top evenly with the reserved onions. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Then preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Once the oven has reached temperature, place the covered pot in the lower third of the oven and cook for an hour.
After 30 minutes of cooking in the oven, begin to prepared the mashed swede. After an additional 30 minutes (60 minutes cooking in the oven overall) turn the oven off and let the pot sit, covered, in the oven until you are ready to serve the meal. Mashed Swede
5 lbs rutabaga, peeled and cut into ~1-inch chunks
4 tbsp butter
2 cups of cream
~½ tsp or more freshly ground nutmeg
2 tbsp finely minced cilantro
Place the peeled and cut rutabaga chunks in a large pot and cover with 2-3 inches of water and 1 tbsp of table salt. Bring to a boil, over high heat, then c reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, approximately 25 minutes. When tender, drain in a colander.
Place the empty pot back over the heat and add the cream and butter. Once the mixture starts to simmer, add the drained rutabagas back to the pot and roughly mash. Stir in the nutmeg and more salt, along with freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Then, stir in the minced cilantro.
To serve, place a helping of mashed swede on a plate and top with stewed meat and onions. Just be sure to remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the stew before serving. Pair with a Portuguese red blend.
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Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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