North Wild Kitchen by Nevada Berg

Named by Saveur magazine as the 2016 Blog of the Year and Best New Voice, North Wild Kitchen and its author Nevada Berg have become one of the voices spreading the spirit of Norway around the world. Written from her 17th-century mountain farm in rural Norway, Nevada’s blog and Instagram feed offer a cornucopia of gorgeous-and achievable-ideas for home cooking and entertaining with the bonus that any of the recipes can work in both situations. 

In her debut cookbook, North Wild Kitchen: Home Cooking from the Heart of Norway, the self-taught cook shares her simple and charming approach focusing on seasonal food prepared brilliantly. This title combines rustic comfort with elegance. The photography is stunning with each dish styled to perfection by transforming simple, beautiful food into art without fuss. The beauty of Norway is well represented with every turn of the page revealing a peaceful sea scape, luscious landscape or inspirational plate of food. 

With dozens of mouthwatering recipes for Norwegian-inspired dishes, North Wild Kitchen features equally enticing photography of the food and the country’s landscape. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of Norwegian food culture-foraging, fishing, and farming; hunting, harvesting, and camping; baking, grilling, and frying. Along the way, Berg narrates the unique pleasures of Nordic life as she tends to her chickens, explores the outdoors, or sets a welcoming table. The author is both inviting and entertaining as she weaves her own experiences into each recipe, delivering a beautiful collection of good food and great living from the heart of Norway.

Prestel, the publisher, is sharing one of Nevada’s recipes with our members today and providing three copies in our giveaway below.  

 

Bread is a dietary staple in Scandinavia. Norwegians, like most Nordic people, enjoy a range of hearty breads with whole grains, coarse flours, nuts, and seeds. is loaf is my own invention and a cross between Kneipp bread (kneippbrød), barley bread (byggbrød), and rye bread (rugbrød). Kneipp bread is a whole-wheat bread, named after the German doctor Sebastian Kneipp. e recipe made its way to Norway in 1895, when the Hansen Bakery was the first to get a license to bake it and sell it. It’s the most commonly consumed bread in the country, which is why I used it as the base for this recipe. My version has a few more ingredients, including oats. It has well-rounded flavor and is oh-so-slightly sweet. e recipe makes two large loaves, so you can freeze one for later or even bake a half batch. 

 • makes 2 large loaves

  • 1 cup (120 g) rye flour

  • 1 cup (120 g) barley flour
  • 
 3⁄4 cup (90 g) quick-cooking oats
  • 2 3⁄4 cups plus 1 tablespoon (675 ml) lukewarm water
  • 1 1⁄4 cups (300 ml) milk
  • 5 1⁄2 cups (660 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 3 1⁄2 cups (420 g) whole-wheat flour
  • 1 ounce (25 g) fresh yeast or 1⁄3 ounce (8.5 g) active dry yeast
  • 1 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons Norwegian dark syrup or light molasses

In a large bowl, combine the rye flour, barley flour, and oats. Add 2 cups (480 ml) of the lukewarm water and let stand for 30 minutes.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until just warm to the touch.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the white flour, whole-wheat flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm milk, along with the remaining 3⁄4 cup plus
1 tablespoon (195 ml) lukewarm water and the dark syrup and knead on low speed until combined. Add the oat mixture and continue kneading for 5 minutes or until the dough becomes workable- it should be rather sticky.

On a floured surface, knead the dough a few times then shape into a ball. Transfer to a lightly buttered bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. On a floured surface, knead each ball of dough a few times then gently form into oval-shaped loaves. Using a sharp knife, make a couple of slits on the top of each loaf. Place the loaves on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with tea towels and let rise for 1 hour.

Dust the tops of the loaves with a little flour and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve with your favorite toppings and store at room temperature in a resealable plastic bag for up to 2 days. Alternatively, place the cooled loaves in airtight plastic bags and freeze for up to 2 months.

 

The publisher is offering three copies of this book to EYB Members in the US One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on January 22nd, 2019.

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58 Comments

  • laureljean  on  December 2, 2018

    Norwegian wafer cookies with juniper berry and espresso creams (Krumkaker)

  • Shelley.b  on  December 2, 2018

    Simple fish cakes

  • southerncooker  on  December 2, 2018

    I saw several recipes I'd love to try in this one. Son loves lamb but hates rosemary and many lamb recipes call for that herb. I saw several here that don't and I would especially like to try the
    Slow-roasted leg of lamb with dill and orange sauce .

  • ebs  on  December 2, 2018

    Bergen cinnamon buns Skillingsboller

  • lpatterson412  on  December 2, 2018

    Potato flatbread!

  • cpattersongo  on  December 2, 2018

    Rice porridge

  • vickster  on  December 3, 2018

    Apple Cake

  • sarahawker  on  December 3, 2018

    Caramel pudding (Karamellpudding)

  • kmn4  on  December 3, 2018

    Dried and salted cod stew (Bacalao)

  • ccav  on  December 3, 2018

    Rhubarb and juniper berry pie with a sour cream crust (Rabarbrapai med einerbær)

  • matag  on  December 4, 2018

    Aniseed waffles

  • Uhmandanicole  on  December 6, 2018

    Cured leg of lamb

  • t.t  on  December 7, 2018

    Brown cheese (Brunost)

  • Dannausc  on  December 8, 2018

    Brown cheese

  • eatysmith  on  December 9, 2018

    Multigrain Bread GROVBRØD!

  • Floramaven  on  December 9, 2018

    Venison stuffed cabbage rolls, and Garlic soup!

  • jason0389  on  December 11, 2018

    Definitely the wild garlic soup

  • thecharlah  on  December 11, 2018

    Dried and salted cod stew (Bacalao)

  • tennyogirl  on  December 13, 2018

    Multigrain Bread GROVBRØD

  • dtremit  on  December 15, 2018

    I bet we'd love the Potato flatbread (Potetflatbrød)

  • WCchopper  on  December 17, 2018

    Gosh that rhubarb and juniper berry pie with a sour cream crust sounds so fascinating!

  • jinni  on  December 19, 2018

    Twisted bread with carrots and oats (Pinnebrød).

  • elsid22  on  December 22, 2018

    Wild garlic soup!

  • ltsuk  on  December 22, 2018

    blueberry marshmallows

  • CynthiasCooking  on  December 24, 2018

    First I would like to make Rhubarb and juniper berry pie with a sour cream crust (Rabarbrapai med einerbær) – and then the potato salad with sorrel would absolutely be something I'd want to try.

  • MiMi60  on  December 24, 2018

    Twisted bread with carrots and oats (Pinnebrød).

  • LaurenE  on  December 26, 2018

    Aniseed waffles

  • TrishaCP  on  January 1, 2019

    Lemony baked salmon

  • banba1  on  January 2, 2019

    Creamy chanterelle and goat cheese skillet

  • tarae1204  on  January 3, 2019

    Moose burger if they offer a substitute for moose!

  • Amandaspamanda  on  January 4, 2019

    Creamy chanterelle and goat cheese skillet sounds divine, I'd love to try it!

  • PennyG  on  January 5, 2019

    Potato flatbread (Potetflatbrød)

  • Livia  on  January 6, 2019

    Definitely the Shaved cured pork with pickled fennel and strawberries (Salat med spekeskinke)

  • lgroom  on  January 7, 2019

    carmel pudding

  • Nrshelley  on  January 8, 2019

    Wild garlic soup! Yum!

  • Shelley.b  on  January 8, 2019

    Apple cake

  • Kduncan  on  January 9, 2019

    Beer-braised lamb shanks with root vegetables (Ølbraiserte lammeskanker)

  • Karla123  on  January 10, 2019

    Multigrain bread!

  • ASingleServing  on  January 11, 2019

    It's hard to decide–either the slow roasted leg of lamb, or the lamb and cabbage stew.

  • brigs03  on  January 11, 2019

    Wild strawberry soup

  • Lkitchings  on  January 11, 2019

    Simple fish cakes (Fiskekaker)

  • melissamcd  on  January 11, 2019

    Multi-grain Bread

  • Knordahl  on  January 11, 2019

    Apple cake

  • demomcook  on  January 11, 2019

    Brown cheese (Brunost)

  • fbrunetti  on  January 12, 2019

    Gravlax with mustard sauce and dill-stewed potatoes

  • KarenDel  on  January 12, 2019

    Juniper beer (Einerøl)

  • leilx  on  January 12, 2019

    Cardamom hot chocolate with blueberry marshmellows! Also no dressing slaw

  • mrscahughes  on  January 12, 2019

    brown cheese yum

  • mklittle  on  January 12, 2019

    Rye bread

  • ktpotat  on  January 12, 2019

    Wild garlic soup

  • sequoia55  on  January 13, 2019

    Apple Cake

  • sequoia55  on  January 13, 2019

    Apple Cake

  • orchidlady01  on  January 14, 2019

    Lemony baked salmon with cucumber salad

  • RickPearson54  on  January 14, 2019

    apple cake

  • BMeyer  on  January 15, 2019

    cinnamon buns

  • edyenicole  on  January 17, 2019

    apple cake!

  • ckbkcollector  on  January 19, 2019

    Lemony baked salmon with cucumber salad (Ovnsbakt laks med agurksalat)

  • starzine  on  January 24, 2019

    Wild nettle and honey cake (Brenneslekake).

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