Lompe and pølse for Eurovision night

 

  

As the Eurovision final was being held in Oslo, Norway, I made miniature Norwegian hot dogs for our Eurovision tv night.  I wanted cute and kitsch. I used cheerios/cocktail frankfurts or as some Australians like to call them ‘little boys’ he he. Everyone said that these hot dogs tasted better than those with white bread buns (and they feel healthier). They are really pliable and tasty.

Sausage with lompe can be bought at Petrol stations and fast food carts  in Norway. Lompe are thicker than lefse and they don’t have ridges. Lompe also go well with scrambled eggs, swedish meatballs, jam, or cinnamon sugar and butter.

- and congratulations Germany!

  image from wikipedia

My lompe are made small for nibblies.  Before I first made them I read many long explanations of just the correct way to roll them and how it was very difficult and you had to use just the right amount of flour on the right part of the rolling out board.  However, I thought why not make them smaller, roll between two pieces of gladwrap, and then use a circular cookie cutter or a round plate to make them just the right shape?  This worked perfectly. 

It is not recommended to replace the cream with milk as they can become tough, apparently. Also, once you have added the flour the dough should be used straight away.

Lompe

adapted from Lefse Time (recipe, pictures and video) and britta.com (recipe and pictures)

3/4kg  to 1kg - 1.5 to 2lb potatoes (enough to make 4 cups riced potatoes)

1/4 cup butter

1-2 tsp sugar (optional)

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 tsp salt

1 to 1 - 1/2 cups flour

Cook the potatoes until tender in the most dry way possible eg you can bake them in their skins; or you can quarter them and steam them, peeled or unpeeled.  Otherwise, boil them in water, and drain them really well.

Push potatoes through a ricer while still hot (the ricer also removes the skins, however I usually peel mine first anyway).  If you don’t have a ricer, push peeled hot cooked potatoes through a sieve.

Measure out 4 cups (lightly packed) into another large bowl. Don’t waste a lot of time here, your potatoes need to be warm to melt butter in the next step.

To your 4 cups of riced potatoes, add 1/4 cup butter in pats so it melts in evenly. Stir a few times to get the butter mixed in well, then set your potatoes aside to cool completely, with a clean tea towel or gladwrap covering them so they don’t form a skin. The potatoes need to be cooled to at least room temperature. Leave to sit 2-3 hours if possible.  If the room is warm put them in the fridge, and try to bring back to room temperature before adding the next ingredients.

When your potatoes are cooled, mix in cream, salt, (sugar if using) and enough flour to make a dough (I didn’t use the full 1 and 1/2 cups of flour) (similar in texture to potato gnocchi). Stir until all the flour is mixed in evenly. Then knead (like bread dough) 10 times.

Depending how big you want your sheets correlates to the size of patties. To roll  nibbly-sized lompe like mine use a 15ml tablespoon. If you want bigger ones 1/3 cup  dough equals a 12 inch round approximately. This gives you a nice, not too thick, not too thin sheet.

Start by heating the pan.  It needs to be quite hot. The Lefse Time recipe and video stipulates 500 deg F (260 deg C).  I used a non-stick chapatti pan and a piece of wood that came with the pan for lifting and flipping over, on my gas stove.

Place a tablespoon of mixture between two pieces of gladwrap. Make sure the mixture remaining in the bowl is always recovered with a cloth. Using a regular rolling pin, roll out the dough over the top of the topmost gladwrap, and roll to an even thickness, fairly thin. Peel off top piece of gladwrap and cut a circle with a cookie cutter (I used a 9cm or  3 1/2”). Peel mixture off bottom piece of gladwrap and half lay on the wooden paddle. Gently manoeuvre onto hot pan.  Cook until the lompe browns underneath and flip over.  Cook again until brown. Lift up and put into a clean tea towel and cover up with the teatowel, so that it cools whilst covered. Repeat for remaining lompe. I found I could get 4 or 5 onto the pan at a time.

To store when cooled, put around 10 lompe into each sandwich sized plastic ziplock bag.  Intersperse with pieces of baking paper if you wish to freeze them. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Technorati Tags: lompe,lefse,potato cakes,potato tortillas,eurovision,eurovision final,cheerios,cocktail frankfurts,hot dogs,norwegian hot dogs

 

I had recently been reading on ongoing discussion in Column 8 in the SMH about all the weird and wonderful toppings people put on their crumpets:

SMH May 20, 2010 ''I am aware that stories of coincidence abound in your column,'' writes Mark Gibbins, of Erina. ''This afternoon while working in my rather cold law office with the rain streaming down outside, I decided to cook a crumpet to brighten the afternoon. I commenced the toasting process and pondered what to do while waiting. 'I'll read something funny in Column 8' I thought to myself, and the first words I read were 'Crumpets, yes please, yummy!'''

It's been far too long since we've heard from Lady Agatha Maberley, of Bowral, but it seems the aroma of crumpets was enough to inspire her to put quill to parchment: ''An afternoon crumpet is not an afternoon crumpet unless it has something of a savoury nature added,'' Lady Agatha insists, ''such as finely grated (genuine) cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of anchovy on top. They must be served piping hot, and as a starter with the 4pm cup of tea. If one wants a sweet condiment on something hot, then choose either toast or an English muffin, and I am not referring to those horrid dough balls sold in supermarkets.'' More curious crumpet cuisine tomorrow, and possibly beyond. Some of the suggestions have been truly bizarre …

SMH May 21, 2010 We may have to organise a bake-off (well, a toast-off), to achieve a resolution of the crumpet-topping imbroglio. But positions are so entrenched that we feel no one would be satisfied with the outcome, whatever it may be. Best perhaps to just pass on suggestions from the brave crumpeteers who have rushed to the barricades, toasters and toppings in hand. Welcome to Column 8's All-Crumpet Special Edition!

''I have just finished two crumpets spread with avocado and topped with chilli tuna, including the whole chilli, while reading this morning's Column 8.'' - Neil Jones, of Panania.

''A truly sensational crumpet topping was called 'thunder and lightning' by my father when we were kids,'' recalls Josie McSkimming, of Coogee. ''Golden syrup, followed by a thick layer of freshly whipped cream. Unbeatable.''

And on it goes … ''I think sweetened condensed milk with sprinkled cinnamon is bliss! In fact, this topping can magically enhance anything from toast to coffee to curry.'' - Cynthia Ma, of Hornsby. ''Spread macadamia paste on the crumpet, then top with cumquat marmalade, preferably homemade.'' - Jen Stone, of Armidale. ''Peanut butter, apple and sultanas. Delicious!'' - Graham Bannerman, of Lewisham. ''Butter and Gentleman's Relish (if you can find same),'' - Nick Lampe, of Turramurra.

''As an Australian of Norwegian heritage,'' writes Randi Svensen, of Leura, ''the best crumpet topping would have to be pickled herrings. Very easy to make, and just think how tasty that pickle juice would be soaked into the holes of the crumpet. Yum!''

Crumpet holes are the key to another suggestion, albeit one at the far end of the sweet'n'savoury spectrum, from Vashti Waterhouse, of Paddington: ''A friend of my daughter's swore by hundreds and thousands as a crumpet topping. The h&ts sink into the holes where their colours blend, but the taste is … interesting.''

This crumpets-as-confectionary concept is taken to extremes by Lesley Laker, of Cremorne, who advocates ''breaking up a chocolate Easter egg''. Lesley celebrates Easter by ''placing the shattered egg on a hot cross bun,'' but insists that ''it works just as well with crumpets.'' '

But even Lesley's topping is topped by Ivor F., of Doonside, who swears by ''a hot crumpet served with a scoop of ice-cream and a pickled onion''.

All this trumpeting of crumpeting has not been in vain - not for Patricia Smith, of Avalon, anyway. ''At last I have a reason to bring out my silver crumpet dish. Given as a wedding present 55 years ago, it has rarely seen the light of day. A very stylish and pretty piece, complete with domed lid, room to accommodate several crumpets, and an inner dish that fits over a space to hold hot water, to keep extra crumpets hot. Anyone for afternoon tea?'' We're on our way, Patricia, with a wheelbarrow of anchovies, cumquat marmalade and Gentleman's Relish.

Column8@smh.com.au

and then I was reading Coby’s recent entry on  The Claytons Blog discussing making them.  Which all left me wanting:

Crumpets

adapted from this recipe: from taste.com.au

Note: Don't expect to create anything like the supermarket crumpet. Homemade crumpets are heavier, tastier and have far more texture. If the crumpet sizes look odd it’s because I used my cookie cutter set in graduated sizes so I ended up with different sized crumpets!

Ingredients

• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp (7g/1 sachet) dried yeast
• 250ml (1 cup) warm milk
• 250ml (1 cup) warm water
• 450g (3 cups) bread flour
• 1 1/2 tsp bread improver
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 250ml (1 cup) water, extra
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Vegetable oil, to grease
• Butter, to serve
• Honey, to serve

Method

1. Combine the sugar and yeast in a medium bowl. Gradually pour in the warm milk and water and stir until yeast dissolves. Cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm, draught-free place for 10 minutes or until mixture is frothy.

2. Combine the flour, bread improver and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draught-free place to prove for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

3. Combine extra water and bicarbonate of soda in a jug. Use an electric beater to beat the flour mixture for 1 minute or until mixture deflates. Gradually add the water mixture, beating well between additions, until well combined and smooth. Cover batter with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour to rest.

4. Brush a large non-stick frying pan with vegetable oil to lightly grease. Brush six 7.5cm-diameter high-sided cookie cutter rings (or use 70z or 210g  tuna tins with tops and bottoms removed)  with oil to lightly grease. Place cookie cutter rings in frying pan over medium-low heat. Pour 60ml (1/4 cup) of batter into each ring. Cook for 7 minutes or until large bubbles come to the surface, the base is golden and the top is set and dry. Pick up cookie cutters from the pan, then use an egg lifter to turn and cook crumpets for a further 1 minute or until golden.  Lift crumpets onto a wire rack. Set aside. Repeat, in 4 more batches, with remaining batter, greasing and reheating the pan and cookie cutters with oil between each batch.

To serve, toast crumpets in a toaster and serve with whatever is your favourite topping.

Technorati Tags: crumpets,yeast,crumpet toppings