Why do the caraway greens float up in the soup?

Because the stock was added too fast. Thin the boiling meat stock little by little into the butter-and-flour roux, and let the soup come to a boil between each addition – otherwise the greens separate from the roux and settle on top.

How do I prepare the caraway greens?

Clean them well and rinse in many changes of water. Then chop them finely, or grind them four times in the meat grinder.

What is served in the soup?

Poached eggs, hard-boiled eggs halved, or egg dumplings. Salt the soup to taste.

What are the proportions?

For 6 servings: one dessert plateful of caraway greens, 80 g butter, 60 g wheat flour and 2 liters of meat stock. Total time about 40 minutes. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 51.

Caraway Greens Soup

Name: Caraway Greens Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 4 dl caraway greens (young caraway leaves) (loosely packed, about 1 dessert plateful); 80 g butter; 60 g wheat flour; 2 l meat stock (boiling); salt (to taste); poached eggs, sliced hard-boiled eggs or egg dumplings (for serving)

A thickened spring soup of finely chopped caraway greens with a butter-and-flour roux thinned with meat stock, served with egg or egg dumplings.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 51 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Caraway greens are the young leaves of caraway, a classic spring ingredient in Norwegian cooking. Erken stresses that the leaves must be cleaned and chopped very finely, or they separate from the flour-based roux and float up.

How to make it

1
Clean the greens
Clean the caraway greens well, rinse them in several changes of water, and chop them finely or run them four times through the meat grinder.
2
Make the roux
Melt the butter in a pot and stir in the flour.
3
Add the greens
Stir in the chopped caraway greens.
4
Thin with stock
Thin with the boiling meat stock a little at a time, and let the soup come to a boil between each addition. Otherwise the caraway greens separate from the roux and float up.
5
Season and serve
Season with salt. Serve with poached eggs, sliced hard-boiled eggs or egg dumplings in the soup.

Changes from the original

The amount of butter is interpreted as 80 g (the OCR gave "8 gr.", which is implausible against 60 g flour). "1 desserttallerkenfuld" is estimated at about 4 dl of loosely packed leaves. Old measures are kept where they are unambiguous, and the method is rewritten into steps.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 Modernised

To1914 Modernised

Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 51)~84% of the text changedremovedadded

~~4 dl karvekål (unge karveblader) (løst pakket, ca.~~ 1 ~~dessertallerken full).~~ desserttallerkenfuld karvekaal 80 ~~g smør.~~ gr. smør 60 ~~g hvetemel.~~ gr. hvetemel 2 l kjøttkraft (kokende). salt (etter smak). forlorne egg, hardkokte egg i skiver eller eggeboller (til servering). Rens karvekålen godt, skyll den i flere vann, og finhakk den eller kjør den fire ganger gjennom kjøttkvernen.. l. kjøtkraft. Smelt ~~smøret i en gryte og~~ smørret, rør ~~inn melet.. Rør inn~~ i melet, ha i den hakkede ~~karvekålen.. Spe~~ karvekaal, spæd med den kokende ~~kjøttkraften~~ kraft litt ~~om gangen, og la suppen~~ efter litt. La det koke ~~opp mellom~~ op mellem hver ~~speing. Ellers~~ spædning, ellers slipper ~~karvekålen~~ karvekaalen jevningen og flyter ~~opp.. Smak til med salt. Server~~ ovenpaa. Det er ikke sjelden at se det! Salt efter smak; forlorne egg, ~~oppskårne hardkokte~~ haardkokte, overskaarne egg eller eggeboller serveres i suppen. NB. Kaalen maa renses vel, skylles i mange vand, finhakkes eller males fire ganger paa kjøtkvernen.

Note on Modernised

Mengden smør er tolket som 80 g (OCR gav «8 gr.», som er urimelig mot 60 g mel). «1 desserttallerkenfuld» er anslått til ca. 4 dl løst pakkede blader. Gamle mål er beholdt der de er entydige, og fremgangsmåten er skrevet om til trinn.

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Frequently asked questions

Why do the caraway greens float up in the soup?: Because the stock was added too fast. Thin the boiling meat stock little by little into the butter-and-flour roux, and let the soup come to a boil between each addition – otherwise the greens separate from the roux and settle on top.
How do I prepare the caraway greens?: Clean them well and rinse in many changes of water. Then chop them finely, or grind them four times in the meat grinder.
What is served in the soup?: Poached eggs, hard-boiled eggs halved, or egg dumplings. Salt the soup to taste.
What are the proportions?: For 6 servings: one dessert plateful of caraway greens, 80 g butter, 60 g wheat flour and 2 liters of meat stock. Total time about 40 minutes. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 51.

Equipment for this dish

Cast-iron cookware set →Cast iron handles long, slow simmering – just what soups and stocks need.Engrospris.no

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