Erken's basic forcemeat: 1 kg beef, 1 liter cream (or half milk plus 200 g suet), 1 tbsp potato starch and 1 tbsp salt. The meat is scraped or ground 6 times with salt, the suet is added and ground 3 more times; the potato starch is worked in for 20 minutes before slow thinning spoon by spoon. Forcemeat for pudding is looser than for balls. Pudding is cooked in a water bath in the oven for 30–60 minutes; balls poach 3–5 minutes in stock, frikadeller (flat meat patties) 8 minutes.
Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 643 (falt i det fri)
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About the dish
This is Erken's basic recipe for meat forcemeat, the backbone of Norwegian household cooking: meat pudding, meatballs and frikadeller. Before the meat grinder became common, the meat was scraped and rubbed on a board; Erken explains both methods and places great emphasis on slow thinning so the forcemeat does not separate.
How to make it
1
Prepare the meat
Dry the meat with a cloth wrung out in hot water. Cut it into slices along the fibers and scrape it on both sides.
2
Grind
If the meat is finely scraped and rubbed on a board, it need not be ground. Otherwise grind it 6 times together with the salt; then add the suet and grind 3 more times.
3
Work in the potato starch
Stir in the potato starch and work the forcemeat well for 20 minutes.
4
Thin
Thin with cream (and milk) one spoonful at a time, working well between each spoon. If thinned too fast, the forcemeat turns short and grainy. Half the liquid can be added by the time the meat has been ground 12 times; the rest is stirred in in a bowl. Spices are added at the very end.
5
Rest
If you let the almost fully thinned forcemeat rest overnight, you can usually add a little more liquid the next day.
6
Meat pudding
Forcemeat for pudding should be looser than for balls. Grease the mold and fill in the forcemeat to a finger's width from the rim. Cook in a water bath in the oven at about 175 °C (345 °F) for 30–60 minutes. If the pudding is to be reheated, set it in a water bath in the oven for about 45 minutes.
7
Meatballs
Shape the balls with a spoon and place them, one by one, on a flat dish with a little warm stock. Lower the dish beneath the stock in the pot so the balls slide off. Small balls poach 3 minutes, larger ones 5 minutes.
8
Frikadeller
Shape somewhat elongated frikadeller, treat them like meatballs and let them poach for 8 minutes in meat stock.
Changes from the original
Amounts are given in modern units (dl, g, tbsp). Suet is kept as an optional alternative; today only cream and milk are often used. 'Grind 6–12 times' is interpreted as repeated grinding on a fine plate in a modern meat grinder or stand mixer. Cooking time in the water bath is given with oven temperature.
📖1914
Original 1914 recipe
Verbatim from the first edition of the Big Cookbook.
Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket
ProofreadPage 643
1 kg. oksekjøt
1 l. fløte, eller ½ fløte, ½ melk og 200 gr. nyretalg
1 spiseske potetesmel
1 spiseske salt
(muskatblomme eller pepper, hvis man vil)
Kjøttet tørres over med kjøtklæde, opvridd i varmt vand, skjæres i skiver langs med trevlerne og skrapes paa begge sider. Finskrapes kjøttet og derefter gnides paa fjøl, behøver man ikke at male det; grovskraper man, maa det males 6 ganger med saltet, derpaa tilsættes nyretalgen, og man maler 3 ganger til. Nu irøres potetesmelet, og farcen arbeides med dette i 20 minutter; derefter begynder spædningen, idet man spæder 1 ske ad gangen og arbeider godt mellem hver ske. Spæder man for raskt, blir farcen for kort og kornet. Benytter man kvernen under spædningen, maa man være likesaa forsigtig. Halvparten av spædningen kan være tilsat, naar man har malet kjøttet 12 ganger; resten arbeides i ved røring i en bolle. Lar man kjøtfarcen omtrent færdig spædet staa natten over, kan man som regel tilsætte noget mere væske. Krydderier som pepper og muskat haves i tilsidst.
Farce til pudding maa være løsere end til boller. Smør formen, fyld farcen i til en finger fra kanten. Koker i vandbad i ovnen ½—1 time. Naar puddingen igjen skal varmes til bruk, maa den sættes i vandbad i ovnen igjen ca. ¾ time.
Kjøtboller lages med ske og kokes i kraft, de lægges efterhvert paa flatt fat i litt varm kraft; naar de skal kokes, dyppes fatet under kraften i gryten, herved glir bollerne ned; smaa boller smaatrækker i 3 minutter, større i 5 minutter.
Frikadeller lages litt langagtige, behandles ellers som kjøtboller og smaatrækker i 8 minutter i kjøtkraft.
📖1949
Revised 1949 recipe
From the revised edition of the Big Cookbook.
Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket
ProofreadPage 776
1 kg. oksekjøtt, 1 l. fløte eller 1/2 l. fløte og 1/2 l. melk og 200 gr. nyretalg, 1 spiseskje potetesmel, 1 — salt, (muskatplomme eller pepper, hvis man vil).
In stores now
Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.
1914 (proofread, p. 643) → 1949 (proofread, p. 776)~95% of the text changedremovedadded
1 kg. oksekjøt oksekjøtt, 1 l. fløte, fløte eller ½ fløte, ½ 1/2 l. fløte og 1/2 l. melk og 200 gr. nyretalg nyretalg, 1 spiseske potetesmel spiseskje potetesmel, 1 spiseske salt (muskatblomme — salt, (muskatplomme eller pepper, hvis man vil) Kjøttet tørres over med kjøtklæde, opvridd i varmt vand, skjæres i skiver langs med trevlerne og skrapes paa begge sider. Finskrapes kjøttet og derefter gnides paa fjøl, behøver man ikke at male det; grovskraper man, maa det males 6 ganger med saltet, derpaa tilsættes nyretalgen, og man maler 3 ganger til. Nu irøres potetesmelet, og farcen arbeides med dette i 20 minutter; derefter begynder spædningen, idet man spæder 1 ske ad gangen og arbeider godt mellem hver ske. Spæder man for raskt, blir farcen for kort og kornet. Benytter man kvernen under spædningen, maa man være likesaa forsigtig. Halvparten av spædningen kan være tilsat, naar man har malet kjøttet 12 ganger; resten arbeides i ved røring i en bolle. Lar man kjøtfarcen omtrent færdig spædet staa natten over, kan man som regel tilsætte noget mere væske. Krydderier som pepper og muskat haves i tilsidst. Farce til pudding maa være løsere end til boller. Smør formen, fyld farcen i til en finger fra kanten. Koker i vandbad i ovnen ½—1 time. Naar puddingen igjen skal varmes til bruk, maa den sættes i vandbad i ovnen igjen ca. ¾ time. Kjøtboller lages med ske og kokes i kraft, de lægges efterhvert paa flatt fat i litt varm kraft; naar de skal kokes, dyppes fatet under kraften i gryten, herved glir bollerne ned; smaa boller smaatrækker i 3 minutter, større i 5 minutter. Frikadeller lages litt langagtige, behandles ellers som kjøtboller og smaatrækker i 8 minutter i kjøtkraft. vil).
1 kg beef, 1 liter cream (or half cream and half milk plus 200 g suet), 1 tablespoon potato starch and 1 tablespoon salt. Mace or pepper can be added if desired.
Must the meat be ground in a meat grinder?
No — if the meat is finely scraped and then rubbed on a board, you do not need to grind it. Coarsely scraped meat must be ground 6 times with the salt, then the suet is added and it is ground 3 more times.
Why must the thinning with cream go slowly?
The cream is added one spoonful at a time, with thorough working between each spoon. If you thin too fast, the forcemeat turns short and grainy. The potato starch is stirred in first and the forcemeat is worked with it for 20 minutes.
Where does the recipe come from?
From Henriette Schønberg Erken's 'Stor kokebok' (1914), page 643, in the chapter on butchering, sausages and forcemeats. The forcemeat is used for pudding, balls and sausages, and yields about 8 servings.
