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Meat forcemeat

Erken's basic recipe for meat forcemeat from 1 kg beef with potato starch, suet, cream and milk, with directions for meat pudding in a water bath, meatballs, frikadeller (flat meat patties) and timbales.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 181 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

The basic recipe for meat forcemeat is a cornerstone of Erken's meat chapter: the same mixture is used for meat pudding, meatballs, frikadeller and timbales. The meat used to be scraped or pounded in a mortar; in 1914 the meat grinder was still relatively new in Norwegian kitchens.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Trim the meat

    Cut the meat into slices along the muscle fibers. Remove sinews and membranes (boil them in the stock pot if you like). Cut the meat into cubes.

  2. 2

    Grind and salt

    Grind the meat 1–2 times together with the salt, and chop it a little afterwards if you like.

  3. 3

    Work in the potato starch

    Work the forcemeat well together with the potato starch for at least a quarter of an hour, in a mortar, stand mixer or food processor.

  4. 4

    Thin

    Thin gradually, a little at a time, with the boiled, completely cold milk and cream. Stir in the nutmeg and the finely chopped suet. Forcemeat for pudding may be a bit looser than for balls.

  5. 5

    Test ball

    Boil a small test ball in stock or water to check the flavor and consistency.

  6. 6

    Meat pudding

    Grease a pudding mold, fill it with forcemeat, set the mold in a roasting pan with boiling water and bake in the oven at 175 °C (345 °F) for about 1 hour.

  7. 7

    Serving

    Serve with a brown, sharp sauce, celery sauce or mushroom sauce.

  8. 8

    Balls and frikadeller

    Shape balls with a spoon dipped in cold water and let them poach for 5 minutes in the stock. Frikadeller are shaped as flat, round patties, poached in stock and served in brown sauce, or browned first in butter and given a quick boil in the sauce.

  9. 9

    Timbales

    Fill greased timbale molds with forcemeat, make a hollow with a teaspoon and fill it with boiled, cold asparagus, celery or peas. Lay a lid of forcemeat over, smooth with a teaspoon dipped in cold water, cover with greased paper and cook in a water bath in the oven for 20 minutes. Do not fill the molds completely full.

Changes from the original

Amounts are given in modern measures (dl, tsp, tbsp). Suet can be replaced by butter or cream by modern cooks; mortar-pounding has been replaced by a grinder/food processor. The water-bath time and temperature have been specified.

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Time machine – what changed?

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

1949 (proofread, p. 211) → 1914 (proofread, p. 181)~38% of the text changedremovedadded
Ingredienser: i 1 kg. renskåret oksekjøtt, renskaaret oksekjøt 1 spiseske salt 15 gr. potetesmel, % spiseskje salt, % teskje reven muskat, potetesmel 125 gr. finhakket nyretalg, nyretalg ca. % 1/2 l. fløte, % fløte 1/4 l. melk. Kjøttet melk 1/4 teske reven muskat. Kjøttet, helst av låret, laaret, men også ogsaa bogen benyttes. Kjøttet skjæres i skiver langs med trevlene, trevlerne, skrapes ganske fint eller opskjæres og males 12 1—2 ganger med saltet. I begge tilfelle tilfælde bør det hakkes litt efterpå. efterpaa. Sener og slintrer borttas borttages og benyttes i kraftgryten; kjøttet støtes i morter med potetesmelet i minst ½ mindst 1/4 time, spes spædes litt efter litt med den kokte, aldeles kolde fløte og melk, eller man kan spe spæde melken i kvernen, men ganske sakte, sagte, idet man videre maler 6 ganger og derefter rører fløten i litt efter litt. Muskat, om man vil, og den ganske finhakkede nyretalg røres i. — Farse Farce til pudding kan være noe noget løsere enn end til boller; man gjør rettest i å at koke en prøvebolle, også for å prøve om der er krydret nok. prøvebolle. Til pudding smøres formen, fylles fyldes med farse; farce; formen settes sættes i en panne pande med kokende vann vand og koker i ovnen ca. i 1 time. Serveres med brun, skarp saus, sellerisaus, champignonsaus o. s. v. Av farsen farcen kan lages boller; disse lages med skje, ske, dyppet i koldt vann vand, og småtrekker smaatrækker 5 minutter i kraften. Frikadeller lages som flatere runde kaker, kokes i kraften og serveres i brun saus, eller de kan først brunes i smør på stekepannen paa stekepanden og gis gives et knapt opkok i sausen. — Farsen Farcen kan også fylles ogsaa fyldes i smurte timbalformer; med en teskje teske gjøres en fordypning midt i, og heri fylles fyldes kokte, kolde asparges, selleri, erter o. s. v. Over legges lokk lægges lok av farsen; farce; glattes med teskje, teske, dyppet i koldt vann; vand; koker i vannbad vandbad i ovnen 20 minutter. Et smurt papir legges lægges over formene. Fyll formerne. Fyld ikke formene formerne ganske fulle. fulde.

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Frequently asked questions

Which cut of beef is best suited to this forcemeat?
Preferably trimmed meat from the leg, but the shoulder can also be used. Sinews and gristle are cut away and used in the stock pot instead.
Why must the cream and milk be completely cold?
The cream is boiled and cooled completely before it is added a little at a time. Cold liquid makes the forcemeat bind and keeps it from separating. For 1 kg of meat you use about 1/2 l cream and 1/4 l milk.
How long must the meat be worked?
After scraping or grinding with the salt, the meat is pounded in a mortar with the potato starch for at least a quarter of an hour. If you use a meat grinder, it is ground about 6 times while the milk is thinned in carefully, before the cream is stirred in a little at a time.
Can I leave out the nutmeg?
Yes, the recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, but Schønberg Erken writes 'if desired' — it is optional.

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