Skip to content

Lightly Cured Breast of Lamb

Lightly cured (lightly salted) breast of lamb from Erken's Stor kokebok 1914: the breast is rubbed with salt, saltpeter, and sugar, left for 4–5 days, boiled, and served with creamed vegetables; the stock is used for soup.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 242 (falt i det fri)

Be the first to rate

About the dish

"Sprengt" meat means lightly salted meat, a common everyday technique before the age of the refrigerator. Erken uses a dry cure with saltpeter to preserve the red color, and the stock was always used further for soup.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Mix the salt cure

    Mix the salt, saltpeter, and sugar well together.

  2. 2

    Salt the meat

    Crack the breast of lamb into suitable pieces and rub it well with the salt cure.

  3. 3

    Let the meat cure

    Let the meat rest in a cool place for 4–5 days, turning it daily.

  4. 4

    Cook the meat

    Put the meat into boiling water and let it cook slowly until tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

  5. 5

    Serve

    Serve the meat with creamed vegetables. The stock is used for soup.

Changes from the original

Measures converted to modern units. Saltpeter is kept in the transcription but given as optional in the ingredient list – it can be omitted, as it only gives the meat a red color. Cooking time is estimated.

Time machine – what changed?

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

Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 242)~84% of the text changedremovedadded
1,5 kg 1½ kg. lammebryst (knekket i passe stykker). 3 ss salt. spiseskeer salt 1 ts teske salpeter (kan sløyfes; gir bare rød farge). 1 ss spiseske sukker. 2 l vann (kokende, til kokingen). Bland salt, salpeter og sukker godt sammen.. Knekk lammebrystet i passe stykker Kjøttet knækkes og gni det gnides godt inn ind med saltblandingen.. La kjøttet ligge kaldt i 4–5 døgn, og vend det daglig.. Legg kjøttet blandede salt, salpeter og sukker. Ligger 4 à 5 dage, idet man daglig vender kjøttet. Kjøttet sættes over ilden i kokende vann og la det koke sakte til vand. Serveres, naar det er mørt, omtrent 1½ time.. Server kjøttet kokt, med stuede grønnsaker. grønsaker. Kraften brukes benyttes til suppe.

Note on Modernised

Mål er omregnet til moderne enheter. Salpeter er beholdt i transkripsjonen, men i ingredienslisten oppgitt som valgfritt – det kan sløyfes, da det bare gir kjøttet rød farge. Koketid er anslått.

Community interpretations

Be the first to share your own version.

See interpretations →

Frequently asked questions

What does "lettsprengt" mean, and how long must the meat rest?
"Lettsprengt" means lightly salted. The breast of lamb is rubbed with a mixture of 3 tablespoons salt, 1 teaspoon saltpeter, and 1 tablespoon sugar, and left for 4–5 days. Turn the meat daily.
How is the meat cooked?
The breast is cracked (divided/broken up) and placed in boiling water. Cook until tender, and serve with creamed vegetables.
Can the stock be used for anything?
Yes, in the original recipe from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914, p. 242) the stock is used for soup.
How much meat do I need for 5 people?
1 1/2 kg breast of lamb.

Related recipes

More dishes in the same category from the archive

Read also

Kommentarer

Ingen kommentarer ennå. Bli den første til å dele!