Schildt-Landgren - Notes from a Swedish Kitchen

Published 2016 IMM Lifestyle Books

www.IMMLifestyleBooks.com

IMM Lifestyle Books are distributed in the UK by Grantham Book Service, Trent Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 7XQ.

In North America, IMM Lifestyle Books are distributed by Fox Chapel Publishing, 1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520, www.FoxChapelPublishing.com

Text copyright 2011, 2016 Margareta Schildt Landgren

Copyright 2011, 2016 IMM Lifestyle Books

Margareta Schildt Landgren has asserted her moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

eISBN 978-1-6076-5368-4

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in China

I feel enormously privileged to be able to work with the most enjoyable thing I can imagine food! My life has taken many different directions as I have developed personally and professionally, but food has always been important to me.

My childhood memories are focussed around food and my family gathering to eat my mothers superb, home-cooked meals. Even if I didnt help that much with the cooking at home, because mothers was best, I am certain that my passion for food was born back then. My mother cooked from the basics, which was quite natural in those days. You adjusted what you ate to fit the seasons: it would have been unthinkable to eat, say, strawberries at any time other than summer. We gathered rosehips, blackberries, and mushrooms in the autumn, and made the most of the bounty Nature had to offer. Swedes down the ages have been experts at preserving food for the long, cold winters and making the most of the summers harvests. It is interesting to see how the old traditions are returning, and that we no longer think its the norm to import food from all corners of the Earth when theyre out of season in Sweden. The autumns root vegetables, for example, have undergone something of a renaissance in recent years.

My mother, Lisa, really wanted to train as a domestic science teacher, but since there was no such thing as a student loan back in those days, the 10,000 kronor fees were quite beyond the reach of her parents. Instead she was inspired and taught a great deal by her mother-in-law, my grandmother, Ida. Mother later developed her own recipes, and since she was very thorough she even typed them out properly. When she died a couple of years ago I inherited her original recipe book. The three grandchildren all desperately wanted their own copy that alone says a great deal. When I look at my mothers recipes its like a complete family history opening before me a window into my childhood. The recipe book says so much about past ingredients, cooking methods, traditions and parties. Mother noted down whose favourite recipe it was, and she rewrote it carefully or updated it when needed.

You might think I trained as a domestic science teacher in order to fulfil my mothers dream. In truth, I didnt have the faintest inclination in that direction when I left school, but ended up doing it anyway once I had begun work as a supply teacher. In due course I did indeed train as a domestic science teacher, and loved passing on my passion for food to my pupils. Then I was offered a job in Sockerbolags test kitchen, where I learned an enormous amount in my four years there, and after that went on to a freelance life as a food writer, author, and filmmaker.

Every time I find myself about to begin a new job, I ask myself what it is I stand for. Simple food, cooked from scratch, with locally sourced ingredients has become my motto. In this book I want to convey a sense of what that might mean in a Swedish kitchen, and to encourage you the reader to cook my recipes, but in your own way. In my family we often cook together, ever since my daughter was little and was able to sit on the kitchen side an excellent way to spend time together that I hope I can inspire others to try. I often run into people who are apologetic for having covered their copy of my recipe books with food stains: in fact, for a cook, thats one of the greatest possible compliments.

Since Sweden is such a secular country, you might be surprised at just how important the four Sundays in Advent are here. The countdown to Christmas starts on the first Sunday in Advent with the solemn lighting of the first candle in the Advent candlestick, and for many people, church. Its also traditional to turn out en masse to admire the Christmas displays as in the past this was the day shop windows were dressed. Preparations for Christmas begin in earnest, helped along by Christmas markets, Christmas parties, and mulled wine.

The month of December sees a great deal of cooking and baking. Advent has its own special biscuits and cakes, with pride of place going to ginger biscuits and St Lucia buns. I know that Christmas can be stressful for many people, but sometimes I think its lucky there is such a thing as Christmas once a year, because it gets us to make the extra effort to meet up with good friends and family something that otherwise never quite happens. People get together over some mulled wine to bake or make Christmas sweets together. I love giving away homemade sweets as Christmas presents. True, the Christmas buffet takes a fair bit of planning as there are so many dishes to be included, but its also a part of the excitement in the run-up to the big day. Theres so much pleasure to be had from thinking out all your favourite dishes and planning the shopping and the cooking. All the Christmas food is so fragrant, evoking a carefree childhood and happy memories. Its probably freshly baked ginger biscuits that spread the most Christmassy of all Christmas perfumes, but when the scent of the Christmas ham in the oven wafts through the house, thats when you know Christmas has finally arrived.