News of Norway

food
Fried Loins of Norwegian Cod
with Baked Root Vegetables
and Garlic Foam
Ingredients
Fish
2 pounds loin of Norwegian fresh cod, with skin
4 cloves garlic
2 branches thyme
4 tablespoons butter
Vegetables
2 carrots
2 celeriac
½ turnip cabbage
2 parsley roots
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 branches thyme
4 cloves garlic
Norway’s World
Champion Chef
by eli havn
Twenty-eight-year-old Geir Skeie from Fitjar on the west coast of
Norway has won the world championship for chefs – Bocuse
d’Or 2009. The competition is held every two years in Lyon,
France, and is the most recognized competition in the business. “It is a
good feeling when everything comes together,” Skeie said.
Each of the 24 contestants had to produce five dishes in five hours,
and the set ingredients for the fish dish were Norwegian scallops, cod,
and prawns. This corresponded well with Skeie’s food philosophy. He
revealed that he prefers to cook with local ingredients – a secret to his
success: “Norwegian seafood is very good, both wild and farmed. I
really like local vegetables, and try to use whatever is in season,” he
stated.
Cooking has been Skeie’s passion since he started out in the
kitchen at home at the age of 13. After winning Bocuse d’Or
2009, he exclaimed: “Cooking became even more fun after I
won the competition, and now I will get to travel more too.” Last year
he focused all his attention on the championship, but now he will go
back to his job as chef at Mathuset Solvold, a restaurant in Sandefjord
in southern Norway.
Fancy cooking is not all Skeie does. The top chef stated that he is
inspired by the simplicity and cleanliness of the Norwegian food tradition
and likes that there is “no extra fuss about it.” According to Skeie,
Fårikål, the unofficial Norwegian national dish, with lamb, cabbage,
and whole black pepper, is a favorite.
Foam
20 ounces fish stock
7 ounces cream
2 tablespoons melted butter
4 cloves garlic
12 scalded almonds
3.5 ounces dry white wine
Preparation
Fry the fish, skin down in vegetable oil in a frying pan on
medium heat until almost finished (8 to 10 minutes). Sprinkle
butter, garlic, and thyme over the fish, turn the fish, and fry
for 30 seconds before serving.
Peel the root vegetables and cut in same sized pieces. Drizzle
with oil, butter, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bake in oven
at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until tender.
Slice garlic and fry until golden with almonds and vegetable
oil. Add white wine and fish stock and bring to a boil. Add
cream and boil for another 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix in blender before serving.
PHOTOS BY PAAL-ANDRÉ SCHWITAL
12 | www.norway.org/food