Thursday, November 5, 2009

Just like Lena used to make for Ole

So last week, there was 24 inches of snow on the ground, and today it's supposed to be 70. I do not understand Colorado weather. In other news, I'm keeping busy at school. I'm learning how to clone DNA, working on a term project for each of my three classes, and learning LINUX for various data analysis programs I need for them. I don't bake much these days. Partly because we don't know that many people here to eat it. Not sure why otherwise.

Matt and his side hobby/company just put out another game for android phones this week in preparation for the verizon launch on Friday, and they're working on yet another.

I did made lefse. From scratch. And it's awesome. I tried making it a couple of years ago, and it was pretty good, but it ended up being a little crispy when all was said and done. Not this time. We always have lefse at holidays and family gatherings, even though most of us aren't that Norwegian. We're from Minnesota, and we're proud of the Norwegian we have, I suppose. Anyway, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
6 cups mashed potatoes
6 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 cups flour plus a lot more for rolling.

Directions:
1. For the potatoes, chop them up and stick them in boiling water for 20 minutes until they're really mushy. I don't have a ricer, but if you do use it. I just mashed mine with a fork. Stir in the butter and let it cool in the fridge until its a little colder than room temp.


2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and stir/knead a few times. It will feel pretty wet, but should still be malleable. If it's a sloppy mess, go ahead and add more flour.

3. Form into 1/4 cup rounds and start rolling. If you're a Norse grandma, you have a lefse roller and griddle, but I'm not and don't. I just used an ordinary rolling pin. To start, sprinkle a 1/2 cup of flour on the rolling surface and roll, flipping every now and roll as thin as you can. Just make sure you can still pick it up. You'll use a lot of flour for this.

4. Transfer the lefse to a heated 12-inch cast iron skillet (you could probably use any old pan that conducts heat well) over medium heat. No oil needed. Cook until it bubbles (about a minute) and flip. It should have nice brown spots on the cooked side. Cook again until you deem it done. They might be a little crispy when they come off, but if you stack them up on top of each other, they'll soften up.

I froze 3/4 of my batch by folding in half and putting in plastic bags.

Have a lovely November.