Full of fresh herbs and vegetables, lemon and feta, one of my favourite cuisines without a doubt is Greek. It takes me back to our magical honeymoon on the little island of Santorini, so beautiful, white and blue that you think it was build to be a film set. And us two, so happy and in love, which of course we still are, and me still so slim after all the bloody running and dieting for the wedding. I would have walked around in my bikini all day every day. Which I didn't as a modest young (not very) wife. So whenever I can cook something authentically Greek or inspired by Greece I am happy. Moussaka hasn't been on my list much, but it is a wonderful dish and will have to feature a lot more in future.

This traditional Swedish dish Janssons Frestelse or Jansson's Temptation is very popular in Finland and is a common childhood nightmare food, a bit like cabbage rolls or dill beef (yes, there is such a thing unfortunately). Acquired taste, I suppose. The word temptation in Finnish can also mean maltreatment or torment, as kids we always thought that was what the name meant and thought it was very appropriate.

I of course grew to like it eventually. I hadn't had it for a long time so didn't really remember how utterly delicious it is. But utterly delicious it is. I confirmed before I set off that husband likes anchovies, because it's a bit of a basic requirement in case of Jansson's temptation. Like with Borscht, it helps if you like beetroot.

I thought he did, and he confirmed that indeed he does like anchovies. He used to have them on pizzas on his younger days, so I dared go ahead with the dish.

It's interesting that he often nowadays refers to his careless and free single days. I wonder if it is the current omnipresence of the wife that has brought on this reminiscing. Or just the fact that we are not very free to do anything at the moment.

Even at almost two months of lockdown he doesn't seem to mind my company though. Although he did throw the bedspread at me the other night because allegedly I was snoring. I find it extremely unlikely since I am a lady.


I decided to do the Temptation more as a side dish to some nice oven baked sea bass rather that a main which is how it is meant to be eaten. Often Jansson's Temptation is cooked as a little salty late night party food since due to it's saltiness it goes well with drink.

One story of it's origins says it was invented by a Swedish opera singer, bass-baritone Per "Pelle" Janzon, a son of a fisherman who before his singing studies went to sea himself for a while and then returned onshore to study philosophy. And singing. He ended up in the Royal Opera in Stockholm towards the end of the nineteenth century and became one of the best-loved stars of the opera particularly excelling in comedy roles. It is said his singing technique wasn't particularly refined. He liked good food and also maybe a bit of a party, because the story goes that after the performance he would often invite friends over for drinks and some potato and anchovy gratin.

The other possible theory about the origins of this dish names a controversial communist priest who fled the country with his little Christian cult following to Illinois, US, but this story is too serious, so I'll go with Pelle, who sounds like a fun guy.

It doesn't need to be late night, this dish can be eaten any time of the day and it's often served with pickle beetroot. I decided to give the pickled beetroot a miss. And the Swedes apparently also might have this in their Christmas Eve dinner buffet.


The anchovy used in Scandinavia for this dish is actually sprat rather that real anchovy. You can find these tins in Amazon, Ocado or specialist online shops like Scandikitchen. Just google "Anchovy style sprat fillets". Using normal anchovies might work, but they are even saltier, so I would at least maybe rinse off some of the salt and be a bit careful with the liquid. For authentic Janssons frestelse though, I would recommend finding the sprats.

The below recipe is translated from a classic Swedish recipe, they are all fundamentally the same. Some versions only use cream and no milk. Some recipes have a higher sprat to potato ratio, but otherwise there seems to be a lot of consensus. This is Sweden after all.

Jansson's Temptation - Classic Swedish potato, onion and anchovy gratin

(serves 4)

Gözleme with lamb and spinach filling (makes four pancakes)

Original recipe is here - I modified it very little.


Dough:

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup greek yoghurt
1/2 cup water

Filling:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
200-250g ground lamb
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
Salt
Blackpepper
1 small bag (abut 200g) of fresh spinach chopped (or use frozen spinach)
1/2 cup fresh mint chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
1/2 cup of grated halloumi
1 medium tomato chopped


Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and stir in the yogurt and water. Continue mixing with a spoon until everything is well combined.

Flour your work surface and knead the dough for about 3 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat then add the chopped onion and garlic. Saute onion and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the ground lamb to the skillet and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, until browned. Stir in the tomato paste, coriander, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the chopped spinach, stir everything together and cook for another 2 minutes. Let the meat mixture cool slightly.

In the meantime divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each piece into a thin round sphere about 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) in diameter.

Spoon a quarter of the lamb mixture on one half of the dough and spread it out evenly. Add 1/4 of the fresh mint and parsley, crumbled feta and grated halloumi and the chopped tomato and spread evenly. Fold over the other side of the dough and press with your fingers to seal the edges.

Repeat with remaining dough pieces.

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Depending on the size of your skillet, add 1 or 2 of the gözleme and cook on each side for about 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Spray more cooking spray as needed.

Cut each gözleme in half and serve with a Turkish Shepherd's salad.

As it looks like we won't be travelling much anytime soon and our main entertainment for the day, apart from our one allowed daily walk ever-so-slightly hysterically dodging other people, is the dinner, I decided to do a bit of a world tour of recipes. I will cook famous, traditional or just much-loved recipes from around the world for the next 7 or 14 days or however long the ideas last and husband perseveres before he just wants something normal to eat.

Fårikål - Norwegian lamb and cabbage stew

The start was successful I had some lamb rump in the freezer and defrosted it for tonight's Norwegian meal of Fårikål, a very simple lamb and cabbage dish. It looks a bit grey and unappetising - I did a bit of photoshopping to get it look as good as it does in the photo, but it does taste very nice. Sweet somehow, both lamb and cabbage soft and melt in the mouth. 

Somehow unexpectedly the fragrance (if you can call it a fragrance) wafting from the simmering pot  made me think of my maternal grandmother who passed away when I was 13.  There is a very similar Finnish lamb and cabbage recipe which I remember mum cooking and us eating with ketchup - I can't explain the ketchup, I can only apologise. And I can't remember my grandma ever cooking this. Maybe she did. Or maybe she just smelled of cabbage naturally. Possible. 

Beloved maternal grandmother, accountant, businesswoman, mother of 5 and a famously talented cook who had a big handbag but no cash. Philanthropist. May have smelled of cabbage. Had an amazing mass of blond hair. Religious. Disapproved of my Dad's 1970s skimpy swimwear, but otherwise approved of her son-in-law. Famous quotes (to her daughter): "If he ever divorces you, it will be your fault."

Fårikål - Norwegian lamb and cabbage stew (serves 4)

500g lamb pieces
1 head of cabbage
1.5 tbsp whole black peppercorns
Salt to taste
2 tbsp of plain four
Water

6-8 potatoes (to serve with)

Arrange a layer of lamb in the bottom of a casserole or soup pot. Top with a layer of cabbage. Sprinkle some flour, salt and peppercorns on top. Repeat layering as many times as you can. Pour enough water over all to cover most of the cabbage and meat. Cover with a lid. 

Bring to the boil, then simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Add more water during the cooking process if it starts to dry up. You want to have lots of liquid left when it's ready. 

Peel and halve the potatoes and boil in salted water until soft but not breaking up, about 25 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.

Serve the stew and potatoes with fresh bread to dunk in the sauce.