BAGKLIST {
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Catherine Fellows 3 discovers thatthere’s more to Icelandic cuisine . than stinking fish and sour g whale blubber.
' From 7 to 13 June. Glasgow‘s
i Rogano restaurant joins in the festival of Icelandic culture. Breaking the Ice. organised by the Scottish Music Information Society f to promote ties between Scotland
I and its remote island neighbour. Icelandic food? Are there no limits to our quest for the new and authentically foreign?
‘Take skate. salt it. leave it to hang for two months until it really stinks. cook it. and serve it with melted lamb fat.‘ I am not joking, this is a traditional Icelandic recipe as described by Runar Marvinsson. the island‘s top chef and the man who will be establishing himself in Rogano‘s kitchen. No wonder I sensed a note of trepidation in the voice of Gordon Yuill. Rogano‘s manager. Runar Marvinsson is the
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first to admit that until recently. the - Icelandic diet was very limited and
pretty disgusting. But things have changed dramatically in the last twenty years
9 and many ofthe old specialities. the sour whale blubber. the blood
i puddings andthe fresh fish hunglike '
FOOD FROM 6pm
game, are now obsolete. 'I’he supermarkets of Reykjavik are full of imported foodstuffs. and energy from the many geysers is used to heat acres ofgreenhouses.
The menu that Marvinsson will be .
offering, including dishes such as sole with banana and blue cheese and flambe’ed black ray with grapes
and Pernod. owes more to the chef‘s
I NOW . Vegetanan
snacks & meals TWO BA RS
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wanderings abroad than it does to the culinary techniques of his forebears. He is a trailblazer in Iceland — the President is a regular customer at Vid Pjornina. his Reykjavik restaurant. and he has publisheda selection of his recipes. Gordon Yuill describes his cooking as ‘very nouvelle. a bit over-the-top. loads of tomato roses and apple fans‘. But if he does have the exuberance ofsomeone making up for years of dried fish. his cooking remains distinctively Icelandic in more positive ways.
Like the foods of many other countries originally cured through necessity, many Icelandic specialities remain popular and have become incorporated into the contemporary diet. For example, raw smoked lamb sliced fine and eaten with melon is said to rival parma ham, and anyone who has enjoyed soused herrings, sushi or Spanish ceviche will not balk at the idea of finely chopped, marinated. raw salmon —graflax is an Icelandic national dish. Marvinsson‘s visit will be challenging to Glasgow‘s fishmongers, most of his dishes relying upon the absolute freshness and great diversity of his own country‘s catch. One of his favourite dishes requires cod chins — he marinates these delicacies in olive oil and garlic for five or six days, sautées them and serves them with a white wine sauce. Sea snails (ie whelks) are flash fried with vegetables and onion. garlic. paprika. curry powder and a little tomato puree.
Iceland is self-sufficient in milk, and skyr. a curd cheese that tastes like yoghurt, has been made by generations. It is said to be delicious with the island‘s seasonal soft fruits— as in Scotland. the cold climate produces berries of exceptional flavour: blueberries. cranberries. currants. raspberries. Arctic strawberries and cloudberries which look like big yellow blackberries. At Rogano. you will be able to finish your meal with skyr tart — something like a cheese cake. it is sweet. and without even a flake ofstinking fish. Rogano. l ] [Lire/range Place. Glasgow, 041248 4055.
Q FLAVOUR or THE
1 FORTNIGHT
é HENDERSONS
The cheis at Edinburgh’s oldest vegetarian restaurant have developed this breakfast recipe over many years and it continues to be one oi their most popular dishes.
HENDERSON’S MUESLI
Servesiour:
3oz breakiast oatilakes
302 hazelnuts
1/4 lemon
l medium apple (approx 502)
1 small orange (approx 302)
102 raisins and/or sultanas
8 il 02 natural yoghurt
4 fl oz cream
4 fl oz dried fruit juice (eitherthe juice left from soaking dried iruit or orange juice)
1 dessertspoon honey (optional)
in food processor grate hazelnuts,
whole orange, whole apple and lemon.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly, ensuring that the orange and lemon rind is evenly distributed.
Decorate with fresh fruit and wheatgerm to serve.
? Henderson‘s, 94 Hanover Street, 031
225 2131. Mon-Sat Barn—10.45pm.
P853138 tram:
10, anchor close, Cockburn street
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Hcensed
LUNCH — 12—2.30pm EVENINGS — 6—1 1pm (last orders 10.30pm)
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