Farm Recipes and Food Secrets from the Norske Nook

The Norske Nook restaurant sits beside Interstate 94 in western Wisconsin in the small farm community of Osseo. One day in 1976, food writers Jane and Michael Stern happened by and sampled some of Helen Myhre’s Sour Cream Raisin Pie and Carrot Cake. The Sterns wrote about the Nook in their first Roadfood book; Esquire and The New York Times got interested, and Helen Myhre ended up on TV in New York teaching David Letterman how to make a pie.

This book, written with journalist Mona Vold, sets down the recipes for the plain, fresh. wonderful, homemade food served every day at the Norske Nook (the name means "Norwegian Corner," in honor of the retired Norwegian dairy farmers who come in every morning for coffee). It’s also the record of a way of life fast receding. Helen Myhre writes, "We all learned to cook from women who could judge a perfectly seasoned roast by the smell in the kitchen, folks who knew the ‘feel’ of a tender crust and the ‘look’ of quality ingredients. Their eggs were fresh from the henhouse; their cream, thick and still warm . . . Recipes weren’t so much on paper as in your head — a handful of this, throw in some of that — or maybe you had a few notes scribbled on the back of a Ladies Aid bulletin, a funeral remembrance, or high-school band program as a reminder. That’s what this book is. I spent a year putting down what was in my head, perusing grease- and coffee-stained jottings, deciphering how many cups of sugar or flour had been scrawled over ‘The Lord is my shepherd . . .’"

Let’s start with the Sour Cream Raisin Pie and the Carrot Cake.

Sample Recipes:

Sour Cream Raisin Pie

Stir the sour cream and the egg yolks together in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the sugar. Dump in the flour, then the raisins, and mix using a wooden spoon. Cook over medium heat until the raisins are plump and the filling is glossy (about 5 minutes after a full boil, or just a little longer, depending on your burner). Cool the filling slightly, then pour it into the cool crust. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Prepare the Meringue: Beat together 12 egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar until stiff; add 2 cups powdered sugar and beat until mixture forms soft peaks. Spread the Meringue over the pie, working it to the edge of the crust to make a good seal. Repeat until the Meringue is used up, then gently swirl the top to make it pretty.

Place the pie in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the peaks are golden brown. Let pie cool. Eat or keep in a cool room; do not refrigerate unless keeping it overnight. Makes one 10" pie.

Lucky Friday’s Carrot Cake

3 cups finely grated carrots
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups oil
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 heaping cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 generous cup chopped nutmeats

Preheat oven to 350°F. Put the carrots, sugar, eggs, and oil in a large mixing bowl and beat it up. (This will splatter.) Add the baking soda, salt, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeats, and beat well. Pour into a buttered 9"x13" cake pan and bake for 50 minutes, until a finger doesn’t make a dent. Cool and frost with Cream Cheese

Frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
2-1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup nutmeats (or not)

Combine all the ingredients except the nutmeats and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Blend in the nutmeats if desired, and spread onto the cooled cake.

Prized Creamy Bean Soup

In a large kettle, soak the beans overnight in the water. The next morning, drain the beans, and add enough fresh water to cover. Add the salt and pepper, cover, and cook over medium heat until the beans are tender (20 to 30 minutes). Drain and mash the beans (enough so none is whole). Heat the half-and-half, and add the mashed beans and the bacon. If too thick, add more half-and-half. Serve hot in bowls with homemade croutons.

Meat Seasoning

Mix all ingredients together and store in a glass jar. Make in small amounts so it doesn’t lose its potency.

Barbecue Sauce

Mix all ingredients together in a stainless steel kettle, and heat until it comes to a boil.

Meat Loaf

Preheat oven to 375°F. Put the hamburger into a large bowl. Put the eggs in a smaller bowl, and beat them with a wire whisk. Add the milk to the eggs, and mix well. Add the cracker and crouton crumbs to the egg mixture, and stir until well blended.

Put the remaining ingredients into the bowl with the meat. Pour the egg mixture over all, and knead until well mixed. Divide in half, and place in two loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour, until meat shrinks away from the sides of the pan and is a nice brown on top. Makes about 16 servings.

Barbecue Country-Style Ribs

To prepare the ribs, preheat the oven to 350°F. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and Meat Seasoning over the ribs, and bake 1 hour, until a fork goes in easily. Remove the ribs from the oven and turn the heat down to 325°F. Put the ribs in a small roaster and pour the sauce over them. Return the ribs to the oven for 1 hour to get the good barbecue flavor into the meat. The sauce may also be used for plain pork chops or spareribs.

Community Club Chicken Hot Dish

Cook the chicken in 2 teaspoons salt, dash of pepper, and water to cover. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour, until tender. Drain, saving the broth. Remove the chicken from the bones when cool, and cut into bite-size pieces. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Mix the onion, eggs, salt, pepper, sage, and chicken broth, and add the bread and chicken. Place in a greased 9"x13" pan, and sprinkle the cracker crumbs on top. Bake for 1 hour, until the juice bubbles. If it becomes a little dry, add a little hot water. This is good with chicken gravy poured over as it is served.