Västerbottenpaj And Life In Sweden
People often ask me why I left sunny Italy (and beautiful and monumental Rome) for Sweden. I always give a different answer. Today I would say that it’s because outside my office there’s a beautiful lake.
And today, on my way to the tube, I passed by a little stuga (cottage) and the lovely garden which surrounds it…
…and noticed the first signs of the coming fall.
And because, getting off the tube, I could stop at a trendy cafe’ and ask for a latte att ta med, a take-away caffe’ latte.
And because tonight, if I manage to shake the laziness off my old bones, I can go jogging by the lake which lies just a couple of blocks away from our city apartment.
VÄSTERBOTTENPAJ
You need
crust: 3/5 cup whole-purpose flour, 3/5 cup whole-wheat flour, 1/2 cup (125 g) butter.
filling: 3 eggs, 1 and 1/5 cups 10% fat yoghurt (or 4/5 cup cream), 5/8 cup (150 g) of grated västerbottenost (or another strong medium-hard cheese), white pepper, salt.
cream: 1/3 cup löjrom (or other red fish eggs), 1 cup 10% fat yoghurt (or creme fraiche).
How to
1. Combine the flours with the butter softened at room temperature and press with your hands in a pie form. Make some holes with a fork and bake for 15 minutes at 225 degrees (Celsius, 437 Fahrenheit). 2. Meanwhile, combine the eggs with the other ingredients. Take the crust out of the oven, pour the filling over it and bake for 25-30 minutes at 200 degrees (Celsius, 392 Fahrenheit). 3. Serve with the löjrom cream.
CONSIDERATIONS: This pie is very similar to the French quiche au camembert (happy birthday Julia) and is a pearl of Swedish comfort food. It takes no time to prepare and is really satisfying served with just a green salad. I suppose any strong flavored, medium-hard, cheese would do a good job in this pie if västerbottenost is not available (which I think is often the case outside of Sweden). And any type of red fish eggs would be just as good as löjrom. And when you try this at home do not forget to imagine to be by the water. Swedish people always are.
Barbara Elisi
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Thank you for the recipe AND the beautiful pictures!! Enjoyed them! 🙂
thank you Mary!!
I visited Sweden a few years ago on a trip with my family for a hockey tournament. Yours is indeed a stunning country.. exactly as you’ve described here. I have no doubt that this cheese tart would be heaven as well!
hockey? yes, it is a big thing over here. glad you had a nice stay.
Faccio una certa fatica a tradurre in italiano, sono autodidatta e un po’ zuccona, ma mi piace quello che dici della Svezia. Forse piacerebbe anche a me vivere in un paese del nord. La mia impressione è che si possa “rallentare” il ritmo e vivere con lentezza…. sarà tutta la neve invernale che mi da questa impressione.
Forse dopo un po’ mi mancherebbe il sole….. io però sono una fans dell’inverno: adesso siamo in pieno Scipione e, credimi, è veramente, esaurientemente, disperatamente caldo…. non se ne puo’ più!
La torta…. avrei deciso di mettermi a dieta ma me la sono mangiata con gli occhi!
Buona giornata. Sandra
ciao Sandra, grazie mille per avermi letto, nonostante l’inglese. a volte traduco anche in italiano, ma non ho sempre tempo. come ti capisco riguardo al caldo. ho passato parte dell’estate a Roma e me ne sono pentita… meglio il freddo! e’ vero, qui i ritmi sono rallentati, ma la capitale, Stoccolma sta perdendo questo carattere nordico (la trovo troppo veloce ultimamente). Nelle citta’ piu’ piccole e nei paesi invece si respira ancora quella bella aria rilassata di un tempo… ciao e buon fine settimana!
I love Sweden. I have been there several times, and I wouldn’t mind living there either. I’d trade it for my current location any day… 😛
Unfortunately for me, I have never heard of Västerbottenost or Västerbottenpaj. I doubt I get the cheese here. Can you recommend any other cheeses because this looks too good not to try… Thanks for sharing!
you can definitely substitute it with a strongly flavoured, medium-hard, German cheese. hope you will try it! (and you can always visit ;))
Thanks! I do want to try it. I have to keep my eyes open for some good cheese. I miss the European cheese variety, it’s unfortunately rather limited here. Ohh, I love Sweden… I do want to visit again… *daydream* .. 😀
fancy that…. many of the reasons you’ve given for loving Sweden are quite similar to my ones for loving Scotland! Love the “quiche” but I doubt I’d ever find fish eggs… what does the cream taste like?
soft roe (a type of fish eggs) is what you can find in British supermarket, have a look!
I believe Scotland looks a lot like Sweden, only is probably even more beautiful. Vikings used to like it a lot (and to occasionally kidnap Scottish women, from what I have heard). xox
At first I thought this pie was a dessert, but the cheese and fish roe sound like a lovely savoury combination. Your pictures are gorgeous – Sweden is definitely somewhere I’d like to visit one day.
lol. I know it looks like a dessert 🙂 I hope you can visit soon. it is a very welcoming country.
La mia prima quiche l’ho mangiata in Danimarca, la mamma di mio marito e’ bravissima a cucinarle ed io ho imparato tutti i suoi segreti!! Mi piace la quiche con il formaggio come l’hai preparata tu, ma la mia preferita e’ peperoni e cipolle arrostiti. La prima volta che ho visitato la Svezia mi sono innamorata a prima vista del paese, i colori, gli odori, i paesaggi. Sono tornata tante volte in vacanza e ho sempre avuto una esperienza meravigliosa.
ma questa tua suocera danese e’ proprio un portento! fa il pane con il lievito madre ed pure una maestra delle quiche! tuo marito con una mamma cosi’ e una moglie come te deve essere culinariamente in paradiso. contenta che ti piaccia la Svezia. A me e’ piaciuta tanto anche la Danimarca… e i danesi 😉
Your savory pie looks delicious. I’m so happy that you shared your lovely photos. You are right about your lake looking a lot like our lake in Maine.
have the feeling Maine feels a little bit like Scandinavia, especially in the winter. thank you for stopping by and for your nice words. xox
i just discovered your blog! it’s so pretty! and i love your photos! xoxo Amanda
nice to meet you Amanda. and thank you so much for the lovely comment, I am coming over to visit your blog right away!
That looks just brilliant! I hope I can try soon. Fish roe is kinda expensive here so I don’t bet much on it.
Photos are just amazing. I have a friend living in Sweden and with all other mutual friends we always mock him for this and tell him to escape some sunnier place. I’m almost blushing for doing so now, oh the shame… 😀
Thanks for sharing the beauty hun! I can almost see myself visiting Sweden now!
From looking at the pic I thought it would be a sweet cheesecake but this is cool, I’ve never had anything like this! I love your answers to why you moved–so picturesque-just lovely.
Chiedono anche a me perche` ho lasciato l’italia per la germania e ….rispondo per amore!
Che particolare questo pie.
francesca
Lovely photos! And a very interesting tart.
beatiful post about finding positive aspects of life!
Blog about life and travelling
Blog about cooking
this looks delish. pinning now…
francis-olive
tartine-bread.blogspot.com
I love Västerbottenspaj and always ask friends to bring back som cheese from Sweden (here’s my version: http://nami-nami.blogspot.com/2011/05/vasterbottenspaj-aka-swedish.html ). Great idea to serve it with löjrom – I hadn’t thought about it!
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Swedes have excellent education, free healthcare, and a strong social safety net. They also enjoy a high level of living. The nation has many forests, lakes, and other natural features, renowned for its pristine and well-preserved environment. Outdoor activities such as exploring, winter sports, and fruit picking are popular among Swedes.