Swedish

This Swedish stew called Sjömansbiffgryta is one of the most typical family stews, which every Swede knows. This is one of those "lots of bang for the buck" types of stews. It's so simple, yet the taste it delivers is so satisfying. It is best to cook it in an enameled cast-iron casserole because it goes into a very hot oven for quite a while, and all the liquid gets absorbed and the casserole becomes a little crusty. I know it seems like an awfully long time to keep a stew in such a hot oven, but trust me, it works. You can deglaze the casserole with a bit of water if you like and pour it over the stew, which should be transferred to a serving bowl.

This very ancient dish of pickled salmon is of Swedish origin, and considered by a great many Scandinavians to be superior to smoked salmon. It must be made with fresh fish that has never been frozen, and with a plentiful supply of fresh dill weed.

Braised carrots, a cucumber salad, and some steamed new potatoes sprinkled with chopped fresh dill are good choices to accompany this Swedish-inspired dish. Holiday cookies and mugs of hot apple cider make a happy ending.

One bread that Swedish settlers brought to the heartland was limpa; these twists are a nice twist on that classic.

A traditional side dish for the Christmas ham, sausage or spareribs.

"This recipe for Swedish drommar, meaning 'dreams,' comes from my grandmother," writes Elizabeth Wigg Maxwell of New Providence, New Jersey. "She and my mother made these every Christmas when my siblings and I were growing up. As children, we were amazed that my mother had to go to the pharmacy to obtain one of the ingredients: ammonium carbonate. Equally incredible was the fact that something which smelled so horrible helped make such delicious cookies!" "Years ago, I began baking drommar for my own family. I called the local pharmacy to request the unusual ingredient and was delighted when the pharmacist said, 'You must be making those Swedish cookies!'" Ammonium carbonate, used by European bakers, makes especially crisp cookies. Its smell, which you may find off-putting while making the dough, disappears completely in the baking process.

(Swedish Rye Bread) A popular offering on the smorgasbords of Minnesota and Wisconsin, this bread has a clean-tasting combination of spice and sweetness that is characteristic of so much Scandinavian cooking.

A delicious treat from Aspa Herrgård. If you don't want to caramelize the top in brûlée style, just sift powdered sugar over the tart before serving.

The children of Jean Garry, wife of editor-in-chief William J. Garry, may have left home, but they come back at Christmas for their favorite bread. The recipe was given to Jean by her mother (who isn't Swedish, but never mind). The bread which is lightly flavored with aniseed and orange, makes great toast for stocking-searching time. Sometimes Jean bakes the loaves in nine-inch aluminum pie tins. After they cool, she puts the breads back into the tins and wraps them up in colorful cellophane for gift giving.

To roll out this dough you will need a pastry cloth and a rolling-pin cover, which are available at kitchenware stores and by mail order from Bridge Kitchenware, tel. (800) 274-3435 or (212) 838-1901.

"My grandmother, who emigrated from Sweden to the United States when she was a little girl, passed on to our family a taste for cardamom," writes Lisa Tracy of Marion, Iowa.

Have creamed spinach and sautéed carrots with these updated Swedish meat loaves. Then serve applesauce and spice cookies.

Called limpa in Sweden, this impressive bread is flavored with a combination of molasses, orange peel, crushed aniseed, and caraway and fennel seeds.

The long cooking time makes this lamb meltingly tender. Offer noodles alongside.

In Sweden various combinations of matjes herring — a type of herring cured in a spiced sweet-and-sour brine — are eaten with the first tender white potatoes of the season. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Noodles enriched with the deep golden yolks of farm-raised chickens were a frequent starch on heartland tables. Modern cooks may not have the time to put together noodles from scratch, but when glossed with a Swedish-style, caraway-scented butter, even commercial pasta makes a fine accompaniment to the menu's main dish.

A Scandinavian table is seldom without them.