How to make PALT

[Robert****]

Cult and Culture

First of all: what the heck is "Pitepalt"? Are there more than one type of Palt? Maybe - in any case, this recipe differs from "traditional" recipes for "pitepalt" by not prescribing the pork to be stuffed inside the Palt. This has several advantages; firstly, it improves the taste, secondly, it is easier (even I can do it), and thirdly, it is the way it should be eaten! At least if you can trust "Malmbergets kostförsörjning" and the school kitchens in Malmberget during the 60s. This way you need much more pork ... which is good!

You can manage without the barley flour, it's not vital for the taste, but you do need the wheat flour - without it, it is very hard to get that nice, round shape. Or any shape at all, actually (word of mouth - I have not tested if it's true).

Cooking

Cut the bacon in small cubes, some 10-15 mm each side.
Boil lots of water in a large saucepan. Add salt.
Grate the potatoes (fine) using a grater or the knife in the food processor. Place in a colander and let the water drip off.
Mix salt, flour and potatoes (use your hands and get sticky stuff all over). The amount of flour may vary with the potato type; the dough should be firm enough to allow shaping, but no more. I constantly find myself adding flour. Lots of it. The amount is not really crucial; the more you add, the harder the Palts. You be the judge of optimal taste and consistency.
Pour wheat flour in a bowl, and cover your hands with flour to avoid Palts sticking. Pick up potato dough the size of a tennis ball and roll a perfect Palt. Gently lower it into the water using a perforated ladle. After placing all Palts in the saucepan, check that no Palt is stuck by gently moving the ladle around the bottom.
Simmer for some 45-60 minutes (don't pick up until they surface). Stir gently now and then , to make sure no Palt gets stuck to the bottom.
While the Palts are simmering: fry the bacon in a large pan. You want good, deep color, the bacon should be almost crispy.
Melt butter in a small saucepan (or serve cold butter to melt on the plate).
Eat!

Serve Palt with fried pork and lingonberry jam, and poor butter over the Palt - or let the cold butter melt on top of the hot Palt.

Eat again!

If you happen to have some left-over Palt, you have a perfect dinner for next day; cut the Palts and fry with the left-over bacon (if you left any). Palt wok!

[SuperSwede]

Amazing!

This is good stuff boys and gals!

I will make some this weekend, thanks for the recipe Robert.

[marnold***]

Anything that's got bacon in it can't be all bad.

[luvmyshiner]

Anything that's got bacon in it can't be all bad.

Heh, heh, and don't forget the butter! Mmmmmmm, bacon and butter.

[thearabianmage]

If you like your food spicy, there's an awesome hotsauce I've been putting on everything lately called 'Encona'. It's from Jamaica so I'm sure it's available in America as well.

It's an amazingly hot sauce made from Habanero and Scotch Bonnet peppers grown in Jamaica - which is important because of the rich, fertile soil and also because the heat of the area with which the peppers are grown enhances their hotness and flavor. It ranks at one hotness notch below pepper spray, but tastes lovely!!! I can imagine it being very nice on some bacon and stuff.

[tjcurtin1]

Translation, please! Sounds like two words from your description - Pike and palt? Only pike I know is a fish!

[Robert****]

You mean "pite"? That from a Swedish city up in the north. That's where this famous product originates from.

[SuperSwede]

Ah Pitepalt...

there is also a variation of this fine recipe from southern sweden called kroppkaka (bodycake). Highly recommended but eating it will result in something called paltkoma (palt coma).

[tjcurtin1]

You mean "pite"? That from a Swedish city up in the north. That's where this famous product originates from.

Ooops - sorry for the careless misreading I must have been influenced by Vinamoinen's pike-bone lyre - but then, that's Finnish...

Still, what about the palt part? or is it just 'what it is - it's palt'?

[Robert****]

That's what it is - Palt!

[Rockette]

Here's the whole thing: http://www.p2r.se/offduty/dox/palt-english.htm