
“Oh, WOW! This broth is unreal!” These are the words that flew out of my mouth after tasting this stew for the first time—a rich, hearty Norwegian stew inspired by EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAERIES.
In the story, an innkeeper named Ulfar is best known for his dark, meaty stew, which Emily Wilde eats throughout the story. The book doesn’t describe the ingredients of Ulfar’s stew in detail, so I had lots of room to get creative.
Since the story is set in Norway, I made a stew inspired by fÃ¥rikÃ¥l, Norwegian lamb and cabbage stew. However, what we’re making today isn’t true fÃ¥rikÃ¥l, which consists almost exclusively of lamb, cabbage, and seasoning. For one thing, my stew uses beef, since none of my local grocery stores have lamb on hand at the moment. I also added some extra ingredients, drawing inspiration from the groceries Emily picks up at the supply shop: carrots, leeks, and cabbage.
I browned the beef, cooked the leeks until soft in the remaining beef fat, and threw everything together to simmer until the veggies grew tender. As is my habit with soups and stews, the broth was my favorite part. I couldn’t believe how rich it was! I’ve already made it a second time, and I think a third batch is in my near future. 😀
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