SERVING 4

Smoked meat is very popular in Iceland and has been for centuries. In the olden days smoking meat was a means of preservation, so the meat was smoked for a very long time, and indeed almost dried and cooked in the process. Here is a nice dish involving this type of food, but with a bit of a twist to it.

Bramble berry reduction
1 cup / 240 ml bramble berries
½ cup / 120 ml sugar

Put the bramble berries in a pot, pour in water to cover the berries and boil them for about ten minutes. When cooked, take the berries out and crush them a little bit. Put the berries back in the pot, add some of the sugar and cook the berries for about 15 minutes more. When the bramble berries are cooked, the liquid is strained off. It is put in a saucepan, the rest of the sugar added, and the blend let simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes more.

Barley risotto
1 cup / barley
2 cups / 475 ml water
Salt and pepper
1 cup / 240 ml wild mushrooms
1/4 cup / 60 ml fresh dates, sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
½ cup/70 ml birch tree syrup (other syrups can be used)

While the bramble berries are cooking put the barley in a pot. Add water and cook the barley for about 25-35 minutes, seasoning it with a little bit of salt. Care should be taken not to over-cook the barley. It should be soft, but still a little crunchy when chewed. When the barley has acquired the desired texture, the water is drained off. Now slice up the wild mushrooms and the dates. Some olive oil is drizzled in a pan and the sliced mushrooms and dates added to the pan along with the fresh thyme. This is sautéed over medium heat until the mushrooms have turned golden brown. Then the syrup is added and the contents in the pan reduced a little. The cooked and strained barley is added to the reduction in the pan, mixed in thoroughly and seasoned with some salt and pepper. When the barley risotto is ready, it is put aside and let cool to room temperature.

Serving
Smoked reindeer meat (other smoked meat can be used)
Black pepper

The meat used should preferably be smoked using birch bark. The smoke should be rather heavy and quite hot, so that the meat is cooked somewhat while it is being smoked. Cut the meat into thin slices. Put rather a generous amount of the barley risotto in the middle of a plate and place some slices of the smoked meat on top. Season the arrangement with some black pepper, and decorate the dish with some of the warm bramble berry jam or reduction. This food really comes straight from Mother Nature. One could really call it wild, and it certainly is a treat worth trying.