Something I understood early on that my father appreciated was Grandma Karin's "Potatoe porridge with pork" which was cooked most often when we visited Björs. I remember how it smelled like fried pork in the kitchen in Björs, pretty much always when we were there. And how grandma always "whistle-whistle-hum" in the kitchen while she donated there. And how I liked this salutary dish even then!
I also remember how grandma saved on paper, pieces of string and everything possible that was in all the drawers of the kitchen - which was exciting to explore.
And if you went out to the house at an angle - on top of the fax, there were often flatbreads or blood cakes hanging there to dry - which were good to taste. If you went down into the fax, there were their 11 cows, all of which had names. Names that were impossible then, such as Krona, Krongås, Hjärta, Blenda, Rosa, Lyckros, Andrea (names from Anders&Gunilla's memories)! In addition, the horses Fjälla and Göle stood there, as well as the pigs and during the winters also the sheep.
This took place both during the 60s and the 70s until Anders and Gunilla took over and grandma and grandpa moved to an apartment a stone's throw from Björs.
I have learned to make porridge and pork myself, and it is still a taste experience every time. Since I read that Kåra Lars Erik did not learn to master the art of making Pergröt, I have to puff because it is not difficult at all!
If you save leftover cooked mashed potatoes in the freezer, which can be replenished from time to time, you will eventually have enough to cook Pergröt. Or you buy potatoes, such as almonds, which are particularly suitable, and boil/mash. The secret then lies in letting it cook for a long time in a not too hot pan, together with wheat flour (perhaps upwards of a dl) and milk, of course. Amount of milk to the right consistency (may need to be topped up during cooking). Salt and possibly a little white pepper and an important small knob of butter are mixed in. As I said, it should cook long and slowly until the wheat flour is really cooked into the pear, that's probably the secret. Taste in the meantime...
To this, lots of hard-fried pork and salt groe (the roasting fat that is advantageously scraped out of the (cast iron) frying pan so that there is a little dirt with it) which is poured on top of the porridge. Deliciously good...
Mikael Björs
