My favorite latest find is the cookbook from Andreas Viestad entitled “Kitchen of Light”. Andreas is the host of the PBS cooking show "New Scandinavian Cooking with Andreas Viestad", and this book is the companion volume to the show. The pictures alone are worth the price of this book.



I know this may sound strange but my youngest son loves to watch cooking shows. And he loves anything associated with Norway. He has Norwegian and Swedish bloodlines from his father, and his grandfather , strongly aligned with the Viking heritage in his family, spent a summer living at a Viking “camp” in Sweden where they practiced the arts and craftsmanship of the Vikings, such as metallurgy and ship building. Grandpa even began a journey to recreate one of the early Viking voyages to North America. (I don’t think he made it beyond the Baltic Sea, however).



So when this new cooking show appeared on PBS that featured ‘Norwegian Cuisine’ , my son insisted I watch the show with him. I did not even know there was such a thing as Norwegian Cuisine. I was intrigued. I was even more delighted with the format of the show, which is part travelogue, part cultural history, all through the making and preparing of food. But I think the book is even better.



The book contains all the recipes of food prepared on the show and then some. And if you have access to fresh fish (you lucky dog) you are in for a wonderful treat. Since Norway has a long coastline in cold, northern seas, the cornerstone of Norwegian cuisine is fish. Lot’s of it. And there is an abundance of fish recipes in this book! OK, some of the recipes are for seafood but there are many that are B and other blood types friendly or can be easily adapted with a few substitutions. How about Slow-baked Salmon with Soy(tamari) Sauce and Ginger? Or Pan-Seared Cod with Garlic Puree?



But along with all that fish, there are several lamb recipes, which are often difficult to find. And beef. And venison! Need I say more?



I do! ! There are some interesting vegetable recipes, many using wild mushrooms, a whole section of potato recipes... and desserts. The desserts are light and fresh, often featuring fresh fruit or berries with few adornments. I want to try Wild Blueberry Parfait, Strawberry Snow, and especially Summer Berries with Bay Leaf Custard...doesn’t that sound interesting!



Have I mentioned the pictures? The photographs in this book are very beautiful, stunning in their simplicity, and a delight to the eye. If you don’t want to purchase the book, at least check it out from your local library. I think you’ll be glad you did.



And if anyone is daring enough to try the Gravlaks recipe, please let me know how it turns out.