I used to get a newsletter from a local, independent grocery store in my neighborhood, and the highlight for me was the section where people wrote in to make requests or complaints about the store. The store does deserve a lot of criticism because of its chronic mismanagement, but some of the requests that people made were downright silly and unreasonable. They would demand that this store stock certain esoteric items, and when the store would buy a case of whatever it was, almost no one would buy it and the store would have to eat the loss--just one of the many reasons this particular store is failing. Anyway, my favorite letter of all time was from this person demanding that the store stock "real" lingonberries, not the commercial kind, followed by an incoherent, foaming-at-the-mouth treatise on the difference between the two that ended with the phrase, "Lingonberries--mother of all cranberries!!!"
Last weekend I bought some lingonberry jam (I doubt that it would have passed muster with the writer of the letter above) to use with pancakes, but I noticed on the label that it allegedly can be served with meat as well. So I asked my friend Daisy Clover, who is of Swedish descent, if the label was telling me the truth, and she affirmed that you can indeed use lingonberry jam just as you would canned cranberry sauce.
I put this to the test with some pork chops. I sauteed the chops and then removed them from the pan. Next I sauteed some onions in the pork drippings. Finally, I added a couple of tablespoons of the jam, along with a little water, salt-n-pepper, and some cayenne pepper to keep it from being overly sweet. I didn't cook it long--just enough to heat the jam and let the flavors blend. Then I put the chops back into the sauce, popped the lid on the pan, and turned the heat off. I let it sit there for about 4 minutes, just to heat the chops again without overcooking them. The results were excellent. The sauce was just the right consistency and very flavorful. I might try this savory sauce with chicken next time. Thanks for the tip, DC!
Last weekend I bought some lingonberry jam (I doubt that it would have passed muster with the writer of the letter above) to use with pancakes, but I noticed on the label that it allegedly can be served with meat as well. So I asked my friend Daisy Clover, who is of Swedish descent, if the label was telling me the truth, and she affirmed that you can indeed use lingonberry jam just as you would canned cranberry sauce.
I put this to the test with some pork chops. I sauteed the chops and then removed them from the pan. Next I sauteed some onions in the pork drippings. Finally, I added a couple of tablespoons of the jam, along with a little water, salt-n-pepper, and some cayenne pepper to keep it from being overly sweet. I didn't cook it long--just enough to heat the jam and let the flavors blend. Then I put the chops back into the sauce, popped the lid on the pan, and turned the heat off. I let it sit there for about 4 minutes, just to heat the chops again without overcooking them. The results were excellent. The sauce was just the right consistency and very flavorful. I might try this savory sauce with chicken next time. Thanks for the tip, DC!
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