I have an intriguing chapter in Keep On Rolling! that I call “The Lefse Revolution!” That chapter celebrates five very good lefse makers who have bucked tradition. I celebrate them because, too often, lefse makers get locked into THE WAY, rigidly rejecting all other recipes and ways to make lefse.
Well, in writing two lefse books, I have interviewed more lefse makers than any writer, and I will say there are many ways to make lefse—and one is not superior. But too often we grow up intimidated or put off by the rigidity of THE WAY promoted by an elder, fearing being scolding by not following THE WAY.
In my lefse classes, which start Monday and continue for two weeks, I preach openness and experimentation. I give you my way—which is traditional and has worked for me for years but is different from THE WAY—and I pass on methods and recipes I have picked up over the years that intrigue me. Three examples:
- We will try rolling lefse made with instant potatoes. Whoa!
- We will try rolling lefse dough that is warm and has not cooled overnight, which is the traditional way.
- We will try rolling lefse dough made with olive oil, not butter or cream.
So I give you a mix of tradition and revolution. What do you expect from a Gemini?
Two of my classes, November 8 and 9, are full, but please join the “traditional revolution” fun in my other lefse classes.