Some of my ancestors were Swedish, so I sometimes look around for some Swedish or Scandinavian dishes to serve up to my family. Periodically I’ll do up some Swedish Meatballs or a simple salmon with dill and creamed kale. Recently, though, I ran across this odd-sounding Swedish recipe that came out of the seventies — remember when casseroles were so much in vogue? This one is a casserole, too, and it’s apparently been a sort of guilty secret among the Swedes. Widely liked, but somewhat looked-down-upon by folks as though it’s food for kids.

It sounds weird, too — this dish, called “Flygande Jakob” or “Flying Jacob”, contains the unlikely ingredients of chicken, bananas, bacon and peanuts! While I rarely incorporate something like bananas in a savory dish, the combination of fruit with meat sounded like something that just might work — sort of like how pineapple compliments Canadian bacon on a Hawaiian pizza, or orange beef in Chinese restaurants is often fantastic. So, I just had to try this! Read More→