Lutefisk is the focus of dinner
Published 12:00 am Friday, October 11, 2002
The Lutefisk and Meatball Supper at the First Lutheran Church of Blooming Prairie will be held next week.
The lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday. Walk-ins are welcome and take out meals will be provided for those that don't have time to sit down in the church dining room.
The evening supper is by reservations only at 5, 6, 7, and 8 p.m. To make reservations call the church office at (507) 583-6621 or after hours call (507) 583-2459. The price for the meal is $12 for adults and $5 for ages 5 through 12.
The parishioners of First Lutheran take great pride in this annual event and many hands have volunteered to produce the food this supper is known for. People come from as far as Minneapolis to chow down on lutefisk, meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry-marshmallow salad, lefse, buns, rosettes and krumkake.
"Groups come from Albert Lea, Owatonna, Austin and they all say this is the best lutefisk supper around. Every year I talk to a man that drives up from Clear Lake, Iowa, for this," said Naomi Erickson, who has been involved in the meal for years.
Marilyn Blume, a Sunday school teacher, is in charge of getting the youth involved with helping at the supper.
"The kids like coming to help. They help make lefse, rosettes, krumkake, set up tables and clear tables. Volunteering helps the Confirmation class to fulfill projects they have to do before they get confirmed. People like to help with the dinner. It is harder to get help now as many people work. Some take a vacation day from work just to help with this supper," she said.
The women of the parish have their same duties each year to make sure the dinner runs smoothly. Elaine Yentsch was in charge of a day crew on Thursday. The women were frying rosettes from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. A crew had been in the night before to fry these delicacies and another was coming in on Thursday evening.
Frying rosettes is time consuming. Each rosette is made one at a time in a small electric fryer. A rosette iron is dipped into a simple batter of flour, water, salt, sugar, vanilla and egg and then fried for one minute and 15 seconds. The women glance at their wrist watches to make sure each is fried for this exact time. Once removed from the oil, the rosettes are carefully removed from the iron and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. The women will have 185 dozen rosettes prepared for this meal along with 2,230 krumkakes. Krumkakes are a fried tube-shaped dessert that has more eggs in the batter than the rosettes.
The women of the parish made all the lefse for the dinner and it took them three days and two nights to prepare. Arlene Helleck made 223 lefse at home, she actually made 224, but her husband ate one.
Besides the side dishes, eating lutefisk is the draw for many. A ton and half of fish will be prepared for this supper. Real butter will be served with it.
The money raised from the Lutefisk and Meatball Supper goes to several causes. Some is given to the Christian Education Center in Austin, some to the Blooming Prairie Fire Department and Ambulance Association. Money is used to send students to Bible camp and for lifelines for those that are home bound.
" This event was started in 1934 to raise money for a new organ. Now we use the money to help the community," said Marilyn Ingvalson, who is the head of the social committee.
Sheila Donnelly can be reached at 434-2233 or by e-mail at :mailto:newsroom@austindailyherald.com