Friden Gårdskrog - Pizzas baked from love

In the middle of nowhere among gnarled apple trees is Friden. Here, a woman from Hälsingland and a man from Stockholm have created an odd restaurant that bakes perhaps the best pizzas in Österlen.

Text: Milena Bergquist Photo: Peter Carlsson

Just when you think you've probably made a mistake and the road ends, there's a small three-lane Skåne farm from the 19th century. We have found Friden gårdskrog, just outside Mellby, a few kilometers from Kivik and there is smoke from the chimney in the old stable.

- "It's usually very quiet at this time of year," sighs Barbro Runwall Olsson, who together with her husband Peter owns and runs Friden gårdskrog, a few kilometers from Kivik. But even though it's just after noon, the place is already full of people. The embers are perfect in the oven where the first pizzas of the day are being baked, a Hultgren and an Endre. Fridens pizzas are named after regulars who in one way or another have earned this.

- The first pizzas are like the first pancakes, difficult to get really good. The edges don't want to be dark enough," says Peter as he bakes out dough after dough with strong hands. And the next minute he decorates the baked bottoms with hand-peeled shrimp, fresh coriander, freshly caught mussels, eggplant, pesto, tomatoes, mushrooms, wild duck meat and more. As much as possible organic and locally produced.

Barbro takes orders and serves homemade apple juice from large bottles. From the speakers, Tony Bennett sings a duet with Frank Sinatra and everything goes on like a kind of loving and habitual dance in this odd place full of details to rest your eyes on. The stained glass windows in the extension are reminiscent of a church. Friden is Barbro and Peter's unique creation where everything is on their terms. Guests can take it as it is.

So how is it that a marketing executive from Hälsingland and a genuine Söderkis from Stockholm are making pizzas in Österlen?

- "Oh, I've told this story many times," says Barbro, laughing, but after some persuasion, the story of life's sometimes wondrous and circuitous paths is told. What was supposed to be a report on the art of pizza baking, instead becomes about love.

Barbro and Peter first met when they were 18 and both working at Långbro mental hospital. They hit it off, Peter made Barbro laugh, but they didn't become a couple because both were already busy.

- A few years later I was working as a pizza maker in a southern suburb and I'll never forget that winter day when the door suddenly blew open and a woman in a fur coat walked in. After a few seconds I saw that the woman was Barbro," says Peter as he places trout roe on dollops of avocado cream.

Infatuation ensued, but it was as if the time was not yet right and for various reasons they parted ways again. Barbro moved to Gothenburg, then ended up in Österlen where she started working in marketing at the wine and must manufacturer Åkesson.

- After many years, I got tired, felt burnt out and started longing to do something completely different. I dreamed of buying an old apple farm that still had the old apple varieties," says Barbro, cursing the years when apple growers received EU subsidies to pull up all the old varieties and replace them with new, much more tasteless ones.

Barbro shared her thoughts with an acquaintance who immediately pointed out the old farm at the end of the road. They went there, but turned around at the courtyard. Everything was so dilapidated and overgrown that you could barely see the houses.

But houses that want to be bought don't let go and when the farm reappeared with an estate agent, Barbro couldn't resist going there again. In 1999, the farm became hers. After an endless amount of renovation work, she started making her own apple spirit, a kind of "pommeau".

It was when Barbro was on her way home from Hälsingland that she unexpectedly started thinking about Peter, wondering how he was doing, what had happened in his life. It had been 13 years since they last saw each other. As she passed through Stockholm, she made a detour to Fruängen and judge her surprise when she suddenly saw Peter standing there at a bus stop.

- I couldn't believe my eyes, parked the car, walked up and said: Hey, it's me, Barbro, do you recognize me?

He did, but after a short conversation the bus came, he jumped on which he deeply regretted after only a few meters. Fortunately, Barbro had at least managed to find out that she lived in Kivik and was still called Olsson. But it was still she who called first. 'It would be nice to meet you,' she said after they had talked for over two hours. 'I have some vacation time and can come down next week,' he replied.

He went down and stayed. It is now 15 years ago and 12 years since they opened Friden, named after the peace that Peter found on the old farm. That's the way it is. A journey full of joy, great reviews in the White Guide and newspapers, but also a never-ending stream of work. In the summer, they work almost around the clock even though they have several employees. Many times they have been on the verge of giving up when the darkness of the Scanian brook settles around the apple groves in the winter.

- I am so proud that we are still holding on. It's fantastic to get to know all these people, our regulars. Those who were children when we opened now come with their own small children," says Barbro and sets out two large vegetarian dishes. One Eriksson and one Forslöf.

After one bite, you realize that it's not just the cozy garden where everyone sits outside to eat in the summer, the tokkitschy style, the chickens, the geese and the dream of country life that attracts you. The edges of the pizzas are crispy, burnt to perfection, the crust thin and just as crispy. The flavors of grilled eggplant, whole tomatoes, pesto and the chewy, melting mozzarella are seductive. Peter knows his trade and fell in love with pizza as a child on vacation with his grandparents in Riva del Sole, Italy.

- It is important to have good raw materials. I bake with sourdough and only use organic wheat from Saltå kvarn and dinkel from Skåne Tranås. And no damn cheating like sugar in the dough to get the right color. Then you have to have a good tomato sauce and a really good mozzarella," says Peter.

For dessert, there are saffron pears with whipped cream. And chocolate mousse cake with walnuts. Strong coffee and perhaps a glass of Barbro's pommeau for those not driving.

It is said that children thrive where there is love. The same goes for pub-goers. The love between Barbro and Peter, even though they say they are very different and sometimes fight like hell, is clearly visible in the small tavern off the beaten track. It's in the walls and is well embedded in the pizzas.

Facts:

About Barbro Runwall-Olsson at Friden:
Age: 55 years.
Family: Husband Peter 56 years old, daughter Petronella, 15 years old. Chickens, geese, dog and cat.
Does: Runs Friden gårdskrog together with her husband Peter.
Lives: Just outside Mellby in Österlen.

Here you will find the website of the sanctuary with opening hours and more information.

Recipe:

Pizza of peace

4 people

Pizza dough:

• 250 g wheat flour
• 250 g dinkel flour
• some sourdough if you have it, otherwise a puddle of yeast
• about 2.5 dl of water

1. Whisk the yeast in cold water. Add the flour, mix and add salt. Process for a maximum of 8 minutes until smooth. If too hard, dilute with a little water and if too loose, add more flour. Rest for 15 minutes.
2. Then roll into buns. Cover with plastic film or a damp towel. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours.

Tomato sauce:

In winter there are no good fresh tomatoes, so take a can of good quality whole or strained tomatoes. These tomatoes have been picked when they are ripe and have a more concentrated flavor.

• 1 can of whole or strained tomatoes
• Mix with salt, pepper, dried basil, chili, garlic and a dash of sugar to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 250-300°.

PIZZAN FRANSSON:

• The original Fransson does not have tomato sauce.
• 2 aubergines
• 1-2 packages of mozzarella
• fresh tomatoes
• red and green pesto
• arugula or other greens

1. Cut 2 eggplants into centimeter-sized slices. Grill them in a hot grill pan. Place them in sunflower oil.

Green pesto:

• 1 handful of walnuts
• 200 g fresh basil
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• olive oil
• 1 handful of grated Parmesan cheese

1. Roughly grind the walnuts.
2. Blend the basil and garlic and a little olive oil to a puree. Mix in the nuts and parmesan.
3. Dilute with olive oil to the desired consistency. If you have enough cheese, you don't need to add salt.

Red pesto:

• 200 g of sun-dried tomatoes in good quality oil
• 1 handful of walnuts
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1 piece of fresh red chili
• 1 handful of grated parmesan
• milled black pepper

1. Pour off the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Save the oil.
2. Roughly grind the walnuts.
3. Mix the garlic with the chili. Add the drained tomatoes and mix roughly.
4. Mix in the walnuts, parmesan and season with a little black pepper. If you have enough cheese, you don't need to add salt.

Continue with the pizza:

1. Cut the mozzarella into not too thick slices.
2. Work or roll out the dough balls. Add a few slices of mozzarella, sliced fresh tomatoes and a few slices of eggplant.
3. Place in the oven until the edges are slightly colored and the cheese is melted.
4. Spread on red and green pesto, add arugula or other greens. Grate or shave parmesan over the top.

FRESH PIZZA:

• 1 tbsp green pepper
• 200-300 g wild duck meat (or other wild meat)
• 1 handful of dried cranberries
• 1 small carrot
• ¼ celeriac
• ½ fennel
• 2 stalks of celery
• some fresh mushrooms CHOPPED, SHARED, DESTROYED?
• sunflower or rapeseed oil
• salt and black pepper
• fresh herbs such as thyme
• 1 jar of crème fraiche
• fresh rosemary

1. Preheat the oven to 140°.
2. Roast the green pepper in butter. Mix in the minced meat. Distribute and fry. Add salt. Add a handful of dried cranberries.
3. Chop the vegetables and mix with the mushrooms in a long pan. Pour over some sunflower or rapeseed oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Bake in the oven at 140° for about 30 minutes.
4. Mix the mince and vegetables together, add the crème fraiche and mix.

Fennel cream:

• 1 fennel
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 10 fennel seeds
• 2 dl whipped cream
• 1 splash of vermouth or similar
• salt and pepper

1. Chop everything roughly. Fry in butter for a while, add fennel seeds, cream and a splash of vermouth.
2. Cook over low heat until everything is soft. Blend. Add salt and pepper.

Prepare the pizza:

1. Work or roll out the dough balls.
2. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the pizza base. Add the mozzarella and spread the minced meat mixture on top.
3. Bake until the cheese is melted and the edges are colored.

Remove and apply the fennel cream and decorate with a few sprigs of rosemary.

Cooked pears:

• 1 kg of good and tasty pears
• water
• some squeezed lemon
• 1 bottle of white wine, preferably semi-dry or cider or water. Or you can mix water and wine.
• 500 g raw sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• some star anise
• 1 bag of saffron or preferably a pinch of thread saffron for a more subtle color
• whipped cream
• dark chocolate to grate
• crushed meringues

1. Peel the pears. Put them in water mixed with squeezed lemon so they don't darken in the meantime.
2. Bring the wine to the boil. Add the raw sugar, vanilla pod, star anise and saffron. Add the pears and cook for about 20 minutes until softened.
3. Pour into sterilized jars or eat directly with whipped cream. Sprinkle with grated chocolate and preferably crushed meringues.

Good luck!