Lunch

Danish Hotdogs

July 15, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Hotdogs are the street food of choice in Copenhagen. They are served with a variety of condiments, but this particular combination is a true classic…a creamy curried remoulade sauce, fresh pickled cucumbers and crispy fried onions. It might sound a bit odd, but all of these condiments are quite common in Danish cuisine and are absolutely delicious together. The curry remoulade in particular is absolutely life-changing (dip your fries into it and tell me I’m wrong). This creamy, crispy, cucumber-y trio of toppings breathes new Nordic life into the humdrum hotdog with its standard ketchup and mustard toppings that we are all so very familiar with.

I’m guessing that most of us don’t even eat hotdogs that often anymore. They were a cornerstone of my diet growing up in the 1980s, but have become something of an indulgence as I’ve gotten older. I might enjoy one at a baseball game or the state fair, but that’s about it. While I am all for making nutritious choices when it comes to food, I am also a big believer in balance. And I’m quite sure there is room in a healthy diet for indulgences now and then. So the next time you are hankering for a hotdog, DO IT RIGHT. Mix up this tasty trio of condiments, fire up the grill and do things the Danish way. Your tastebuds will thank you.

Danish Hotdogs

Grilled hotdogs topped with creamy, curried remoulade sauce, fresh pickled cucumbers and crispy fried shallots. A Danish street food classic!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 4–6 hotdogs 1x
Method: Grilling
Cuisine: Danish, Scandinavian, Nordic

Scale

Ingredients

4-6 best quality hot dogs

Crispy Fried Shallots, recipe follows

Pickled Fresh Cucumbers, recipe follows

Remoulade Sauce, recipe follows

4-6 hot dog buns for serving

For the Crispy Fried Shallots:

3 medium shallots, sliced into thin rings, rings separated from one another

¼ cup all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon fine salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup canola, vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

For the Pickled Fresh Cucumbers:

2 cucumbers, sliced thin

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 cup water

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

For the Danish Remoulade:

½ cup prepared mayonnaise

2 tablespoons skyr or greek yogurt

1 heaping teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon capers, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons Pickled Fresh Cucumbers (recipe above), finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon curry powder

Instructions

Make the Pickled Fresh Cucumbers: Place sliced cucumbers and dill in a quart-size mason jar (cucumbers should come about three quarters of the way up the jar).
Heat remaining ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering.
Pour vinegar mixture into the jar with the cucumbers and dill. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before using. If you are not eating them immediately, cover and refrigerate the cucumbers once the mixture has cooled to room temperature. The cucumbers are best fresh but will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.
Make the Crispy Fried Shallots: Combine flour, salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large ziploc bag. Add shallots, seal and toss around until shallots are coated with flour mixture.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan until it reaches 280 degrees. It’s worth using a thermometer here if you have one. If the oil is too hot, the shallots will burn and if it is too cool they will be soggy.
Remove half of the shallots from the bag, shaking off any excess flour. Place in pan and fry until golden brown and crispy. This may take as little as two minutes or as long as five. Keep your eye on them, stir them frequently and look for the visual cues. Remove from oil using a slotted spoon. Place on paper towels and allow to drain. Sprinkle with sea salt and allow them to cool slightly and crisp up. Repeat with the other half of the shallots. Shallots can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Mine usually stay pretty crisp, but you could warm them in a 200 degree oven to crisp them up again if necessary.
Make the Danish Remoulade: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until fully combined.
Heat grill. Grill hotdogs over medium heat until heated through and nicely browned, about 5-7 minutes.
Place one hot dog inside of each bun. Spoon remoulade over the length of the hot dog, followed by pickled cucumbers and a sprinkle of crispy shallots. Serve immediately.

Keywords: hotdogs, Danish

Chickpea Salad Smørrebrød

June 26, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

This may come as a shock, but the life of a food blogger is not nearly as well-nourished as you might think. Generally on the days when I’m testing recipes, I’m grabbing a small bite of something here, a little taste there, and the next thing you know it’s 3:00 and I’ve nibbled my way through the day. This leaves me feeling depleted and less than energetic by late afternoon. The obvious antidote to this is lunch, something nourishing that will sustain me through the afternoon hours. But preparing a midday meal for myself isn’t always as easy as sounds. When I’m involved in a project, the last thing I want to do is stop and take the time to make something to eat, just for me.

Perhaps I need to think of preparing a nourishing, easy lunch just for me as a deliberate act of self care, a gift to my future self who would otherwise be famished and cranky by 3:00. So often we think that if we are not preparing food for our families or the people we love, why bother? Instead we opt for a handful of chips, a bowl of cold cereal or leftovers from a Tupperware container while we stand at the refrigerator with the door open. When we are busy or simply alone in the kitchen, it is easy to send ourselves the message that we are not worth the effort.

But of course we are worth the effort. We are deserving of nourishment, each and every day, regardless of whether there is anyone else around or not. Preparing a meal for ourselves doesn’t have to be complicated; simple and delicious will do. What we need are recipes we can turn to for a quick and easy lunch, hopefully with some components that can be prepared ahead of time so that making a nutritious, energizing midday meal becomes as easy as grabbing a tub of hummus and a bag of pita chips.

This Chickpea Salad Smørrebrød is just that sort of thing. Creamy, herby and fresh, this salad is essentially a vegetarian version of a classic tuna or chicken salad. Piled high on rye bread and fresh greens, it makes an amazing open face sandwich. And if you are the kind of person who always has a can of chickpeas in the pantry, you probably have most of these ingredients around the house already. The salad keeps nicely in the fridge for a couple of days so feel free to make it ahead of time. If you want to make it vegan, simply skip the butter on the bread and substitute vegan mayonnaise for the mayonnaise and skyr combination.

Show yourself some love the next time you are hungry and alone in the kitchen but feel “too busy” to nourish yourself. Whip up a batch of Chickpea Salad, just for you. Heap it on top of toasted bread and fresh greens. Maybe even set a place at the table for yourself, sit down and enjoy your own company. It’s a nice little reminder that you are worth the effort.

Chickpea Salad Smørrebrød

A creamy, herby chickpea salad with crisp celery and briny capers. Perfect for piling high on rye bread with fresh lettuce greens.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4-6 open sandwiches
Category: smørrebrød
Cuisine: Nordic, Scaninavian

Ingredients

For the Smørrebrød:

4 thin slices of dense rye bread

Butter for spreading

Chickpea Salad, recipe follows

A couple of handfuls of baby arugula or other baby lettuces

Thinly sliced radishes, optional

For the Chickpea Salad:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Icelandic yogurt (skyr) or Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

⅓ cup finely diced celery (about 1 large stalk)

¼ cup minced red onion

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

1 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, chickpeas coarsely chopped (some will remain whole)

1 tablespoon chopped chives

1 tablespoon chopped dill

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Make the Chickpea Salad: Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients except salt and pepper and stir together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble the sandwiches, arrange bread on a clean work surface. Butter the bread. Add a layer of greens. Top with Chickpea Salad, dividing the salad equally between the four slices of bread (you may have some left over depending on the size of your bread slices). Artfully arrange radishes on top. Serve.

Notes

The Chickpea Salad keeps nicely in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Other delicious toppings for this sandwich include sliced tomatoes, avocados, sprouts, microgreens…just to name a few.

Keywords: chickpea, salad, Nordic, Scandinavian, smørrebrød, sandwich, rye, lunch, vegetarian, vegan, easy

Danish Egg Cake with Potatoes, Bacon and Chives (Æggekage)

June 14, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

I love recipes that are so practical that they appear in a similar form in a variety of different food cultures. This Danish Egg Cake, for example, bears a striking resemblance to an Italian frittata, Spanish tortilla or a French omelette. I’m quite sure this dish transcends international boundaries not only because it is delicious, but also because of its simplicity and versatility…eggs baked together with leftover vegetables and maybe a little meat and/or cheese. It makes for a quick and easy brunch, lunch or dinner, and comes together with everyday staples that you are likely to have on hand in the fridge. Everyone needs tasty and resourceful recipes like this one in their back pocket!

Most of the recipes I found in my research contained bacon, one calling for a whopping 24 slices! I’ve whittled that down to a more reasonable four. Some included potatoes while some didn’t, and a few added a tablespoon or two of flour, which didn’t prove to be all that useful or necessary, so I left the flour out entirely. This recipe is most certainly a template. You could easily switch up the filling ingredients, eliminating or increasing the amount of bacon or adding cooked sausage instead, or maybe switching out the potatoes and/or chives for other seasonal vegetables and herbs that you might have on hand. Perhaps adding a little cheese. Once you have the technique down, the sky is the limit!

Speaking of technique, I’ve got a few tips for ensuring your Danish Egg Cake success:

Use a medium (10 inch) nonstick skillet. You don’t want your cake sticking to the pan when you try to slide it out.
Position your oven rack approximately 8 inches from the broiler heating element. In my oven this means that the oven rack is in the lower-middle position. If the egg cake is too close to the heating element, the top will brown before the inside finishes cooking.
Be sure to stir the eggs constantly with a heat-proof rubber spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan while the cake is cooking on the stove top until large, wet curds form. This will help ensure that the eggs cook evenly all the way through and that the cake doesn’t get too brown on the bottom.
Pat down the top of the large curds of eggs with the rubber spatula and let it cook on the stovetop for 30 seconds without stirring the mixture before sliding it into the oven. This helps it develop on the bottom and form into a cohesive cake.
Let the cake rest in the skillet for 5 minutes after it comes out of the oven. This will help the eggs finish cooking all the way through.

In her book, Scandinavian Feasts, Beatrice Ojakangas writes that the Danish egg cake is usually served as a lunch dish, “after a tray of cold herring, salmon, bread, and salads has been enjoyed.” This sounds delightful, of course. But feel free to just opt for a simple side salad to round out your meal if you aren’t feeling that ambitious. Or if you are feeling brunchy about it, maybe a big bowl of seasonal fruit and a batch of Strawberry Rhubarb Barley Scones. This is a recipe that you can turn to again and again, in any season and at any time of day.

Danish Egg Cake with Potatoes, Bacon and Chives (Æggekage)

A quick and easy Scandinavian style omelet with potatoes, bacon and chives. A perfect meal for any time of day!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Category: Brunch, Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic, Danish

Scale

Ingredients

10 eggs

3 tablespoons half and half

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, additional chives for serving if desired

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

4 slices of thick cut bacon (or 6 regular slices of bacon), chopped into ½ inch pieces

1 ½ cups cooked new potatoes, cut into half-inch pieces

Instructions

Set oven rack so it is about 8 inches from the heating element. Turn on broiler.
Whisk eggs, half and half, chives, ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of freshly ground pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.
Fry bacon over medium heat in a 10 inch nonstick skillet until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan. Add potatoes and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add reserved bacon and stir to combine.
Pour egg mixture into the skillet. Using a rubber spatula and being sure to continuously scrape the bottom of the pan, stir eggs constantly until large curds begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Shake the skillet and use the spatula to arrange eggs in an even layer in the pan, patting down the top (eggs will still appear quite wet at this point). Allow the eggs to cook without stirring for 30 seconds to set the bottom of the cake.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil until surface is just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let the egg cake rest for 5 minutes. Using a clean rubber spatula, loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and gently slide onto a serving plate. Sprinkle with additional fresh chives if desired. Serve.

Keywords: Danish Egg Cake, potatoes, bacon, eggs, omelet, baked omelet, Æggekage, brunch

Herbed New Potato Salad with Pickled Golden Beets and Capers

June 5, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Herbed New Potato Salad with Golden Pickled Beets — *Herbed New Potato Salad with Pickled Golden Beet*s and Capers

It is June and most definitely potato salad season! Whether we are looking for something to pair with what’s coming off the grill or are in need of something to bring to the neighborhood potluck, potato salad is often the side dish we turn to at this time of year. Traditional American potato salad is delicious with its creamy mayonnaise and mustard base, but I was looking for something a little different when I set out to create a Scandi-inspired potato salad for the blog. I began where I always do…researching what is already out there.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the recipes for Nordic style potato salad were tossed with a vinaigrette rather than a creamy dressing. I liked that idea…something lighter than the potato salads I have had in the past. Many also contained chopped fresh herbs which I definitely wanted in my version as well as capers for their briny punch of flavor. Things were off to a fresh and flavorful start.

Some of the older recipes I found called for pickled beets, one recipe an entire 12 ounce jar of them! While I loved the idea of pickled beets in my salad, I wanted to retain the creamy color of the potatoes themselves. That’s the trouble with beets…their brilliant color cannot be contained. They stain everything they come into contact with a lovely shade of pink. Sometimes this is a good thing, and I welcome both the flavor and the rosy hue. But since I didn’t want a pink potato salad, I figured the beets were out. But then I remembered golden beets! Why not pickle those instead of the traditional red variety and toss them with the salad? This worked perfectly. I had earthy and tangy pickled beets that didn’t turn my salad pink and brought their own gorgeous golden hue to the dish.

The final version of this Nordic new potato salad is a real keeper. Tender slices of new potato tossed in a mustardy vinaigrette with loads of fresh herbs, shallot, capers and golden pickled beets. Pair it with grilled sausages for an easy and stunning weeknight meal or bring it to the neighbor’s backyard barbecue and listen to people ooh and ahh over your unexpected and delicious Nordic-inspired side dish.

Herbed New Potato Salad with Pickled Golden Beets and Capers

Herbed New Potato Salad with Golden Pickled Beets and Capers

Tender new potato slices tossed in a mustardy vinaigrette with loads of fresh herbs, capers, shallots and pickled golden beets.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: Serves 6–8 1x
Category: Salads
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

2 pounds small red new potatoes, unpeeled and cut into ¼ inch thick slices

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 small shallot, minced

½ cup diced Spicy Pickled Beets, made with golden beets

3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Place sliced potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water by 1 inch. Add two teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook for 5-9 minutes or until the potato slices are just tender. Keep a close eye on the potatoes as they cook and check them frequently for doneness. You want them to be just tender. If you overcook them they will start to fall apart and not be as beautiful in your salad.
Carefully remove the potatoes from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a strainer to drain. Save ¼ cup of the cooking water. Lay the potato slices in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
Whisk olive oil, vinegar, mustard, shallot and reserved potato water together in a medium bowl. Drizzle mixture over the warm potatoes and let sit for 10 minutes.
Add pickled beets, capers and herbs. Stir gently with a rubber spatula, taking care not to break the potato slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter and serve.

Notes

To make in advance, finish the recipe through step 3. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and cover before refrigerating for up to 8 hours. Bring the mixture to room temperature before continuing with step 4 of the recipe.

Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Complete Vegetarian Cookbook

Keywords: new potatoes, salad, vinaigrette, dill, parsley, chives, capers, beets, summer, potato salad, vegetarian, vegan

Smoked Salmon and Fennel Salad Smørrebrød

May 6, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

*Smoked Salmon Smørrebrød with Fennel Salad*

Smoked salmon is a very popular ingredient in the Nordic countries. Salmon can be hot or cold-smoked: In the first instance, the salmon is smoked over heat that is greater than 120 degrees F. The result is a firm-fleshed, intensely smoky fish that has a cooked texture. Cold-smoked fish, on the other hand, is smoked at temperatures less than 80 degrees F. This process doesn’t really cook the fish so the texture is silky and smooth, more like raw salmon.

One of the most notable forms of Nordic cold-smoked salmon is gravlax: salmon that is cured in salt, sugar and dill. Some home recipes for gravlax call for simply rubbing the salmon in a salt and herb mixture and leaving it to cure in the refrigerator for a few days. These versions take on the intense flavor of the rub through the curing process but are not actually smoked in any way. Other recipes call for curing AND smoking at a low temperature (below 80 degrees, as mentioned above) giving it that characteristic smoky flavor.

I am not ambitious enough to either cure or cold-smoke my own fish. There are many different brands of tasty and affordable smoked salmon available in the grocery store which suit me and my lazy ways just fine. My current favorite is the Whole Catch brand of gravlax from Whole Foods. It’s delicious…a lemon and dill rub and just the right amount of smoke. It makes an excellent (and easy) star of the show for my latest smørrebrød creation.

I love the simple sophistication of this combination: Dark rye bread, leafy greens and gravlax topped with a simple, crisp salad of thinly shaved fresh fennel. It takes just minutes to assemble but tastes like something far more involved. And that’s what it’s all about, right? Minimal effort, maximum flavor and serious Nordic vibes.

Smoked Salmon and Fennel Salad Smørrebrød

A delicious Nordic open sandwich featuring store bought gravlax and a crisp fennel salad.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 open sandwiches 1x
Category: smørrebrød
Method: sandwich
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

For the Smorrebrod:

4 thin slices of dense rye bread

Butter for spreading

Tender lettuce leaves, such as butter lettuce

4 ounces thinly sliced cold-smoked salmon, such as gravlax

Fennel Salad, recipe follows

Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Fennel fronds or chopped fresh dill for garnish

For the Fennel Salad:

1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds reserved for garnish

½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Make the Fennel Salad: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss lightly and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer slices of bread to a clean work surface. Spread each slice with butter and top with lettuce leaves.
Divide smoked salmon evenly between the four slices of bread. Top with fennel salad. Drizzle each sandwich with olive oil and sprinkle with fennel fronds or chopped dill. Serve.

Notes

Adapted from the May 2010 issue of Everyday Food magazine.

Keywords: smoked salmon, smørrebrød, sandwich, rye, fennel

Chive Ricotta Bread

May 1, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Just as the last of the snow melts, chives begin peeking from the earth in our backyard garden. This is a lovely thing because buying them at the grocery store in those tiny plastic containers for three dollars a pop gets really old after awhile. But a chive lover does what she must…I would be hard pressed to go without them entirely during the winter months. Their yearly return is a joyous occasion that marks the beginning of the growing season and just a little more money in my pocket as I can cross “tiny container of fresh chives” from the weekly grocery list.

Chopped chives on a cutting board — Chopped chives

Once the chive plants are big enough to feel abundant, and I feel that I can snip away at them with abandon, I make this delicious bread. It is about as simple to make as a yeast bread can be and comes together in no time. The combination of rich ricotta cheese and fresh chives creates a tender, lively bread that is perfect for smørrebrød topped with delicate spring ingredients. It is also particularly good toasted for breakfast and spread with salted butter.

Spring smørrebrød on Ricotta Chive Bread — Spring smørrebrød on Chive Ricotta Bread

There is something so reassuring and comforting about returning to a seasonal recipe at the same time every year. It serves as a gentle reminder of the reliable rhythms of the earth and the cycle of the seasons. Yes, it was a long winter. But spring is here and it’s time to make Chive Ricotta Bread again, thank goodness. If you are lucky enough to have a surplus of chives in your life at the moment, I encourage you to give this easy bread a try. I guarantee it will be something you look forward to each spring as the chives make their long-awaited reappearance.

Chive Ricotta Bread

A tender, lively bread studded with fresh chives. Perfect for spring!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes + 1 hour and 45 minutes rising time
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Category: breads, spring, chives, smørrebrød, lunch
Method: baking
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (just warm to the touch)

⅓ cup whole milk ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon fine salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 cups bread flour

1 cup spelt flour (or an additional cup of bread flour)

2 teaspoons instant yeast

½ cup chopped fresh chives

Instructions

Place all ingredients in the work bowl of stand mixer. Attach the dough hook and mix on low until dough begins to come together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Increase speed to medium and knead for 3-4 minutes or until dough is soft and slightly tacky (but not sticky) and clears the sides of the bowl. You can also mix and knead the dough by hand but it will take longer.
Remove bowl from mixer. Cover with plastic wrap and set dough aside to rise at room temperature for 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Transfer dough from the mixing bowl to a clean work surface. Pat dough into a rectangle that is approximately as wide as the loaf pan (9 inches). Working with the side closest to you, roll the dough away from you creating a cylinder shape. Tuck the ends under and pinch the seams together. Place the loaf, seam side down, in the prepared pan.
Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and set aside to rise until the dough is about 1 inch above the loaf pan, about 45 minutes (the time will vary depending on the temperature of you kitchen).
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Once dough has risen, slash the top of the loaf decoratively with a sharp knife or lame. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads 190 degrees F.
Remove from the oven and carefully tilt the loaf out of the pan and onto a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before serving. Store any leftover bread in plastic wrap at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Notes

Adapted from the Spring 2016 issue of Sift Magazine, a King Arthur Flour Publication

Keywords: bread, ricotta, chives, spring, smørrebrød

Roasted Salmon Smørrebrød with Creamy Mustard Dill Sauce and Pickled Beets

April 16, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Whenever I am in Minneapolis, I make a point of visiting the American Swedish Institute. Part museum and part cultural center, the ASI offers a glimpse inside the historic home of Swan and Christina Turnblad, Swedish immigrants who settled in Minnesota in the late 1800’s. Attached to this grand mansion is the Nelson Cultural Center, a sleek, modern building that houses exhibition space, a gift shop, classrooms and Fika, the institute’s delightful Nordic-inspired cafe.

*The American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota*

The last time I had lunch at Fika, I ordered a delicious open face sandwich (called smørrebrød in Danish and smörgås in Swedish) that inspired this recipe. Dense rye topped with buttery salmon, creamy mustard dill sauce and diced pickled beets, this sandwich is a dinner-worthy affair that is deceptively simple to prepare. The mustard sauce comes together in a snap while the salmon roasts in the oven, and the whole thing can be on the table in less than half an hour. I may not be able to visit the ASI or Fika as often as I would like, but I can whip this sandwich together on a Tuesday night for a quick (and delicious) Nordic fix. Thank you, Fika, for all of the delicious lunches I’ve enjoyed over the years and for the ongoing culinary inspiration. I’ll be back soon!

Roasted Salmon Smørrebrød with Creamy Mustard Dill Sauce and Pickled Beets

Dense rye bread topped with watercress, roasted salmon, creamy mustard dill sauce and pickled beets

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
Category: smørrebrød
Method: sandwich
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

For the Smørrebrød:

4 this slices of dense rye bread

Butter for spreading

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

4 small salmon filets (skin-on is fine)

Olive or canola oil for drizzling and brushing

A few handfuls of watercress (baby arugula or spinach would be a fine substitute)

Creamy Mustard Dill Sauce, recipe follows

Spicy Pickled Beets, for serving

Fresh dill, for serving

For the Creamy Mustard Dill Sauce:

2 teaspoons olive oil or canola oil

1 shallot, minced fine

¼ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

½ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) and brush with olive or canola oil. Don’t bother to brush the pan with oil if you are using skin-on filets. Set aside.
Place salmon filets, skin side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to oven and roast until done to your liking. (I like mine just cooked all the way through which will take about 10-12 minutes).
Meanwhile, make the Creamy Mustard Dill Sauce: Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot, reduce heat to medium-low and sauté until soft, 1-2 minutes.
Add white wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
Add mustard, cream and water. Simmer until thickened slightly, 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat and add fresh dill.
Arrange bread slices on your work surface. Butter the bread.
Add a handful of watercress to each slice of bread.
Remove salmon from the baking sheet, leaving the skin behind if necessary by coming between the salmon and the skin with a thin metal spatula. It should come up quite easily. Place a salmon filet on top of watercress on each slice of bread.
Artfully arrange a generous dollop of mustard sauce and a spoonful of pickled beets around or on top of the salmon. Garnish with fresh dill. Serve immediately.

Notes

Recipe inspired by a dish at Fika, the cafe at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Keywords: smørrebrød, Nordic, Scandinavian, smörgås, sandwich, salmon, mustard, pickled beets

Creamy Asparagus Soup

April 1, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Cream of tomato soup gets a lot of hype, and rightfully so. Who can resist its simplicity and comfort, perhaps even the fond childhood memories of tomato soup and toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch? But in the spirit of seasonal eating, I encourage you to look beyond the basic tomato soup as we transition from winter to spring. This creamy asparagus soup is just the thing. Warm and satisfying, it pairs nicely with a toasted goat cheese sandwich and a glass of white wine for an easy springtime supper.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

A simple, creamy asparagus soup to celebrate the spring season.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: soup
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

2 large leeks, white and light green parts only

2 pounds asparagus, woody bottoms trimmed and chopped into one inch lengths

1 tablespoon plus 2 cups of water, divided

Coarse salt

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

3 tablespoons flour

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

½ cup frozen peas (no need to defrost)

3 tablespoons cream

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Cayenne pepper

Instructions

Trim the ends of the leeks and cut in half lengthwise. Rinse thoroughly under running water being careful to get in between each layer of the leek (they can be very dirty). Transfer to a cutting board and cut into half inch pieces.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add a handful (about ½ cup) of attractive asparagus tips and 1 tablespoon of water. Cover and steam until asparagus tips are bright green and nearly tender, about 2 minutes. Uncover and sauté until completely tender, about 1 more minute, adjusting the heat as necessary to keep the butter from getting too dark on the bottom of the pot. If your asparagus tips are on the thicker side, this may take longer. Remove asparagus tips from the pot, sprinkle with coarse salt and reserve for garnish.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to dutch oven. Once the butter has melted and foaming subsides, add leeks, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt. Saute leeks and thyme in butter until leeks are soft and beginning to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
Add flour and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Add remaining asparagus, broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are just tender, about 5-7 minutes. (The time it takes will depend on the thickness of your asparagus spears. The thicker ones will take longer. The best way to know if they are tender is to test one.) Add frozen peas and remove from heat.
Puree soup in three batches in a blender until completely smooth. Return to pot. Add lemon juice, cream and just a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. Season generously with salt to taste. Serve, garnishing each bowl with a few the reserved asparagus tips.

Notes

*Be sure to clean your leeks thoroughly. They grown in sandy soil and are notoriously dirty. No one wants to eat a spoonful of gritty soup!

*This soup will not be delicious unless it is seasoned properly with salt. Be sure to taste and season well before serving.

*Remember your blender safety when pureeing hot liquids. Fill the blender jar no more than half way up, cover with a clean kitchen towel and hold onto the lid firmly with one of your hands as you push start. Hot liquids will jump up and out of the blender given the opportunity, possibly landing on you or your clean kitchen counters (and even ceiling) if you are not careful.

*If you wish to freeze this soup, wait and add the cream and lemon juice when you are ready to serve. This soup freezes nicely for about 2 months.

Keywords: asparagus, soup, Nordic, Scandinavian, spring

Golden Beets with Arugula, Lightly Pickled Shallots, Rye Berries and Herbed Yogurt Sauce

March 8, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

*earthy roasted beets pair beautifully with spicy arugula, bright pickled shallots, toothsome rye grains and a creamy yogurt sauce*

The Nordic region is famous for its wide array of rye breads, but cooked rye berries are delicious in and of themselves. Much like you might use barley or farro, rye berries make a tasty and nutritious addition to salads, soups or even as a side dish tossed olive oil and fresh herbs.

The inspiration for this recipe came from one of my favorite cookbooks, Deborah Madison’s In My Kitchen. Deborah is known as THE expert on vegetarian cooking and wrote the indispensable Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. She was also a student (and sometimes cook) at the San Fransisco Zen Center for 18 years. You will find this book on my nightstand just as often as you will find it on my kitchen counter. There is something very peaceful and meditative about Deborah’s writing and her approach to food: simple and essential with immense respect for the ingredients themselves. This is what I imagine that new Nordic home cooking should be, the kind of cooking I strive to do more of in my own kitchen.

This dish pays homage to the idea of the simple, seasonal new Nordic kitchen. Beautiful, hearty and delicious, this combination of beets, rye berries, greens and creamy yogurt sauce is not to be missed. It makes an excellent lunch (see my notes below for taking it on the go), and it also makes a satisfying light dinner or first course. Whatever you do, don’t skip the Herbed Yogurt Sauce! It really takes this dish from good to great.

Golden Beets with Arugula, Lightly Pickled Shallots, Rye Berries and Herbed Yogurt Sauce

A beautiful combination of roasted beets, rye berries, dressed greens and an irresistible creamy yogurt sauce.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour (largely unattended)
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: 2 generous servings
Category: salad, lunch, dinner
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic

Ingredients

½ cup rye berries

1 bunch golden beets, preferably small to medium size

2 small shallots, cut thin into rings

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling on beets

1 teaspoon honey

4-6 cups baby arugula

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Herbed yogurt sauce for serving

Instructions

Place rye berries in a bowl with plenty of cold water. Cover and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain and rinse. Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Add rye berries. Simmer vigorously until grains are pleasantly tender but still have a little bite to them, about 50-60 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, roast the beets: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and trim beets. Rub with olive oil and place inside a tightly sealed foil pouch. Roast until the beets are tender, about 45-60 minutes. The time will depend on the size of your beets. Open the foil pouch and set aside to cool. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to help remove the skins from the beets. They should slide off quite easily.
Cover shallots with vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes. Whisk in honey and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the salad: Slice beets into wedges or circles. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Toss arugula and ½-¾ cup of the cooked rye berries with the dressing and the shallots (you will have leftover rye berries). Season with more salt to taste if necessary. Artfully arrange on a platter with beet slices. Place a large dollop of Herbed Yogurt Sauce on the platter. Serve.

Notes

Feel free to substitute red beets for for the golden beets.

This would make a lovely mason jar salad to bring with you on the go! Layer the cooked rye on the bottom, then the beets, then the arugula. Package the dressing and yogurt sauce seperately.

Keywords: beets, salad, rye, herbed yogurt sauce

Herbed Yogurt Sauce

March 8, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

This versatile sauce is an excellent one to have in your kitchen repertoire. Easy and packed with garlic and herb flavor, it goes nicely with all manner of vegetables, as a sauce for your lunchtime smørrebrød, or stirred into cooked lentils or chickpeas. You can play around with the types of tender herbs you use here. I chose dill and chives for spring, but come summer I might use basil, Italian parsley or cilantro. Or a combination of all three!

Herbed Yogurt Sauce

A creamy, garlicky, herby sauce that goes nicely with just about everything.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
Category: sauce
Cuisine: scandinavian, nordic

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, minced with a little salt and mashed to a paste using the side of your knife

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup chopped dill

¼ cup chopped chives

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with salt to taste. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use, preferably at least an hour or so to allow the flavors to marry. The sauce can be stored for up to three days refrigerated.

Notes

Adapted from In my Kitchen by Deborah Madison.

Keywords: yogurt, sauce, dill, chives