Recipes

Nordic Wild Berry Almond Smoothie

February 28, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

nordic berry almond smoothie — *Antioxidant-rich berries make a tasty morning smoothie.*

Sugared lingonberries commonly grace the Scandinavian Christmas table. This simple mixture of lingonberries and sugar (sometimes cooked, sometimes not) is enjoyed as a sort of sweet relish. You will find them served alongside Swedish meatballs, potato pancakes and on Christmas morning spooned over buttery Swedish pancakes. But did you know that the lingonberry is considered one of the most nutritious berries in the world? Rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, lingonberries are now touted as a superfood. They are believed to reduce inflammation, prevent urinary tract infections and, according to Dr. Oz, may even reduce the appearance of age spots. Superfood indeed!

Lingonberries are very tart in flavor, much like a cranberry, which is why they are almost always paired with some kind of sweetener before eating. Here in the United States, fresh lingonberries can be very difficult to find. Frozen lingonberries are available, especially if you live somewhere with a strong Scandinavian cultural presence (I buy mine at Ingebretsen’s Nordic Marketplace in Minneapolis). You can almost always find preserved lingonberries or lingonberry jam no matter where you live.

This smoothie is a delicious way to enjoy your lingonberries without pairing them with sugar or something rich and buttery, as lovely as that is! Sometimes after the holidays are over, we crave something fruity, fresh and nutritious to balance out the overindulgence of the last few weeks. This smoothie is just that. Frozen berries, banana, almond milk and a bit of almond butter and honey come together to create a delicious concoction that is sure to get your 2019 started on the right foot.

Nordic Wild Berry Almond Smoothie

A vegan antioxidant rich smoothie made even more delicious with a dollop of almond butter.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 smoothie 1x
Category: breakfast, smoothie
Method: blender
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic

Scale

Ingredients

2 heaping tablespoons frozen lingonberries

1 cup frozen wild blueberries

1 frozen banana

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 tablespoon salted almond butter

1/2 tablespoon honey, more to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix and blend until completely smooth in texture. Taste for sweetness and add more honey if desired. Serve immediately.

*Note: If you can’t find frozen lingonberries, use 2 tablespoons of preserved lingonberries and omit the honey.

Keywords: vegan, vegetarian, Scandinavian, Nordic, smoothie, lingonberries, breakfast, almond

Roasted Butternut Squash Smørrebrød with Spicy Harissa Mayo and Pepitas

February 27, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Remember that very traditional new potato smørrebrød I shared with you recently? This is a somewhat unconventional take on that concept. The same dense rye bread, butter and greens for a base, but this time topped with buttery roasted squash half-moons, spicy harissa mayonnaise, cilantro and pepitas. A complete break from tradition, but delicious in its own right.

Roasted Butternut Squash Smørrebrød with Spicy Harissa Mayo and Pepitas

A tasty but unconventional open face sandwich with roasted butternut squash and a spicy mayo.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 small sandwiches 1x
Category: smørrebrød
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic, Swedish

Scale

Ingredients

4 thin slices dense rye bread, a little over 1/4 inch thick

Butter, preferably salted

A handful or two of baby arugula leaves

Roasted Butternut Squash Half-Moons, recipe below

Spicy Harissa Mayonnaise, recipe below

a handful of cilantro leaves (removed from their stems but left whole)

1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted in a dry skillet

Instructions

Butter each slice of bread. Place a layer of baby arugula leaves on top. Arrange squash slices artfully over the arugula. Spoon Spicy Harissa Mayo over the squash. Scatter cilantro leaves and roasted pepitas on top. Serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash Half-Moons

Adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbookfrom America’s Test Kitchen

Depending on the size of your squash, makes enough for approximately 4 sandwiches. Plan on about 6 slices of squash per sandwich.

1 Medium-sized butternut squash

2 tablespoons butter

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut the neck portion of the squash from the rounded bottom (ideally just above where the seeds start). Peel the neck portion of the squash using a y-shaped vegetable peeler. You can surely peel and use the bottom of the squash as well, cutting it in half and removing the seeds from the cavity with a spoon before proceeding with the recipe. I save the unpeeled bottom of the squash for my backyard chickens. They think it is about the best treat ever.
Carefully cut the peeled squash in half lengthwise, and then into 1/4 inch thick half-moon shapes.
Melt butter in a large bowl. Place squash slices in the bowl with the butter and toss until coated.
Lay squash slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the squash slices are soft and slightly caramelized on the bottom. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Squash can be prepared up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The squash is best if it is not cold from the fridge. Take it out 30 minutes or so before assembling sandwiches to warm slightly before using.

Spicy Harissa Mayonnaise

Makes approximately 1/4 cup

1/4 cup prepared mayonnaise

1 tablespoon prepared harissa (I use the one from Trader Joe’s)

Combine mayonnaise and harissa in a small bowl. Add more harissa to taste. Can be prepared up to two days in advance.

Keywords: smørrebrød, smörgås, open sandwich, rye, rugbrød, butternut squash, harissa, Scandinavian, Nordic

New Potato Smørrebrød with Garlic Aïoli and Crispy Shallots

February 27, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

A confession….I am not from Sweden, Denmark or Norway. I am an American with Scandinavian roots. My grandmother on my Dad’s side was Swedish, my grandmother on my Mom’s side was Norwegian and Danish, and my grandfather was Norwegian. Growing up here in the United States in the 1970’s and 80’s, my family ate a very typical American diet. The only time that we really prepared foods that reflected our Scandinavian heritage was during the holidays. Beginning with lefse (Norwegian potato flatbread) at Thanksgiving and continuing on through Christmas with rommegröt (Norwegian sour cream pudding), pickled herring, stirred lingonberries, Swedish meatballs and pancakes (just to name a few), we managed to pack a lot of Nordic recipes into a short 6 week time frame. But the rest of the year…not so much.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve wondered about this holiday-centric approach to celebrating one’s ancestry in the kitchen, which I’m sure is not unique to my family. I began to be curious about what Scandinavians ate on an every day basis, not just at Christmas. I’ve done a lot of reading, cooking and baking on the subject and I’m hoping to share a bit of what I’ve learned here on the blog. Know that what I share here in terms of recipes is simply my take on what I’ve read and learned about Nordic cuisine over the last few years and through my experience of growing up in a family with Scandinavian heritage. I don’t claim to be an expert (I’ve never even travelled to Scandinavia!), but I will share with you the unique ways in which I am inspired by Nordic cuisine in my own kitchen. And I’m sure I’ll share a family recipe or two along the way!

In my last post, we covered the basics of smørrebrød. Let’s get down to business with this classic example of the Nordic open face sandwich. My research suggests that Scandinavians are fond of putting cold potatoes on their sandwiches. This might sound odd but it is actually quite delicious and a fabulous use for leftover boiled potatoes from last night’s dinner. Thinly sliced potatoes with a garlicky mayo sauce and crispy shallots that taste like little baby onion rings. What’s not to love?

New Potato Smørrebrød with Garlic Aïoli and Crispy Shallots

A traditional Nordic open face sandwich with thinly sliced new potatoes, garlic aïoli and crispy shallots on buttered rye bread.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 small sandwiches (serves 2) 1x
Category: smørrebrød
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic, Swedish

Scale

Ingredients

4 thin slices dense rye bread, a little over 1/4 inch thick

Butter, preferably salted

A handful or two of baby arugula leaves

4–5 new potatoes

Quick Aïoli, recipe below

Crispy shallots, recipe below

1 Tablespoon chopped chives or dill, and/or microgreens

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Place new potatoes in cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender but not falling apart. Smaller potatoes will obviously cook more quickly than larger potatoes. Check doneness by piercing a potato or two with the tip of a sharp knife. It should slide in and out easily without much resistance. Drain potatoes and rinse with cold water. Set aside to cool. Potatoes can be prepared up to three days in advance. Store in the refrigerator.
Butter each slice of bread. Place a layer of baby arugula leaves on top. Slice new potatoes into thin (1/4 inch thick) slices and arrange artfully over the arugula. Salt and pepper the potato slices to taste. Drizzle aïoli over potatoes (I like to place the sauce in the center between the two rows of potato slices) and scatter crispy shallots and herbs and/or microgreens on top. Serve.

Quick Aïoli

Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine

Makes 1/4 cup

1 small garlic clove

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup prepared mayonnaise

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Mince garlic clove and let sit in lemon juice for 10 minutes or so to mellow out the raw garlic flavor. Add mayonnaise and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Aïoli can be made up three days in advance. Store in the refrigerator.

Crispy Fried Shallots

Adapted from The Scandi Kitchen by Brontë Aurell

Makes approximately 1 cup of shallots

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

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup canola, peanut or vegetable oil for frying

Course sea salt for sprinkling

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 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 if necessary.

Notes

Adapted from The Scandi Kitchen by Brontë Aurell and Open Sandwiches by Trine Hahnemann

Keywords: smørrebrød, smörgås, open sandwich, rye, rugbrød, new potato, Scandinavian, Nordic

The Basics of Smørrebrød

February 27, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

“The fastest way to understand the Nordic region’s food culture is to eat an open sandwich topped with butter and hard cheese.”

-Magnus Nilsson, The Nordic Cookbook

The Nordic region’s food culture is largely based on bread. According to The Nordic Cookbook, before potatoes arrived on the Scandinavian mainland in the early 1800’s, most people ate one to two pounds of bread a day! It’s no wonder that the open sandwich (smørrebrød in Danish, smørbrød in Norwegian and smörgås in Swedish) became a staple of Nordic cuisine. The origins of the Nordic open sandwich can be traced back at least as far as the Middle Ages. At that time it would have been a rather simple affair….probably some kind of fat (butter or animal fat) spread on a dense rye bread with leftover meat or vegetables piled on top. As fresh ingredients became more available, the open sandwich evolved into something more refined and elegant, particularly in Denmark where smørrebrød is now practically an art form. There are entire restaurants devoted to the open sandwich in Denmark, and it is even possible to attain the a professional qualification known as, “Open Sandwich Master”. But not all open sandwiches are fussy restaurant affairs. Generally speaking, Nordic cuisine has an elegant simplicity to it, and a sandwich made at home might be as basic as a buttered slice of rye bread and a few slices of cheese or last night’s leftovers arranged on top.

Trine Hahnemann outlines a few rules for constructing smørrebrød in her book, Open Sandwiches. I have included some of them here along with a few of my own to help you put together an open sandwich you can be proud of:

Barring a few exceptions, Nordic open sandwiches are served on dense rye bread which has been sliced quite thin. I like my slices just a little over 1/4 inch thick.
If you are using a dense rye, the bread is simply sliced, not toasted. Sometimes I will do a light toast on mine just to freshen up the bread slightly without causing the exterior to get crispy.
The bread is usually buttered quite liberally with salted butter. If you don’t usually stock salted butter, you can use unsalted butter and sprinkle a little kosher salt on it after you spread it on the bread.
There is typically one main topping and a combinations of condiments. A well-designed smørrebrød has a variety of flavors and textures that come together to create a sandwich that is more delicious than the individual components might suggest.
Smørrebrød doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be pleasing to the eye. That’s part of the fun of the open face sandwich…with no top to disguise what’s inside there is much opportunity for creating something that is as beautiful as it is delicious.
Season as you layer. If your main ingredient is sliced cold potatoes or hard-boiled egg slices, you are going to want to season that particular layer with salt and pepper before adding the remaining condiments.
Think about your layering, both in terms of visual presentation and what makes sense in terms of the temperature and shape of the main ingredient. If your topping is warm roast pork, for example, you aren’t going to want to put tender arugula leaves underneath it. That’s a recipe for soggy greens. Layer in a way that lets each ingredient shine.
If you really want to get serious about aesthetics, consider placing any sauces that you are using into a squeeze bottle, plastic piping bag or ziploc bag (with a corner of the bag cut off). This allows you to squeeze the sauce onto the sandwich exactly where you want it. It can be difficult to artfully arrange sauces with just a spoon.
Unless it really doesn’t seem appropriate, always add a shower of something small and green on the very top for garnish. Chopped fresh herbs, microgreens, sprouts, or watercress are all good choices.
If you’ve created a lovely smørrebrød piled high with delicious ingredients, don’t try and pick the whole thing up and take a bite. These sandwiches are usually a knife and fork affair.

Picasso once said, “learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.” Make a classic smørrebrød or two (recipes to follow), but also get into the kitchen and play! Let your bread be your canvas and get creative. Anything goes when it comes to designing your own open face sandwiches.

Roasted Pear Compote with Cardamom, Vanilla and Fresh Ginger

February 26, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

roasted pear compote on rye crispbread with cream cheese and coffee — *Rye crispbread with cream cheese and roasted pear compote*

It’s time we had a little chat about cardamom. Citrusy, spicy, floral….it is, shall we say, a very complex and exotic spice. Although native to India, cardamom has somehow managed to find its way into many traditional recipes for Scandinavian baked goods. The Nordic countries are famous for their cardamom buns, cakes and cookies. How did this far-flung spice find its way from India to Scandinavia? Some claim that the Vikings brought it north with them after encountering it on their travels to the Byzantine Empire (now Turkey) or possibly Constantinople (now Istanbul). Others say it was first brought to mainland Europe when the Moors established a presence on the Iberian peninsula, and it made its way to Scandinavia from there. Whatever the circumstances, cardamom is the darling spice of the Nordic baking world.

It is not, however, beloved by all. I once bought my daughter a large cardamom-laced sugar cookie from a Scandinavian bakery. She eagerly took a big bite, unaware of the cardamom lurking inside, and spit it out, disgusted. “Mom, why does my cookie taste like soap!?” Oh, how my Swedish, Norwegian and Danish ancestors must have rolled in their graves upon hearing this! Clearly I had not done as good of a job raising her as I thought I had. Not enough exposure to cardamom and now the taste was unpleasant, foreign and apparently soapy to her. We joke that it might make a good title for her memoir someday: Why Does My Cookie Taste Like Soap? Discovering my Nordic Heritage the Hard Way (coming to a book store near you in 20 years or so). As I said, not beloved by all.

To be honest, I didn’t like cardamom as a kid either. I now enjoy it in small doses ( a little goes a LONG way), and I feel like some of the recipes I encounter are a bit heavy handed with this potent spice. If you are new to cardamom or are trying to convince your children of its deliciousness, I would suggest a light touch at first…a quarter or half teaspoon of it here or there. I also recommend buying the pods and grinding the seeds inside yourself rather than purchasing ground cardamom. You will be rewarded with a much truer flavor.

This pear compote is delicately laced with whole cardamom seeds, and I absolutely love it. It makes a delicious topping for toast, crispbread, porridge and granola served with filmjölk, yogurt or milk of your choice. Or you can just eat it with a spoon! According to Live Lagom: Balanced Living the Swedish Wayby Anna Brones, compotes are a very common way to serve fruit in Sweden. This one is my take on a pear compote I made in cooking school some years back. In class we used it as a filling for a gingerbread cobbler, which is something to consider. The combination of pears and gingerbread is utterly magical.

Roasted Pear Compote with Cardamom, Vanilla and Fresh Ginger

This delicious fruit compote makes a perfect topping for rye crispbread, porridge, granola, oatmeal….the options are endless!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 12 ounces 1x
Category: compote
Cuisine: Scandinavian, Nordic

Scale

Ingredients

5-6 small to medium-sized Bartlett pears, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes

2 tablespoons honey

Seeds from 2 crushed cardamom pods, pods discarded

4–5 thin slices of fresh ginger (no need to peel)

a pinch course salt

½ vanilla bean

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients except vanilla bean and lemon juice in an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish.
With a small sharp knife, split vanilla bean down one side of the pod.Open up the pod and lay it flat on your cutting board. Using the back of your knife, remove the black seeds from the interior of the pod by scraping from one end of the open pod to the other. Place seeds and empty pod in the baking dish along with the other ingredients.
Bake for 45 minutes, stirring half way through, or until pears have softened considerably.
Remove the pan from the oven. Using a spoon, remove and discard the vanilla bean pod and ginger slices. Mash pears with a potato masher or the back of a fork until they are create a chunky, rustic mash. Add lemon juice. Taste the mixture and season with additional lemon juice, salt or honey to taste. Once the compote has cooled, transfer to a clean jar and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Keywords: compote, pears, cardamom, ginger, Scandinavian, Nordic