Traditional and modern Scandinavian and Nordic recipes.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

SMØRBRØD Two different types of Norwegian Smoked Salmon Open Sandwiches

An important Scandinavian contribution to modern international cuisine is the smoked salmon.  The Norwegian smoked salmon dishes developed into a variety of dishesTypically the smoked salmon is  served with scrambled eggs, dill, sandwiches or mustard sauce. A long tradition in Norway is the open-face sandwich with smoked salmon.




In this blog posting we are making two different types of Norwegian Smoked Salmon Open SandwichesOne of the main element of both open face sandwich is that the ingredients should be fresh.  Both are very easy and quick to make for either, lunch, dinner or a larger SMØRBRØ.  You can even cut the sandwiches into smaller appetizers.  The smoked salmon sandwiches are great to cut into small appetizers. These appetizers are great for entertaining and your guests will enjoy the tasty smoke salmon. We have included our YouTube video to see how both sandwich are made too.

First Open Face Sandwich is the Smoke Salmon & Egg Sandwich


Ingredients:
The ingredients should complement one another with respect both to taste and appearance.
* 1 slice of Italian or French white bread
* European style butter
* 1 smoke salmon fillet
* slices of hard boiled egg
* sprinkle capers
* snippings of dill
* slices of tomato is optional

Instructions:

Spread the butter across either an Italian or French bread. The butter or spread helps keep the bread from drying out and absorbing liquids from toppings in addition to adding flavor.
Then add 1 smoke salmon fillet on top of the white bread. Add a couple of slices of hard boiled eggs on top. Garnish with a sprinkle of capers and snippings of dill. It is that easy!

Please note that because open face sandwiches are about appearances, it is important not to press the toppings onto each other. Just lay each item on top of each other.

 Scandinavian Triva: Below are the way Nordic ways to spell smoked salmon:  * Norwegian - røkt laks
* Danish - røget Laks
* Swedish - FÄRSKRÖKT
* Finnish-  LAXsavustettu lohi
* Icelandic - reyktur lax




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Second Open Face Sandwich is Smoke Salmon & Scrambled Egg Sandwich

Ingredients:
* 1 slice of Italian or French bread
* European style butter
* 1 smoke salmon fillet
* scrambled eggs
* slices of tomato
* snippings of chives

Thinly spread with European style butter on a slice of freshly cut white bread (Italian or French).
This begins the basis for artfully arranged toppings and edible garnish. Then add 1 smoke salmon fillet on top of the white bread. Lay on top of the smoked salmon the scrambled eggs. Garnish with tomato and snippigs of dill. It is that easy!


Scandinavian Trivia: gravlax translates to buried salmon.  


We hope you enjoyed our video and recipe! Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel Scandinavian Today.  Our channel has videos including

*how to make Danish Christmas rice pudding with cherry sauce dessert recipe (Risalamande med kirsebærsauce)
*how to make Swedish Glogg for Christmas & cold evenings! (glögg or mulled wine recipe) 
*how to make aeblskiver (æbleskiver)
*how to make Danish Christmas Klejner
*how to make easy Danish cucumber salad (arguksalat)
*how to make Danish sugar browned potatoes (brunede kartofler)
*how to make Danish red cabbage (rødkaal)
These recipes are perfect for the holiday season. Please let us know what you think! Glædelig Jul and Merry Christmas♥ !

Our Scandinavian recipes including Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish are on http://scandinavtoday.blogspot.com/

Follow us either on Twitter @scandinavtoday, Blogger, Google+, Google Pages, Pinterest and Subscribe to our YouTube Chanel Scandinavian Today!  Let's get cooking Scandinavian foods!

Homemade Curry Herring Salad and Danish Curry Herring Open Face Sandwich. Smørrebrød Karry Sild


Today's blog is about both making the traditional Danish Curry Herring (Karry Sild) Salad and the Curry Herring Open Face Sandwich.  Depending how busy you are you can make everything the same day or over a 2 day period.  We have included our YouTube video of how we made the Curry Herring Salad and the Curry Herring Open Face Sandwich too.




First step is to make the homemade Curry Herring Salad

Curring Herring Salad is very easy to make.  While the combination of ingredients in this recipe may seem a bit odd, we assure you that the flavors are nice together!  

Ingredients:
* 3 ounces of chopped pickled herring (Look for jarred fillet pieces of herring sold in the refrigerated section of the supermarket.)
* 1 small chopped white onion
* 1 chopped hard boiled egg
* 1/4 cup of chopped apple
* 1/4 cup of chopped celery
* 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup of sour cream
* 1 teaspoon of curry (if you like a stronger taste, you can add more curry)

Kitchen Tools:
*Bowl
*Spoon
*Meauring Cup
*Double Mezzaluna

Instructions to make the salad:
We usually can find the pickled herring in the refrigerated section of the supermarkets. Rinse, drain, and pat dry the herring. If need be, cut the herring into smaller pieces. Put the herring in a bowl.

Then, chop a small onion, celery and apple with a Double Mezzaluna and add into the bowl. The sweet crunch of the apple and smooth spice of the curry nicely supports the herring.

Scandinavian Today Cooking Tips: For quick chopping we use the Double Mezzaluna. It's an old-fashioned favorite tool for onions, parsley etc.  

Add one chopped hard boiled egg and add into the bowl.  Then add the mayonnaise, sour cream and a teaspoon of curry.  If you like a stronger flavor or color for the herring salad mixture, you can add more to taste. Mix all of the ingredients in the bowl. 






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 Second step is to make the Open Face Curry Herring Sandwich

The Open Face Curry Herring Salad is very easy to make.  We either have open face sandwich either for lunch, diner or part of a larger smørrebrød.

Ingredients:
* 2-3 slices of dark rye bread
* European style margarine or butter\
* Curry Herring Salad
* a couple slices of hard boiled egg
* snippings of parsley
* a couple of white onion rings
* tomato slices is optional

Instructions:
Spread on the bread with margarine or butter.  Add two to three tablespoons of the Curry Herring Salad on the bread.  Garnish with a slice of egg and a couple of pieces with of herring on top. Then add a couple of white onion rings and snippings of parsley.  The parsley gives the open face sandwich extra color. You can add tomato slices of taste and color too.

If you are having a formal Smorrebrod, we usually serve the open face sandwich on a Royal Copenhagen plate.  The sandwich has to be eaten with a knife and fork too.  We serve Snaps which really brings out the flavor of the herring, and should not be missed during a formal celebration.

Scandinavian Trivia: Did you know that the Indian spices have been part of Scandinavian cuisine for hundreds of years thanks to the region's thriving shipping trade.

We hope you enjoyed the video and recipe! Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel Scandinavian Today.  Our channel has videos including

*how to make Danish Christmas rice pudding with cherry sauce dessert recipe (Risalamande med kirsebærsauce)
*how to make Swedish Glogg for Christmas & cold evenings! (glögg or mulled wine recipe) 
*how to make aeblskiver (æbleskiver)
*how to make Danish Christmas Klejner
*how to make easy Danish cucumber salad (arguksalat)
*how to make Danish sugar browned potatoes (brunede kartofler)
*how to make Danish red cabbage (rødkaal)
These recipes are perfect for the holiday season. Please let us know what you think! Glædelig Jul and Merry Christmas♥ !

Our Scandinavian recipes including Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish are on http://scandinavtoday.blogspot.com/

Follow us either on Twitter @scandinavtoday, Blogger, Google+, Google Pages, Pinterest and Subscribe to our YouTube Chanel Scandinavian Today!  Let's get cooking Scandinavian foods!

Monday, January 7, 2013

How to make Danish Red Cabbage Rødkaal. Danish side dish for dinners and leftovers

How to make Danish Red Cabbage Rødkaal. Danish side dish for dinners and leftovers By Danish cook Karen Grete.

This side dish is a stable in all Danish homes.This is a perfect dish to make ahead. If you make enough Danish red cabbage, it is great as a left over food to reheat the next day.

Ingredients:
* 1 red cabbage
* 1 cup of apple vinegar
* 2 cups of water
* 1 teaspoon of salt
* 1/4 cup of sugar 
* a little pepper for taste
* add a couple of teaspoons of red currant
Simmer for about 2 hours.

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Instruction:
Cut an entire red cabbage in half.  Remove and discard tough outer leaves and the white center from the red cabbage. Then, with a sharp knife slice the red cabbage into thin slices. Then, place all of the sliced red cabbage into a heated simmering pan. Then, add apple vinegar, 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 cup of sugar and a little bit of pepper. It has to cook for about 2 hours in order for it to get soft enough. In the meantime, you can do other things while you are waiting for it to cook.  After 2 hours, add a red current or cranberry jelly for flavor.  Some people enjoy caraway seeds for flavor.

What to eat with the Danish Red Cabbage Rødkaal? In Danish homes, red cabbage is  served either at dinner or lunch.  Traditionally, the Danish red cabbage accompanies meat dishes.  Danish hot meals such as frikadeller (Danish meat balls) or flæskesteg (roast pork with crackling) has the Danish red cabbage as a side dish. Christmas (Jul) dinners always has the Danish red cabbage. If you make enough Danish red cabbage, it is great as a left over food to reheat the next day. Also, Danish cold lunches such as an open sandwiches, known as smørrebrød, are decorated with a variety of fine ingredients including the danish red cabbage as a topping.

We hope you enjoyed the Danish red cabbage video and recipe! If you like this danish red cabbbage recipe as a side dish, please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel Scandinavian Today.  Our channel has videos including

*how to make Danish Christmas rice pudding with cherry sauce dessert recipe (Risalamande med kirsebærsauce)
*how to make Swedish Glogg for Christmas & cold evenings! (glögg or mulled wine recipe) 
*how to make aeblskiver (æbleskiver)
*how to make Danish Christmas Klejner
*how to make easy Danish cucumber salad (arguksalat)
*how to make Danish sugar browned potatoes (brunede kartofler)
*how to make Danish red cabbage (rødkaal)
These recipes are perfect for the holiday season. Please let us know what you think! Glædelig Jul and Merry Christmas♥ !

Our Scandinavian recipes including Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish are on http://scandinavtoday.blogspot.com/

Follow us either on Twitter @scandinavtoday, Blogger, Google+, Google Pages, Pinterest and Subscribe to our YouTube Chanel Scandinavian Today!  Let's get cooking Scandinavian foods!

Smørrebrød Danish Open Sandwich Shrimp & Asparagus Sandwich for lunch, supper & hors d'oeuvres

The shrimp (rejer) salad sandwich is great for both as a standard sandwich or as small appetizer at your next gathering.

Ingredients:
  • 2 -3 slices of white bread (Italian or French)
  • butter (European-style butter is easier to spread)
  • 2 large pieces Boston or Romaine lettuce leaves
  • 6 ounces small baby shrimp (larger shrimp cut into smaller pieces)
  • 4 or 5 large tablespoons of mayonnaise
  • 7-9 long spears of white or green asparagus
  • black pepper to taste
  • a couple drops of Worcestershire sauce (lemon juice is another option)
  • chopped parsley or dill for taste & decoration
  • 1 lemon wedge slice for garnish



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Smørrebrød comes from smør og brød
* smør means butter
* brød means bread


Instructions:

You will need 7 or 9 strips of white asparagus and cut into smaller pieces and add into in a bowl. White asparagus is the most traditional for this sandwich.  Add either small size shrimps or cut larger shrimps into smaller pieces into a bowl.  Add 4 or 5 large tablespoons of mayonnaise.  Mix everything together.  Add either a couple drops of Worcestershire sauce (lemon juice is another option).

Next spread butter onto either a slice of French or Italian bread.  Place several pieces of either Boston or Romaine lettuce leaves on the bread.  Scoop several spoonfuls of the shrimp asparagus mixture onto the lettuce. For both decoration and taste add several slices of asparagus on top.  Garnish with a wedge of lemon and chopped dill or parsley.

Serve on plate with silverware.  It is a great sandwich for either lunch or dinner.  If need you desire to serve this as an appetizer, slice the bread into smaller pieces.



Other Scandinavian ways to write open sandwich 
*in Norwegian it is smørbrød
* in Swedish it is smörgås


We hope you enjoyed the video on how to make the Smørrebrød Danish Open Face Sandwich Shrimp (Rejer) & Asparagus Sandwich and recipe! This is a delicious traditional smorrebrod and easy to make.

If you like the video, please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel Scandinavian Today.  Our channel has videos including

*how to make Danish Christmas rice pudding with cherry sauce dessert recipe (Risalamande med kirsebærsauce)
*how to make Swedish Glogg for Christmas & cold evenings! (glögg or mulled wine recipe) 
*how to make aeblskiver (æbleskiver)
*how to make Danish Christmas Klejner
*how to make easy Danish cucumber salad (arguksalat)
*how to make Danish sugar browned potatoes (brunede kartofler)
*how to make Danish red cabbage (rødkaal)
These recipes are perfect for the holiday season. Please let us know what you think! Glædelig Jul and Merry Christmas♥ !

Our Scandinavian recipes including Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish are on http://scandinavtoday.blogspot.com/

Follow us either on Twitter @scandinavtoday, Blogger, Google+, Google Pages, Pinterest and Subscribe to our YouTube Chanel Scandinavian Today!  Let's get cooking Scandinavian foods!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

How to make easy Danish Sugar Browned Potatoes (Brunede Kartofler) A Dinner Side Dish

Potato recipes are ubiquitous in Danish cooking. The potato was first introduced into Denmark by French immigrant Huguenots in Fredericia in 1720. The potato is considered an essential side dish to every hot meal.  One of the many potatoe dishes that was developed is the delicious Danish Sugar Browned Potatoes (Brunede Kartofler). A delightful way to dress up potatoes for any dinner especially during the holidays.


Ingredients
* 12 new or baby potatoes
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 3 tablespoons of butter
* 2 Tbsp. water

We have included our YouTube video on how to make the delicious sugar browned potatoes! 


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Instructions:
1) in advanced boil the baby potatoes in salted water until fork-tender. (Baby or new small potatoes is the traditional potato for this side dish.) Peel the potatoes
2) brown the sugar over medium-low heat just until sugar begins to darken around the edges.
3) add butter and water
4) add the potatoes & constantly turn in the sugar for about 10 minutes.

These potatoes will become camarelized, tender, golden, sticky and sweet. YUM! 


What to eat with the Danish Sugar Browned Potatoes? Typically the Danish Sugar Browned Potatoes (Brunede Kartofler) accompanies meat dishes. Traditional Danish meat dishes are frikadeller (Danish meat balls), flæskesteg (roast pork with crackling), duck or goose. Also, for Danish Christmas (Jul) dinners, we serve both the caramelized potatoes and regular white potatoes too. The Danish Sugar Browned Potatoes goes great as a side dish not only for Christmas but any time of the year! Wonderful treat to have it as a leftover the next day too. We hope you enjoy these delicious caramelized brown potatoes as a side dish for either dinners or Christmas. Let us know what you think!

We hope you enjoyed the Danish brown potato video and recipe! If you like this Danish brown potato recipe as a side dish, please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel Scandinavian Today.  Our channel has videos including

*how to make Danish Christmas rice pudding with cherry sauce dessert recipe (Risalamande med kirsebærsauce)
*how to make Swedish Glogg for Christmas & cold evenings! (glögg or mulled wine recipe) 
*how to make aeblskiver (æbleskiver)
*how to make Danish Christmas Klejner
*how to make easy Danish cucumber salad (arguksalat)
*how to make Danish sugar browned potatoes (brunede kartofler)
*how to make Danish red cabbage (rødkaal)
These recipes are perfect for the holiday season. Please let us know what you think! Glædelig Jul and Merry Christmas♥ !

Our Scandinavian recipes including Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish are on http://scandinavtoday.blogspot.com/

Follow us either on Twitter @scandinavtoday, Blogger, Google+, Google Pages, Pinterest and Subscribe to our YouTube Chanel Scandinavian Today!  Let's get cooking Scandinavian foods!

Smørrebrød Danish Open Sandwich Herring (Krydder Sild Sandwich)

My family is from a small old market town called Stege,Møn.  Møn has beautiful sandy beaches and country side,fresco decoated churches and one of Denmark's most popular destinations for tourists is to travel is Møns Klint white chalk cliffs.



One other important piece of Møn history are the herring fisheries.  Herrings has been caught for over 800 year and primarily between the end of May and the beginning of July.  Consequently, the herring open face sandwich became a tradition to eat in Denmark.  My family had herring sandwiches almost every single day for lunch.
 
The origin of the open-face sandwich (Smørrebrød) was in the European Middle Ages. In the 19thc. Denmark's Smørrebrød custom became popular & convenient for families. Over the years, traditional Smørrebrød developed into an art form and with a specific custom. For example, it a must to make your Smørrebrød pretty using local food attractively on the bread. Also, Smørrebrød is eaten in only one order: Herring first, followed by other fish, then meat, then cheese.

The herring sandwich recipe below is a tall sandwich because of the layers of colorful toppings. The recipe is easy to create your own tall herring sandwich.

  
Ingredients:
 
* 1 piece of rye bread
* butter
* 3 or 4 of tomato slices
* 1 sliced egg
* 3 or 4 pieces of herring (spiced herring or matjes)
* 6 or 8 raw onion ring slices
* a sprinkle of capers

Below is a our recent YouTube video on how to make a Smørrebrød Danish open face herring sandwich.


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Matjes herring is a spiced herring.

Instruction:
1) use only rye bread for the herring sandwich.  You can find rye bread in many of the finer grocery stores.
2) before adding a topping, smear the bread with butter.  This protects the bread from moisture.
3) then, place a sliced egg across the rye bread
4) in between the sliced eggs, stick a sliced tomato pieces
5) next place 4 or 5 pieces of matjes herring or a spiced herring across the rye bread. (In Danish, spiced herring is krydders sild.)
6) sprinkle capers across the sandwich

Depending on the occasion the open face herring sandwich can be eaten for lunch or dinner. (If you need to make an appetizer you can cut the rye bread into smaller pieces too.)  It is custom to eat the open face sandwich with a knife and a fork too. See our video on how to do a place setting for an open face sandwich.


What to drink with a herring sandwich? On special occasions Danish families serve Danish schnapps, Danish aquavit and a Danish Beer (see our video). If you are sitting with Danes, be sure to toast frequently! Raise the glass first, look everyone in the eye and say Skål!


We hope you enjoyed both the recipe and the video on how to make the Smørrebrød Danish Open Face Sandwich Herring (Sild) Sandwich and recipe!

If you like the video, please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel Scandinavian Today. Our channel has videos including

*how to make Danish Christmas rice pudding with cherry sauce dessert recipe (Risalamande med kirsebærsauce)
*how to make Swedish Glogg for Christmas & cold evenings! (glögg or mulled wine recipe) 
*how to make aeblskiver (æbleskiver)
*how to make Danish Christmas Klejner
*how to make easy Danish cucumber salad (arguksalat)
*how to make Danish sugar browned potatoes (brunede kartofler)
*how to make Danish red cabbage (rødkaal)
These recipes are perfect for the holiday season. Please let us know what you think! Glædelig Jul and Merry Christmas♥ !

Our Scandinavian recipes including Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish are on http://scandinavtoday.blogspot.com/

Follow us either on Twitter @scandinavtoday, Blogger, Google+, Google Pages, Pinterest and Subscribe to our YouTube Chanel Scandinavian Today!  Let's get cooking Scandinavian foods!