Sandwiches of Denmark

Denmark is a delightful country to visit: its capital Copenhagen has a relaxed atmosphere, friendly people, brightly coloured architecture, a rich history, and – my marker of anywhere worth visiting - delicious food and drinks.

We discovered some of the excellent food, specifically sandwiches, on our recent visit to this beautiful Scandinavian country. We tried out as many different dining experiences as we could, from the take-out sandwich place on a busy street, the cozy sit-down lunch restaurant, to a bustling street-food market. With this much variety, each experience was unique and enjoyable and gave me lots of fun material to blog about.

The iconic and colourful Nyhan, which means 'new harbour'. 

Blue House:

After an epic trek up the 400+ steps of the Church of Our Saviour, we’d worked up quite an appetite and needed something quick and filling.  

The Church of Our Saviour: who wouldn't work up an appetite climbing that spire? 

So we decided to check out the nearby Blue House. The giant sandwich outside this tiny take-out restaurant on Market Street caught my eye – how could it not? 

Blue House: the giant sandwich is excellent marketing for hungry passers-by

The menu was written in Danish but since Danish is a cousin of English, we could pick out some key words, like roast beef, remoulade sauce and tomatoes. So that’s what we ordered. While we waited, we watched their high-lite promo video and learned more about their interesting sandwich-making process. First, they panini-grill the dough in individual sandwich-sized loaves, then they cut it lengthwise and assemble the sandwich directly inside the freshly grilled loaf. Finally, they re-grill the whole thing and serve it immediately. The result is a very fresh, very warm and toasty sandwich that we ate on a bench overlooking the canal.

The roast beef was quite rare, which tasted good but was a bit chewy and caused some messiness but overall, it was satisfying lunch on our first day in the city.

Roast beef from Blue House. A solid introductory Danish sandwich.

Spiseriet:

We took a day trip to Helsingør, where we spent the better part of an afternoon exploring Kronborg Castle, the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It was a slightly windy and chilly day, which only added to the atmosphere of our tour, led by Horatio himself. Afterwards, as we were wandering the streets in search of a lunch place, we found Spiseriet, a little restaurant tucked away at the end of a cobblestoned alley. 

Spiseriet, in the town of Helsingnor

Its lunch specialty was smørrebrød, the Danish word for an open-faced sandwich. Denmark has a long tradition, dating back to the Middle Ages, of serving smørrebrød as a light meal and who were we to argue with tradition? When in Denmark, do as the Danes do.

I enjoyed two smørrebrød: first the Roast Pork and then the Potato. The Roast Pork consisted of thin slices of rye bread, topped with two thick pieces of roast pork, pickled red cabbage and cucumber. The meat was warm and the cabbage was similar to a nice, non-mayo based coleslaw. Since the portions were small and the first round was so good, we each ordered another: the Potato for me and Mike, and the Mustard-Herring, topped with watercress and fried capers for my uncle. My auntie ordered apple crumble for dessert.

The Roast Pork

The Mustard Herring

The Potato

The Potato smørrebrød was two thin slices of rye bread with warm, thick slices of potato, sprinkled with crisp bacon, fresh dill, red and green onion, and topped with a dollop of smoky cream cheese/sour cream. Divine! It was my favorite – a warm, fresh, dill-pickle potato chip sandwich.

For more information about smørrebrød, check out this excellent blog I found on the subject: 

http://www.danishsandwich.com/

I know I’ll be searching it for new recipes and sandwich-spiration.

Copenhagen Street Food:

This bustling street food market was a super fun experience on our last day in Copenhagen. Located across the harbour from the Opera House, near Nyhan (the beautiful harbour of colourful buildings and boats) and Christianshavn in an old paper-manufacturing warehouse, the Copenhagen Street Food market is home to over 30 unique food trucks and stalls. You can try everything from traditional Danish sandwiches and burgers, to butter chicken, fancy spring rolls and Brazilian BBQ. There are even a few different bars to try, if you want to get your wine/beer/cocktail on. The food is well-priced and decently portioned so you don’t have to spend all your Kroner at one place – and nor should you!

It was hard to narrow down all our options but we managed somehow and trust me, that’s the #firstworldproblem you don’t mind having on vacation. After a quick initial pass through the warehouse, we decided on DUCK IT, the burger place near the front, for a completely satisfying pulled-duck burger served hot off the grill, stuffed with red onions and salad greens. 

Pulled Duck Burger from DUCK IT

To keep our duck-trend going, we paired our burgers with paper cones stuffed to overflowing with Belgian frites double-fried in duck fat from Copper and Wheat. There was greasy-ducky gloriousness in every bite, enjoyed at one of the indoor picnic tables under the twirling cow-shaped disco ball.

Belgian frites double-fried in duck fat from Copper and Wheat

Groovy Disco-Cow

Visiting Copenhagen was definitely one of the highlights of my summer and I hope that wherever you traveled, you were met with similar positive experiences: friendly people, interesting sights and as always, unique and delicious food.

Cheers to you, Copenhagen, and to your beautiful sandwiches! Skål!

Green Eggs and Ham Sandwich

Classic Dr. Seuss: try something new and you may like it!

Do you like Green Eggs and Ham?

Let’s go make some, Blog-I-Am! 

March 2, 2014, marked the late, great Dr. Seuss’ 110^th Birthday!  He was born Theodor Seuss Geisel and is still beloved by children and adults alike around the world for his quirky, imaginative and surprisingly profound children’s books. 

When I think back on some of my ‘learning to read’ memories, Dr. Seuss is there, right along with Robert Munsch, Shel Silverstein and Beatrix Potter. Green Eggs and Ham was a classic (probably because I was such a picky eater) and we always watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas during the holidays. The speech of the valedictorian of my high school graduating class was even interspersed with excerpts from Oh, The Places You’ll Go. There was not a dry-eye in the house...

Dr. Seuss has been part of my journey through childhood, young-adulthood, auntie-hood and teacher-hood. As an auntie to two amazing little boys, we’ve spent hours reading aloud together and nothing is more fun than stumbling through the tongue-twister masterpiece Fox in Socks while a little four year-old giggles uncontrollably! Even the older kids in my life love to get ‘Seussified’, like the Junior High students I directed in The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet, the Drama 7 class that brought The Lorax to life, and the English 10 class who enjoyed listening to Green Eggs and Ham. Those almost-too-cool high school students didn't even notice they’d transformed back into kids while I read to them.  Plus, it helped them understand the tricky concept of theme.

To honor the birthday of the man whose books hold a special place in my heart, as they do in the hearts of so many others (Beatrix Potter herself included!), I was inspired to recreate the most famous, oddly-colourful food in sandwich form: Green Eggs and Ham!

You do not like them. So you say.

Try them! Try them! And you may.

Green Eggs and Ham ingredients!

For this Special Literary Lunch, you will need:

Eggs (for two sandwiches, I used four eggs)

Ham

Sandwich Bread, toasted

Chopped Green Pepper

Fresh Dill, finely chopped

Green Food-Colouring (a few drops)

Mustard

Mayo

Ground Pepper

Swiss cheese (for the Mouse, while you enjoy it in your House)

How to make them here or there, how to make them anywhere:

1 – Crack the eggs in a skillet over medium-heat.

2 – Keep them moving by constantly stirring them in the skillet to avoid burning/sticking and add the green pepper and dill.

3 – Squeeze a few drops of the green food colouring onto the eggs while they’re still runny and keep stirring them to set the colour.

4 – Divide the eggs into sandwich portions and remove from heat. Bread should be toasted now to avoid drying out.

5 – Spread some mayo and mustard on the toasted bread and place the eggs and cheese on one slice.

6 – Arrange the ham (the damn ham, as Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird might say) on the other slice and sprinkle with dill. (Or if you want to dye your ham green too, go for it!)

7 – Assemble the sandwich and slice for easy eating.

Seuss-tacular! 

Ready for lunch! Munch, munch, munch!

The crisp, faintly bitter flavor of the green pepper contrasts nicely with the sweet, slightly tangy taste of the dill – much like the up-beat, optimistic Sam-I-Am and his bitter counterpart. The melted cheese and the sharp tinge of mustard combine with the other ingredients at just the right moments; just as the profound themes of Dr. Seuss’ stories don’t overpower the plot, they are subtle, yet truthful.

Plus it’s just so much fun to eat a Green Eggs and Ham sandwich! My inner four year-old was giggling along with my adult-self.

You can eat them in a box, with a fox, in a house, with a mouse. 

You can eat them here or there, you can eat them anywhere!

If you try Green Eggs and Ham, you may like them, Blog-I-Am!

I do so like Green Eggs and Ham!

Some fun, little-known facts about Dr. Seuss:

*He wrote Green Eggs and Ham on a bet with his publisher that he could write a book using only 50 different words.  He won when it was published in 1960 and it remains one of his best-selling books.

*If I Ran the Zoo, published in 1950, introduces the word nerd. Thanks, Doc!

*Many of Dr. Seuss’ books have a political bent: Yertle the Turtle, 1958, opposes tyrannical dictators, The Sneetches and Other Stories, 1961, decries racism and Antisemitism and The Lorax, 1971, warns of the dangers of exploiting the environment.

*Due to its political themes, The Lorax has been on the American Library Association’s Annual List of Banned Books.  Who knew?

*Dr. Seuss was awarded in the Pultizer Prize in 1984.

For more Seuss titles and info, check out:

http://www.seussville.com/

https://www.epl.ca/

Happy Reading and Eating!

Epic Sandwich Party!

Planning a party is usually one of two potential things: it’s really fun or it’s really stressful. There’s a lot to do and never enough time and dealing with the food aspect is usually the biggest source of stress. I wasn’t sure what to do for my recent 30^th birthday, but when it became an Epic Sandwich Party, all stress went right out the window - right along with my 20's!

Epic Sandwich of stacked proportions!

The rules of the Epic Sandwich Party are just like those that govern general sandwich creation: there are no rules! Any kind of sandwich can be created with a few key ingredients and this creative freedom brings out the fun – and sometimes weird – tastes of your guests.  Plus having your guests make their own sandwich masterpieces takes all the cooking pressure off you, the host, so you can spend more time mingling and partying with your people!

Three Major Reasons Why Epic Sandwich Parties Rock:

1-You can’t please everyone, but everyone can please themselves:

The dollop of grainy mustard makes this sandwich epic!

Let’s face it – if you try to plan your party’s menu so everyone is consistently happy, you’re in for a disappointing evening. People’s tastes are too different and with so many different eating styles (vegetarian, vegan) and/or food restrictions (gluten-free, allergies, etc.), coming up with something that everyone can eat is pretty near impossible. But an Epic Sandwich Party empowers everyone to please themselves. If you provide variety in meat, bread, veggie and side options (I’ll get to the Shopping List in a moment), you are appealing to broad tastes and letting your guests get more specific for themselves. You might not think that toasted rye bread with raspberry jam and sharp cheddar tastes good (it really does, just so you know!), but you don’t have to because your guests will think up their own food and everyone’s happy because they take care of themselves.

It's enormous! Or is it...?

2-Epic Sandwich Parties are Very Kid-Friendly:

There are lots of kids in our circle of friends and family and I wanted them to feel welcome. An Epic Sandwich Party is a fun and super easy way to include the little ones in the festivities.  Kids love sandwiches!  And getting to make their own can appeal to even the pickiest of eaters. My six-year old nephew made the first sandwich of the party and he was so excited to have that honor. I pointed out the different choices he had and he considered each one thoughtfully before putting together a Roast Beast (beef), Cheese and Ketchup Sandwich. It was just what he wanted! All the kids at our party seemed to have fun building their own sandwiches, which made their parents happy and able to have fun too!

3-The prep is so minimal, it’s hardly prep!

Just stock up on sandwich essentials, add some general party junk food, chill the drinks and you’re good to go! Have some napkins, plates and cups standing by and let everyone be inspired to create their own sandwich greatness.

You can’t go wrong with this basic Shopping List for your Epic Sandwich Party:

So many tasty ingredients!

Bread: 3-4 different kinds, such as:

Basic Sourdough

Rye (dark and light)

Multi-grain

Buns (my Dad brought his special homemade buns and they did not last long!)

Meat: Variety is key!

Turkey breast, like Lilydale’s seasoned and roasted turkey breast slices

Roast Beef

Montreal Smoked Brisket

Spicy Capocolo

Smoked Prosciutto

Bacon

Turkey, sliced applies and sharp cheddar!

Veggies/Fruits:

Lettuce (spinach and mixed greens)

Tomatoes

Peppers

Onions

Mushrooms

Granny Smith Apples, thinly sliced

Sprouts

Avocados

Cheese:

Sharp Cheddar

Mozza

Jalapeno Havarti

Goat Cheese

Grilled roast beef, mushrooms, and 3 kinds of cheese!

Condiments:

Mustards (plain yellow, spicy, grainy, Dijon, Honey, Cranberry)

Mayo (plain and Dill)

Butter

Pickles

Banana Peppers

Ketchup

Hummus

Sides:

Potato chips (your favorite kinds!)

Veggies and Dips (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower)

Grapes

Potato salad

Drinks:

Root Beer

Orange Pop

Coke

(just add ice cream for floats!)

...and don't forget real beer for the adults!

Special Equipment:

Skillet/Grill for those who want a grilled sandwich experience

This party wouldn't have been complete
without an Epic Sandwich Birthday Cake! 

Dessert:

Cupcakes

Ice Cream

...and Epic Sandwich Birthday Cake!

Convinced now? I hope so! Our guests had fun building their own epic sandwiches and we did too! For your next gathering, forget the planning stress and throw an Epic Sandwich Party instead!

Colourful Egg Salad

I love colourful food and I am of the opinion that a meal should have a broad colour pallet: rich reds and oranges, bright greens, a dab of yellow or crisp white and even sometimes a pop of blue or purple (purple potatoes are delicious, in case you couldn't think of a purple food).  When I create a sandwich, like any designer, I consider the colours of the ingredients and how they will look together.  I like to build something with a range of colours  because it's aesthetically pleasing and hints at variety in taste and texture.  And let's face it, when something looks good, chances are it tastes good too. 

Such is the case for my latest sandwich creation.  The white and yellow mix of hard boiled eggs provided the basis for a lovely, multicoloured egg salad sandwich.  When mixed with some green celery, red pepper and rusty-tinged spices, the sunny yellow hue reminded me of springtime.  It's a cheerful-looking (and tasting!) sandwich to enjoy this slushy winter week.

This Colourful Egg Salad requires:

Red, green, white and yellow!

5 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 tsp diced fresh dill weed (estimated)
1 tbsp-ish of mayo
1/2 tbsp-ish of Fresh's Dijon with Chardonnay mustard
Paprika and Cayenne pepper flakes to taste
Spinach 
Bread or buns, split


Hard Boiled Eggs can be tricky, but luckily there's no shortage of tips online to try!  Some say to add vinegar or salt to the water to prevent the egg whites from oozing if the eggs are cracked and others don't; I recommend reading a few and trying whatever stands out to you.  I've used this method many times with consistent hard boiled results:

Just add water, boil, remove from heat and cover.

1. Place the eggs in a single layer and fill your pot with cold water that covers the eggs with an extra inch and a half.
2. Bring the water to a boil for 1 minute and remove the pot from heat.  I know the expression "a watched pot never boils" but it's important that you do watch it so they don't overcook.
3. Cover and let the eggs sit in the boiled water for about 12 minutes. 
4. Run the eggs under cold water and peel.  Fini!

Sandwich Creation:

1. After peeling the eggs, mash them in a bowl with a pastry cutter.
2. Add the diced celery, red pepper, dill weed and mix.
3. Mix in the mayo and mustard.  I don't like my egg or potato salads drowning in sauce, which is why my measurements were 'ish' amounts as I constantly taste as I mix.  Add more/less to suit your liking.
4. Sprinkle on the paprika and cayenne spices to taste.
5. Scoop egg salad on one bread slice/bun half and pile with spinach.
6. Enjoy! 

Chopping fresh herbs with this is so easy and they smell amazing!

Delightful!  The eggs were still warm and the spices and Dijon mustard added some zip. Since there was some leftover egg salad the next day and I was feeling inspired, I added some diced radishes, and fresh basil to the mix for even more colour and flavor!  Fresh basil smells and tastes lovely but in the leftover amount, it was a bit intense, so I recommend either using a smaller amount for the leftover batch or adding it the whole batch next time.  

For even more colour, I added some baby carrots on the side because for me, the more colours, the better the sandwich.  Enjoy!

Weekend Breakfast Sandwich

I am very bad at breakfast.

During the week, that is.  I have always been the kind of person who can’t eat a meal as soon as I get up in the morning and it used to drive my parents crazy when I was growing up.  I just couldn't do it though and we eventually figured out that if I ate something later in the morning, I would be just fine.

Now in my adult life, the breakfast battle continues.  I’m not proud to say that I’ve often skipped it entirely, but since working on an empty stomach is really not fun or healthy, I’m back to my practice of the morning snack.

But weekend breakfasts...I've never had a problem there.  I look forward to them!  I like to start my weekend off right by making a pot of coffee and cooking a nice, big breakfast.  This morning as my coffee brewed, I created my own version of a sausage and egg breakfast sandwich.

Ingredients:

Toasted rye bread
Tomato, cut into thin slices and fried
Piller’s Turkey Kolbassa Sausage, sliced up and fried with the tomatoes
Scrambled eggs, divided into sandwich-sized portions (for two sandwiches, I used four eggs)
Dill and Cayenne Pepper seasoning on the eggs
Havarti and Cheddar cheese

Timing and Assembly Tips:

1. To avoid that burning-egg residue on your skillet, fry the tomatoes and sausage first and keep them warm on a plate while you scramble the eggs.
2. Use a medium heat setting for the eggs and constantly stir them as they cook to prevent both sticking and burning.
3. Season each side of the egg portions to your desired spiciness and flip them to seal it in.
4. Toast the bread during the eggs’ last few minutes to avoid drying it out.
5. For easy assembly, pile the eggs and sausage on one bread slice, the cheese and tomato on the other, and combine the two.
6. Serve with ketchup, hot sauce or salsa.

The result is warm and melty, with just enough crunch and spice to be unique!  This sandwich will definitely make another appearance on a chill weekend morning.

Or as my husband praised: “This would be really great for a hangover breakfast!”

Good to know; I’ll make sure the ingredients are stocked come New Year’s Day.