Nordic BLT with dry-cured lamb.

This is a Nordic version of the classic American sandwich, the BLT. I serve it with dry-cured lamb and scrambled eggs.

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Almost every time I am alone at home I make scrambled eggs with dry-cured lamb, a Norwegian speciality. Dry-cured lamb (fenalår) is the Norwegian counterpart to Spanish serrano ham or the Italian Parma ham, but there are two big differences: While Serrano and Parma come from the pig, Norwegian fenalår is made from lamb and is much more salty. Sheep has always been an important livestock in Norway giving us wool for winter clothes and many kinds of meat.

In Norway dry-cured lamb used to be common around Christmas

I remember a whole leg of dry-cured lamb hanging in our pantry at Christmas. It was delicious with scrambled eggs, on open sandwiches or served with sour cream porridge. Usually Norwegians eat the dry-cured lamb as it is, but here I fry it in the pan, like a sort of sheep bacon! Sounds strange? Definitely, but it is delicious still. At least when your are used to it. My girlfriend is not, and she hates it. But I think this lovely sandwich will persuade her.

I serve the salty lamb with oven baked tomatoes, chives and scrambled eggs for a kind of Nordic BLT sandwich. The first time I tried the classic BLT was in San Diego in 2001 on my first trip to the US. The BLT made a huge impression on me with its endless layers of bacon and crunchy lettuce. The city of San Diego, however, was boring but I had two culinary highlights there. One being the BLT, the other one a Brownie ice cream.

Nordic BLT with salty dry-cured lamb. Fulfilling, delicious and a tad strange.

Green green grass of home

In my Nordic version of the BLT the bacon is replaced with dry-cured lamb. If you cannot find it use Parma or Serrano. The lettuce is replaced with chives as a symbol of the never-ending summer of North of Norway where the sun never sets and the grass grows like weed. The Norwegian name of chives is gressløk, translated into ”grass onion”, because it looks like grass. Instead of raw tomatoes I bake small tomatoes in the oven for a sweeter flavour.

In the sandwich the chives is a symbol of the never-ending summer of North of Norway where the sun never sets.

Nordic BLT sandwich (makes 2 generous portions)

10 small tomatoes on the vine
10 slices of dry-cured lamb (or Parma, Serrano or bacon)
frying oil
4 eggs
2 tbsp butter
chives
pepper
bread

1. Preheat the oven 175C/350F and bake the tomatoes for 30 minutes.
2. Fry the dry-cured lamb in a little oil until crunchy. Place on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.
3. Wipe away the fat in the frying pan, add the butter and turn the temperature to low. Whisk the eggs with a fork in a little bowl with a tablespoon water. Cook the eggs on low heat for about 15 minutes to make it creamy while you continuously stir with a spatula.
4. Place half of the dry-cured lamb on a piece of bread, add half of the eggs and top with a generous amount of pepper and chives. Finish with half the tomatoes and another piece of bread.

More Nordic sandwiches?

Skagentoast on Independence Day
The open sandwich is back from the past
Danish pork apples (Æbleflæsk)

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Pork apples (æbleflæsk) is a classic dish from Denmark.

Apples and pork is a classic combination, but how about serving it as a sandwich? This is what the Danes do.

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Æbleflæsk is as simple as the name: It consists of apples (æbler) and pork (flæsk). It has been eaten for generations and dates back to the time when people had a farm and a couple of apple trees. The dish is served with the Danes’ favorite bread, rye bread, and is eaten like a sandwich. It combines the saltiness of the pork with the slight acidity of the apples and is enjoyed for breakfast (morgenmad).

Æbleflæsk is one of the dishes the acclaimed chef Thomas Herman makes in his cookbook, Brændende kærlighed (Burning love), where he goes back to the food of his childhood. James Price, known from the Danish television program “Eat with Price”, describes how his grandmother always made him æbleflæsk at least once a month for Sunday breakfast.

Pork apples (æbleflæsk) is the dish the Danes make when they are homesick. The dish they eat on Sundays when they make an extra effort with breakfast. The dish they make at Christmas or in December. The dish their grandmother made for them. The dish they make to remember their grandmother.

Danish Pork apples (æbleflæsk)

Slices of bacon
apples, quartered and halved
onion, chopped (thinly sliced)
sugar
salt and pepper
rye bread

Fry the bacon in a dry pan until crisp. Drain on a paper towel. Then fry the apples and onion in the remaining bacon fat. Fry the apples until they are tender but still hold their shape. Season with salt and pepper and a little bit sugar – the apples should not be sweet. Serve on top of – or along with – rye bread. Have a memorable weekend breakfast!

More Nordic dishes?

Scandinavian fry-up (pytt i panne)
Tilslørte bondepiker (apple trifle)
The open sandwich is back from the past
Skagentoast on Independence Day

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Independence Day is not only the most dressed up day in Norway, it is also the most crowded one. The children’s parade is the pillar of the celebration and people flock to the streets to watch the children parading. To children May 17 is a piece of heaven. On this particular day there are no limits as to how many ice creams, hot dogs and sodas children are allowed to consume by their parents.

The invention of skagentoast (Toast Skagen)

I celebrate the day with a smorgasbord consisting of classic Norwegian salmon and scrambled eggs paired with Sweden’s most famous sandwich, skagentoast (Toast Skagen). After all, Norway and Sweden were once united. After Norway achieved our Constitution on May 17 in 1814, we entered into a union with Sweden that was to last until 1905.

Skagentoast was invented in 1956 at a regatta in Denmark. When the wind died during the regatta, the skipper made a meal to encourage his crew. Luckily, the skipper happened to be one of Sweden’s most influential chefs, Tore Wretman, and the dish he invented was Toast Skagen. It was named Skagen because the regatta took place outside Skagen, the northernmost tip in Denmark.

This version of skagentoast is more luxurious than the original and the recipe is adapted from the beautiful book ”Skalldyr” by Leif Mannerström. Skagentoast is served on bread that is toasted in a frying pan with butter. This is a good option if you want to serve it as an appetizer or individual dish. Here I serve the bread plain.

Bunad (to the left), the national costume in Norway.

Independence Day in Norway is a feast for the eye and for the flag.

All dressed up for May 17th.

Skagentoast.

Skagentoast (makes about 10 sandwiches)

White bread
400–500 g cooked and peeled shrimps
4 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp mustard
½ red onion, finely chopped (leave some for garnish)
1 bunch dill, finely chopped
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
fish roe (choose one that is sustainable, e.g. salmon roe, ask your fish monger)

Peel the shrimps and slice the bread into squares or triangles. In a bowl, mix the finely chopped herbs and red onion together with the sour cream, mustard and mayonnaise. Add the shrimps, taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Spoon on top of the slices of bread and garnish with red onion, a sprig of dill and fish roe.

More recipes for sandwich?

The open sandwich is back from the past
Nordic BLT sandwich

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The Nordic countries have a love affair with cold food. The open sandwich is the national dish in Denmark and a staple in many Norwegians’ lunch boxes.

Lavish sandwiches in Denmark (smørrebrød)

In Denmark the open sandwich is called smørrebrød. Smørrebrød are served on rye bread, they are lavish and resemble more a dinner plate than bread as the bread disappears among all the greens and proteins. In Denmark there are restaurants focusing solely on smørrebrød, the most famous among these, Ida Davidsen, has a menu consisting of 250 different types of sandwiches. The Danish smørrebrød is truly Denmark’s contribution to the world’s culinary heritage along with Danish pastry.

Sandwich cakes in Sweden (smörgåstårta)

In Sweden  sandwiches are not served seperately but put together into a huge sandwich cake (smörgåstårta). The “cake” consists of layers of sliced loaves, eggs, shrimps, mayonnaise and whipped cream.

Frugal sandwiches in Norway (smørbrød)

The Norwegian open sandwich (smørbrød) is a more frugal version than its Nordic cousins, often just featuring a piece of cheese or jam. However, the simple Norwegian sandwiches have a more luxurious cousin that shows up on special occasions.

Trays with different types of open sandwiches are often served in Norway instead of warm dinner. It is a convenient way of serving many guests as you can prepare the food in advance. It is often used in funerals, confirmations and even weddings, sometimes accompanied by hot dishes. Nowadays these plates are something you order from catering companies, but from my childhood I remember them skilfully prepared by proper housewives, especially old ladies. These sandwiches were simply old ladies’ delights.

To every child the favorite occasion to eat these sandwiches was at the Christmas tree parties (juletrefest), a Norwegian tradition dating back to the 19th century. At these parties, the centerpiece were the big Christmas tree and Santa Claus bringing gifts to the children. The gifts, wrapped in paper cones, contained only sensible items; clementines and a few pieces of candy. Still they were magical. And so were the trays filled with open sandwiches and topped with home cooked salty lamb, spiced meat rolls, boiled egg with anchovies and smoked salmon.

The sandwich tradition, along with tapas, started as a practical invention

In Denmark these lovable sandwiches used to be food for the working class, and before that, the farmer. Tapas started in Andalucía as a way to cover the sherry drink with at piece of bread or meat. In the 15th century the Danish farmer could easily bring the bread with him out to the fields, and the bread functioned like a plate at a time when plates were expensive and rare. The sandwich consisted of simple ingredients, yesterday’s fish such as smoked herring or meat with rye bread.

These humble sandwiches have lately seen a renaissance in Denmark at high-end restaurants. They have also crossed the Atlantic and the English Channel. In the middle of Manhattan you will now find the Danish smørrebrød restaurant Aamanns Copenhagen while London has its Snaps and rye and the little deli Scandinavian Kitchen.

But what should you drink with the sandwiches? In Denmark enjoying snaps (shots, usually aquavit) is the only way. In Norway coffee or tea is the preferred choice (though in my family we always enjoyed them with cocoa). And the swedes say yes to white wine.

Scrambled eggs with chives and smoked salmon

For the best scrambled eggs I turn to one of my classic American cookbooks, Joy of Cooking (All about breakfast and brunch).

1. Whisk 4 eggs with two tablespoons water until the yolks and whites are completely blended. If you add water, milk or cream, it will make the eggs more tender, but only if cooked gently.

2. Melt a tablespoon butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Turn the heat down and pour in the eggs. (If the pan is hot, the eggs will thicken immediately). While the heat is low, stir and scrape the pan with a wooden spoon – if you do it too often, it will produce small curds. Too seldom stirring produce uneven curds. Transfer to a plate while slightly undercooked as they will continue to cook. Serve half the scrambled eggs with chives and half with smoked salmon on top.

More Nordic sandwhiches?

Nordic BLT sandwich
Skagentoast
Smorgasbord

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