Danish cooking is not known for delicacy: pork bellies, herring, meatballs, rye gruel, plain boiled potatoes. All washed down with a jigger of aquavit and plenty of beer.
As one might expect in the frigid northern clime, calories are abundant, flavors subdued and fresh vegetables all but non-existent. That is, until you get to lunch.
Lunch in Denmark is a meal set apart. Gone are the great slabs of pork and lumps of potato, and in their place are smorrebrod (pronounced smeur-breudt), the most artfully constructed sandwiches one is likely to find in any cuisine.
Even calling these architectural wonders “sandwiches” can be misleading, for they are at once more elaborate and less substantial than what we usually envision. Creatively prepared, they can be the focus of any spring get-together.
Smorrebrod means buttered bread, but butter and bread are only the beginning. The bread is a single thin slice, no more than 1/8-inch thick. Then comes a bare smear of butter followed by a baroque stacking of meat, fish, salads and garnish.
Two or three smorrebrod are served per person. Because they are open-faced and often precariously stacked, they are eaten with a knife and fork.
The most common bread for smorrebrod is Danish sourdough rye. This 100 percent rye loaf is extremely dense with a thick, undistinguished crust. Unlike American rye bread, which is made mostly from wheat flour with just enough rye to flavor it, Danish rye is neither soft nor chewy. Pumpernickel and deli rye can be substituted, but it is a bit difficult to slice these loaves thinly enough. Thinly sliced firm white bread is often used for fish and cheese smorrebrod.
Regardless of what else is included in a smorrebrod, sweet unsalted butter always goes first. Soften the butter to make it easier to spread, but never allow it to melt or become greasy. Spread a thin, even layer of butter from edge to edge. It is important that the butter seal the bread from any juices that might drip from subsequent ingredients, but it is equally important that it not be too thick. About 1 teaspoon of butter per slice is standard.
If the bread slice is large, it can be cut in half to yield two smorrebrod. To save time, butter the whole slice first and then cut it in half widthwise.
Once the bread is buttered it can be topped with a wide variety of ingredients. This section of the smorrebrod is called the paalaeg (pronounced po-leg), meaning, “that which is laid on.” Paalaeg can be as mundane as leftover meats from a past evening’s meal, or it could be an opulent mound of poached lobster, a selection of cold cuts and cheese, homemade pickles, fresh vegetables or specially prepared salads.
The arrangement can be decorative or not, piled high or kept in a compact single layer. Because smorrebrod are eaten with a knife and fork, we are freed from having to consider how the sandwich will stand up to handling, allowing our full attention to focus on the combination of flavors, textures and colors of the finished product.
Choose ingredients for smorrebrod that complement one another. If a creamy white fish salad is the main ingredient, mound it on a plane of crunchy cucumber slices. Drizzle it with a lemon sauce or an herbed dressing to enhance the flavor of the fish, and crown the sandwich with a cherry tomato or orange twist to add another dimension.
Consider the order in which ingredients are stacked. Vary the rich mahogany of rare roast beef with a forest-green leaf of spinach and a silken golden mustard mayonnaise. Garnish it with frizzled onions cut thread-thin and fried to a chestnut-brown.
Vegetarian smorrebrod can be made from a combination of pickled, fresh and cooked vegetables. A favorite Danish combination is sliced boiled potato rolled in parsley, layered with tomato strips and bits of bacon. Beets, onions, cucumbers, gherkins, mushrooms and leeks are all common in the Danish tradition, but I like to add some Mediterranean flavors to vegetable smorrebrod, with some marinated artichokes, fried eggplant or roasted bell peppers. For these combinations I often spread the bread with frozen olive oil rather than butter.
Each of the accompanying recipes for smorrebrod is accompanied by a variation recipe using a different main ingredient. Six open-faced sandwiches yield 6 servings or 12 appetizer servings.
A topping to try
The following tomato chuntney is a fine accompaniment for Danish sandwiches. Try it with the recipe for egg and spinach smorrebrod. Or it will go equally well with a pork or chicken sandwich.
TOMATO CHUTNEY
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: About 3/4 cup
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 large tomato, cored, chopped
2 teaspoons molasses
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt, ground red pepper to taste
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger; stir to combine. Add vinegar and tomato; cook and stir about 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; simmer until lightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool; refrigerate.
Nutrition information per 1/2 recipe: 100 calories, 5 g fat, no cholesterol, 80 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein.
ROAST BEEF AND HORSERADISH SMORREBROD
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
3 tablespoons each: mayonnaise, prepared horseradish
1/2 clove garlic, minced
6 thin slices pumpernickel
6 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
6 ounces thinly sliced rare roast beef
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
6 cherry tomatoes, each cut in 4 slices
12 leaves of flat-leaf parsley
1. Mix mayonnaise, horseradish and garlic in a small bowl. Spread each bread slice with 1 teaspoon of butter. Top each with 1 ounce of the roast beef, folding slices to fit. Top with a dollop of horseradish sauce, chopped onion, tomato slices and parsley leaves.
Variation: Smoked salmon smorrebrod. Follow the preceding recipe substituting 4 ounces smoked salmon (Nova) for the roast beef.
Nutrition information per serving: 340 calories, 19 g fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 425 mg sodium, 27 mg carbohydrates, 17 g protein
SMORREBROD OF LIVERWURST, CARAMELIZED ONION, APPLE AND BACON
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
6 slices bacon
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, halved, sliced
1 onion, halved, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon balsamic or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
Salt, ground red pepper to taste
6 thin slices Danish sourdough rye bread or pumpernickel
6 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
6 thin slices liverwurst
1. Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 1 1/2 tablespoons of bacon fat from pan. Brown apple slices on both sides in the hot bacon fat. Remove and reserve.
2. Add onion to fat remaining in pan; cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Cover pan; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar, sugar, salt and red pepper.
3. Spread each bread slice with 1 teaspoon butter. Top each with a slice of liverwurst. Top each with 4 or 6 apple slices, a piece of bacon (halved) and some caramelized onions.
Variation: Follow the preceding recipe substituting 5 ounces thinly sliced roast turkey breast for the liverwurst.
Nutrition information per serving: 460 calories, 29 g fat, 85 mg cholesterol, 1,015 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein
EGG, SPINACH AND TOMATO CHUTNEY SMORREBROD
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
6 thin slices Danish sourdough rye bread or pumpernickel
6 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup tomato chutney, see recipe
12 medium spinach leaves, rinsed, dried, stems removed
6 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
Rind (colored part only) of 1 lemon, in very thin strips
1. Spread each bread slice with 1 teaspoon of butter. Spread 2 teaspoons tomato chutney on each and top with 2 spinach leaves.
2. Lay overlapping egg slices down the length of spinach leaves. Top each with 2 teaspoons of tomato chutney and lemon rind strips.
Variation: Sweet turkey smorrebrod. Prepare the preceding recipe substituting 5 ounces of thinly sliced roasted turkey breast for the hard-cooked eggs.
Nutrition information per serving: 315 calories, 17 g fat, 335 mg cholesterol, 445 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrates, 15 g protein.
SMOKED TURKEY AND CHILI MAYONNAISE SMORREBROD
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon each: ground cumin, chili powder
1/2 teaspoon tomato paste or 1 teaspoon ketchup
1/4 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced, or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch ground red pepper
6 thin slices firm white bread
6 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
6 ounces thinly sliced smoked turkey breast
6 slices ripe tomato
12 slices sweet pickle or 6 pickled okra, halved lengthwise
1. Mix mayonnaise, cumin, chili powder, tomato paste or ketchup, vinegar, garlic and red pepper in a small bowl.
2. Spread each bread slice with 1 teaspoon of butter. Top each with 1 ounce smoked turkey, folding it to fit. Top each with a tomato slice and a dollop of chili mayonnaise. Top with pickle slices or okra halves.
Variation: Smoked gouda smorrebrod. Follow the preceding recipe substituting 6 ounces sliced smoked gouda cheese for the turkey breast.
Nutrition information per serving: 350 calories, 20 g fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 990 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrates, 15 g protein.
FETA, ROASTED PEPPER AND OLIVE SMORREBROD
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
1 roasted red bell pepper, bottled or from deli
1/2 cup pitted black or green olives, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 thin slices pumpernickel
6 teaspoons frozen olive oil
6 romaine leaves, rinsed, ribs removed, halved
5 ounces feta cheese, sliced
Rind (colored part only) of 1 lemon, in fine strips
1. Cut the roasted pepper into 12 strips and set aside. Mix olives, garlic, virgin oil and black pepper in small bowl.
2. Spread each bread slice with 1 teaspoon of the frozen oil. Top each with a romaine leaf, a slice of feta, 2 pepper strips and a spoonful of the olive mixture. Scatter some of the lemon rind over top.
Variation: Garden feta smorrebrod. Follow preceding recipe using 12 cucumber slices and 6 halved tomato slices in place of the roasted pepper.
Nutrition information per serving: 330 calories, 21 g fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 1,655 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein
LEMON CRAB SMORREBROD
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
3 tablespoons mayonnaise or plain yogurt
2 teapoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt, ground red pepper to taste
12 ounces lump crab meat, cleaned
3 green onions (white part only), thinly sliced
12 thin slices French bread or 6 small rolls, halved
6 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
24 thin slices cucumber
12 slices Japanese pickled ginger, optional
12 chives, cut in half
1. Mix mayonnaise or yogurt with lemon juice, garlic, salt and cayenne in medium bowl. Add crabmeat and green onion; toss to mix.
2. Spread each slice of bread or roll half with 1/2 teaspoon of butter. Top with cucumber slices, a mound of the crab mixture, pickled ginger slices and pieces of chive.
Variation: Lemon salmon smorrebrod. Follow the preceding recipe substituting 1 can (about 14 ounces) salmon for the crab. Clean salmon of skin and bones beforehand.
Nutrition information per serving: 505 calories, 18 g fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 985 mg sodium, 56 g carbohydrates, 27 g protein
