And Papadam is back, taking my extraordinary palette, food-tasting, and amateur cooking abilities to the beautiful, sunny Copenhagen (and the rest of Europe?). Before I even bothered trying to butcher an order for Smorrebrod (a cold, open-faced sandwich), or find the best pickled herring, or drop $500 at a pop at a 2-Michelin star restaurant, I tried to start with what I know and add some Nordic ingredients for an interesting twist. Denmark's cuisine is famous for fresh, local ingredients, especially seafood, vegetables, meats and spices.
August in Copenhagen is filled with lovely cafes with people eating traditional Danish lunches, drinking cappuccinos or Carlsberg beers, or simply eating hamburgers, hotdogs and kebabs. While I'll have plenty of time to show you what Danish cuisine is all about, let me start off with what my budget allows and what I've stumbled upon by chance - Denmark's cuisine and local ingredients are quite adaptable to central European, asian and latin american cuisines. Here are the highlights till date:
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| "Beef al pan," or a beef sandwich at Tango Grill in the Glass market in central Copenahgen is one of the best finds I've made so far. Grilled steak, pickled onions, and a light green chili sauce topped with a sort of garlic aoli made for this mouthwatering sub. The place is to the side of the market, near the street, and almost looks like a bar. The chefs were from Colombia and Argentina, and seemed to really care about what they were doing. Perfect with a draft beer on a warm, sunny weekend afternoon. |
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| Stumbled upon a Brazilian stand called Brasa in the market at Paper Island in Christiansvahn, Copenhagen. Here they served mixed grilled meats - pork, chorizo, and chicken - when they have them all. Served with spiced potatoes, cherry tomatoes, pineapple salsa, and a light green chili sauce. The smoked flavor permeated all the rich, savory meats, which were balanced by the sweet sauce and fresh fruits. |
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| Since hotdogs are the national food in Denmark, it wouldn't be right to refrain from eating them because they're not like the Fenway Franks I am used to. With my housemates I made Danish hotdogs, buying pork sausages (which are hot dogs here), and making rolls from scratch, as well as garlic aoli, ketchup, pickles, and pickled onions. The combination of homemade, fresh ingredients and fresh bread made this a weener a winner. I put down two. |
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| Pardon my picture/selfie taking abilities. I'll do better. #foodintheair #foodinmymouth |
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| Made a mean panini today - fresh bread, grilled chicken with spices, sliced cheese (swiss?), carmelized onions, chorizo and pesto. Tasting absolutely amazing but maybe because I was just really hungry. |
Here is the recipe for Danish hot dogs:
Hot dog buns (15 buns):
50 g yeast, 250 ml finger-warm water, 500 ml yoghurt, 3 tsp salt, 3 tbsp honey, 1300-1400 ml flour. Crumble the yeast in a bowl. Add water and mix until the yeast is gone. Add yoghurt, salt and honey. Add flour little by little and work with the dough until it’s smooth and elastic. Let the dough rise 45 minutes. Divide the dough in 15 smaller pieces and shape like hot dog buns. Let the breads rise 15 minutes. Bake 8-10 minutes at 250 degrees C.
Ketchup:
1 tbsp oil, half yellow onion, 1 garlic clove, half a chili, 1 can crushed tomatoes, 50 ml sundried tomatoes, 1.5 tbsp apple vinegar, 1 tsp pepper, 1-2 tsp salt, 40 ml brown sugar, 1 pinch of cinnamon. Chop the onion, garlic and chili. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion, garlic and chili. Fry until it’s soft. Add the two kinds of tomatoes. Boil for 10 minutes. Add brown sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar and cinnamon. Let it simmer for 45 minutes. It’s supposed to turn thick. Blend the ketchup. Taste it and see if it needs more salt, pepper or sugar. If your ketchup isn’t thick enough, you can add cornstarch and a bit of water.
Mayonnaise:
2 tbsp lemon juice 0.5 tsp pepper, 0.5 tsp salt, 300 ml oil, 1 tsp white wine vinegar, 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp mustard. Mix all the ingredients except the oil in a bowl. Pour the olive oil in the bowl slowly – one drop at a time – while whisking fast. When the mayonnaise starts to thicken, add more olive oil – continue to whisk all the way through. When the mayonnaise is done, taste it and see if it needs more salt, pepper or lemon juice. Bonus-tip for the mayonnaise: If you want you can add a flavor to your mayonnaise, like chili, garlic or basil – use what you like and find in the kitchen.
Cucumber in vinegar:
0.5 cucumber, 100 ml vinegar, 100 ml water. Slice the cucumber in thin slices. Add vinegar and water in a small bowl and add the cucumber slices.
