The grains - whether from rye, barley or spelt are perfekt in risottos
Ingredients – Serves 4
1 onion · 2 cloves garlic · 2 tbsp olive oil · 500 ml pearl spelt · 100 ml white wine · approx. 2 litres chicken stock · juice of ½ lemon · 500 g mushrooms · 300 g chicken breast · 1 bunch parsley · 50 g grated Gouda cheese or similar cheese · salt and pepper · 2 tbsp oil for frying
Preparation
Peel and chop the onion and the garlic and fry in 1 tbsp of oil. Add the pearl spelt, and stir while continuing to cook for 5-10 seconds. Add the white wine and stir until all the wine has been absorbed. Add a bit of boiling stock, stir occasionally and cook the pearl spelt
until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding stock a bit at a time, stirring until all the liquid has been absorbed. This will take 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the filling. Clean the mushrooms and cut into smaller pieces. Fry the mushrooms in 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan, remove from the heat and transfer to a plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a frying pan, brown the chicken bits on both sides, turn down the heat and continue cooking
for 5 minutes on either side. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the chicken breasts into thin slices. Rinse and roughly chop the parsley. Mix mushrooms, parsley, chicken slices and cheese into the pearl barley once it has absorbed most of the liquid. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. The consistency of the pearl speltotto should be soft, but preferably with a bit of bite.
22 April 2012
12 o'clock noon
O RGANIC DAY
In Denmark, organically farmed cows are entitled to spend a minimum of 150 days a year grazing outside. The organic dairies and Organic Denmark jointly organise the Organic day, which is the day on which the organic cows are let out onto the spring-green grass for the first time after a long winter inside.
A total of 60 organic farmers open their doors to the cows’ spring party; watching the cows dancing and jumping about with joy as they take to the grassy fields is indeed a festive occasion. In 2011, more than 100,000 Danes went to visit the organic dairy cows. On the farms, visitors can taste the organic dairy products and learn more about organics.
Scan code and watch the dancing cows or use this link www.okodag.dk
Ingredients – Serves 4
1 bunch of asparagus · 1 onion, in strips · 2 cloves of garlic, chopped · 1 tbsp butter · ½ punnet of cherry tomatoes · 1 bunch of dill · 1 mozzarella in brine, roughly grated · salt and pepper · butter for frying
Egg mixture
8 eggs · 200 ml sour cream 9% · 200 ml milk · salt and pepper
Serve with Wholemeal bread lemon fresh thyme.
Preparation
Break the asparagus spears at the tender point, boil in lightly salted water for 2 minutes, and cut diagonally into approx. 2.5-centimetre pieces. Whisk egg, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper together.
Sauté the onion and garlic in butter over a low heat until transparent and stir in cherry tomatoes, dill, mozzarella, salt and pepper before adding the egg mixture. Let the egg mixture set a bit. Then occasionally lift an edge of the egg mixture so that the uncooked egg on top runs under. Once the omelette is almost cooked, add the asparagus and bake for
another 5 minutes in the oven at 180°C until completely set. Serve the omelette with lots of wholemeal bread, lemon and top with fresh herbs, if desired.
S MOK e D TRO u T MO u SS e WITH B e AN SALAD
Ingredients – Serves 4
Smoked trout mousse
300 g smoked trout · 175 g smoked cheese 10% · ½ bunch of dill
Bean salad with plum and parsnip dressing
50 g almonds · 1 tsp salt ·
50 ml boiling water · 400 g French beans · 2 cos lettuces ·
250 g parsnip · 3 plums ·
2 shallots · 2 tbsp olive oil ·
2 tsp apple vinegar · 2 tsp Dijon mustard · ½ bunch of dill · 4 sprigs of mint
Serve with 1 wholemeal baguette
Preparation
Trout mousse
Crumble the smoked trout into a bowl, add the soft smoked cheese and stir until soft. Chop the dill and mix in.
Salted almonds
Roast the almonds in a dry frying pan. Dissolve the salt in the boiling water and pour over the almonds once they have been roasted golden. Let the salted water evaporate from the frying pan. Leave the almonds to cool.
Make the salad
Top and tail the beans. Steam the beans in slightly salted water in a pan for approx. 4 minutes and drain into a col-
ander. Rinse the lettuce and rip into smaller pieces. Make the dressing Peel the parsnips and cut into tiny cubes, 3×3 mm. Cut the plums into tiny cubes. Finely chop the shallots. Mix a dressing of oil, apple vinegar and Dijon mustard. Finely chop the mint and dill and mix into the dressing. Gently mix the parsnips, plums and shallots into the dressing. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a plate, place the beans on top and top with the parsnip dressing. Decorate with the almonds. Use two tablespoons to make oval balls of trout mousse and arrange on top of the salad.
Smoked trout and soft smoked cheese mousse, served with lettuce, f rench beans, salted almonds and plum and parsnip dressing
TIP
Apples or peaches may be used instead of plums.
Stoneground flour contains all parts from the grainendosperm, bran and germ.
Ingredients – 1 loaf
200 ml lukewarm water ·
25 g fresh yeast · 1 tsp salt ·
3 tbsp oil · 200 ml plain yoghurt
· 250 g sieved spelt flour ·
300 g wholemeal flour
Brushing Water or milk
N ORDIC BR e AD
Preparation
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead the dough using a mixer for 10-15 minutes at a slow speed. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or cling film and leave the dough to rise for 1 hour. Gently stir
the dough and then transfer to a greased baking tin or to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and leave to rise for a further 15-20 minutes. Bake the bread on a low shelf in the oven at 200°C for approx. 30 minutes.
TIP
Added dried fruits: Nuts, raisins, cranberries, apricots or other dried fruits may be added.
Ingredients – Serves 4
4 pasteurised egg yolks
4 tbsp sugar
3 tsp vanilla sugar
1 litre buttermilk
Lemon juice to taste, if desired
Vanilla ice cream or cream
Preparation
Whisk egg, vanilla sugar and sugar until light and airy. Add the buttermilk a bit at a time. Add a tbsp of vanilla ice cream and place in the freezer for half an hour. Or whisk the cream and serve the buttermilk dessert decorated with dollops of whipped cream.
On a sunny day, buttermilk dessert is the Danes preferred dessert - fresh, sweet and sour - yum-yum.
Recipe: Danæg
P AR f AIT
WITH POPPY S ee DS , HON e Y / SA ff RON AND CH e STN u TS
Cream parfait with three different flavours
Ingredients – Serves 4
Parfait
5 egg yolks · Seeds of ½ vanilla pod · 75 g sugar · 3-5 grains of cooking salt · 500 ml lightly whipped cream
Flavours
2 tbsp roasted blue poppy seeds · 2 tbsp liquid honey and 1 pinch of saffron · 3 tbsp chestnut puree
Preparation
Whip egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and salt until light and airy. Gently mix in the lightly whipped cream, and divide into three portions. Add the respective flavours to each portion. Freeze the parfait in suitable containers. Serve in three small portions per person, for example arranged on spoons.
1 and 2 September 2012
O RGANIC HAR ve ST MARK e TS
More than 90 organic farms in Denmark open their doors to the Organic harvest markets. The farms are all very different, from small farms to large estates, some have horses and pigs as well as cows and sheep, while others produce lots of vegetables.
The children can say hello to the organic cows grazing in the fields, they can pat the happy pigs or play in the bales of straw which has been grown without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilisers. You can also go for a guided tour of the fields, hear about the produc-
tion of organic foods, explore the farm shops or learn about how to grow your own organic vegetables. Finally, you can buy lots of fresh organic produce to take home.
The organic harvest markets attracted more than 90,000
Danes in 2011. The event is held during the first weekend of September each year.
Ingredients
500 g plums · 500 ml water · 250 g sugar · juice of ½ lemon · 1 vanilla pod
Preparation
Cut plums into quarters and remove the stones. Slice open the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Put water, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla seeds and vanilla pod into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Place the plums in scalded out jars rinsed with alcoholic liquor. Pour the syrup over the plums and seal immediately. Try preserving - a
Pe ARL BARL e Y AND B R u SS e LS SPRO u T SALAD
High-quality Danish grains - skinned and polished, and sometimes even long-roasted. The grains – whether from rye, barley or spelt – are perfect as accompaniments of meat dishes, in risottos and in desserts There are countless possibilities. They taste good and leave you feeling nicely satiated.
Ingredients – Serves 4
250 g Brussels sprouts · 350 g scorzonera roots · 125 g pearl barley · 750 ml water · ½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp neutral rapeseed oil · 1 tsp salt · 5-6 leaves of fresh sage · 2½ tbsp lemon juice · 25 g parmesan
Preparation
Prepare the Brussels sprouts and cut the large ones into halves or quarters. Peel the scorzonera roots and cut into 3-centimetre pieces, preferably diagonally. Immediately cover the scorzonera roots with water, preferably with a bit of lemon juice, to prevent from going brown. Heat up a wok or saucepan until medium hot and add rapeseed oil. Place
the still wet scorzonera roots in the wok or pan and cover with a lid. The scorzonera roots should braise without browning. If they start browning, add a bit more water or lemon juice and turn down the heat slightly. The roots should braise for about 12 minutes. Rinse the pearl barley and tip into boiling water. Leave the pearly barley to boil gently for 12 minutes. Drain into a colander. Add Brussels sprouts
and scorzonera roots to the wok or pan and braise for 5 minutes. Mix the pearl barley, lemon juice, shredded sage and salt with the vegetables. Mix well and add olive oil, sage, salt and pepper to taste. Serve as a salad or side dish. Sprinkle parmesan on top or serve on the side. Garnish with a few sage leaves, if desired.
WITH f RI e D M u SHROOMS , BL ue B e RRI e S AND HON e Y
Go for a walk with the family on an fall day and collect some wild berries.
Ingredients – Serves 4
150 g mixed mushrooms, for example oyster mushrooms, button mushrooms and chanterelles · oil · one small handful of fresh thyme and one handful of fresh rosemary · 250 g blueberries · 2 tbsp honey · 2 duck breasts · salt, pepper
Preparation
Clean the mushrooms and fry in a frying pan until golden. Add 100 g blueberries, chopped thyme and 1 tbsp honey. Gently mix everything in and heat through. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, if desired. Add the rest of the blueberries just before serving. Toss chopped rosemary and 1 tbsp of honey into a hot frying pan. Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper and fry skin-side down until brown. Turn over and continue frying until done. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Cut into thin slices just before serving.
Serve with a delicious blueberry salad. Mix baby lettuce leaves with 100 g of fresh blueberries, 50 g of walnuts and 100 g of blue-mould cheese. Drizzle 2 tbsp of acacia honey over the salad.
Ne
CK O f
PORK WITH
ROOT ve G e TABL e S AND PR u N e S
On Christmas e ve, most of the Danes eat either roast duck or neck of pork.
Ingredients – Serves 6
500 g parsnips · 500 g baby beetroots · 900 g scrubbed small potatoes, whole or in halves · 150 g onions 1½ tsp cooking salt · freshly milled pepper · 200 g
prunes · 100 ml water · 2 kg neck of pork with rind and deboned · 1 tsp cooking salt · 5 bay leaves
Gravy
2 tbsp plain flour · 400 ml milk 10 g butter · 150 ml meat juices from the roast · ½ tsp cooking salt · freshly milled pepper · gravy browning
Preparation
Peel the root vegetables. Cut the parsnips into long sticks and roughly chop the beetroots. Season root vegetables, potatoes and onions with salt and pepper. Place the veg-
etables in an oven-proof dish (approx. 19×33 cm) interspersed with the prunes. Add water. Score the rind at 1.5-centimetre intervals, but be careful not to cut into the meat. If the butcher has scored the meat, check that the scoring is deep enough. Sprinkle with salt and rub the salt into the rind. Place the meat on top of the vegetables. Place the dish on the middle shelf in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 175°C and cook for approx. 2 hours. Use a cooking thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the meat, which should
be approx. 65°C. Remove the dish from the oven and pour the meat juices through a sieve and into a bowl. Keep the roast and the vegetables hot until the gravy is done.
Gravy
In a saucepan mix the flour with 2 tbsp of milk. Add the rest of the milk together with the butter. Bring to the boil while stirring, and add approx. 150 ml of meat juices, salt and pepper and a bit of gravy colouring. Leave the gravy to boil over a low heat for approx. 5 minutes, and season to taste.
