Open-face lunches bring back memories of my travels in Scandinavia.-Mike
Assorted breads like buttered rye (Danish: rugbrød, Swedish: rågbröd), dark brown bread, topped with cold cuts, pieces of meat or fish, cheese, slices of vegetables, spreads....goes on and on. Here are some suggestions.
Smørrebrød (Danish)
Smørbrød (Norwegian)
Smörgåsar or Macka (Swedish)
Voileipiä (Finnish)
Open-face sandwich dates to European Middle Ages and is not limited to just Scandinavia. Other countries have their wonderful variations: France, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Nordic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, drop down to Russia, and over to Poland and Ukraine. They are even found in North Africa.
A Chickpea Spread
Makes 1 1/2 cups (225 g)
14 ounce can (400 g) organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 Tbs. (45 g) nutritional yeast
2 Tbs. (30 ml) organic lemon juice
1/2 tsp (2,5 g) each ground: cumin and coriander
pinch or two cayenne
1. In a food processor or high-speed blender, add add the ingredients and whirl on and off at high speed until crumbly.
2. Add 1/4 (60 ml) water and continue to whirl. Add a little more water if needed until it very smooth and creamy.
3. Transfer to a tightly covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. It will keep up to a week.
A Creamy Yogurt Cheese
Makes 2 cup (200 g)
takes 2 days
3 cups (720 ml) organic (dairy-free) yogurt
1 Tbs. (15 g) each minced: chives and parsley
1/2 tsp (2,5 ml) organic lemon zest
1. Line a fine-mesh sieve with several layers of cheesecloth.
2. Place over a bowl with sauce at the bottom.
3. Spoon the yogurt into the sieve.
4. Place in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, until the yogurt drained out liquid whey, leaving a thickened yogurt cheese in the sieve.
5. Discard the why and store in the refrigerator to use in other recipes (example baking).
6. Transfer the cheese to a bowl an stir in the remaining ingredients.
7. It can be stored in a container and store in the refrigerator up to a week.
Honey Dill Mustard
Makes 1 cup (130 g)
1/4 cup (60 ml) organic honey mustard
3 Tbs. (45 ml) organic cider vinegar
1/2 cup (120 ml) grape seed or olive oil
chopped dill sprigs
1 tsp. (5 g) black pepper
1. Whisk mustard and vinegar.
2. Slowly add the oil.
3. Stir in dill and pepper
"Sandwiches"
Use organic if possible and cut to fit on the (gluten-free) breads. Smear the bread with butter or one of the above spreads and add toppings. True to Scandinavian etiquette, use only knife and fork and not your hands. Then, too, smaller pieces of bread for hors d'œuvres can be picked up.
Toppings
Use organic if possible.
- roasted peppers
- lettuce
- vegetables: spinach, shredded cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, radish, asparagus, beets, zucchini, potato...
- fish: (smoked) herring, shrimp, eel, fried filet...
- ham
- roast beef or pork
- liver paté
- chicken salad
- port sausage
- even tongue
- sliced hard-boiled eggs
- (dairy-free) cheeses
- etc.
Examples
1. boiled tricolor baby potatoes, dill spread, sprig of dill
(a) dill spread: 2 Tbs. (30 ml) (dairy-free) mayonnaise, 1/2 Tbs. (7,5 g) chopped dill
2. hummus, cucumber, and parsley
3. smashed yams with green and red cabbage
4. tomato, mozzarella, basil
5. roast beef, parsley spread (see #1a), scallion, pimiento
5. asparagus, pickled baby peppers, shaved (dairy-free) cheese (Parmesan)
6. beet hummus, pickled beets, roasted garlic, scallion.
7. small baby shrimp, lettuce leaves, ground black pepper, yogurt spread
8. smoked salmon coarsely chopped, scallions, onion, parsley or cilantro, yogurt spread, squeeze of lemon juice, dash of Tobacco, dill sprigs
9. shrimp, egg, and dill
10. salmon, apple, kale
11. shrimp, avocado, crispy potato
12. pickled herring, orange, crème fraiche
etc.
Serve for breakfast, lunch, dinner even as hors d'œuvres.
