Open Sandwiches (smorrebrod)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

1957    
There is no doubt that Denmark's open sandwiches (Smorrebrod) are the
most famous feature of the Danish kitchen.  Strangely enough they are
not found elsewhere, even in neighboring countries.  Danish  sandwiches
have hundreds of variations and new ones are constantly  being
composed.  From the simple, "flat", four sandwiches that office workers
take  with them to work and eat at their desks accompanied by a bottle
of  milk, they range to the gloriously colored "high" compositions, so
generous that three are enough for a meal, eaten at restaurants. With
the latter, piled high with good things, we drink Danish beer, which
is exported to nearly every country in the world.  With Smorrebrod  too
we drink Danish snaps, a clear, innocent-looking fluid to be  treated
with respect.  Though few really enjoy the taste, it has the power to
make you feel  happier, to loosen your tongue, to banish your
inhibitions and to make  social occasions an unqualified success.
Recipes for some typical Danish sandwiches follow.  In Denmark we
usually make them with dark rye bread.  The bread should be made with
whole grain and should be as firm as possible, so that the slices can
be quite thin. Also white bread can be used, but it should be with a
heavy texture and it may be toasted.  Fish is usually the starter and
from there one goes to the meat and salad.  Almost inevitably Danes
wind up the smorrebrod meal with a piece of buttered white bread on
which a good cheese has been placed.  FINE PICKLED HERRINGS:  (Fine
marinade Sild)  Clean, skin and bone six large salt herrings and soak
them overnight  in milk.  Make a dressing of 1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
and 1/4 cup  ordinary vinegar sweetened with 1/2 cup sugar.  Add 1
chopped onion,  1 chopped cooked carrot, two chopped pickled gherkins
and 1 cup  tomato ketchup and season with 10 whole cloves and 10 whole
peppercorns.  Let the dressing stand overnight.  Rinse the herrings,
cut in slices and let them stand in the dressing  for  Drain the
herring pieces well before putting them on buttered bread,  otherwise
it might become soggy.  Decorate with some of the onion  from the
dressing.  EGGS AND HERRINGS:  (Aeg og Sild)  Spread slices of hard
boiled egg on buttered bread and place one or  more boned herrings
lengthwise on the egg.  Decorate with cress.  CHOPPED EGG AND HERRING:
(Hakket Aeg og Sild)  Skin and bone two smoked herrings carefully.
Boil two eggs until  hard and put in a glass or large cup together with
the herrings. Run  a sharp knife quickly from side to side until the
ingredients are  finely chopped and thoroughly mixed.  Press the
mixture on to  buttered bread and top with cress.  Makes 4 sandwiches.
SMOKED HERRINGS AND EGG YOLKS:  (Roget Sild med Aeggeblomme)  Butter
the bread and top with long, cleaned fillets of smoked  herrings.  Make
a cavity in the center of the fillets with your fingers, circle  it
with a ring of raw onion, and put a raw egg yolk in it.  Pile raw
onions or chopped radishes at both ends of the yolk.  From "Danish
Cookery" by Suzanne, Andr. Fred. Host & Son, Copenhagen,  Posted by
Stephen Ceideberg; March 9 1993.  File
ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cberg2.zip

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