The Scandinavian Cookbook is a generous book, one that stands as a paradigm for what we treasure most in today's cookbooks. The book is a mesmerizing blend of exquisite recipes, notes celebrating the Scandinavian way of life, and stunning photography that turns Scandinavia into a dreamscape. Each of these elements could stand alone, but brought together they make a book of unique warmth, one so beautiful in all respects that it will travel between coffee table and kitchen, then fall open on a lap while the reader dreams.
Chef and author Trina Hahnemann states that "food is one of the best ways to exchange cultures without looking at politics or other divergences." With that intent, she tackled the challenge of not only creating recipes, but also of sharing the cultural heritage that created the Scandinavian cuisine. Each recipe has a note attached and she achieves her goal in these heartfelt notes, bringing the reader into the life of the Scandinavian people in their daily routines as well as their celebrations. The familiar Midsummer Night celebration is there next to idle picnics in the sun, trips to the woods to gather wild blueberries or chanterelles, the famed Santa Lucia celebration, the ritual for a birthday celebration. The notes bring the recipes into the reader's heart, and a cuisine that once seemed far-away comes alive. For example, we learn that the long-famous open-face sandwiches (smørrebrød) started as a simple meal to carry to work but developed into decorated sandwiches when people "did not want to spend hours sitting down to a meal and instead wanted to spend their time dancing." We learn that it is traditional to have a big breakfast on a birthday, that "parents have to go to the bakery very early, prepare a big breakfast spread, and surprise you." Hahnemann includes a recipe for Homemade Danish Pastries.
The recipes are exuberant, an illustration of the joy that a chef will have with tradition that is not hidebound, but alive. They are also generous. If Hahnemann speaks of a picnic in the snow after skiing, she will write both a recipe for Spinach Soup to pack in a thermos and Smoked Salmon Sandwiches to accompany the hot soup. Organized by season, we travel from winter to spring, summer, and autumn, enjoying not only seasonal foods, but the activities that accompany them, that picnic in the snow, or the foray into the woods to gather summer berries which abound in Scandinavia.
Scandinavia is surrounded by water and fish are abundant in all seasons. Coincidentally, the world is discovering the health benefits of a diet rich in omega-3 oils. There are recipes for the world-beloved salmon, such as Salmon Burgers, Gravlax with Honey Mustard Sauce, Marinated Salmon, Smoked Salmon Sandwiches made with greens, tomatoes, avocado and enlivened with lemon zest and mustard. A fish-lovers delight, there are numerous recipes for the catch from the sea, among them, Skagen Fish Soup, Trout baked with New Potatoes and Smoked-Cheese Cream, Oysters, Marinated and Fried Herring,
All is not seafood and there are meat recipes for Meatballs with Thyme, Green Cabbage, and Lingonsylt, Pork with Rosemary, Thyme and Garlic, Oxtail Ragout, Lamb Stuffed with Apricot, Mint, and Celery, Biff Lindström, a slightly spicy meat patty sweetened with beets. Poultry is light and healthy in recipes such as Lightly Brined Chicken with Tomato-Mint Salad and Beet Salad. For vegetables which do exist in Scandinavia, there are ones that range from Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs and Green Onions, or Green Cabbage with Dill and Peas. Scandinavia loves their rye breads and flatbreads and there are recipes for them along with Cardamom Buns and Caraway Seed Bread. Ha
does not forget our sweet tooth. There are recipes for Meringues with Strawberry-Mint Salsa Vanilla Custard with Red Currants, Rice Pudding with Warm Cherry Sauce, Danish Butter Cookies and Chocolate Marzipan Delights. , roe, shrimp and mussels.
The photography of Lars Ranek (340 photos) is nothing short of spectacular. We dream through his almost etched photos of the landscape, whether looking over the waters of Scandinavia, or growing mellow in mist-filled autumn woods.
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