Top ten hot tamale tips for cooking scandinavian dishes a

4 servings

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Tip number 10:

Mind your peas! When you're cooking split peas, that Swedish favorite, always keep the pot covered and don't rush them.

Tip number 9:

Don't smoke in bed! But try smoking in your kitchen... fish, that is.

Smoked fish is a scandinavian mainstay, but remember, you don't need a fancy smoker. Just jerryrig one out of an old pot. If you only have nice, shiny, new pots, line them with aluminum foil to protect them.

Tip number 8:

Don't abuse your meatballs! treat them gently... don't overmix them or they'll be heavy and tough. And to make it a faster and easier process, wet your hands to form the balls.

Tip number 7:

Planning a party? Think smorrebrods! You know, these wonderful Danish openfaced minisandwiches. They make great party food; just think of your favorite sandwich fillings and make smaller, fingerfood versions of them on dark bread.

Tip number 6:

Treat your soupbowls like margarita glasses! hold the salt, but put mustard around the rim of your soup bowls when you're serving up bean or hambased soups. It really punches up the flavor.

Tip number 5:

Forget the oatbran! and get your roughage the scandinavian way, by eating crispbread.

Tip number 4:

Embrace butter! They do love their butter in scandinavia and it is really worth loving the Danes make wonderful butter. It's a necessary component in smorrebrod. They smear it on the bread to keep it from getting soggy under those great fillings.

Tip number 3:

Give your pancake batter a break! For great Swedish pancakes, let the batter rest. Make it the night before and refrigerate it. The next morning you'll wind up with tender, slim, evenly cooked pancakes.

Tip number 2:

Serving gravlax? Sharpen that knife! Don't even think about slicing gravlax with a dull knife you'll just shred it. To do the job properly, sharpen a long slicer, hold it at an angle, and starting at the tail end, cut very thin slices. They should actually be translucent.

And the number one tamale tip for cooking scandinavian at home is...

Keep up your spirits by freezing them! Keep your aquavit or your vodka in the freezer, or better yet, freeze them in a block of ice.

Just put the bottle in a milk carton filled with water, put it in the freezer (or outside if it's cold enough), and peel away the cardboard when the water has frozen.

If you serve your spirits like this, you can have it out on the table all night. or as long as it lasts, anyway.

TAMALES WORLD TOUR SHOW #WT1B11 SCANDINAVIA

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