insideKENT Magazine Issue 54 - September 2016 | Page 66

FOOD+DRINK

DINING…

SCANDI STYLE
From sleek furniture to gripping crime drama, lots of us are a little bit in love with all things
Scandi it seems, not least where food’s concerned. So much more than pickled herrings and
meatballs (although the meatballs are delicious), Scandi cuisine is the foodie’s trend of choice
at the moment, so we’ve put together a smorgasbord of traditional dishes with a little help from
Swedish celebrity chef, Filip Fasten, that you can try a home.

"I love cooking with Västerbottensost, a cheese that's dubbed the Swedish ‘king of cheeses’," says Filip. "Legend has
it that Västerbottensost was created in 1872 when a dairy maid, left alone to stir the curd of a traditional cheese, was
distracted by a secret rendezvous with her lover. Abandoning her duties, the cheese was neglected and deemed a
failure. But, once the cheese was tried, its unique, tasty flavour was discovered and Västerbottensost was born. It’s a
delicious cheese with a really unique character and strong, rich tones; you can buy it across the UK at Waitrose stores."

HERRING CRISPBREAD
Food served to share on large platters is part of Swedish tradition. Here’s
a suggestion that works perfectly with a few drinks, or when you are
feeling a bit peckish.

FOR THE CRISPBREAD:
• 4 sachets dried yeast
• 500ml water
• 600g spelt flour
• 200g coarse flour
• 20g salt
• 5 fillets of matje herring
• 100ml sour cream
• 2 red onions
• 100ml chopped chive
• Black pepper

FLOWERS:

• Chive flowers
• Dried marigolds
• Elderflowers

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 250°c.
2. Mix together the water and yeast. Add the various flours and work the
dough for 10 minutes. Leave the dough to prove for 1 hour.
3. Roll out the dough to 3mm-thin crispbreads with a rolling pin, prick
holes with a fork and bake in the oven for 5–8 minutes. Leave to cool.
4. To serve: spread sour cream across the bread, evenly place out the
herring, red onion and chive.
5. Sprinkle over the edible flowers and black pepper, and finish off by
grating over the Västerbottensost cheese. Serve it as a whole at the
table and allow your guests to break off pieces.

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