Finding hygge and a classic Danish recipe…

When we last left you in part one “Copenhagen, the Glyptotek and searching for Hygge…” we were off to dinner at Frk. Barners Kælder.  This central Copenhagen restaurant had been described by our hotel staff as the essence of “Danish hygge” dining.

Frk. Barners Kælder is in a building rich in history.  The image in the flyer above is from the late 1800’s when the building was used as a youth hostel for young women of lesser means.  Bathania, as it was known, was established by Regitze Barners, a wealthy local Danish noble lady and philanthropist. The hostel opened its doors in 1889 to less privileged young women, giving them a place to live and learn a housekeeping skill to keep them from working the streets.  Ms. Barners remained involved with the cause until her death in 1911.  Now you know the history, so let’s go in and eat in a real “hygge” dinner.  Not to worry food lovers, we have a fine Danish recipe coming up at the end of the post.  As a matter of fact, this meal was voted the national dish of Denmark.  So, come on in for part two and join us while we enjoy Copenhagen and find our hygge.

This photo of Frk. Barners Kaelder is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Need a look at the recipe? Just Jump to Recipe.

The owners of Frk. Barners Kælder restaurant, which is in the cellar of the old Bathania youth hostel, strive to give it the feel of yesteryear.

This photo of Frk. Barners Kaelder is courtesy of TripAdvisor

You enter via the cozy courtyard which has ten lovely tables for those wishing to dine alfresco.

Once inside the cellar, you’re transported back in time to a restaurant from the past, with red and white checked table cloths, linen napkins and yes candles, lots of candles. The wood paneled walls and wood beamed ceilings were nostalgic and emitted real comfort.  Wow, this place really is hygge!  There were locals eating a Friday night meal and even a local amateur football (soccer) club enjoying their achievements of the previous season.  It truly was a great place to experience and share a meal with local Copenhagen souls.

Oh, and the food, Frk. Barners Kælder prides itself in using the freshest local ingredients, cooked as they did many years ago.  Very comforting and extremely good.  Eva, (as usual) went for the fish.  A yummy oven baked (in butter) fresh caught cod fillet with dill boiled potatoes, a touch of salad, boiled egg and pickled beets.  My choice for the night was Stegt flæsk med persillesovs, but alas, it was only available on Tuesdays.  Instead, I went for the Danish wiener schnitzel, pan fried potatoes (w/gravy) and peas.  It was very good, but strangely tasted like German wiener schnitzel.  I learned that the big difference was the topping.  There’s grated fresh horseradish and Scandinavian (sweet pickled) anchovies on top.  A little bite of each with the schnitzel did indeed give it a Danish twist.

Finding our hygge…

That evening as we enjoyed our fine food and drink, we talked about Danish hygge as well as what it means to us.  Is hygge the joy one gets when eating their first Aebleskiver (Danish doughnut) from a Copenhagen street vendor on a cold winter night?  Perhaps it’s the smell of the caramel toasted almonds cooking while strolling down Strøget? It could be the taste of a warm freshly cooked “Danish”.  Maybe, Tivoli at Halloween?  Perchance, is it the smell of the candles burning and a cold beer late in the evening at a Nyhavn pub.

We decided for us, hygge can be a lovely summer lunch with drink in hand, laughing, talking and taking life easy.   For me however, it’s spending weekends with Eva and Chloe dog, just relaxing and enjoying our hygge home.

Now, about that Stegt flæsk med persillesovs.  I just can’t get that craving out of my head.  We’ve all experienced such a craving, so we’re going to make some right now.

Stegt flæsk med persillesovs or fried pork belly with parsley sauce…

 Stegt flæsk med persillesovs (fried pork belly with parsley sauce) was voted the national dish of Denmark in 2014 and represents the quintessential “hygge” danish meal.  It’s simple to make and wonderfully comforting to eat.  The exact origin of this dish is hard to pin down, but it’s been around for many hundreds of years.  A true farmers dish, providing energy, carbs and fat one needed to work those long hours in the fields.  In Sweden we call the dish Stekt fläsk med löksås.  Löksås (onion sauce) is used instead of parsley sauce.  This dish would still be served today on working farms and homes in Scandinavia. 

OK, I suspect by now you’re thinking, “heart attack on a plate”.  I’m not a doctor so I can’t say, but I did run a rough calculation of the nutritional details of the plate of food above vs a Micky D’s big mac with fries and ketchup.  Let me say, gram for gram, I’d choose the Stegt flæsk med persillesovs over Micky D’s as the healthier any day.  With that said, please consult your physician should you have concerns prior to eating.

Image above is Public Domain from Wikimedia Commons.

Indeed, it is very similar to the Southern US classic breakfast dish Biscuit and bacon gravy shown above.  A dish that takes me back to my childhood in Texas.  Very hygge.  Indeed, I know one Swede here in Skåne that’s particularly fond of my Texas biscuits and bacon gravy and now I know why.

You’ll need some fresh pork belly. Most good butcher shops (meat markets) will slice the pork belly for you. Remember to ask for “skin on” pork belly. Asian markets are also a good source for pork belly.

Ask the butcher to cut the slices about a 1/4, – 1/3″ (6 – 8 mm) thick.  If cutting yourself from a whole slab of glorious pork belly, try and cut the slices as even as possible.  I find placing the belly in the freezer for about 45 minutes helps in cutting.

From here it’s easy peasy, just bake (or fry) the pork belly, boil up some tators and make a simple white parsley sauce.  Not to worry though, we cover it the cook in detail in the recipe below.

We hope you’ve found some cozy comfort in reading our take on Hygge.  But, what about you, where do you find your hygge.  I bet you already know. 

Chloe says, “Stegt flæsk is sooooo hygge!”

This recipe has been tasted and approved for human and dog (limited amounts) consumption and has earned Chloe’s coveted 5 paws rating.  🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Coming soon; A day in Lomma and a recipe for a “shooting Star”.

Thanks for taking time to read today and feel free to leave your thoughts just below the recipe. 

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Danish fried pork belly with parsley sauce (Stegt flæsk med persillesovs)

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: pork belly

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Dry brining time: 3 hours

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

The national dish of Denmark, Stegt flæsk med persillesovs (fried pork belly with parsley sauce) represents the quintessential "hygge" meal.  Simple to make and wonderfully comforting to eat.

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Ingredients

Pork Belly

• 16 slices "skin on" pork belly, sliced evenly about a 1/4, - 1/3" (6 - 8 mm), see "Note 1".
• 1 tablespoon (1 msk) kosher salt, as required.

Potatoes

• 2.2 pounds (1 kg) small boiling potatoes, peeled or not, your choice.
• Water to cover potatoes.
• 1 teaspoon salt.

Parsley sauce

• 2 tablespoons ((2 msk or 25g) butter, room temp.
• 2 ½ tablespoons (2.5 msk) All-purpose flour.
• 1.25 cups (3 dl) Milk.
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup (1-2 dl) water from the boiled potatoes, more if required.
• 3/4 cup, (rounded) (2 dl) minced fresh parsley, about one large bunch.

Instructions

Pork Belly Prep

1. Lightly sprinkle the kosher salt on pork slices and toss well.  Place in refrigerator for about three hours, up to overnight prior to cooking. This well give you a bit of a cure and remove some of the moisture from the pork.
   

   

Cooking the pork belly

1. Preheat your oven to 350-390°F (180-200°C) about half an hour prior to cooking.  If frying, begin preheating a large cast iron skillet prior to cooking.  See note 2.
   

2. After the dry cure is complete, blot the pork slices dry and place them on a rack in a foil lined baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet in the middle of a preheated oven. Turn pork slices regularly, at least every five minutes.
   

   
3. The exact cooking time will vary based on thickness of the pork slices.  When the pork looks almost ready, turn your oven up to about 450F (230C) for a minute or two until the skin is crisp and it looks like crackling.  CAUTION: see note 3.  This step can be omitted, and the pork cooked at the lower temp longer.
   

4. When the pork looks crisp and delicious, remove from the oven and place the slices on paper towels to drain.  If needed, cover lightly with foil to keep warm.
   

Potatoes

1. While the pork is cooking, bring the potatoes to a light boil in lightly salted water.  Once boiling, simmer until done.  About 15-20 minutes or until just soft throughout.  Drain, reserving some liquid (2 cups or so) for making the sauce.  Cover potatoes to keep warm if needed.
   

Making the parsley sauce

1. Just prior to the pork and potatoes being ready, melt the butter in a pan.  Next, add the flour, mix with a whisk constantly for about two minutes.  It will get quite thick.  Then add the milk to the mixture about 1/4 cup (1/2 dl) at a time, whisking thoroughly until the milk is combined.

2. When the milk is combined, thin the sauce using the potato water.  Add potato water a bit at a time until the sauces thickness suits you.  See note 4.
   

3. Now, add the finely chopped parsley, stir and let it simmer for a couple of minutes prior to serving.  Lastly, TASTE!  Add salt and white pepper as required for your taste.  Remember that the potato cooking liquid is bringing saltiness into the sauce, so it may not require any salt. TASTE.
   

Hygge on a plate

1. Serve with the warm boiled potatoes, parsley sauce and the cooked pork belly.  A side dish of asparagus or peas goes nicely with this warm and cozy dish.
   

   

Recipe Notes

Please note that the quantities can be changed by entering the amount you wish in the quantity indicator.  However, the metric will not change. 

Recipe Notes:

1. Most good butcher shops (meat markets) will slice the pork belly for you.  Remember to ask for "skin on" pork belly.  Asian markets are also a good source for pork belly.  Have them slice it thick.
2. The original method of preparing this dish was to pan fry in a heavy cast iron skillet until the pork skin was crispy.  Today, to reduce fat, the pork belly is often oven baked, your choice on how to cook.  However, frying does taste better.
3. CAUTION: When raising the temp to crisp the pork, you must watch this very carefully as you don't want to burn the pork, your oven, our yourself.  Don't walk away from the pork at this point.  It will only take a minute or two to crisp the skin.
4. You have likely figured out by now that you are just making a nice Béchamel white sauce, thinned with potato cooking liquid.  The potato cooking liquid really improves the taste of this sauce.

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