Denmark - Rødbedesuppe and Rugbrød

Another meal from early June, this hearty Danish dinner might be one of my absolute favourite meals I've made since starting this project, but that said, I am rather partial to Scandinavian cuisine, as was probably pretty obvious to anyone who read about my Finnish picnic in May. For this week I made Rødbedesuppe, or red beet soup, and Rugbrød, or Danish rye bread. Both recipes were very time consuming, but were well worth the hassle and the wait.

Let's start off with the Rødbedesuppe. This dish was not actually particularly tricky to prepare, but it did have to simmer for a very long time. The hardest part of making this recipe may have been waiting for two and a half hours while it smelled absolutely amazing. As I said though, it was certainly worth the wait, and I was very disappointed that I had decided to half the recipe before I started. Although I had this soup in June, I imagine it would make for some very cozy dinners in the winter, as it was so filling and comforting I couldn't help having seconds. This was also the first time I have ever cooked beets which was an interesting and new experience. I had to look up how to wash and peel them, so it made for a good chance to learn something new as well.

Now for the Rugbrød. This bread was an unbelievable hassle, and I probably should have tried something a little simpler and better suited to a baker of my skill level, but here we are. The slice of bread you see in the picture is from the fourth loaf I made, and the only one that turned out basically alright. First of all, rye bread requires a sourdough starter, which takes several days on its own, and then once the starter is added to the rest of the bread ingredients, I had to wait another day before making the bread. The first two loaves I made out of that first batch failed pretty horribly. The tops of the loaves completely collapsed down, and the inside was still very wet even though the crust was so hard I could barely cut it. I started the whole thing from scratch and made another two loaves and tried to make the dough a bit dryer before baking again. This time, the insides were still a little moist, but the bread kept its shape and tasted quite good, so I would consider that a success for an amateur baker like myself.

I was very happy overall with my attempts at these Danish dishes, and both are recipes I would like to make again in future. Even with the struggle the bread gave me, it was fun to try it anyway, and I think that with practice I could maybe make a proper loaf of rye bread in the future.

FIRSTS THIS WEEK:

• Cooked beets
• Made rye bread
• Used molasses
• Made a new type of sourdough starter

RECIPES I USED:

• Rødbedesuppe: https://www.danishnet.com/food/red-beet-soup/
• Rugbrød: http://nordicfoodliving.com/danish-rye-bread-rugbrod/