Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Norway

God kveld this is Oslo, Norway calling, current home of the Chow Down to Eurovision trophy*.

In 2013 Norway presented Smultringers, a cardamom flavoured donut cooked in lard, so really no one else had a chance of wining the inaugural Chow Down to Eurovision.

*no actual physical trophy due to budget cut backs



Smultringers...yes please!

 

So in fairness to the other contestants this year they are just presenting a sandwich, but being Chow Down to Eurovision you know it won't be just any old sandwich.

To honour of our reigning champions let's enjoy Anne Karine Strøm singing Mata Hari in 1976 where she came dressed as a gold statute.

 

Unbelievably she come last on 7 points, which thinking positively is 4 points better than when she came equal last in 1974.

 

No matter what  history says I hereby state she came first in the fashion stakes!

Douze Points la Norvège!

 

 

Don't worry I'm not going to give you a recipe for a sandwich, just the filling!

 

I used a loaf I'd baked using Dan Lepard's Sour Cream Sandwich Loaf, with the slight variation of increasing the sour cream to a use up a 300ml tub and doubling the remaining ingredients to make 2 loaves.

 

You can use precooked prawns or cook them yourself. I prefer chopped larger prawns rather than the little baby one...let them have a good life before hitting my tummy. 

  

Norwegian Prawn Open Sandwich

Ingredients

• 500-600g of prawns (about 100-150g per sandwich, see note)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (jar or made depends if the chickens have delivered enough eggs)
• Juice of 1/2 small lemon
• 2 spring onions (whites only) finely chopped 
• Salt and pepper

Method

• Chop the cold cooked prawns (not too small)
• Mix through mayonnaise, lemon juice, spring onions and season to taste
• Assemble the sandwich, with or without an attempt at a great work of art

The other ingredient in my Prawn Garden masterpiece are

• Bread of your choice
• Boiled eggs sliced (flowers)
• Avocado (stems and leaves)
• Red and black caviar (pollen)
• Chives chopped (grass)
• Note: I use peeled green prawns and poached for 1-2 minutes in salted boiling water
• The perfect snack for an afternoon of Eurovision repeats

  

 

 Carl Espen will take the heartbreaking ballad Silent Storm to Demark this May, will Norway go from a victorious Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 to Eurovision 2014 champions?
Lykke til!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Norway

Norway is a country that knows the extremities of Eurovision by winning in 2009 with the most points ever awarded and by placing worst over all in the contest's history with the most the most nul points (0 points).
In my opinion it is underserved so for the Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 I made sure to find a special dish so they would get at least un points (1 point).

Smultringers, now be careful how you say that, are a cardamom flavoured doughnut that are cooked in lard. AB has really enjoyed this recipe but I think it is more about the deliberate mispronunciations than the eating.

In my time I may have eaten 1 or 2 doughnuts so feel qualified to judge Smultringers as the most interesting for flavour and texture. The middle is dense and cake like with a crispy porky crust, yum yum! There must be a huge pork industry in Europe as so many recipes are pork or lard based I could have almost done a Lard Down to Eurovision 2013.
Today we will remember one of Norway's nul point entrants Finn Klavik from 1981 and the song Aldri I livet, perhaps the 13 on his top was a mistake?

Smultringers
Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 150g caster sugar
• 150ml thickened cream
• 150ml sour cream
• 400g self raising flour
• 2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 2 tsp. backing powder
• 1 packet of lard or oil to fry
• Icing sugar

Method

• In a large bowl mix eggs and sugar together with electric beaters till fluffy and a touch paler
• Mix in the cream and sour cream
• Sift in the flour
• Add the cardamom and baking powder
• Mix together, it will be a sticky dough
• Refrigerate overnight
• Flour a bench and roll out cold dough to about 1-1.5cm thick
• Cut out doughnut shape with whatever you have available, I used a floured espresso glass and the end of a pipping nozzle.
• In a saucepan heat lard over a high heat
• Cook the smultringer for about 1-1.5 minutes, turning a couple of times
• Cook in batches of 2-3 depending of the size of your pan and quantity of lard
• Keep an eye on the lard heat and lower if too hot, you don't want to burn them before they cook in the middle
• Drain the smultringer in a colander over a bowl
• Place on a serving plate and dust with icing sugar
• Substituent canola or sunflower oil for the lard if you prefer but it does add to the flavour
• You can do a variety of shapes I did them without holes but you need to cook them for longer to make sure the middle is cooked.
• My favourite were the tiny cut out holes because they are so cute and yummy not a nul points in sight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which end will Norway be this year when Margaret Berger performs I Feed You My Love, if all else fails she can whip out a couple of smultringers and feed us them.

 Lykke til!