THE ADVENTURES OF A WAYWARD CHEF

So, it’s been about seven months since I’ve been working for a family between their homes in Stockholm, Sweden and Saint Louis. Originally, it was a two-month freelance gig – but somehow it keeps getting extended and extended… Apparently, they like my cooking. And, I’ve (unexpectedly) become quite the fan of all things Swedish.

A good friend of mine summed Sweden up nicely when she said “Sweden is so beautiful, it’s almost cliché” Truer words have rarely been spoken. From the gorgeous, medieval architecture of the city, to the picturesque outlying islands of the archipelago of Stockholm, to the laid-back, warm and inviting nature of the people, Sweden was everything I could’ve asked for and more.

I know, I know. I didn’t blog nearly enough while I was there – in part due to my short attention span made even worse by my addiction to Swedish candy, copious amounts of coffee, a hectic work schedule, and a long bout of writers block (which would seem odd being surrounded by so much inspiration). But, I’ll try to catch up a bit…

My top 10 favorite things about Stockholm:

1 – Ostermalm Salluhall: The amazing food concourse in the center of Stockholm. Ostermalm sports one of the a spectacular seafood market, bakeries for Swedish breads and pastries, butchers, cheese mongers, and produce stands. You can’t walk in here without getting hungry – and fortunately there are plenty of places to sit and eat too!

2 – Crayfish Season! Sweden has a big crayfish season. And seriously, if chanterelles and bread are not reason enough to love the Swedes – then their method for preparing crayfish surely is. We actually fished crayfish out of a pond and cooked them in a broth of beer and flowering dill. Then, we ate them with chunks of Vosterbotten cheese. I think it was at this point that I realized that Swedish food is laced with crack because I was totally addicted.

3 – Swedish Breads and Pastries. I mentioned this in an earlier blog, but just to reiterate, France has nothing on the Swedes. The dense, whole-grain breads are loaded with dried fruits, nuts and spices and are divine when spread with a big smear of extra salt butter. Heaven.

4 – Chanterelle Season! Chanterelle season is a huge part of Swedish culture. In full-swing, chanterelle can be found in abundance  in any market and sell for just a few dollars a pound. Traditionally, they are sautéed and just eaten as a side dish. I think I ate my weight in chanterelle over the summer.

5 – Skagen: Toast Skagen, Potato Skagen. Basically, sweet little shrimps in a dilly, crème fraiche sauce and heaped onto a piece of toast or on a baked potato. I think I ate my weight in skagen too.

6 – Swedish Meatballs. Yes, they are that good and no, you probably have not had them prepared properly. Pork and beef with grated onions, bread (soaked in milk), salt and pepper – nothing more. Pan gravy made with a roux, the drippings from cooking the meatballs and a bit of heavy cream. Lignonberry preserves on the side. Mmmmm. I’m hungry just thinking about it.

7 – Vikings and pre-historic labyrinths. Vikings are cool! Plus, they brought back cardamom and saffron to Sweden, which are used to make all those amazing pastries that I’m so addicted to.

8 – The culture. Stockholm is a hip, artsy, funky cool city that celebrates its culture and diversity. Fantastic art galleries, stunning architecture, and everyone – men and women – is simply gorgeous and very well dressed. Oh, and the restaurants are fabulous too, especially for Greek and Thai food – the two places where the largest population of Swedes outside of Sweden reside.

9 – Shopping. We won’t even go there. I don’t need to re-live the damage I did to my credit card. Needless to say, next time I’m just bringing and empty suitcase.

10 – Last, but certainly not least: The people. Seriously. Swedes are so laid-back and easy going. I found people to be incredibly friendly and generous in spirit. Oh, and they have fabulous drinking songs – and let me tell you, they WILL drink you under the table and be singing about it the whole time!

Yeah, ok. This post is four months late, but better late than never, right?