SIXTH ANNUAL NEBO LODGE HOLIDAY SMORGASBORD, DECEMBER 8th
Six Decembers ago, in the early winter after the restaurant’s first season, we decided to throw a Community Open House to thank everyone for their support of our fledgling efforts. At that time Nebo was owned not just by Chellie, but also by Becky Bartovics, Linda Darling and Robin Mann, who as it turns out share a Scandinavian heritage, which thus became the theme for the party. So, as crazy as it sounds, right after I took care of giving birth to Hella, I set out to figure out what it was that Scandinavians eat. It turns out, not much! My brother Sam had recently visited Norway and said the pickings were slim, especially for fresh stuff. Everything, it seemed, was pickled, cured, canned and preserved. The classic crackers are called Hardtack, a hard, dry “bread” that sailors ate on transatlantic crossings. On the other hand, Copenhagen, Denmark is now home to some of the most innovative cooking in the world, and pickled, preserved and fermented foods are ultra-trendy, but the origins of food in that part of the world are just like Maine’s and the rest of New England’s: hearty, simple foods made from locally raised food that can be preserved or stored to get you through a long, cold winter.
Lucky for me it turns out that the classic Scandinavian Smorgasbord is really just a big picnic of little tastes and finger foods, sandwich fixings, pickles and sweets—my favorite way to eat! So we set out to create our own island Smorgasbord menu. We started with Chellie’s secret family recipe for pickled shrimp [recipe follows], which we usually make with the first Maine shrimp of the season, as well as the Johnson’s deadly Tom n’ Jerry’s—a sort of hot eggnog concoction complete with a signature line of punch bowls and mugs. Over the years we’ve added our homemade pickles, fantastic little sausages from Morse’s sauerkraut, Courtney Naliboff’s rye bread, a delicious creamy, salty potato gratin flavored with anchovies, and of course Swedish meatballs made with the Turner farm’s ground pork. This year I might try cooking up some Turner Farm brisket, which just seems inherently like a winter’s labor, and you’ll certainly see Turner Farm duck on our dinner menu, which will be offered after the Smorgasbord. We roasted it for Thanksgiving and it was incredibly—flavorful, moist, tender, with a nice crispy skin… I recently ate at a great little place that serves it with sushi rice, a scallion pancake and plum sauce—yum!
The Smorgasbord has become one of my favorite menus, full of quirky foods and briny, savory flavors that light up your tongue. (If the food doesn’t do it, the Tom n’ Jerry’s will!) I hope all will come and enjoy the party once again this year. It is a celebration of the season and of the community, of a hard summer’s work and a long winter’s rest, recovery and rejuvenation. I look forward to it all!
Here’s the menu, which we’ll be serving up on Saturday, December 8, from 5-7. The Tom n’ Jerry’s and some kind of punch will be on us, with a cash bar available till 10pm. We’ll also offer a small menu from 7-9, for those who want to stay and pay for a meal out!
The Johnson Family’s Famous Pickled Shrimp
Swedish Meatballs
Jansson’s Temptation (Potato-Anchovy Gratin)
Salt Cod Brandade
Assorted Housemade Pickles
Little Urchin Rye Bread
Assorted German Sausages with Mustards
Dilled Egg Salad & Hardtack
Almond Shortbread Cookies
Linzertorte
Elderflower-Prosecco Punch
Tom n’ Jerry’s
Glog (Swedish Mulled Wine)
Lingonberry-Gin Jello Shots!
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The Johnson Family’s Famous Pickled Shrimp
2 ½ pounds of raw, peeled, deveined shrimp (I usually use Maine shrimp but you can also use other small wild shrimp as well)
½ cup celery tops
¼ cup pickling spices
3 Tbsp salt
2 cups sliced onions
7-8 bay leaves
Marinade
1 ½ cup salad oil
¾ cup white vinegar
3 Tbsp capers
2 ½ tsp celery seed
1 ½ tsp salt
a few shakes of tobasco
Place celery tops, pickling spices and two Tbsp salt in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Place shrimp in boiling water until just firm and opaque. Drain and layer with 2 cups sliced onions and 7-8 bay leaves. Cover with marinade made and let stand for a day or two. Enjoy!
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