Love & Mess in the Copenhagen Suburbs

Lilly and Lars have known each other since they were nine and 11, respectively. Six years ago they eloped at New York City Hall. And, two years ago they moved out to Farum, a Copenhagen suburb, after retirement. “We were the first ones to move into this neighborhood, for I think over 20 years,” says Lars. 

He recites their decades-old love story, starting from when they met just as kids to finally remodeling their kitchen together as a married couple last year. The kitchen is the true epitome of Danish design—heated flooring, a faucet that has tap, boiling, and even sparkling water, pantries and drawers filled with spices, specialty ingredients, and kitchen tools. Every corner is adorned with cat tea towels, cat artwork, and cat trinkets, reminiscent of their late cats. A small wooden shelf holds several specialty Mill & Mortar spice containers. And not surprisingly, there is a hunk of pink himalayan salt and an Alaskan ulu knife resting on their countertop.

From the kitchen, I can see the entire living room. At one end, there are shelves and cabinets filled with stacks of Royal Copenhagen serveware, cat mugs, tea sets, and of course wine glasses. And, at another, a bookcase brimming with cookbooks. Lars explains that they take home a cookbook from every place they visit and travel to. There are books on Texas barbequing, a 1.5 kg book on Indian cuisine, and even a volume on New Orleans favorites.

The open layout of the kitchen was customized to make it a social and gathering space, Lilly explains. “The only downside is that everyone can then see what a mess you are making.”

When it comes to cooking, Lilly is the head chef of the household and Lars the designated sous chef and dish washer. Their repertoire generally consists of frikadeller, wienerschnitzel, tarteletters, and other Danish favorites. But, they frequently try new recipes and cuisines. Lilly’s Confit de Canard Ravioli is an example of this.

Lilly’s Confit de Canard Ravioli

— Serves 4 —

Pasta Dough 

400 grams 00 flour

4 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

A little cold water

Confit de Canard Filling

500 grams confit de canard, from a can

3-4 tablespoons duck fat, from the confit de canard

1-2 medium onions, finely minced

2 medium carrots, finely minced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

½ cup ricotta

Parsley, chopped

Egg wash

For the dough, mix all ingredients together and knead until a firm, but still soft dough is formed. Leave in a ziplock bag or tightly covered bowl in the refrigerator for at least one hour before rolling out and shaping.

For the filling, shred the duck with your fingers, discarding any skin and bones. Fry it in a medium saucepan on high heat with the duck fat until starting to brown. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and sauté. Season to taste and take off the heat. In a medium bowl, combine the browned duck, ricotta, and parsley and mix well.

Once the dough has rested, divide into four equal portions. One at a time, feed into a pasta sheet maker until the rectangular sheet is thin enough for your liking. Lay on a floured surface. Place 1-2 teaspoon balls of filling one inch apart on the lower half of the sheet lengthwise. Using egg wash or water, brush the pasta sheet generously. Fold the top half of the sheet over the lower half and seal. Using a pasta wheel or a sharp chef’s knife, slice your ravioli into desired shape. Repeat until no filling is left. 

Boil the ravioli in a large pot of generously salted water. (Lilly’s Tip: Drop a piece of pasta scrap into the water and use it as a marker for when the ravioli has cooked through.)  Serve by itself or with an arrabbiata sauce.

“My brother and I typically eat confit de canard for Christmas,” Lars explains. Every holiday calls for a different specialty dish in Denmark—roast pork for Christmas, fastelavnsboller for fastelavn or the Danish Carnival, and roast lamb and chocolate eggs for Easter.

To start the dish, Lilly rummages through the produce drawers in the refrigerator, grabbing carrots, onions, parsley, garlic, and whatever else she can find. The fridge itself is another treasure trove. The first few shelves are overflowing with different jars of mustard, pickled goods, and even pomegranate syrup. The shelves on the door are filled with cartons of yogurt, cream, and milk. It is a wonderland for all that love to cook.

For a period of time, they ran a small catering business, serving friends, family, and co-workers. Food has been a big part of their lives. They regularly try new restaurants and have dinner and mocktails with their old neighbors once a week. Lilly is even the treasurer of the city’s chocolate society. She is in the process of planning a few chocolate workshops and the annual chocolate festival for the city.

The vegetables are carefully chopped and soon enough mise en place is almost ready. From the cupboard, Lilly grabs the purple can of confit de canard the size of her face. She says that duck confit is basically duck rendered in its own fat. Inside the can are several duck legs sitting in a pool of fat and gelatin. Lilly pours the fat into a container to save because she says it is wonderful for frying potatoes. Each leg is plucked and the meat is gently pulled from the bones and shredded with her fingers.

The duck meat and vegetables are sautéed and Lilly pulls out the pasta dough she has been resting. She carefully feeds the dough into her pasta sheet roller until paper-thin. Lilly drops precise dollops of filling onto the sheet and folds it over to seal. She rummages through her drawer full of kitchen tools to find the pasta wheel. She adores her collection of gadgets but says “it’s great until you actually need to find something.”

Once boiled off, she plates them on the dishes Lars has pulled for her. “Is it okay if we have the sauce fællesspisning?” she asks. Family-style is not the tradition in Denmark but is commonplace at Lilly and Lars’ table.

The table is set with French-patterned red placemats and Georg Jensen utensils. After dinner, tea, coffee, and chocolate are always served. The kitchen is a mess but the food, the people, and the atmosphere bring comfort and what the Danes call hygge.