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Chicken in Denmark is not overly expensive, but you can save money by buying a whole chicken instead of the pre-cut pieces. One benefit of the extra work involved is that you have plenty of scraps leftover to make a really tasty (and healthy if you cool it and separate the fat) chicken soup broth. I usually throw in a few carrots, an onion, broccoli stems (or celery), and salt to taste. Then I let it simmer overnight with the cover on. In the morning I strain the broth and refrigerate until I can separate the fat. The vegetables I sometimes use elsewhere, but since they've lost most of their nutrients to the broth, its solely for taste.

Today was pretty busy and I didn't feel very creative come dinnertime. I decided to put myself to good use by cutting up chicken and making soup. Slowly my creativity (and hunger) awakened, and although the soup wouldn't be fully ready for a few hours, I decided to make a sandwich. I remember watching a Friends episode (The One With Ross's Sandwich) where Ross gets a special sandwich made for him after every Thanksgiving by Monica. You never get to see the sandwich, but its described as being really large with 3 slices of bread. The thing that makes it special is the middle slice of bread is soaked in gravy, and it is lovingly referred to (by Ross) as 'The Moistmaker'. Anyways, someone eats his sandwich, Ross goes nuts, and is asked to take a leave of absence because of his anger issues.

All of this was going through my head tonight and I figured I'd create my own. Enter the Chicken Soup Sandwich! It all starts with 3 slices of dark rye bread (mørkt rugbrød in Danish), the middle of which is soaked in chicken soup (luckily rye bread is sturdy otherwise I don't think it would work). Underneath 'The Moistmaker' is a layer of grilled eggplant, followed by a bed of fresh spinach leaves, and finally a layer of sliced tomatoes. On top of 'The Moistmaker' are strips of chicken breast and sliced mushrooms (both sautéed in olive oil and garlic). The entire sandwich once assembled is grilled to perfection. The result was quite good and definitely lived up to the hype (although small mouths beware - this one might require some oral stretching).