The recent file list did not go away. The problem was persistant even though I used CCleaner to remove the common.xcu by using the ini-file.
Solution:
Remove the Quickstart for OpenOffice (It seems to keep a copy of the recent files)
To disable the quickstart:
Look in an OpenOffice application e.g. Calc. Go through the menus: Tools-->Options-->Memory and uncheck the Quickstarter.
Voil?!