Tuesday 31 July 2007

Recipe - Fried Eggs Savoyard

Here's a filling meal that is fairly quick to make. Works perfect for brunch. If you want you can replace the Gruyere with Reblochon, Tomme or even Camembert.

Fried Eggs Savoyard - Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients
5 potatoes
100g grated Gryuere cheese
6 eggs

Method
First, wash, peel and slice the potatoes. Then pan-fry them in a little oil until golden.

Grease an ovenproof dish, line the dish with the potatoes and break the eggs over the top - taking care to cover all the potatoes.

Sprinkle with the Gruyere cheese and place under a hot grill for 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden.

Enjoy!

Thursday 26 July 2007

Recipe - Psychedelic Coleslaw

This is a recipe I've adapted from the Surreal Gourmet TV show. It works fine for those that don't like mayo in their coleslaw.

Why psychedelic? Don't worry, there's no acid or speed in it, the name comes from the color combinations.

Psychedelic Coleslaw - serves 4

Ingredients
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Optional)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1/3 head red cabbage, cored, then cut crosswise into the narrowest ribbons possible and separated.
1 yellow bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, then sliced lengthwise into the thinnest strips possible
1 red pepper, seeds and membranes removed, then sliced lengthwise into the thinnest strips possible
1/2 medium-size yellow onion, grated
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated or minced fresh ginger, peeled first
1 cup lightly packed coriander leaves, chopped

Method
In a small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, lime juice, honey, and cayenne. Set aside.

Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan, over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and toss thoroughly. Then toss with dressing.

Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Just before serving, toss with sesame seeds (reserving a few to sprinkle on top).

Note: Do not prepare more than a couple of hours in advance because the color of the cabbage will seep into the other ingredients.

Enjoy!

Wednesday 25 July 2007

Recipe - Twice Baked Potatoes

I'm back. Work was a bit hectic last week so I'm afraid that I have been a bad, bad boy and not been updating this as I should. But here we go with a nice twist on the old favorite, baked potatoes.

Twice Baked Potatoes - makes 8 halves

Ingredients
4 medium baking potatoes
6 slices of streaky bacon, fried until crispy
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1/4 cup milk

Method
Bake the potatoes in the oven at 190c/Gasmark 5 for about 1 hour 15 minutes. Take out the potatoes from the oven and let them cool down.

When they are cool enough to be handled, slice them in half lenghtwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the potato flesh, leaving a thin shell.

In a bowl, mix the scooped out potato and butter and mash until fluffy. One at a time, add the milk, cheese and sour cream. Add the chives and the bacon right at the last minute so that they don't turn soggy. Season to taste.

Take your potato halves and scoop some of the mixture onto each one of them. Bake in the oven at 200c/Gasmark 7 for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Wednesday 18 July 2007

No recipe today :(

I'm afraid that too much work have stopped me from posting a recipe today.

There will be two tomorrow, I promise. ;)

Tuesday 17 July 2007

Recipe - Homemade Taco Sauce

I love tacos, enchiladas and other Mexican food. Living in England it can be quite hard to get hold of 'authentic' ingredients and I for one have grown tired of the boring taco sauces/salsas that you can get hold of in the supermarkets.

This recipe is for a non chunky taco sauce that will make your tacos taste much, much better. The sauce can be reheated or used cold.

Homemade Taco Sauce - Makes 2 cups

Ingredients
2 cups Tomato Passata
1 1/4 cups Water
2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
1/2 green pepper, seeded and grated
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 - 3 teaspoons cumin (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano

Method
Start by mixing all spices and then put them to the side. In a food processor (or use a handheld mixer) blend water and grated green pepper until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a sauce pan and mix in the tomatoes and the vinegar. Bring this to a boil, add the spices and lower the heat.

Simmer for 40 - 60 minutes, until the sauce has thickened, stirring now and then. Let the sauce cool, then cover and put it in the fridge. Let it stand there for a day so all the flavours gets a chance to blend.

Enjoy!

Monday 16 July 2007

Recipe - Inside Out Cheese and Bacon Burgers

This is a recipe for some of the best burgers you'll ever taste. You'll notice that I don't give much in form of measurements for the filling, just go with what feels right. You can of course add or subtract to the list of fillings, chopped pickled jalapenos could for example work very well.

Inside Out Cheese and Bacon Burgers
- Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients
500g mince - pork,beef or a combination
One medium egg
A couple of rashers of streaky bacon, cooked crispy and chopped into small pieces
Finely diced onion
Grated mature cheddar
Worcestershire sauce
Hot Sauce, can be left out if you don't want to 'kick' the burgers up a bit
Salt and pepper

Method
Put the mince in a mixing bowl and crack the egg into the bowl. Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce to taste.

Mix it all up well, using your hands. Divide the mince into four smaller parts. Now divide each part into two.

Make thin patties out of each eight of mince. Put four of them down on a plate and put cheese, onion and fried bacon in the middle. Top each with another pattie and seal them.

Place the burgers on a pre-heated barbecue and cook to desired doneness.

Serve on burger buns that have been toasted on the barbie for a little while and put on your favorite condiments.

Enjoy!

Wednesday 11 July 2007

Recipe - Baked Onion with Gorgonzola and Walnuts

Since it is barbecue season, let's have another side dish that works really well with barbecued meat.

Onions gets really sweet and mild when they are baked.
Baked Onion with Gorgonzola and Walnuts - 4 portions

Ingredients
4 large or 8 smaller onions
100g gorgonzola
200 ml creme fraiche
100 g roasted walnuts
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced
Salt and pepper

Method
Heat the oven to 200c/gas mark 6. Bake the onions for about 30 minutes.

Mix together the creme fraiche and the gorgonzola with a fork, make sure that you still can see small bits of the cheese. Season the mix with salt and pepper after taste.

Roast the walnuts in the oven for about 5 minutes.

Cut the onions cross-wise on the top with a sharp knife and serve them hot with a dab of cold cheese mix in the middle. Garnish with walnuts and diced peppers.

Enjoy!

Tuesday 10 July 2007

Recipe - Cucumber Salad

This is a old Swedish recipe for a cucumber salad that goes well with almost all kinds of barbecued stuff. It's especially good on hotdogs.

Cucumber Salad - 4 portions

Ingredients
2 dl Creme Fraiche
1 dl finely diced cucumber
2 tablespoons finely diced pickled gherkins
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Method
Mix all the ingredients and put in the fridge for a little while, until chilled.

Enjoy!

Recipe - Cuban Picadillo

When I first started cooking this dish I only knew of it as being from Cuba. Apparently it's very common all over South- and Central America. It's a very versatile dish, you can serve it over rice or in tortillas. You can even serve it in burger buns as an alternative to Sloppy Joes.

If you want to spice it up a bit, add some pickled jalapenos or some hot sauce. Or both.

Don't worry if you get any leftovers, this tastes almost better the next day.

Cuban Picadillo
(serves 6 - 8)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
6 garlic cloves
80 ml vegetable oil
1 green pepper, finely diced
2 large onions, finely diced
5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
80 ml cooking wine
400 ml tomato passata
1 kg ground beef or ground pork (or combination)
15 - 20 whole pimento stuffed olives
80 ml raisins

Method
Mash the salt, pepper and garlic together in a mortar until a paste is created. Lightly brown this mixture in the oil with the pepper and the onions until the onions become translucent. Add the tomato passata and let it simmer for a minute. Add the vinegars.

Add the meat and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cooking wine, olives and raisins. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed. This takes about and hour or so on low heat.

Enjoy!

Friday 6 July 2007

Recipe - African Meatballs

Let's stick with the African theme for another day. The traditional Swedish meatballs are given an African twist in this one.

African meatballs (serves 4)

Ingredients
Sauce
2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
500 g chopped tomatoes
2 dl water
4 tomatoes, chopped

Meatballs
600g mince
2 - 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 egg
1 - 2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 dl flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 dl coriander, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Fry the onion in the oil in a medium sized pot. Add the chopped tomatoes and water. Let this simmer for 15 minutes and then add the chopped fresh tomatoes.

Mix mince, garlic, egg, cumin, cinnamon, parsley, coriander, salt and pepper. Roll 12 large meatballs from the mince. Put them into the tomato sauce and let them simmer on a low heat for about 15 minutes, until cooked through.

Serve with rice and maybe a salad.

Enjoy!

Recipe - Pork Tenderloin Africana

Tenderloin with a slight flavour of Africa. Takes about 30 minutes to cook so it's a quick way to produce a quite impressive and flavourful dish.

Pork Tenderloin Africana (serves 4)

Ingredients
600g pork tenderloin, in 2cm slices
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon curry
Salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 banana, mashed
1 banana, sliced
1 dl peanuts
1 red pepper, diced
0,5 dl parsley, chopped
Lemon juice (optional)
4 portions couscous or bulghur wheat
Method
Fry the tenderloin slices in batches in half of the butter in a large frying pan. Season and put on a plate once they're done.

Fry the curry in the rest of the butter for a little while. Add garlic, cream and the mashed banana and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

Add the meat and let it heat through, do not boil for too long. If you want to, you can now add salt and lemon juice to taste. Put the sliced banana and peanuts on top.

Serve with couscous or bulghur wheat, mixed with red pepper and parsley.

Enjoy!

Recipe - Tunisian Tuna Baguettes

This is a recipe for a quick and easy tuna baguette with a difference.

Tunisian Tuna Baguettes

Ingredients
Baguettes
4 pieces of baguette
3 cans of tuna in brine
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons harissa
1.5 dl flat leaf parsley, chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled
1 onion
12 green olives
2 eggs, hard boiled
1/2 red pepper
Salt and pepper

Tomato sauce
2 dl tomato passata
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 teaspoon harissa

Method
Split the bread into two parts, without separating it completely. Take out some of the bread to make more place for the filling.

Drain the tuna and mix it with olive oil, lemon, lemon rind, harissa, parsley, salt and pepper.

Cut the tomatoes into quarters, cut the onions into fine slices, cut the olives into half and slice the pepper.

Mix the ingredients for the tomato sauce.

Put tomato sauce on the bottom part of the bread, put on the filling, tomato, onion, pepper, olives and the eggs cut into quarters. Garnish with some parsley.

Enjoy!

Wednesday 4 July 2007

Recipe - Mini Wellingtons

This is a recipe I got from Olive Magazine a couple of years ago.

It's a really easy thing to cook but it looks well impressive when you plate it up. You can vary the recipe quite a bit, make your own topping etc but this is the quick and easy way to make Wellingtons.

I normally serve this with some potatoes and some nice steamed green beans.


Mini Wellingtons (serves 4)

Ingredients
2 x 375g packs ready-rolled puff pastry, each cut into 4
4 fillet steaks, thick cut, brushed with a little oil and seasoned
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons mushroom pate, use a good-quality bought one

Method
Heat the oven to 220c/gasmark 7. Char-grill or sear the steaks on each side for the following times to suit your taste:

Rare - 30 seconds
Medium rare - 2 minutes
Medium - 3 minutes

Cool slightly, then top each with pate and put them on a piece of pastry. Lay another piece of pastry on top, trim, leaving a border and seal. Glaze with egg, then bake for 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tuesday 3 July 2007

Recipe - Hasselbackspotatoes

Let's continue on the potato theme for another day...

This recipe is a classic from my native Sweden. It's named after the hotel/restaurant (Hasselbacken) in Stockholm where this dish supposedely was invented.

This dish works really nice with all kinds of meat.

Hasselbackspotatoes (serves 4)

Ingredients
8 medium potatoes
4 Tablespoons butter, melted and divided
Salt
3 Tablespoons breadcrumbs

Method
Preheat the oven 220c/gasmark 7.

Peel the potatoes and slice down through each at 3mm (⅛-inch) intervals, but do not slice completely through. Pat potatoes dry with a paper towel.

Generously butter a baking dish and place the potatoes in it, cut side up. Baste the potatoes with 2 Tablespoons of the melted butter and sprinkle them with salt. Bake for 30 minutes.

Baste the potatoes with the remaining butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake for another 15 minutes or until done.


Enjoy!

Monday 2 July 2007

Recipe - Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

This is a recipe for a really nice side dish. It works well with chicken and lots of other mains. Make sure to use a fairly decent quality bourbon.

Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
6 sweet potatoes (about 1kg)
60 ml double cream
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Roast potatoes in skins in a 220c/gasmark 7 oven for 40 minutes. Remove the skin from the potatoes and discard. Place the potatoes in a large sauce pan. Over low heat, partially mash, then add the cream, bourbon, maple syrup and butter.

Continue to mash until all the ingredients are mixed and the potatoes are smooth but still with a lump or two. Add more butter if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Enjoy!

Recipe - Grilled Spareribs with Dr Pepper Glaze

I know that I'm probably extracting the urine a bit by posting a recipe for the barbecue given the weather we're having at the moment but at least this gives you something to look forward to.

Before using the Dr Pepper put it in a bowl until it's flat. That takes about four hours. Also, make sure NOT to use diet Dr Pepper since that gets a very bitter taste once it's on the barbecue.

Grilled Spareribs with Dr Pepper Glaze (serves about 6)

Ingredients
4 33cl cans Dr Pepper (flat)
500 ml cherry jam or preserves
180 ml Dijon Mustard with horseradish
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (or more if you want a bit of a kick)
3.5 kg well-trimmed pork spareribs

Method
Boil the Dr Pepper in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to about 375ml, about 45 minutes. Stir in the cherry jam, mustard, soy sauce, malt vinegar and the hot pepper sauce. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the mixture is reduced to about 625 ml, that should take about 35 minutes. Then transfer the glaze to a large bowl. You can make the glaze up to a week ahead. Just cover the bowl and chill it. Bring it to room temperature before using it.

Position the racks of rib in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 170c/gasmark 3. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Wrap each rack tightly in foil, enclosing completely. Divide the parcels between two rimmed baking sheets. Cook until the ribs are very tender, switching positions of the baking sheets halfway through cooking, about two hours in total. Let them cool slightly in the foil. Pour off any fat from the foil parcels. You can prepare this up to one day ahead. Just keep them in the foil parcels and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature for about an hour before continuing.

Prepare the barbecue (medium-low heat). Cut each rib rack between bones into individual ribs. Set aside 250 ml of the glaze. Add the ribs to the bowl with the remaining glaze and toss to coat. Grill ribs until brown and glazed, turning to prevent burning. This should take about 5 minutes. Serve with the reserved glaze on the side.

Enjoy!