tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19235723017639844592024-02-02T02:47:04.063+00:00Freestyle CookeryRecipes, cooking tips, reviews, gadget tips and other rants and raves. Cookery with attitude at times!Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.comBlogger427125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-9698330300998801432015-04-18T15:00:00.000+01:002015-04-18T15:00:02.524+01:00Recipe - Ropa Vieja - ish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSD489ueaFclX8x1i1WNukMc1nS0jHLm_NnDKC6ZNtvK_hHLOnzKNPhGz36Ej43QmPLCnppQsoZTamGWmtmethEg5AkhajeJ9L21QUb8CtdhAsX0_nIzWPWUxcCJGtIltWGrAWFVBizJ0/s1600/ropa_vieja_ish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSD489ueaFclX8x1i1WNukMc1nS0jHLm_NnDKC6ZNtvK_hHLOnzKNPhGz36Ej43QmPLCnppQsoZTamGWmtmethEg5AkhajeJ9L21QUb8CtdhAsX0_nIzWPWUxcCJGtIltWGrAWFVBizJ0/s1600/ropa_vieja_ish.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
I don't think that we use enough cinnamon in savoury cooking in 'our' cuisine here in northern Europe. Other cuisines quite merrily uses it so I think we should at least try to add it a bit more often. You might have guessed it by now - today's recipe contains cinnamon.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Regular readers will by now probably have drawn a massive sigh - no bloody Swedish food today. ;)<br />
<br />
As I've stated before, I'm not a food historian so I might very well be wrong about this but to me this dish is South American in its origin. I've named it <i>Ropa Vieja - ish</i> since it sort of started as that dish.<br />
<br />
Ropa Vieja means old ropes in Spanish and you don't really have to be a rocket surgeon that it has taken its name from the stringy fibres of the meat. Once you have boiled it enough it easily shreds into those strings as you can see from the picture.<br />
<br />
This is one of those recipes, at least to my understanding, where there are umpteen variations and differences in ingredients. The basis are normally the same - beef, vegetables, liquids and spices. I've seen this served with sliced olives stirred in, capers seems to find their way in and if you want to kick it - add chillies. Quite the choice of dish for this blog - easily <i>freestyled</i>.<br />
<br />
I served it with rice this time, you could of course make this into the most excellent burritos if you want. Should you need to feed more people this goes well as the main protein on the plate and then you can add more fillers like refried beans, guacamole and maybe a nice pico de gallo. To keep it simple you could also just serve it in a bun with some cruncy coleslaw. Versatile.<br />
<br />
As a side note - I cut my piece of topside into two just to make sure that it cooked quicker and more thoroughly. That might be useful for you to do too. Also, I used quartered baby plum tomatoes - use whatever tomatoes, as long as they're ripe, you prefer and cut them in the way you want.<br />
<br />
Since you guys probably still are reeling from the shock of this recipe not having its roots in Sweden we'd better head over and look at how to cook this.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b> (serves 4 -6)<br />
800g - 1000g topside of beef, trimmed<br />
Vegetable oil<br />
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips<br />
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips<br />
1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips<br />
2 yellow onions, one cut into segments and one finely diced<br />
400 g baby plum tomatoes, quartered<br />
6 cloves of garlic, pressed<br />
1 - 2 tbsp tomato paste<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
Ground cinnamon<br />
Ground cumin<br />
Cayenne pepper<br />
Dried oregano<br />
Paprika<br />
600 ml beef stock<br />
300 ml passata<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Heat the oil in a pot large enough to house all the ingredients and brown the beef on all sides, in batches if necessary. Remove the beef and put it on a plate while you finish the rest.<br />
<br />
Add all the vegetables. tomato paste and seasonings. Keep cooking this, stirring now and then, until the vegetables start to soften.<br />
<br />
Pour in the liquids and return the beef to the pot. Put the lid on the pot and bring to a simmer.<br />
<br />
Simmer for around two and a half hours.<br />
<br />
Remove the beef from the pot and shred it using two forks. Once shredded, return to the pot and stir in well.<br />
<br />
This is when you can reduce the sauce if you feel it is too wet and this is also when you should adjust the seasoning.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-63126760102820326902015-04-11T15:00:00.000+01:002015-04-11T15:00:00.316+01:00Recipe - Boiled Beef with Root Vegetable Mash and Horseradish Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7RicgHuvQAMvOmbKo8PEG96r9ThG3vmoH0gG7_iQT_2Na0KPTyfLwb4_YUF5UyQtfnJr5_hSwS6xCKCVL-uueejjuDsRPpbBR3Ewf6HOULgK5C4GuqaDOlzJXILVx8UW7WFVlM26nrQ/s1600/boiled_beef_root_vegetable_mash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7RicgHuvQAMvOmbKo8PEG96r9ThG3vmoH0gG7_iQT_2Na0KPTyfLwb4_YUF5UyQtfnJr5_hSwS6xCKCVL-uueejjuDsRPpbBR3Ewf6HOULgK5C4GuqaDOlzJXILVx8UW7WFVlM26nrQ/s1600/boiled_beef_root_vegetable_mash.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
I can already hear the groans from the back of the class - "<i>Not another bloody Swedish recipe?!?</i>". Tough titty - my blog, my heritage and my choice! ;-)<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Yet again, a dish from the Swedish family of dishes known as <i>husmanskost</i>. I'm not sure if this would count as an every day dish or if it would be saved for more special occasions. The main reason being that it is based around beef, nothing they'd roll out to cook every day.<br />
<br />
One thing that was bound to make me not want to head to the canteen for lunch during my years at school was the prospect of root vegetable mash. I can't remember exactly why but something about root vegetable mash that I definitely didn't like. These days though I'm more than happy to cook and eat it.<br />
<br />
Whether or not we were served horseradish with our root vegetable mash is something I cannot remember. Somehow I doubt it, since that most likely would have made even school lunch root vegetable mash edible.<br />
<br />
Whenever we drove up to Göteborg (Gothenburg to you non Swedish speaking) we would pass field after field of horseradish next to the motorway. I seem to remember that rather a large proportion of Swedish horseradish is grown and processed in that region. But I might of course be wrong about that.<br />
<br />
Well, let's keep this short and sweet today. Have a look at the picture up top and the recipe below and maybe you'll find inspiration to try this instead of your bog standard roast some upcoming Sunday?<br />
<br />
One final note before we head over to the recipe. If you have any leftover beef you can always dice it up the next day and fry it up with some diced potatoes and onions for a classic <a href="http://www.freestylecookery.com/2008/09/recipe-swedish-hash-pytt-i-panna.html" target="_blank">Swedish hash</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b> (serves 4)<br />
800g piece of topside beef, trimmed<br />
1 yellow onion, peeled and roughly cut<br />
1 carrot, peeled and roughly cut<br />
100g celeriac, peeled and roughly cut<br />
Parsley stalks<br />
10 white pepper corns<br />
Salt<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
<br />
<i>Root vegetable mash</i><br />
6 potatoes<br />
3 carrots<br />
2 parsnips<br />
200 - 250 ml milk<br />
1 tbsp butter<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
Chopped parsley<br />
<br />
<i>Horseradish sauce</i><br />
400 ml beef stock<br />
50 ml cream<br />
2 tbsp corn flour<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
1 tbsp grated fresh horseradish<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Put the beef in a pan and cover it with water. Bring the water to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and pour off the water.<br />
<br />
Once again cover the beef with cold water. Now add the onion, carrot, celeriac, parsley, white pepper corns, salt and bayleaft. Pop a lid on the pan and bring the water to a simmer. Lets this simmer for about 90 minutes.<br />
<br />
<i>Root vegetable mash</i><br />
Peel the root vegetables and cut roughly. Put them in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until softened. Drain the water and mash the vegetables. Stir in warm milk, use enough to get the consistency you're after. Add butter, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the chopped parsley.<br />
<br />
<i>Horseradish sauce</i><br />
Bring the stock to a boil. Mix cream and corn flour then stir this into the stock. Let this simmer for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the grated horseradish just before serving.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-69560448052252340252015-04-08T19:00:00.000+01:002015-04-08T19:00:03.559+01:00Quick Tip - Chilli Dogs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSpxHbPV4rgUuJSzoeAnjjenaPieqGycoomJvY5QOQBSKKDqplw3cvkMEtARtUj0Ij2YKWwm2DWUQhoUGjEr5HL93BfHel0wRsDnQejARxsUbxiox3lFjjqKXya4HTAYy8k-Gxcowuhc/s1600/chilli_dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSpxHbPV4rgUuJSzoeAnjjenaPieqGycoomJvY5QOQBSKKDqplw3cvkMEtARtUj0Ij2YKWwm2DWUQhoUGjEr5HL93BfHel0wRsDnQejARxsUbxiox3lFjjqKXya4HTAYy8k-Gxcowuhc/s1600/chilli_dogs.jpg" height="248" width="320" /></a></div>
Here we go again, another one of these so called recipes where I basically just assemble some ready bought stuff with some freezer finds. Still - it's good.<br />
<a name='more'></a>One of the handiest things to cook in big batches is mince chilli. A couple of bags of that in the freezer and you can <i>freestyle</i> quite a lot of different dishes.<br />
<br />
Anything from chilli with rice through Sloppy Joe's to Spag Bol. Just defrost, heat and serve with a side or two and you're done.<br />
<br />
I've heard that some people cook their chilli base with kidney beans. They are doing it wrong.<br />
<br />
However, this post is not about how to make your chilli - this is just about how to use some of it to make a chilli dog or two.<br />
<br />
To me chilli dogs comes in under the comfort food banner, they might not be everyone's thing but I sure do like them.<br />
<br />
If you're serving them to others you can always make the chilli suitably bland but then offer diced chilies and hot sauces on the side.<br />
<br />
Raw diced onion is a must whenever I make them, grated strong cheese isn't too bad either.<br />
<br />
Well - this isn't a real recipe post so let's stop blathering and get on with it.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
Hot Dogs<br />
Prepared chilli (I prefer mine to be quite 'dry' for chilli dogs)<br />
Hot Dog Buns<br />
Assorted accompaniments like diced onion, grated cheese, hot sauce and pickled gherkins<br />
<br />
<b>Assembly instructions</b><br />
Heat the chilli. Cook the hot dogs to your liking. Slice the hot dog buns and pop the hot dogs into them. Top with chilli and accompaniments.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-9788648295580463792015-04-04T15:00:00.000+01:002015-04-04T15:00:01.337+01:00Recipe - Cabbage and Pork Mince bake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFMVbbxDD9IE_2Au-9vuSvFehz863SgDxSY4KSOVoqeTqpLPZZDI7osTQAlqkEEYxXcSdPR1yTC-8Auly034NZqDfaHMmjfS3SUrWQvGjyts0eHjznOh3QABPVNp6UUPj4YiSJhrRb9k/s1600/cabbage_pork_mince_bake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFMVbbxDD9IE_2Au-9vuSvFehz863SgDxSY4KSOVoqeTqpLPZZDI7osTQAlqkEEYxXcSdPR1yTC-8Auly034NZqDfaHMmjfS3SUrWQvGjyts0eHjznOh3QABPVNp6UUPj4YiSJhrRb9k/s1600/cabbage_pork_mince_bake.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></div>
Yet another Swedish dish, this one is known as <i>kålpudding</i> in Swedish. This one is also from the array of dishes known as <i>husmanskost</i> in Sweden.<br />
<a name='more'></a>I'm fully aware that cabbage and pork mince baked in the oven might seem quite odd, but why not give it a go? It may also seem a bit odd to not fry off the mince first but it works just fine to bake it.<br />
<br />
If you're familiar with my Swedish dishes you'll probably recognise the basics - meat and potato. That's the basis of quite a lot of the Swedish cuisine and to be honest - I can't find much wrong with that.<br />
<br />
I'm not a food historian but I have half an idea that this dish might have its origin in the Turkish <i>dolme.</i> At one stage back in the 1700's a Swedish king got stuck in Turkey for a year or so. When he finally left for Sweden again, he and his army brought some Turkish cuisine with them. Over the years these dishes have been assimilated into the Swedish culture and quite a lot of people have no idea where they originated from.<br />
<br />
See, a bit of a history lesson - this blog can surprise you every now and then. In a positive way at times too.<br />
<br />
As you can see from the picture the traditional way of serving this is with boiled potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberry jam. A dish at least my generation very much would consider a classic school lunch but it works just as well for dinner.<br />
<br />
Some people, including myself on occasion, mix in about 150 ml cooked rice with the mince when they cook this. It pads it out a bit and makes it even more filling. Try both ways, you might find that you prefer one more than the other.<br />
<br />
The cabbages I used the day I cooked what you can see in the picture above must have been more water than cabbage. Normally you'd expect to have more height, or volume provided by the cabbage, in the bake - I guess it just wanted to screw up my photo.<br />
<br />
Sufficiently bored by my history lesson and memories of school lunches? Excellent - let's have a look at how to cook this dish then....<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b> (serves 4)<br />
1 - 2 heads of white cabbage (800g upwards)<br />
1 tbsp butter<br />
1 yellow onion<br />
2 tbsp Golden Syrup<br />
<div>
100 ml water</div>
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
1 egg<br />
400g pork mince<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Pre-heat the oven to 200c.<br />
<br />
Quarter and core the cabbage. Slice and dice the cabbage into 1 - 2 cm squares. Heat the butter in a frying pan and brown the cabbage, preferably in smaller batches.<br />
<br />
Once all the cabbage is browned return it to the frying pan together with the diced yellow onion, Golden Syrup, water, salt and pepper. Let this cook together until the water has evaporated.<br />
<br />
In the meantime season the mince and mix with the egg.<br />
<br />
Put half the cooked cabbage in a ovensafe dish, spread out the mince mixture and top with the second half of cabbage.<br />
<br />
Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes or until nicely browned and cooked through. If the top layer of cabbage picks up colour too quickly and looks like it will turn into cremated matter - cover it with tinfoil for the rest of the cooking time.<br />
<br />
Serve with boiled potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberry jam.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-24779415552115659702015-03-28T15:00:00.000+00:002015-03-28T15:00:02.325+00:00Recipe - Oven Raggmunk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAY_DyZw_EMFVzZi4UVFMiA9OpyNafPvAX0ewTNMlcs94TmN6-s9HdzEF5cwhkF448Sgn-CKF9-kPytqyWJ7p7FK0Wc5yVy4KFVhBQQPKQq76VgFP1jL5unqWjolkxb9N-unBoIgGN1M/s1600/raggmunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAY_DyZw_EMFVzZi4UVFMiA9OpyNafPvAX0ewTNMlcs94TmN6-s9HdzEF5cwhkF448Sgn-CKF9-kPytqyWJ7p7FK0Wc5yVy4KFVhBQQPKQq76VgFP1jL5unqWjolkxb9N-unBoIgGN1M/s1600/raggmunk.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
This is a classic Swedish recipe, something we would put into the <i>husmanskost</i> category. Husmanskost is basically what we'd call your classic day to day dishes, what you'd expect to get at school or at one of the many lunch restaurants that are around.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Husmanskost is not fancy, it is not special in any way, form or shape - but it is normally filling and tasty. Sort of the Swedish version of comfort food in many ways.<br />
<br />
There'll probably be some more posts around this theme coming up, as I rediscover some of the old classics that I grew up with.<br />
<br />
Some themes shine through, like potatoes as an ingredient and lingonberry jam and grated carrots as accompaniments. I guess people used what was homegrown, cheap, filling and easily produced to bulk out the food. Not that any of these things are bad, people were just being a bit more frugal back then.<br />
<br />
Another thing I find with these recipes is that they are fairly straightforward and quick. In my book that makes them perfect for weekday dinners - which again is what they were originally used for.<br />
<br />
This version of raggmunk is for the oven baked variety, there is another variety that is more akin to a potato pancake as you fry it in a frying pan. There might be a recipe for that coming up at some stage later on as well.<br />
<br />
Enough waffling, let's see how we cook this then...<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b> (serves 4)<br />
<i>Raggmunk</i><br />
4 eggs<br />
400 ml milk<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
150 ml plain flour<br />
2 baking potatoes, peeled and roughly grated<br />
<br />
<i>Accompaniments</i><br />
2 carrots, peeled and roughly grated<br />
Thick cut smoked back bacon, fat removed if you so wish<br />
Lingonberry jam<br />
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Pre-heat the oven to 225c.<br />
<br />
Line a deep-ish roasting tray with parchment paper. Whisk together the eggs, 100 ml milk, salt and pepper. Add the flour and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Whisk in the rest of the milk.<br />
<br />
Mix the batter and the grated potato well and pour into the roasting tray. Place in the middle of the oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until the top is crispy and have taken on a nice colour.<br />
<br />
Fry the bacon until crispy. If you want to, mix in the lemon juice with the grated carrot.<br />
<br />
Serve the raggmunk with the bacon, grated carrots and lingonberry jam.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-39536820118675405532015-03-25T19:00:00.000+00:002015-03-25T19:00:04.927+00:00Quick Tip - Fransk Hotdog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtIS9TqzcrYM6jltTw_UvX_zgS9bN6DRxHl1cS7jbrKo0K1eJRcvv9Hz-_Y3qT53DAtneeAPmglq1LU77sjFMUHG4N6FJjJNG2WhH1HVnENJjAlIofEMdKe9oZEz9a6dZseeBcBGZXYQ/s1600/fransk_hotdog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtIS9TqzcrYM6jltTw_UvX_zgS9bN6DRxHl1cS7jbrKo0K1eJRcvv9Hz-_Y3qT53DAtneeAPmglq1LU77sjFMUHG4N6FJjJNG2WhH1HVnENJjAlIofEMdKe9oZEz9a6dZseeBcBGZXYQ/s1600/fransk_hotdog.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Fransk is Danish, as well as Swedish and Norwegian, for French. For me this little meal is very closely associated with Denmark and I guess the lesser Swedes as I call them called it French Hotdog due to the fact that it is served in a baguette.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Having grown up on the west coast of Sweden I've been to Denmark more times than I care to think of. Two of the things I will always associate with Denmark is their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%B8lsevogn" target="_blank">pølsevogn</a> and their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B8d_p%C3%B8lse" target="_blank">rød pølse</a>. In the socialist state of Sweden we weren't allowed to import the røde pølser - they were deemed too bad for you due to the lovely added colouring.<br />
<br />
Since it was quite some time ago that I had a Fransk Hotdog I checked with my tame Dane as to what sauces she would expect to be able to choose from in a proper pølsevogn. Apparently this stirred some good memories and I was swiftly called some names for making her crave a Fransk Hotdog.<br />
<br />
Between my hazy memories and her being a Dane by birth we quickly established that actually - the selection would roughly be what you'd expect to be able to choose from at your local kebab van here in the UK. Chili sauce, garlic sauce, mayo-ish sauce etc.<br />
<br />
For this attempt I decided to go for the easy options. I mixed some mayo with Sriracha as the first option and Aioli sauce as the second option<br />
<br />
This is another quick and easy meal(?) which is more of assembly instructions than proper cooking. But hey - sometimes that is what you need. This works ok for a picnic or why not for a kids birthday party? Either that or just admit that some days a good Frankfurter in some bread is just what you want.<br />
<br />
I said a good Frankfurter above and here in the UK I would say that the best Frankfurter I've found, and can get hold of on a regular basis, is the ones that <a href="http://www.discoverunearthed.com/products/cooking-sausages/bavarian-frankfurters/" target="_blank">Unearthed</a> sell. Great flavour and they do have that crunch when you bite into it it that I want from a good Frankfurter. And no - I'm not sponsored by Unearthed to say this. I wish I was though, that would save me considerable sums of money given how much I spend on their various products. ;-)<br />
<br />
Enough thinking of sponsored meats, this is how you assemble it....<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
Baguette, cut in half<br />
Frankfurters<br />
Sauce(s)<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Bring a pot of water to the boil, remove from the heat. Pop the Frankfurters into the water and let them steep until they are nice and warm all the way through. Remove the Frankfurters from the water and dry them with some paper towel.<br />
<br />
Poke a hole in the bread, the handle of a wooden spoon works for this, that is wide and deep enough to fit a Frankfurter.<br />
<br />
Add sauce to the freshly poked hole and firmly seat the Frankfurter into the baguette.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-58961903297744894672015-03-21T15:00:00.000+00:002015-03-21T15:00:03.324+00:00Recipe - Chicken Rice Bake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBW_uCOOGhefj0mG0CHqvTWqmvs4f5qdc4qWjOzuATJByLNw3sI81fcZF3HHkLSQHqdYwRe964dgTgi_k377bmcCifR1mJulxVc9KyfAPNnV0vR3vmacJm1WHy6qt4RykJHIvpjsy7sc/s1600/chicken_rice_bake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBW_uCOOGhefj0mG0CHqvTWqmvs4f5qdc4qWjOzuATJByLNw3sI81fcZF3HHkLSQHqdYwRe964dgTgi_k377bmcCifR1mJulxVc9KyfAPNnV0vR3vmacJm1WHy6qt4RykJHIvpjsy7sc/s1600/chicken_rice_bake.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
This dish didn't really have an recipe when I started. It was cooked from distant memories, we're talking 30 years or so since I last had it. In the end it didn't end up too far from being how I remembered it.<br />
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<br />
This is, or at least close to, something my maternal grandmother used to cook every now and then. It was definitely one of my favorite dishes as I grew up.<br />
<br />
I have no idea what triggered the memory, 30 odd years is a long time, but something did and I dug deep in whatever memory banks I still have left. I'll definitely cook this again but there'll be some tweaks along the way, but as a first attempt it was good. Good enough for me to give you guys the base recipe, for you to adapt to your own taste if you so wish.<br />
<br />
If you are a long time follower of this blog, or have read at least some of the earlier posts, you know that I like to <i>freestyle</i> my food and cook dishes where you can exchange ingredients to match what you got at home. This one fits well in with that, You can cook it from the ground up and roast a chicken, you can use leftover chicken or you can even be lazy and pick up a ready roasted chicken at the deli counter at your local friendly supermarket. The choice is yours.<br />
<br />
I think it is time to look at how to cook this trip down memory lane...<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b> (serves 4)<br />
1 roasted chicken, meat picked and cut to bite-size pieces<br />
4 portions cooked rice<br />
250 ml creme fraiche<br />
1 tbsp Dijon mustard<br />
1 leek, halved and sliced<br />
Grated cheese<br />
Butter<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Pre-heat the oven to 220c.<br />
<br />
Stir together the creme fraiche with the Dijon mustard and season well.<br />
<br />
Heat the butter in a frying pan and fry off the leaks until softened. Mix the leeks with the chicken and rice. Stir in the creme fraiche, making sure to mix it in well.<br />
<br />
Pour the mixture into a oven-safe dish and put the grated cheese on top. Cook in the middle of the oven for about 25 - 30 minutes or until the cheese have melted and taken on a nice colour.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-31624183829430551752015-03-14T15:00:00.000+00:002015-03-14T15:00:06.307+00:00Recipe - Tagliatelle and Clams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFzNrLKwvJpVCW3SIkzhrwXeQ13eKZ0Uc3BF1j8i4CthfGwIzPO3xHe0CPy2PjRRd5lHEw5pKWBrLLPDNI61mdJlOvRKrF5Kzjm2ao9vWatXUOH3Om4H-VWRI7fs9FmPH0uSfPWmIh0o/s1600/tagliatelle_and_clams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFzNrLKwvJpVCW3SIkzhrwXeQ13eKZ0Uc3BF1j8i4CthfGwIzPO3xHe0CPy2PjRRd5lHEw5pKWBrLLPDNI61mdJlOvRKrF5Kzjm2ao9vWatXUOH3Om4H-VWRI7fs9FmPH0uSfPWmIh0o/s1600/tagliatelle_and_clams.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
There is a famous Italian dish called Spaghetti Vongole. This is not it.<br />
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There are times when you can't be bothered to spend hours in the kitchen to get your dinner on the table. At the same time you might not want to stoop to having to eat a microwave ready-meal. That's when you have to find some good shortcuts to cut down on the cooking time.<br />
<br />
This time my shortcut was some ready cooked clams. If you want to, you can just adjust this recipe to add in the step of cooking your clams but that will of course also add to the total cooking time.<br />
<br />
Pasta is a good base for quick yet tasty dinners. If you build a good base repertoire of pasta dishes you can quite quickly <i>freestyle</i> together a meal based on what time is available as well as on what ingredients you have at hand.<br />
<br />
Those are the kind of dishes you swing together with little warning, little to no prep and usually with a very short cooking time. It's not unusual that the boiling of the pasta is what will take the longest time.<br />
<br />
Since this is a true <i>freestyling</i> kind of recipe I will not list any measurements for the ingredients below, just do what feels right here.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
Tagliatelle<br />
Cooked clams<br />
Olive oil<br />
Tomato, diced<br />
Red chili, finely diced<br />
Garlic, diced<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
Parsley, finely chopped<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Boil the pasta as per the ingredients, preferably on the al dente side.<br />
<br />
In the meantime heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the tomato, chili and garlic and give it a stir. Season well. Stir now and then as you are frying the veg, try not to cook the garlic too hard so you make it taste bitter.<br />
<br />
When the pasta is nearing the finishing line, add the clams to the frying pan to heat them up a bit.<br />
<br />
Drain the pasta and stir it into the frying pan. Turn off the heat and stir through the majority of the chopped parsley.<br />
<br />
Plate the dish and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-35412383375385581872015-03-11T19:00:00.000+00:002015-03-11T19:00:03.650+00:00Quick tip - Baguette Crisps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5spez7_tEF3yaQV12N7iT4BFCLhVJq1uabqak9WEz3IoYyufP_WTQPWqiSK6zjxKVaoqjaGUKY86s0UmK4lRstNN7LfSuZY1KuUdVNNLEmbKdW2g8tvljVF1Fkg4nlAvVLvSD49uMvE/s1600/baguette_crisps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5spez7_tEF3yaQV12N7iT4BFCLhVJq1uabqak9WEz3IoYyufP_WTQPWqiSK6zjxKVaoqjaGUKY86s0UmK4lRstNN7LfSuZY1KuUdVNNLEmbKdW2g8tvljVF1Fkg4nlAvVLvSD49uMvE/s1600/baguette_crisps.jpg" height="286" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This is not rocket surgery, heck it is barely cookery, but it is a handy little thing to have in your arsenal.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>You can use it with soups, pimped with maybe chopped herbs and rubbed with some garlic, or why not with Steak Tartare like I did the other day.<br />
<br />
There's really not much to say about this so let's have a look at how to make it.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
One small baguette<br />
Olive oil<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Pre-heat the oven to 225c.<br />
<br />
Slice the baguette crosswise into slices about 5mm wide. Put the slices on a parchment paper lined baking tray.<br />
<br />
Brush the slices with olive oil and pop them into the oven.<br />
<br />
Keep an eye on proceedings and remove from the oven when they are at a suitable level of colouring. Allow to cool before serving.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-16154339874115978122015-03-07T15:00:00.000+00:002015-03-07T16:17:52.934+00:00Recipe - Steak Tartare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwBcP48IeasKygydmVkEFT8U-kLGrvGng9z-57pYmbyBZ8VvJkfImGhrdTrfUxjVHssWpB-6bimK1UE89q4ocO22RJ0Dr5OToUM9HzzkVtlVRhh8jwoUl-KEKth_0IZ36sgLlmxd1wwg/s1600/steak_tartare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwBcP48IeasKygydmVkEFT8U-kLGrvGng9z-57pYmbyBZ8VvJkfImGhrdTrfUxjVHssWpB-6bimK1UE89q4ocO22RJ0Dr5OToUM9HzzkVtlVRhh8jwoUl-KEKth_0IZ36sgLlmxd1wwg/s1600/steak_tartare.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Steak Tartare is one of my all time favourite dishes, if I see it on the menu there will have to be another very good reason on the menu for me not to order it.<br />
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I'm fully aware that raw beef isn't everyone's idea of a nice, or proper for that matter, dish but for me it comes close to perfection. I don't limit myself to beef based Tartare, I've also enjoyed seafood based Tartare's on occasion.<br />
<br />
Tartare have also been the cause for embarrassment at one occasion. We went for dinner at some place on Kings Road in Chelsea and they were nice enough to have Tartare on the menu. Which I swiftly ordered when the waiter took our order. What I had not expected was that they would actually mix it up at the table. Some bloke turned up with the meat and the various ingredients at our table. He then proceeded to ask what of the ingredients I'd like and in roughly what proportions. He then proceeded to mix it up and finally I could dig in. It felt like the entire restaurant was staring at me during the preparation - I was definitely not expecting it to be assembled at my table.<br />
<br />
I am such a fan of Tartare that even to this day I won't let the memory of this episode stop me from ordering it if it is on the menu. I just hope it will come pre-assembled to the table and not made into some form of impromptu performance art in front of everyone.<br />
<br />
Enough about my embarrassments - below you'll find the ingredients I like and how I think it should be made. Before that though, some pointers and thoughts around this.<br />
<ul>
<li>I have not specified the quantities of the ingredients, follow the flow and make it the way you feel is right. If it turns out less than good, adjust and try again. The amount of beef does of course depend on whether or not you are planning to serve it as a starter or main dish - or as a midnight snack if you're that way inclined. Somewhere between 100 - 200 grams per person is a good starting point though.</li>
<li>Quality. You cannot make good Tartare without good quality beef. End of.</li>
<li>As you can see below, I have not specified what cut of beef to use either. Use your best judgement and adjust to what your tastebuds are like. Fillet works, but so does sirloin and rump if you're that way inclined. I would probably stay clear of 'diced stewing steak', minute steaks and other such cuts.</li>
<li>I find that if you pop the beef into the freezer for about 30 - 45 minutes it becomes easier to slice. What you want to accomplish is for the surface to freeze - do not freeze all of it into a lump of ice.</li>
<li>I like to slice the beef, then baton it and finally dice it. Some people do it differently, I've even heard of people who wield two chef knives, one in each hand, to get the deed done. That I'll leave to the Japanese super samurai chefs - I don't have the dexterity or abundance of digits to dare that. The thing I'd strongly advice against is to use a mincer to get it done. Experiment until you find the way that get you the consistency and size you like.</li>
<li>I've had Tartare where it has been quite 'dry' and mixed together quite hard and moulded to resemble a steak. I've had Tartare that has been extremely 'wet' and just in a big slop on the plate. There have been occasions where the ingredients have been dotted around the plate and I had to assemble it myself. My favourite, right now at least, is a wet, but not sloppy, mixture that is plated using a cooking ring. For you - <i>freestyle</i> it to make it the way you want it.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b> (serves 1)<br />
Beef<br />
2 egg yolks<br />
Dijon Mustard<br />
Capers, minced or just roughly chopped - your choice<br />
Shallot, minced or just roughly chopped - your choice<br />
Cornichons, minced or just roughly chopped - your choice<br />
Tabasco<br />
Worcestershire sauce<br />
Fresh lemon juice<br />
Black Pepper<br />
Salt<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
In a bowl, first mix together one egg yolk, mustard, capers, shallot, cornichons. Stir in the chopped beef and season to taste with the tabasco (or other hot sauce of your liking), Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and lemon juice.<br />
<br />
Arrange the mixture on a plate using a cook ring, if you so wish, and balance the remaining egg yolk on top.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-25300034671296546422015-02-28T19:00:00.000+00:002015-02-28T19:00:01.437+00:00Recipe - Hasselback Potatoes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPZc7BnQz1OH1hmAKiBfF75ae_TXj05d0w_q_eFwvUIU861aWF6ihy9UrrzirhEOMYSpCWKupEnOlCRfxJ_dasVyjj5o5JKG53ZyKltVUhe0yPqBJrxROI-XCMlGdX7sSSHdy2r3Q52Y/s1600/hasselback_potatoes_unpeeled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPZc7BnQz1OH1hmAKiBfF75ae_TXj05d0w_q_eFwvUIU861aWF6ihy9UrrzirhEOMYSpCWKupEnOlCRfxJ_dasVyjj5o5JKG53ZyKltVUhe0yPqBJrxROI-XCMlGdX7sSSHdy2r3Q52Y/s1600/hasselback_potatoes_unpeeled.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5S6wO4p8cdayt4VD3B3Oi6oFuU6fEcr_vYSb-si0XZ523cTtfPqJ4wYkQJRPCbzACZNLIBg37vkFEOSmTfqp35FeDSjnfSli8MLUMzDME2eNlgf7-g2kHImWelnDyWVTLUdpMLnQXnVM/s1600/hasselback_potatoes_peeled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5S6wO4p8cdayt4VD3B3Oi6oFuU6fEcr_vYSb-si0XZ523cTtfPqJ4wYkQJRPCbzACZNLIBg37vkFEOSmTfqp35FeDSjnfSli8MLUMzDME2eNlgf7-g2kHImWelnDyWVTLUdpMLnQXnVM/s1600/hasselback_potatoes_peeled.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
There is actually an <a href="http://www.freestylecookery.com/2007/07/recipe-hasselbackspotatoes.html" target="_blank">earlier version</a> of this recipe here on the site but that one lacks a photo. This version is also a bit different - you got the choice of either version now.<br />
<a name='more'></a>For once there's two pictures attached. The one with three potatoes is where I didn't bother peeling them and the single one is peeled. Not much difference in the end - I guess there's more nutrition left when you don't peel them, but that's about it. The other thing you can take away from this is that you can see that they 'open up' differently every time you cook Hasselback potatoes.<br />
<br />
As I mentioned in the previous post this is a very classic Swedish dish that allegedly is named after <a href="http://www.restauranghasselbacken.com/index-english.html" target="_blank">Restaurant Hasselbacken</a> in Stockholm. There is however different versions of how this dish got its name, but this one works for me.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Swedish, and Nordic in general, cuisine had a bit of a upswing in the rest of the world a couple of years ago. This dish might be a bit more familiar now than when I posted my old recipe back in 2007. Having a photo to accompany the recipe might also assist you in recognising it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
True to form I strongly advise that you <i>freestyle</i> your approach to how to make Hasselback potatoes. You can use most types of potatoes - I've not tried with sweet potatoes, yet - and whether or not you peel them is up to you. I've used King Edward potatoes this time but most varieties should work. If you just adjust the timings a bit you can make quite cute Hasselbacks out of new potatoes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In order to avoid cutting too far through you can always use the old trick of putting the potato in a wooden spoon as you slice it. I've seen 'Hasselback cutting devices' for sale but I must say that I'd probably beat you to a pulp with it if you tried to make me use one of those.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can't really do much wrong when you cook these but try not to forget the second basting of butter - that is what makes them extra good. By that time the slices have separated a bit and the buttery goodness reaches a bit further down/in. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As you grow confident in your Hasselback potatoes you can start to <i>freestyle</i> them even more. Some recipes calls for adding cheese towards the end of the baking for some added dairy goodness. Grated parmesan works a treat!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In Sweden I'd expect them to be served with a nice steak or something like that - but as always, only your imagination puts limits on your culinary adventures.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Interested in how to cook this? Either way, here it is.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Ingredients</b> (serves 4 or so)</div>
<div>
6 - 8 medium sized firm potatoes</div>
<div>
2 -3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature</div>
<div>
Salt</div>
<div>
Freshly ground pepper</div>
<div>
Breadcrumbs (I used panko since I'm a bit of a fancypants)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Method</b></div>
<div>
Pre-heat the oven to 225c.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Wash, and peel if you so wish, the potatoes and then slice them at least 3/4 the way through, but not all the way through. Put them on a baking tray or in a oven safe dish, preferably on parchment paper to cut down on the washing up time. Brush the potatoes with roughly half the butter. Season with salt and pepper and pop them in the oven.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After 25 minutes or so, brush the potatoes with the rest of the butter and return them to the oven. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Give them another 15 minutes in the oven and then top the potatoes with the breadcrumbs.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
10 minutes or so should finish them off nicely and they're ready to be served</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Enjoy!</i></div>
Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-3709190770969826062015-02-25T19:00:00.000+00:002015-02-25T19:00:04.348+00:00Food Porn - Valentines Burger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCP3R20cEWxfWuFYoF_oya6S1MZFKZVEEZcJVr5JrJkj3zw06v6ITMKSUsyzY1JG6eUNnAgo-KRElVU3Y2DESciuZE9rAJ0SYS8kT-M9vKVSz82Zn5zCWWWvxJpRLNsaRQBw5FSkGqPZU/s1600/valentines_burger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCP3R20cEWxfWuFYoF_oya6S1MZFKZVEEZcJVr5JrJkj3zw06v6ITMKSUsyzY1JG6eUNnAgo-KRElVU3Y2DESciuZE9rAJ0SYS8kT-M9vKVSz82Zn5zCWWWvxJpRLNsaRQBw5FSkGqPZU/s1600/valentines_burger.jpg" height="320" width="271" /></a></div>
This is what I was asked to cook for Valentines this year.<br />
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Well, not exactly a double stacked burger that resembles the leaning tower of Pisa. My mandate was for inside-out-burgers, coleslaw and fries. Something I think I delivered on.<br />
<div>
<br />
Me being me, I pimped a duo of burgers for the photo to make it look a bit more interesting and make a more impressive photo. You can be the judge as to if I succeeded or not.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I did not mean for it to lean - but I just couldn't be bothered to straighten it once I started taking the pictures, I was getting quite hungry. In the interest of full disclosure I should also admit that I did remove one patty from this behemoth and put it in its own bun once it was time to eat. Trying to eat this monster like it was would most likely have led to a dislocated jaw.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If anyone cares - it did taste awesome. Even if, as the norm is on this site, I say so myself.... ;-)<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-87337427504555599752015-02-21T17:00:00.000+00:002015-02-21T17:00:01.504+00:00Recipe - Roasted Beef Short Ribs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShkmnYaj3De0vgtVjRM7NVi4XBRQ1SLACZ-YxbvvLt9vweE1M78YPJS6WxjbWRU0eHzKe3lOUGxiAb58-j0mf0aoWMSkLy61nCUUwkiezf43EB5rsw34_zCPATBWV505KZMnXepicJVc/s1600/roasted_beef_short_ribs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShkmnYaj3De0vgtVjRM7NVi4XBRQ1SLACZ-YxbvvLt9vweE1M78YPJS6WxjbWRU0eHzKe3lOUGxiAb58-j0mf0aoWMSkLy61nCUUwkiezf43EB5rsw34_zCPATBWV505KZMnXepicJVc/s1600/roasted_beef_short_ribs.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
I know that is extremely middle class of me but the majority of my shopping is done either at Waitrose or via Ocado. This is something that probably could spawn endless hours of discussion if people so wanted so I'll just skip the reasons behind it for now. One thing I'll do say though is that Waitrose recently have started to have more and more interesting and previously ignored cuts of meat in their shops.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>One of the re-introduced cuts are the Beef Short Rib, which I've started to try and learn how to cook. Low and slow seems to be the correct way for them so far.<br />
<br />
My first attempt was to make a stew that I served when we had a couple of friends over for dinner. Even if I say so myself, it turned out really nice. 3 hours cooking at around 160c did the trick that time.<br />
<br />
This attempt was a different approach though. Instead of braising I went for a lower temperature and roasting instead. Still low and slow but with dry heat instead of a nice warming bath for the meat. This method worked rather nicely as well.<br />
<br />
As always, <i>freestyle</i> your dry-rub to suit you and your taste. What I used and specify in the ingredient list is just what I like and what I thought would work. You might want to add or remove ingredients to suit you and your own taste. Not that my version isn't damned good as it is. ;-)<br />
<br />
I served ours with a home-made coleslaw and some oven roasted sweet potato wedges. A nice creamy mash and some gravy would have worked just as well. I can think of some other sides but that will have to wait until next time.<br />
<br />
As you can see from the recipe I recommend that you leave them in the fridge over night but that's just if you got the time and/or space. It will turn out nicer if you can do it this way, but if you can't it will still be good. I know that some people can be a bit reluctant as to leaving uncovered meat in their fridge, but so far I haven't killed anyone by doing just that.<br />
<br />
If you can't find Beef Short Ribs in your local shop - do make your local butcher happy and ask him or her if she can source some for you. They're a very worthy addition to your cookery arsenal. The meaty punch they come packed with is quite something.<br />
<br />
Since I've now talked them up, let's have a look at how I cooked them.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<i>Dry-rub</i><br />
Soft brown sugar<br />
Smoked paprika<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
Cayenne Pepper<br />
<br />
Beef Short Ribs<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
<i>The day before</i><br />
Trim the ribs and remove all silverskin and excessive surface fat. Mix together the ingredients for the dry-rub and work it in evenly on all the ribs. Put the ribs on a rack in a roasting tin and put in the fridge, uncovered, over night.<br />
<br />
<i>On the day</i><br />
Remove the ribs from the fridge and let them come to room temperature. In the meantime pre-heat the oven to 120c.<br />
<br />
Pop the roasting tray with the ribs into the oven and let them roast for three hours.<br />
<br />
Remove from the oven and let them rest covered with tin foil for 15 - 20 minutes or so.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-81505477482084329962015-02-14T13:00:00.000+00:002015-02-14T13:00:00.176+00:00Recipe - Glittering Ginger Rocky Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoCHg20Stb_KPiBiWmEshjhFQOd444IMBYgms0htC92M2DEPPvnxcybwH4Gt0MPCL7TX0bN0_NW-G_We_G_Lpbw212ECnNcLK0Ow0l68WrTvNhyUwKMxwx0Mb5_opC0wWLd8Fool2dkY/s1600/glittering_ginger_rocky_road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoCHg20Stb_KPiBiWmEshjhFQOd444IMBYgms0htC92M2DEPPvnxcybwH4Gt0MPCL7TX0bN0_NW-G_We_G_Lpbw212ECnNcLK0Ow0l68WrTvNhyUwKMxwx0Mb5_opC0wWLd8Fool2dkY/s1600/glittering_ginger_rocky_road.jpg" height="320" width="236" /></a></div>
This is something as unusual as a guest recipe here at <i>Freestyle Cookery</i>. People who know me are well aware that I'm not much for, or good at, baking and I don't eat or cook much sweet stuff. I let other people, who are good at it - like Han, deal with stuff like this.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The Ginger Rocky Road has become something of a classic, so far I've not heard of a single person who didn't like it. It started like a bit of a <i>freestyling</i> of Han's standard rocky road recipe but have now almost taken over as the preferred recipe.<br />
<br />
I have been told that it is very easy to make, not that I'm very likely to try it, and it does look like something most people could make.<br />
<br />
The photo I took of it has the entire, half recipe, slab in one piece but normally it would be cut up into bite-sized chunks. Then, if the mood and the season is right, it would be packaged up in small cellophane bags and tied up with a bit of decorative string. A rather appreciated little gift as things go.<br />
<br />
I have been furbished with some tips to hand over. The edible glitter is best in gold but for a seasonal touch, try some red and/or green glitter. Another variation that is still to be tried, but could work nicely, is one with plain biscuits and Kendal mint cake.<br />
<br />
Well - enough waffling from me, let's look at this recipe now.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
300g dark chocolate, broken into pieces<br />
125g unsalted butter<br />
60ml Golden Syrup<br />
200g Ginger nut biscuits, bashed – crumbs and chunks<br />
120g chopped crystallized ginger - variously sized pieces<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Melt butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a pan on the hob or make it simple for yourself and nuke it in a microwaveble bowl.<br />
<br />
When melted, add biscuits and ginger and stir together.<br />
<br />
Put into a tin lined with parchment paper and smooth down the top. Dust with edible glitter.<br />
<br />
Refrigerate until it has hardened. Cut into bite size pieces.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-42129217553773351792015-02-11T19:00:00.000+00:002015-02-11T19:00:03.166+00:00Recipe - Prosciutto Roses on Watermelon Cubes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8stp5sBXVsUXlXEnqX7hBXWzkQBhrt3Sgtl0Gqe0BQyDrFoXdf21VHOUeJXcsq8HD7fC2k7ROlgUDG4VP-lzLlk03xSPXrpyLHZPVXezSRpLDE_DVq7XZmv5towbleLuE5aWmjwuGLI/s1600/prosciutto_roses_on_watermelon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8stp5sBXVsUXlXEnqX7hBXWzkQBhrt3Sgtl0Gqe0BQyDrFoXdf21VHOUeJXcsq8HD7fC2k7ROlgUDG4VP-lzLlk03xSPXrpyLHZPVXezSRpLDE_DVq7XZmv5towbleLuE5aWmjwuGLI/s1600/prosciutto_roses_on_watermelon.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Yeah, I know - this isn't much of a recipe is it? But I kind of liked the flavors and it looked quite nice. Hopefully the picture above does it a little bit of justice.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The inspiration from this came from the TV-series Hannibal. Yup, <i>that</i> series. About the cannibal. There's some lovely cooking and plating displayed through both series so far, I hope this continues in season three as well.<br />
<br />
This specific dish was mentioned in episode six of series two - <i>Futamono</i> - where it is served during a dinner party. I actually served this when a couple of friends were over for dinner so I guess that counts as a smaller dinner party. One guest was a bit doubtful as to if she should turn up or not when I mentioned on <a href="https://twitter.com/swedishmike" target="_blank">Twitter</a> that one of the courses would be influenced by Hannibal.<br />
<br />
A final note about the TV-series, I found that if you combine watching a couple of episodes back to back whilst having a very high fever it gives you some awesome dreams later that night. ;)<br />
<br />
As you can see from the picture I need more practice in the art of making the prosciutto look like roses but that's something I'm happy to do. As long as I get to eat the end product.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
Good quality prosciutto, pork based unless you are Hannibal<br />
Watermelon, cut into squares<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Take a slice of prosciutto and twist it into a long strand. Tightly wrap it into a rosette, trying to make it look like a rose.<br />
<br />
Position the 'rose' on a piece of watermelon and secure it with a cut to size cocktail stick or similar.<br />
<br />
Repeat until all prosciutto is used up.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-50113416394034057652015-02-07T13:00:00.000+00:002015-02-07T13:00:01.238+00:00Recipe - Kimchi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyxKgIIV6CswY1j5MiLt6afqsQqb-CYbrcaTz_T7R8YQGzKkgvMH8hvA8KhzFOvo71cYkDZbGZEfv-jC1uHbq48wXOXQtHjs98J29EJZnVC6jImFBMtp8oYDejKVlnJyIYCtNMOO6IUk/s1600/kimchi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyxKgIIV6CswY1j5MiLt6afqsQqb-CYbrcaTz_T7R8YQGzKkgvMH8hvA8KhzFOvo71cYkDZbGZEfv-jC1uHbq48wXOXQtHjs98J29EJZnVC6jImFBMtp8oYDejKVlnJyIYCtNMOO6IUk/s1600/kimchi.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
I will have to admit one thing to start with - I don't know how to make Kimchi. I guess you that are reading this right now, quite rightly, wondering what the heck I'm on about? Writing that I don't know how to make Kimchi in a post about making Kimchi?!?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>What I mean is that I don't have any real knowledge about how you are supposed to make Kimchi, all I can relate to is some different versions of it that I have tasted over the years.<br />
<br />
Having said that though, there is no one way of making Kimchi. I've read a large number of books with recipes and I've watched quite a few episodes of cookery shows and they are all in agreement - Kimchi is individual and you can <i>freestyle</i> the ingredients quite wildly too.<br />
<br />
What follows below is how I made it, this time, and to me it tasted quite all right. Next time I'll probably adjust it to see what happens but as first attempts go, I'm more than happy.<br />
<br />
Actually, I might have started this in the wrong way. For those of you who don't know what Kimchi is - it is a fermented cabbage dish that originates from Korea. It is really versatile, you can have it as a 'side', on top of your burger or why not in an omelette. If you google it a bit you'll find numerous ways of making and using Kimchi. Give it a go - who knows, you might like it!<br />
<br />
Before I leave you with the recipe of how I made my first batch I thought I'd regale one of the best comments I've seen about Kimchi making in particular and life in general:<i> "Don't forget to release the gas!"</i> ;-)<br />
<br />
On that note....<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients </b>(makes enough to fill roughly one 1l or 2 500ml jars - this scales well)<br />
<br />
1 head of Chinese leaf or Napa cabbage (roughly 600g)<br />
1 tbsp fine salt<br />
25g Gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder)<br />
50g mix of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce<br />
50ml water<br />
1 tbsp ginger, grated<br />
1 tbsp garlic, grated<br />
4 spring onions, finely sliced<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Quarter the cabbages, removing the tough 'heel', and slice into 1cm wide strips. Put the slices into a bowl and toss well with the salt. Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature for at least four hours. You want the cabbage to release its water and soften quite a bit.<br />
<br />
Drain the cabbage and rinse well with water to wash away the salt. Drain well.<br />
<br />
Mix together the Gochugaru, water, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to make a fairly runny paste. Pour this over the cabbage and stir in the ginger, garlic and spring onions. Mix well, using your hands, until all cabbage have been covered.<br />
<br />
Put the cabbage mixture into glass jars as suitable, leaving a couple of centimeters free at the top. Press down well with your hands to remove all air bubbles and make sure to cover all of the mixture with liquid. Should there not be enough liquid to cover it all - add a bit more water until covered.<br />
<br />
Screw on the lids and leave the jars at room temperature for a day or so. After that you can keep them in the fridge and use as and when you feel like some Kimchi. I'd give it a week to mature before the first sampling though.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-74717228645186596282015-01-31T19:00:00.000+00:002015-01-31T19:00:02.209+00:00Recipe - Potato Pavé<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3brHqE841Yyz45nyJYb0oVXGGleTkPrAP4TNUDmdTl5QSzwLM54lIusTI4ADgqL13PSNgATPUJ9v-wzROGgxVdzRuxl8Y0Vi25YtR_z8AijXYLhgcyovICImOfTIjOx-CDzOOzTCyYNU/s1600/potato_pave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3brHqE841Yyz45nyJYb0oVXGGleTkPrAP4TNUDmdTl5QSzwLM54lIusTI4ADgqL13PSNgATPUJ9v-wzROGgxVdzRuxl8Y0Vi25YtR_z8AijXYLhgcyovICImOfTIjOx-CDzOOzTCyYNU/s1600/potato_pave.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
This is the beta run of a side dish I'm serving tonight when we're having some friends over for dinner.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've had similar dishes in restaurants over the years and thought I'd give it a go. Guests tends to get a little bit embarrassed if you go completely batshit mental if the dish doesn't work out so I thought I'd give it a go one weekend early.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a>It worked out quite nicely, even if I say so myself, the only thing I'll probably do different is add a bit more chopped rosemary and some more seasoning - but that's very personal so you might think differently when you try your own version.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To me pavé means cobblestones, especially the mythical ones in the Paris - Roubaix cycling classic. Having googled it, it seems that pavé is used to describe rectangular or square serving of food, normally sized for one portion.<br />
<br />
As I was setting this up I couldn't be bothered to bring out the Magimix or try and find the mandolin, I hand sliced it. With varying thickness of the slices as a result, but all in all it worked fine. If you want to be a bit more precise - the mandolin is probably the way forward.<br />
<br />
I know it might seem a bit faffy, having to wait for it to cool down and get pressed and all that, but it is worth it. It looks quite impressive and tastes really nicely. If you make a bigger batch you can always freeze the extra ones and use at a later stage.<br />
<br />
As you can read above, I was mainly happy with the taste of the dish. The photo though - not so much. During the time off from this blog I've still been cooking so that's still up to speed but I do feel that I need to get my photography back up to scratch again. I had my spidey-senses tingling as I was shooting this but I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong. Now that I have had a chance to analyse it - wrong lens, getting myself too close the baking tray. Well, I guess I live and re-learn...<br />
<br />
When this post goes live I will probably be serving, or be very close to serving, this dish so let's have a look at how it is cooked.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b> (serves 4)<br />
1 kg potatoes (I used Red Desiree ones)<br />
175 ml double cream<br />
2 - 3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked<br />
30g unsalted butter<br />
Salt<br />
Freshly ground pepper<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Pre-heat the oven to 180c. Line a oven safe pan/pyrex container with parchment paper, making sure to have enough overspill to cover it later.<br />
<br />
Thinly slice the potatoes, preferably with a mandolin. Finely chop all the rosemary leaves and the butter.<br />
<br />
Start layering the potatoes. Add some cream, rosemary and seasonings every second layer. Finish with a layer of potatoes.<br />
<br />
Fold over the parchment paper and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for about 90 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 30 minutes or until nicely golden.<br />
<br />
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool. Recover and put another pan on top with some heavy cans in it - or weigh it down using another method of your own choosing - and pop in the fridge over night to set/compress.<br />
<br />
Next day, pre-heat the oven to 200c. Remove from the fridge and turn out on to a chopping board. Trim the edges and cut four, roughly, equal sized squares.<br />
<br />
Put into the oven for roughly 10 minutes, or it starts to turn golden. Turn over and repeat.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i></div>
Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-81312048871218637272015-01-24T13:00:00.000+00:002015-01-24T13:00:01.828+00:00Recipe - Pork Tenderloin Sandwich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMg745cnr3sh5AtmrlfERYKEeN-GbE1yIiwqqBGa5A2Dq5UTlq8llLZXxw7R_K_FMs6eMyaD8u_fYzrIotJOQ7k1rnbb5-KGLxGlJic2mTh8SATQwj1cYarFnSn9pJ37pSJS0t6zNSwgU/s1600/pork_tenderloin_sandwich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMg745cnr3sh5AtmrlfERYKEeN-GbE1yIiwqqBGa5A2Dq5UTlq8llLZXxw7R_K_FMs6eMyaD8u_fYzrIotJOQ7k1rnbb5-KGLxGlJic2mTh8SATQwj1cYarFnSn9pJ37pSJS0t6zNSwgU/s1600/pork_tenderloin_sandwich.jpg" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Well, here it goes. A new recipe, finally. Not the most advanced or thrilling dish, but I thought I'd ease myself back into this malarkey again. It will take some time to get back to speed with the photography and all that - hopefully you'll stick with me though.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
This recipe came about from having half a pork tenderloin going spare and a dinner to make. The main inspiration came from what I've read about Bánh mì sandwiches. I've not yet tried one of these but I thought I'd get something done that sort of at least goes in that direction.<br />
<br />
One thing I forgot to put on it was some of my home made Kimchi. By the time I remembered about it I was already trying to get some photos of this. There's always next time....<br />
<br />
I let the tenderloin marinade in the fridge over night, but if you don't have time for that - just dry rub it and cook straight away. Less marinade penetration but still good.<br />
<br />
In the method section I'm just saying 'cook to your liking' in the oven. As a small indication I can say that I cooked our tenderloin for 8 minutes then I flipped it over for another 8 minutes. This is a bit more than I'd cook it if it was just me eating it - but it was still nice and juicy.<br />
<br />
Well, this is a simple one that you can <i>freestyle</i> to your hearts content. See this recipe as a bit of inspiration and make it your own.<br />
<br />
It is almost time to look at how this was all assembled but first I'd just like to say that if anyone reads this and have any views on the post, my return to blogging and all that - please do leave a comment.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b> (made 2 decently filling sandwiches)<br />
1/2 pork tenderloin<br />
Dry rub of your preference<br />
Mayonnaise<br />
Dijon mustard<br />
1 - 2 carrots, grated on the rough side of a box grater<br />
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced<br />
Sriracha, or other hot sauce of your preference<br />
Kimchi, optional - if you even remember it<br />
Coriander, roughly torn - if you like it<br />
Baguette, ciabatta or other suitable bread of your liking<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Apply dry rub of your liking liberally to the pork tenderloin. Let it marinade for as long as you can - within reason - over night is preferable.<br />
<br />
When you are ready to cook, start by pre-heating the oven to 180c.<br />
<br />
Heat a non-stick frying pan until it is piping hot and pop the tenderloin into it. Cook the tenderloin until it has taken on a nice colour. Turn and make sure all sides are uniformly browned.<br />
<br />
Once done, pop the frying pan into the oven and cook the pork to your liking. Once cooked - remove it from the oven and let it rest for at least half as long as it spent in the oven.<br />
<br />
In the meantime - slice the bread. Spread mayonnaise and mustard on the bottom piece, top with carrot and onion.<br />
<br />
Slice the rested pork lengthwise and put on top of the carrot and onions. Top with Sriracha/hot sauce and/or kimchi. Add coriander if you so wish.<br />
<br />
<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-79142811280399249282015-01-17T13:00:00.000+00:002015-01-17T13:00:01.879+00:00Things could start happening here soon again...To start with - I'm not sure if anyone still will be reading this. Is anyone still subscribing to the RSS feed of this blog or even visiting it now and then in the hope(?) of a new post? I guess I'll find out one way or another.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>This turned into quite a bit of a longer break than I originally expected or anticipated. It is getting close to three years since I last posted on here and as you probably can imagine quite a lot have happened in that time. These things will of course be reflected in the content of my posts.<br />
<br />
<br />
One thing that have not changed is my interest in food and cooking, I've kept that up during my self-imposed blog silence. Lots of food have been cooked and even more have been eaten. I hope that have sharpened both skills and tastebuds, something that hopefully will shine through in future posts here.<br />
<br />
The not too dumb reader of this will by now have figured out that my urge and desire, or purely just mojo, to blog have come to the point where I can't resist it any longer. It feels like it is time to resurrect <i>Freestyle Cookery</i> from the underworld of dead blogs.<br />
<br />
Some of you might ask what my aims with the blog will be now and the answer is the same as it always was. I want to inspire people to cook food, to get you to try new dishes or ways of cooking food that you possibly wouldn't have unless you had seen it here.<br />
<br />
If I can spread the word about cooking your own food from the ground up every now and then and just convert some people to doing this I think I have succeeded with a part of my 'mission'. It doesn't have to take long time or involve much effort to make yourself a meal that is so much better than one of the pre-made convenience alternatives that so many live on.<br />
<br />
One thing I'll try my best not to do is to put too much pressure on myself with this blog again. This should be a fun thing for me as well as you that read it. Too much pressure will just make it feel like a burden and I'll drop off again.<br />
<br />
What kind of posts can you expect from me on this resurrected blog?<br />
<br />
Well, it will be quite a lot like it was - things I used to cook and blog about is still things that I do today. There will be some new stuff as well, since time has moved on and I have dropped some interests and added some new ones. Some of which follows here:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Cycling - I've taken up road cycling and do quite a lot of it. When it gets too cold and the roads gets too treacherous I do quite a lot of turbo training in the garage, or the Wattage Cottage as it is known. All this training and riding have made me a bit more conscious as to what I eat. As well as looking at what I eat before a ride - expect some posts and recipes that relates to this.</li>
<li>5:2 - I've been following the 5:2 diet for a bit over two years now and it has worked just fine for me. The reason I went on it was that I ate far too much good food and didn't exercise enough. My cycling was hurting from the extra weight I was carrying around. With the combination of the diet and the cycling I'm now in a much better place healthwise - and I can still eat all the good foods that I like. But don't worry - I'm not a diet prophet. I do my diet and let you do what you want. There will be the occasional recipe that is aimed at working under the 5:2 diet but there won't be any boring 'cardboard and dust' recipes. No Siree!</li>
<li>Charcuterie - I built myself a curing chamber out of an old fridge and added some electronic gizmos for maintaining temperature and humidity. This is so I can try my hand at making various types of charcuterie. Ranging from the run-of-the-mill duck breast prosciutto to the more advanced fermented sausages like salami and nduja. Expect posts about this. If there's interest in how I built the <i>Chark Tank</i> I could post some notes on that as well.</li>
<li>Sauces - This is a new-ish one. I realise that I'm crap at saucing my dishes. I need to learn the basic sauces and then work on from there. Learning how to make a Hollandaise and then being able to do it again and again is one of the first things on this list. Maybe I should video one of my first attempts - as a guide of how not to do it and at the same time show you how to swear in at least three different languages? Hopefully the recipes will start to include more and better sauces as time goes on.</li>
</ul>
Well, that's it, for now. Did anyone read this? Is anyone looking forward to me submitting some more stuff here? Is there anyone out there that would be willing to pay me lots of money not to post ever again?<br />
<br />
Feedback, of any type, is as always warmly welcome here.<br />
<br />
Until the first proper post comes up - <i>Stay classy Didcot!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
P.S<br />
As a little teaser - here's two photos that I found in drafts here on Blogger. I have a distant memory of the shrimp dish, but the chicken one I can't even remember having cooked. Maybe I should try and recreate one of them for a proper post?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEp-gtXvF8VVpmDphy8gG5C2yg-uTL0xHKtI-1vJY_HabW6FjCG14JqmKjKgT1IHCDGgI264ialTUldlGQsq7c-ELzCu0MrLrKrL0NDGrWHlT_AsB84SBS7LirvYtdys6-zBv46BcWYk/s1600/sous_vide_shrimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEp-gtXvF8VVpmDphy8gG5C2yg-uTL0xHKtI-1vJY_HabW6FjCG14JqmKjKgT1IHCDGgI264ialTUldlGQsq7c-ELzCu0MrLrKrL0NDGrWHlT_AsB84SBS7LirvYtdys6-zBv46BcWYk/s1600/sous_vide_shrimp.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoUJoMwh47NXsxATRB3Q0_rJRPfZSKF6a94jd0yrMQWTRr3pbb8445cRgUktFxMP4eaKTjEIIaI_LrZEMUuVg4-t7NQ057mjliSBBT_ve8l7cVMvSMwik9JBKYZ898g6UxRYxXirI2gY/s1600/sous_vide_lemon_parmesan_chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoUJoMwh47NXsxATRB3Q0_rJRPfZSKF6a94jd0yrMQWTRr3pbb8445cRgUktFxMP4eaKTjEIIaI_LrZEMUuVg4-t7NQ057mjliSBBT_ve8l7cVMvSMwik9JBKYZ898g6UxRYxXirI2gY/s1600/sous_vide_lemon_parmesan_chicken.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-50800394753815519232012-04-22T09:33:00.000+01:002015-01-15T09:10:02.179+00:00Closed until further notice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oSMg5Xqp1p1qUo34o7eHQaVyy3ri98dOaK6Jta0AshtyEkLJ7q-I7AtGXEULd_yn3ysFnvTt_a9s05O-w8tUJpAtVv_M6FUWWgHVVkZvFGI5QbOgWsMmMH1NFfzX0YxlLcj91VTPYC0/s1600/sorry-were-closed-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oSMg5Xqp1p1qUo34o7eHQaVyy3ri98dOaK6Jta0AshtyEkLJ7q-I7AtGXEULd_yn3ysFnvTt_a9s05O-w8tUJpAtVv_M6FUWWgHVVkZvFGI5QbOgWsMmMH1NFfzX0YxlLcj91VTPYC0/s320/sorry-were-closed-sign.jpg" height="255" width="320" /></a></div>
Since I've run out of motivation and steam, at least for the moment, I've decided to close Freestyle Cookery.<br />
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I'll let all the old posts and comments stay up and if I get my mojo back I might continue where I left off.<br />
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In the meantime I just want to say a big thank you to all readers and fellow bloggers who made this little adventure so much fun. <br />
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As always, <i>freestyle</i> things to your hearts content.<br />
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// Mike <br />
Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-55380399132961620882012-03-06T09:00:00.000+00:002015-01-15T09:10:48.167+00:00Recipe - Lemon Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4qPxBowxo_YuI4aJV06YuVlDROtmALkmwaUo-7iScqzFZdQQYPbxseZoLbgTyZVzJsPXT7bwRXmP1Ci95PrannFUh68WxjqMahZTFytNEG3cdN0ZARr4R9kLpmvQW1PrpUnc7IKd3M0/s1600/lemon_chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4qPxBowxo_YuI4aJV06YuVlDROtmALkmwaUo-7iScqzFZdQQYPbxseZoLbgTyZVzJsPXT7bwRXmP1Ci95PrannFUh68WxjqMahZTFytNEG3cdN0ZARr4R9kLpmvQW1PrpUnc7IKd3M0/s320/lemon_chicken.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Straight off I have to admit that I'm not entirely happy with this photo, I don't feel that it does the dish full justice. My only explanation, not a proper excuse, is that there was a guest around for dinner so I couldn't faff around as much with the camera as I'd normally do, I didn't want to look too much of a twunt for once. Having said all that, I guess it is better than no picture at all.<br />
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This is a fairly straight forward dish which have a very nice and fresh flavour from the lemon. It is quite bit removed from the Lemon Chicken you'd expect from a Chinese restaurant, the sauce is nowhere near as thick as that.<br />
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This time I choose to serve it with new potatoes and cherry tomatoes, which I roasted at the same time in the oven. If you don't fancy that you could always serve it with rice or potato mash for example.<br />
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Fairly simple dish, so I'll lead straight into the recipe now...<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b> (serves 4)<br />
4 chicken breasts, cut into 3 - 4 pieces each<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
80 ml flour<br />
60 ml vegetable oil<br />
4 tbsp butter, divided into two lots<br />
4 cloves of garlic, either finely diced or pressed<br />
1 tbsp dried oregano<br />
1 tbsp caster sugar<br />
125 ml white wine<br />
Juice from two lemons, about 60 ml<br />
375 ml chicken stock<br />
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
Put the flour into a bowl and season well, stir to mix. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour and shake to get rid of excess flour.<br />
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Heat the oil on a medium heat and fry the chicken pieces in batches for about 3 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Remove chicken from frying pan and put on a plate.<br />
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Once all chicken pieces have been cooked, lower the heat and stir in 2 tbsp of the butter. Once this have melted add in the garlic and fry it whilst stirring for 30 seconds to a minute. Now stir in the sugar and oregano fry whilst still stirring for a similar amount of time.<br />
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Add the wine and lemon juice, increase the heat and let it simmer for 3 - 4 minutes, stir in the stock and simmer for another 3 - 5 minutes.<br />
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Lower the heat a bit and stir in the remaining butter as well as the chicken pieces. Stir well and let this cook for another 3 - 5 minutes or until the chicken pieces are fully cooked through.<br />
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Season to taste and stir in the parsley.<br />
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Serve with the accompaniments of your choice.<br />
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<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-11199046850714914292012-02-28T08:00:00.000+00:002015-01-15T09:15:26.402+00:00Recipe - Sous Vide cooked Pork Tenderloin with Mrs H.S. Ball's Creamy Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJKEV27a5OiHdjQ6OdC8yrxDeqEGs3zoebXZQ3elCNVdXpgPHYupX9ZjHFDz4mgWyJcv1osCCgLRxXzqzZ1wchRgOjRT7GQqDehC1kuNSC_G00y70dOBDUWpjVQmcZHi0UBTqzOAfJbw/s1600/sous_vide_tenderloin_balls_creamy_sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJKEV27a5OiHdjQ6OdC8yrxDeqEGs3zoebXZQ3elCNVdXpgPHYupX9ZjHFDz4mgWyJcv1osCCgLRxXzqzZ1wchRgOjRT7GQqDehC1kuNSC_G00y70dOBDUWpjVQmcZHi0UBTqzOAfJbw/s320/sous_vide_tenderloin_balls_creamy_sauce.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Some of you that follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/swedishmike" target="_blank">Twitter</a> have probably already cottoned on to the fact that the newest weapon in my arsenal is a Sous Vide machine. For those of you that don't know what that is, have a look <a href="http://www.sousvidesupreme.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I'm fully aware that this is not the most common piece of kit, yet, but I will still be posting some recipes for it every now and then. I believe that there's always a bit of inspiration to be gained from a recipe, even if you don't have the specialist kit associated with it. For example, this recipe can very easily be adapted to oven roast the tenderloin instead of cooking it sous vide.<br />
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The tenderloin came out beautifully, but the real star in this recipe is the chutney sauce. It is to this recipe what Slash's guitar was to Axl's voice. Them two together made it rock, hard. This sauce is probably going to be one of the best studio guitarists in my toolbox. It is very simple to make but it adds quite a lot to a dish. I can't wait to try it on some BBQ'd food as well.<br />
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To finish off before I head over to the recipe I just want to say that this Sous Vide machine is probably the most exciting piece of kit I've had to play with in a long time. It has really forced me to think in new ways about how to cook, and sauce, my food. I'm really looking forward to playing with it as time progresses. Hopefully you won't become too tired of my recipes for it. If you do - please post a comment, send me an email or Tweet me and I'll try and adjust what I post. Deal?<br />
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Oh, and if you wonder what Mrs H.S. Ball's Chutney is, it is a South African chutney that I personally think tastes ace. If you can't find it - replace with mango chutney instead.<br />
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Enough chatting, time to look at the recipe.<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b> (serves 4)<br />
1 Pork tenderloin, about 600g<br />
2 sage leafs<br />
2 tbsp butter<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
Rapeseed oil<br />
<br />
<i>Mrs H.S. Ball's Creamy Sauce</i><br />
100 ml Mrs H.S. Ball's Chutney<br />
1 tbsp white wine vinegar<br />
100 ml olive oil<br />
50 ml cream<br />
1/2 red onion , finely diced
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100 ml flat leaf parsley, chopped<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
Pre-heat the Sous Vide to 60c/140F.<br />
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Cut the tenderloin in two, make a pocket in each and put a sage leaf into the pocket. Season the tenderloins. Pop each tenderloin together with a tablespoon of butter into their own vacuum bag and seal. Cook the tenderloins in the Sous Vide for 2 hours.<br />
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To make the sauce mix the chutney with the white wine vinegar in a bowl. Slowly pour in the olive oil as you are whisking (KitchenAid or electric whisk is a bonus here). As you are doing this the mixture should thicken up. Add the cream, parsley and onion. Season to taste.<br />
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When the tenderloin has finished cooking remove it from the sous vide and cut open the vacuum pouches. Wipe dry with kitchen towel and remove the sage leafs. Heat the rapeseed oil in a frying pan on a very high heat until the oil starts smoking. Quickly fry the tenderloins on all sides (beware splatter) until nicely browned, but not for too long so they start drying out.<br />
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Remove from the pan, slice into the thickness you want. Serve with the sauce and rice, potato wedges or whatever takes your fancy.<br />
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<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-59737504227601405982012-02-24T10:00:00.000+00:002015-01-15T09:15:12.786+00:00Recipe - French Onion Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOWVpPCO85eYDJQ0xFps7TGuYAkM9FSD6N9D67qnTrJkfXMHXOjnhK-xSZNAacqd-tyJWhV9k2S1AML3rS9_oi6fz4eZ0dJXMw0h9SDSB_WJqXg2EV_VHZGVcjmVwwheHpGLgjMXWR0I/s1600/french_onion_soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOWVpPCO85eYDJQ0xFps7TGuYAkM9FSD6N9D67qnTrJkfXMHXOjnhK-xSZNAacqd-tyJWhV9k2S1AML3rS9_oi6fz4eZ0dJXMw0h9SDSB_WJqXg2EV_VHZGVcjmVwwheHpGLgjMXWR0I/s320/french_onion_soup.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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French onion soup is such classic dish for me. I'm not sure how many times I've eaten it, be it a poor version or a very nice rendition from a decent restaurant.<br />
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Shockingly enough this is the first time I've ever tried making it myself. I took my normal approach and had a look both in my library of cookbooks and online. What I learned from this is that there's as many ways of making French onion soup as there are people cooking it. I also got some great tips and advice from people like <a href="http://twitter.com/kingpieb" target="_blank">kingpieb</a> on Twitter.<br />
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In the end I took bits and pieces from various sources and <i>freestyled</i> it to something I thought would work. Luckily it did. The key to a good result is most likely to let it take its time. Don't stress the onions, just let them cook together in their own time.<br />
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It's a simple recipe, that gives a very rewarding result for fairly little work, so I'll stop jabbering now and let you have a look at how I made this.<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b> (makes about 4 big portions)<br />
Olive oil<br />
About 1 kg onions, peeled and thinly sliced<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
About 2 tbsp of Brandy (optional)<br />
500 ml wine<br />
A couple of sprigs of thyme<br />
1l beef stock<br />
Sherry Vinegar (optional)<br />
<br />
Baguette, cut into slices<br />
Gruyere cheese, grated<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
Heat a large (I used a stock pot) pot on a medium heat. Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the ppt. Once the olive oil is warm, chuck in the onions and season well.<br />
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Let the onions slowly sweat whilst stirring fairly regularly. You want them to go all gooey and sticky without taking too much colour. Be prepared that they'll release more than a fair amount of liquid as you go ahead.<br />
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Once they are getting to that nice and gooey stage you can pour in some Brandy if you feel like it. If not, don't. If you did feel like it, let the brandy cook off whilst you keep stirring the onions.<br />
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At this stage, pour in the wine and raise the temperature under the pot. Let the wine boil away almost completely as you keep stirring the onions.<br />
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Once the wine have more or less evaporated add in the stock and the thyme. Lower the heat and let this slowly simmer for 50 minutes or so.<br />
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While it simmers, taste it and adjust the seasoning if needed. If you feel like it and you think the soup needs it, add a splash or two of Sherry Vinegar.<br />
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Ladle the soup into bowls, top with a slice of bread and a good helping of grated gruyere. Pop the soup bowls under a pre-heated grill and let the cheese melt and turn a nice brown colour.<br />
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<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-79646840513711671352012-02-20T08:00:00.000+00:002015-01-15T09:15:01.942+00:00Review - Cold Smoking CourseAnother weekend, another course. Recently I've spent quite a lot of time at various cookery courses, well spent time in my view. There's even some more courses lined up for later in the year.<br />
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This weekend it was time for the <a href="http://coldsmoking.co.uk/courses.htm" target="_blank">Food Smoking Course</a> arranged by <a href="http://twitter.com/coldsmoking" target="_blank">Turan</a> of<a href="http://www.coldsmoking.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Coldsmoking.co.uk</a> fame, a course I was given as a Christmas present.<br />
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The course was held in Stoke Hammond so me and my friend Howie set of in the morning to make it up there in time. During the journey we could tell that we most likely were in for a cold and wet day. We've both had worse days than that so that didn't really bother us.<br />
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Well there we were more than a bit early so we spent some time walking around Stoke Hammond waiting for the course to start. What we gathered from that walk is that they don't like the the planned wind turbines, there's really not that much to Stoke Hammond and the local neighbourhood watch is slow to react to dodgy looking strangers loitering around the village.<br />
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After our refreshing, read fricking cold, walk it was time for the course to start. As we entered the nursery that was hosting the event we were greeted by Turan and his lovely wife.<br />
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There was a bit of a wait for everyone to turn up so in the meantime our preferred choice for lunch (a choice of two different soups) was taken and we were sorted with some coffee.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDUmmkvDQ1MGAJJyNfJknVA6pxGyRd7hl4uJaUxKl7aD8RIuBrz0hgB3oe0QyjvZ4zPYYohztBp5cdTdQPoVdXLupaw-3mIbx2VOXjHfEkb0ZupEpni5gJYSb4VfuELP35Y0Unze2hQ4/s1600/csc_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDUmmkvDQ1MGAJJyNfJknVA6pxGyRd7hl4uJaUxKl7aD8RIuBrz0hgB3oe0QyjvZ4zPYYohztBp5cdTdQPoVdXLupaw-3mIbx2VOXjHfEkb0ZupEpni5gJYSb4VfuELP35Y0Unze2hQ4/s320/csc_01.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turan demonstrating the smoker unit, with the cardboard smoker next to him.</td></tr>
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Once everyone was there we were given a brief talk about the layout of the day and roughly what we were going to be smoking and learning.<br />
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I will not give everything away, there's got to be some surprises and secrets for this course, but we did get to smoke and taste quite a lot of different foods. Look at the photos and you should probably be able to deduct most of what me smoked anyways.<br />
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Turan talked us through some of the theory behind both cold and hot smoking as well as highlighting potential health risks associated with the different stages of the smoking process.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt6lZNw6Y8rpj1Zyp8Va81f_TM5xuGL1Ywa5cDzgD7nlf1YfmIAurSu7PTK7sTMiWKbQwgudbqHxm3xf1jF2uJ9uowlZqZ6h1pBZ1Jz19mBd1IU4_mgzR9ULBSd8-FfqKmEcHtKvbLA0/s1600/csc_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt6lZNw6Y8rpj1Zyp8Va81f_TM5xuGL1Ywa5cDzgD7nlf1YfmIAurSu7PTK7sTMiWKbQwgudbqHxm3xf1jF2uJ9uowlZqZ6h1pBZ1Jz19mBd1IU4_mgzR9ULBSd8-FfqKmEcHtKvbLA0/s320/csc_03.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cardboard smoker loaded with some food to smoke.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the cold smoking we used a smoker made from Turan's own plans as well as the surprise of the day - a cardboard box. I was pleasantly surprised by how well you could smoke food in a cardboard box. It did however take a beating from the rain, but nothing that some time drying out and some gaffa tape probably can't sort out.<br />
<br />
Due to the weather we did the hot smoking indoors, using a stove top hot smoker. Among other things Turan showed us how you can get a very good result in just 15 minutes with one of those and some good quality trout.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SQ5oDOFWotiE2T_41aCFWwZLADV2k_pBedmzUrT42pJZbqc_gKbh03iO-z9ig_DxuaqxARX5KQ_VJ6BqBQRBZdFdPq8XX6DC36tyHri0qDQTtGE1f4BwxRaQTuG0Ok29h5mC1gf3dew/s1600/csc_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SQ5oDOFWotiE2T_41aCFWwZLADV2k_pBedmzUrT42pJZbqc_gKbh03iO-z9ig_DxuaqxARX5KQ_VJ6BqBQRBZdFdPq8XX6DC36tyHri0qDQTtGE1f4BwxRaQTuG0Ok29h5mC1gf3dew/s320/csc_02.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes it looks like the line between cremation and cold smoking is very thin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To sum it up we had a very enjoyable day, even taking the weather into account, and I am fairly sure that most, if not all, left with some good new knowledge as well as some extra tips and tricks. I would recommend this course to anyone who is interested in smoking and want to get a good taster of what's involved and how you can get started.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhXvVt06KwPcwG9aPT4iB7OV5L2IFNp4-H6seAEUU907dg69YuPt0jd9BxgmrcIYKks4yucW8_yIcO80Gk0Ko47zEjBg4SfcG8ySSwwVjWZ2i4Tcwenp5ofoVhHJrIWuaO0BS5np9MG4/s1600/csc_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhXvVt06KwPcwG9aPT4iB7OV5L2IFNp4-H6seAEUU907dg69YuPt0jd9BxgmrcIYKks4yucW8_yIcO80Gk0Ko47zEjBg4SfcG8ySSwwVjWZ2i4Tcwenp5ofoVhHJrIWuaO0BS5np9MG4/s320/csc_04.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A presentation platter of some of the food we smoked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I would like to extend a big thank you to Turans lovely wife who not only served us some excellent soup for lunch, she also made more cups of coffee and tea than any human being should ever be asked to during a day. By doing this she kept everyone's mood up in a very good way.<br />
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Finally, I'd just want to leave you with the following little bit. It shows what you can hear when you get quite a ragtag collection of people together for a course like this. My favourite quote of the day, from another delegate and totally unrelated to smoking, was the following one: <i>"We had more chickens shagged to death by our turkey than what we lost to the foxes"</i>. This quote really have nothing to do with the review either but I just loved it so much that I thought I'd make it live for ever here on t'Interweb... ;)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[Disclaimer: To book this course was my suggestion, and full price was paid for it.]</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">P.S</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I'm sorry about the quality of the photos but I didn't bring a proper camera, just my phone</span>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923572301763984459.post-25842738495377722192012-02-17T08:00:00.000+00:002015-01-15T09:14:50.768+00:00Recipe - Red Wine Braised Ox Cheeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopNXCTzZ0Yi8Ok-2pjbRaA1ohRMBP2jR9lwm8kcMf1ZOuqFzE1Ehy9qK3eQ4OvTAaWoZgxi3luFjKFprF2mkNp96OoZyrA3-8mNQqbUnqsbOea5RA4mzgXmRlhY9QvHq-y2Kc9ZZb65k/s1600/red_wine_braised_oxcheeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopNXCTzZ0Yi8Ok-2pjbRaA1ohRMBP2jR9lwm8kcMf1ZOuqFzE1Ehy9qK3eQ4OvTAaWoZgxi3luFjKFprF2mkNp96OoZyrA3-8mNQqbUnqsbOea5RA4mzgXmRlhY9QvHq-y2Kc9ZZb65k/s320/red_wine_braised_oxcheeks.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Food magazines and cookery shows have been hailing the cheaper and more forgotten cuts of meat for some time now. It's not like the cuts have not been available, they have just been more likely to be ground down as part of some kind of processed offering.<br />
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Even with the quite frequent mentioning of these cuts they can be a bit hard to chase down if you have to rely on the 'bag openers' in what the supermarkets call their butcher/meat sections.<br />
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What you need is a good local butcher, which these days can be very hard to find. I'm lucky in the fact that since I moved I got <a href="http://twitter.com/ray_the_butcher" target="_blank">Ray</a>, who runs <a href="http://www.rgparkbutchers.co.uk/" target="_blank">R G Park Butchers</a>, as my local butcher.<br />
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I've been wanting to try and cook ox cheeks for quite some time so the other Saturday I nipped around the corner to see what was on offer in the butchery. I was quite pleased to be able to pick up two ox cheeks for Sunday dinner, it's nice when a plan comes together.<br />
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I had read up a bit on them and had come to realise that they have quite tough membranes, silverskins, that needs to be trimmed in order to avoid chewiness and other nasty issues. The ones on sale had not been tidied up yet but when Ray asked if I wanted to do that myself I could not really admit that I didn't have a real clue how to. ;)<br />
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Never mind, I thought I'd give it a go when I got home. This is when I realised that my <a href="http://www.freestylecookery.com/2012/01/review-butchery-to-pimp-your-home.html" target="_blank">course with Nathan</a> really had paid off. It might not have been butcher quality, but the effort I put in was hundred times better than what I could have done before this course.<br />
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If you're not close enough to London, or maybe not even living in England, for it to be feasible to attend one of Nathan's courses, do try and find one locally. Getting better knife skills and understanding for butchery is really worth it if you are serious about your cooking.<br />
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I realise that I've been waffling on for a bit here so I better wrap it up. I just want to leave you with the recommendation to try your hand at slow cooking ox cheeks, the reward is immense for the small amount of work you have to put in for this. Not to mention that they are so cheap compared to many other cuts of meat. If you're worried about getting rid of the membranes, let your butcher do it. They're good at stuff like that... ;)<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b> (served 2, just adjust a bit if you cook for more)<br />
2 ox cheeks, trimmed of fat and membranes (silverskin)<br />
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100g - 200g Pancetta (I used my <a href="http://www.freestylecookery.com/2011/12/making-bacon-part-ii.html" target="_blank">homemade ones from here</a>)<br />
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<i>Marinade</i><br />
1 bottle of red wine<br />
A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme<br />
Some peppercorns<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
1 onion coarsley chopped<br />
1 carrot coarsley chopped<br />
2 cloves of garlic, smashed<br />
1 red chili, sliced<br />
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<i>Braise</i><br />
olive oil<br />
1 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced<br />
2 - 3 turnips, peeled and cut into wedges<br />
1l beef stock, approximately<br />
Freshly ground pepper<br />
Brandy (optional)<br />
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<i>To serve</i><br />
Creamy mash<br />
Chopped curly parsley<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
Place the ox cheeks and pancetta in a big bowl and add in all the other ingredients for the marinade. Cover the bowl and let it sit in your fridge over night.<br />
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The next day, remove the cheeks and pancetta from the marinade. Sieve out the vegetables and herbs, making sure to keep the wine.<br />
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Pre-heat the oven to 140c.<br />
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Pour the wine into a pan and start reducing it. Remove it from the heat when it has reduced by half to two thirds.<br />
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Dry off the ox cheeks and pancetta with some kitchen towel. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and seal the ox cheeks on both sides, making sure to get them well and nicely browned. Pop them into a oven safe casserole dish. Now fry the pancetta, optionally adding some brandy, until they catch some colour as well. Pour this into the casserole dish as well.<br />
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Pour the reduced wine into the casserole dish, add in the vegetables, ground pepper and then enough stock to barely cover. Cover all of this with a double folded piece of parchment paper and put the lid on the casserole dish.<br />
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Put the dish into the oven and cook for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool down. Remove the fat that rises to the top.<br />
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If sauce is too thin for your liking, carefully remove the meat and veg from the casserole heat on the hob to reduce down the sauce. (Optionally use the normal trick with some flour mixed into water to thicken it a bit further.)<br />
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Return the meat and veg to the casserole and heat through gently before serving.<br />
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Serve with mash and chopped parsley.<br />
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<i>Enjoy!</i>Swedish Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411318722246919493noreply@blogger.com6