You can't eat soup every day!

The cold I caught just before my birthday managed to get the best of me last week too. Only really did the most essential stuff so that I'd have some energy left for the girly lunch I had planned at my place on Friday. Which of course meant I didn't manage to take photos or post here. During the weekend the rest of the family followed my lead and so we have spent it convalescing. Around lunchtime on Saturday I put the little one to sleep and left the other two in each others' company watching a movie in bed, grabbed a quick lunch and my new cookbooks for an hour of exhilarating inspiration. See, I am so easy to please! 

The soup was left-over from Friday's lunch and I've had it for lunch both Saturday and Sunday to the point where my oldest said "Mummy, you can't have soup every day!" She probably thought it was some sort of treat, like the Saturday sweets she is used to, as I made these aaahs and ooohs every time I tasted a spoonful. Parsnip and coconut soup with ginger and lime. Today I had it with a toasty of my homemade sourdough fruit and nut bread full of delicious gruyere cheese, then a latte and my healthy muesli biscuits baked from one of my newly acquired cookbooks. 

I've just put all the food shopping away for next week's dinners. We are starting off with a Swedish dish called Kalops, a beef stew with succulent meat and allspice served with beetroots. 

Tuesday: favourite salmon teriyaki

Wednesday: Lamb shanks with couscous and peaches

Thursday: Pasta with tuna and tomato sauce

Friday: Adobo on chicken

By end of this week, you'll have these recipes and then I'll put together a shopping list for you so if you want, you can just copy paste the dinner recipes from this week to the next including the shopping list. 

Hope you've had a good weekend! 

Parsnip and coconut soup 

Original recipe Parsnip and coconut soup

Ingredients for 4 

3 parsnips

1 large leek

2 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp vegetable stock (I use liquid)

400 ml tinned coconut milk

2 lime

1/2 thumb of fresh ginger

green chili 

fish sauce to taste

Preparation

Peel the parsnips and chop into 2 cm pieces, slice the leek and garlic. Place in a large pan, cover with water, add 2 tbsp of vegetable stock. (I added half a small medium hot green chili too since the kids were not eating this). Cook until the parsnips are soft. 

When cooked, whiz into a smooth texture with a hand mixer. Add the coconut milk, add water to thin if necessary. 

Grate the zest of the lime. Peel and grate the ginger then squeeze out the juice and discard the fibrous left-overs. Add the ginger juice and lime zest, add a bit of lime juice and season to taste with fish sauce, salt and pepper.

Girly lunch! 

Ottolenghi, Blumenthal and I

I love birthdays, especially my own, as it was on Friday. We had a real foodie day, my husband and I for breakfast and lunch and then our little family for dinner. We'd planned lots of things but I had woken up with a cold the day before so it became a more muted affair. But ah, what a treat! First Ottolenghi every foodie's favourite café packed with beautifully composed cakes, biscuits, sandwiches and salads. Then lunch at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the  Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Mr Blumenthal has come up with a menu inspired by historic British gastronomy and dates the dishes on the menu so that you know when they used to be popular. I had the Meat Fruit (first picture) from around the 1500's as a starter and my husband Salamugundy (second pic) c.1720 which was chicken oysters (supposedly the most flavourful and tasty part of the chicken).  We had dinner at home with the kids and I had chosen to do gnocchi with gorgonzola (sorry no pic) which is one of our favourite dishes. Utterly decadent! 

The inspiration of the day translated into cooking a couple of traditional Swedish dinners this week. Namely Kåldolmar (stuffed cabbage rolls) and Fiskgratäng med dillsås (fish pie with dill sauce, cooking tomorrow so pics and recipes to follow) but then not to overdo it I had to mix it up with something Asian so today I did minced chicken with lime and ginger (pics and recipe to follow). On Thursday we are having beetroots and parsnips with goat's cheese and steak haché. Every Wednesday I usually start thinking about what to cook the following week. Do you have any inspiring ideas you'd like to share with me for next week's menu? 

My husband said the cabbage rolls were the best thing I had ever cooked. However, you should know that it's a dish his Grandmother used to make him quite often as a small boy so he probably has very fond memories to go with the taste. Try them if you like. The kids liked them too. Original recipe here Savoydolmar pa lamm. 

Savoy cabbage rolls with lamb
Ingredients for 4
1 savoy cabbage
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 apple
1,5 dl of pecan nuts
400 g of minced lamb
1 tbsp of Agave syrup (or honey)
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
3 dl of cream
1,5 tbsp of liquid veal stock
black pepper

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 175ºC.
Remove the first couple of loose leaves from the cabbage then pick off as many as you need. I used about 12. Blanche the leaves you are going to use 1-2 minutes in boiling water, then leave to cool.

Roast the pecan nuts in a dry pan then whiz in a food processor. Grate or chop finely onion and apple and slice the garlic finely. Mix the pecans, onion, apple, garlic, lamb mince, syrup, soy sauce and season with some black pepper.

Remove the thickest part of the leaf vein on each cabbage leaf. Then wrap as much of the lamb mix as you can on each leaf. Place tightly in an oven-proof dish. Heat the cream (no need for it to boil) and stir in the veal stock. Poor the cream sauce over the cabbage rolls. Place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes. Serve with potatoes and lingon- or cranberry sauce.

Simplest noodles with chicken and vegetables

If you prepare the vegetable chopping this takes about 10 mins to make. Ah, I can hear a sigh of relief. It is not a particularly sophisticated dish and might not beat the competition to a Saturday dinner but it works a treat on a Thursday when the weariness starts kicking in. Everybody eats and for the adventurous there is a jar of sambal oelek to cleanse the taste buds.

Ingredients
Medium sized egg noodles
4 chicken fillets
2 carrots
2 handfuls of mange tout
1 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 mini courgettes
a neutral oil like rapeseed oil
1 lime (another to serve if you like)
1 thumb size fresh ginger
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 handfuls of cashews to serve
fresh coriander (for those who like it)
Sambal oelek to serve

Preparation
Peel and slice the carrots, onion and garlic finely. Slice the mange tout on the diagonal, slice the courgettes finely. Peel the ginger and grate it, then squeeze the juice out and discard the fibrous left-overs. Grind the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar. Chop the chicken fillets in smallish bits.

Fill the kettle with water once it is boiling pour it into a pan and add the noodles. Cook according to instructions, then drain and cover with a lid.

Heat a frying pan and roast the cashews for a few minutes. Remove the cashews and pour in some rapeseed oil, add the chicken and season with salt. Cook for a few minutes, then remove, pour in some more oil and add the vegetables. Cook for a few minutes and then add back the chicken, ginger juice, coriander seeds, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Cook for a few minutes then mix in the cooked noodles. Serve with cashews and fresh coriander.

Pork belly ribs with plum sauce and root vegetables

I first had roast pork belly at the Boxwood cafe in Knightsbridge (Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, now closed) quite a few years ago. Although the sound of it and indeed the look of it with all that fat would put any health conscious person off, it is such a treat for children. Cooking it slowly makes the meat juicy, very tender and full of flavour. Easily chewed down by little teeth. It was the first time I cooked it today but it seemed to go down well. I served it with a plum sauce and baked root vegetables; parsnips, onions, cauliflower, hazelnuts. I meant to add the remaining plums from the plum sauce but somebody had eaten them...

I bought the pork belly with ribs as my original recipe called for it and I wasn't experienced enough to question it but the guys at my local butcher, The Parson's Nose, helped me out. They are used to an international crowd arriving with requests for weird cuts of meet and always try to accommodate their customers. 

Roast Pork Belly (with or without ribs). Ask your butcher to score the crackling for you. 

Ingredients

1 kg for 4 persons ( I cooked 1,5 kgs with ribs but there is some left)

2 tbsp soy sauce

olive oil

1 tbsp fennel seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

salt and pepper

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 240ºC grill

Grind the fennel and coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar. Rub the pork belly with soy sauce, olive oil then sprinkle the skin with the seeds, leaving about 1tsp for the plum sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Place skin-side up in an oven-proof dish and leave to cook for 30 minutes. Then lower heat to 160º, pour 2,5 dl of water in the dish and leave for about 1,5 hours. Add more water if it dries up. When it is cooked you can wrap it in aluminium foil but keep it open on top not to soften the crackling. 

Plum sauce

6 plums

1 thumb size fresh ginger

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp of fennel and coriander seeds (as mentioned above)

4 tbsp red wine vinegar

8 tbsp brown sugar

olive oil

6 tbsp water

Preparation

Chop the plums in small pieces, remove the stones. Peal and grate the ginger, squeeze the juice out of it and discard the fibrous left-overs. Heat some oil in a pan and add the plums, ginger juice, cinnamon sticks, fennel and coriander seeds, vinegar, sugar and water. Cook until it is as thick as syrup. 

Vegetables (original recipe, changed a bit by me, can be found here Lotta Lundgren)

half a small head of cauliflower

4 medium sized parsnips

2 red onions

4 plums

2 handfuls of hazelnuts 

salt and pepper

olive oil

agave or maple syrup

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Separate the cauliflower into small florets, peel and cut the parsnips into 2 cm chunks, peel and cut the onions into 4 wedges, de-stone the plums and cut in half. Place in a baking tray, pour over olive oil and syrup then season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and leave for 30 mins. When there is about 5 mins left of the cooking time add the hazelnuts. The cauliflower goes a bit brown but it is supposed to happen. 

Timing wise I cooked the pork earlier in the day and left it out wrapped in aluminium foil while I did the rest. It was still nice and warm when we ate it. It might sound complicated but is a very forgiving piece of meet to cook. 

Default food

Since starting this blog I have made an effort to cook new food a couple of days a week but some days you need to do something that you know works and can be made with minimal effort. I make it even easier on myself by preparing either the day before or during my little ones mid-day nap. For this dish all you need to do is to chop the vegetables, wrap the fish and put it in an oven-proof dish. Then, when you get home everything can be done with one hand while the other hand is stuck around a couple of chubby legs that squeezes around one of your hips. The whole family ate with good appetite and half of us are now asleep in their beds while the remaining ones are almost asleep in front of each other with a computer each.

Parma wrapped haddock with risotto

Ingredients

as many fish fillets as you think your family will eat

enough parma ham to wrap around the fish

baby plum or cherry tomatoes

a lemon

olive oil

salt and pepper

sugar

any type of onion

2 cloves of garlic

some sort of mushrooms

any other vegetables you like for example courgette, peas, asparagus, mange tout, soya beans

some left over white wine

vegetable stock (I use liquid stock+hot water)

2 dl of risotto rice

butter and olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.

Pour a little oil in an oven-proof dish, season the fish fillets with salt and pepper, wrap them with ham, place in the oven-proof dish. Place the tomatoes around and on top, pour some olive oil over the tomatoes and the fish and sprinkle a little sugar on the tomatoes. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 15 mins depending on the thickness of the fillets.

While the fish is baking, chop the onion, garlic, mushrooms and courgettes. Pour some olive oil and a dollop of butter in a pan. Cook the onion, garlic, mushrooms and courgettes until all the moisture has been absorbed then add the rice and stir for a few seconds. Then add the wine and let it absorb, then add a some water mixed with stock at a time and stir. Cook until the rice is soft but still has a chewy centre. Then add some grated parmesan, soya beans and black pepper. Squeeze some lemon on the fish and serve. 

Salmon parcels with olive oil, salami, basil, tomatoes and mozzarella

I know,  the story about eating salmon when my husband is travelling is getting old but it is totally worth it because this is delicious. Salmon wrapped in foil accompanied by olive oil, salami, basil, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella. Just reading that sentence is mouth watering. After dinner, my 4-year old, who's been going through an anti-Mummy streak this week, softly said "mummy, please can I have some more salmon" and later on after dinner "mummy, I have thought about what we had for dinner tonight and it was so good, please can we have it tomorrow too". I will happily admit that I have been purposely "starving' the kids giving them only one piece of fruit at school pick-up and what a difference it makes at dinner time. But there can be no dragging feet when preparing dinner or they'll be raiding the snack cupboard. I am glad it is Friday tomorrow so I can loosen the grip a bit on the military regime I am running here at the moment. Not quite there yet though so tonight I have managed to cook dinner, tidy the kitchen, get the kids in bed, prepare for tomorrow's breakfast, do the laundry, feed the sourdough AND I have a chilli con carne slowly simmering on the stove for tomorrow's dinner party. As you can see this energy spurt is bound to run out by the weekend. Well, that's ok, I'll just hand over the reins to my husband. I am sure he'll be delighted as he's been travelling all week! At ease and enjoy the salmon parcels: 

Ingredients (for 4 people)
4 salmon fillets
8 salami slices (I used Unearthed Milano Salami)
8 large basil leaves
4 plum tomatoes
1 packet of mozzarella
olive oil, salt and black pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Place each salmon fillet on a piece of aluminium foil large enough to wrap around into a parcel. Add a slug of olive oil to each fillet, season with salt a pepper. Then layer with salami, basil, sliced tomatoes and sliced mozzarella. Close the aluminium foil. Place the parcels in a baking tray and leave for 15 minutes. Take care when opening the parcels! They'll be steaming hot. Serve with potato wedges or mash. 

Lamb with sweet spices

It was my oldest daughter's first day back at school yesterday. At drop-off (after a hectic morning trying to remember all the bits and pieces she has to bring) she seemed very content as she chatted to her friends and hardly noticed me and her little sister waving goodbye. Everyday after school I try to get her to tell me a thing or to about what has happened but it is usually "I can't remember, mummy" and then she's off on her scooter to catch up with one of her friends. Good thing I know from the school bulletin what she has for lunch, at least, so I can ask leading questions like "were the fish fingers nice today" when I know that she's had pasta. That usually triggers an answer. One thing I have thought about is this lamb obsession that is going on. Once a week they get served lamb like lamb lasagna or lamb bolognese. Also, from friends in Sweden using a service where you get sent home ingredients for the week's dinners which you then cook yourself, I know that there is some sort of lamb fetish among chefs with lamb burgers being served left, right and centre. Not being a huge fan myself apart from perfectly cooked lamb racks I thought I had to give a couple of child friendly recipes a try. Here's one that might have won me and my kids over by the look of their plates last night. 

Lamb with sweet spices (original recipe in Swedish can be found here http://hemmafru.taffel.se/2009/09/03/arabisk-lammfarsgryta-med-sota-kryddor

Ingredients (for 4 people)
400g lamb mince
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 carrots
1 tsp cardamom seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
1 dl of white wine
1 tin of chickpeas
1 tbsp honey
1 dl creamed coconut (or open a tin of coconut milk and use only the thick cream that usually gathers at the top of the tin)
6 apricots, chopped
1 small pomegranate
1 small bunch of fresh mint leaves
a dollop of greek yogurt to serve

Preparation
Chop the onions, garlic and slice the carrots. Heat a pan and add some olive oil and then cook the onions, garlic and slice on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a plate.

Add the lamb mince to the pan and cook through. Then add back the onions, garlic, carrots and chopped apricots.

Grind the cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar then add to the pan along with the cinnamon sticks, rinsed chickpeas and white wine. Cook until the moisture has absorbed a bit.

Add the coconut cream and let it melt in the pan. Add honey, salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with chopped mint, pomegranate seeds and serve with rice and a dollop of greek yoghurt.

I am back! With fishcakes and remoulade sauce!

Hello! Happy New Year 2012! We've spent, what feels like, a long holiday in Sweden over Christmas and New Year's. It's been both intense (skiing with 18 relatives) and relaxing (the four of us in our house in the south of Sweden). Right now we are enjoying a few days of calmness to get ready to take on London again!

Our skiing adventure over Christmas was fantastic but after a week of restaurant food I was relieved to be back in the kitchen cooking. The kids lived off meat balls, pancakes, pizza and McDonald's (ouch!) so a fish dish was imminent. This one was greatly appreciated among small and large people around the table. For the more reluctant ones there was the homemade remoulade sauce (for non-scandi's that's like a tartar sauce) to enhance the experience. It is a really easy fish recipe which can be varied with lots of different flavours but as I also made a remoulade sauce I kept it simple today. So here goes: 

Fishcakes

Ingredients (for 4 people)

300g white fish (haddock or cod)

1 egg

a couple of cooked potatoes (peeled and mashed)

1 1/2 dl breadcrumbs (panko preferred as always)

1/2 tsp salt

butter to fry

Preparation

Cut the fish in smaller sizes and whiz to fish mince in a food processor. Then add the egg, potatoes, 1/2 dl of breadcrumbs and salt. Mix and then shape into round fishcakes. 

Put the rest of the breadcrumbs in a shallow plate and turn the fishcakes in the breadcrumbs until covered. Heat the butter in a frying pan and then cook the fishcakes four minutes on one side, turn once, reduce heat and cook for a couple of more minutes. Recipe for remoulade sauce further down! 

Remoulade Sauce
Ingredients
(This makes quite a big portion but it keeps for a few weeks in the fridge)
1 1/2 dl mayonnaise
1 carrot, cut into juliennes (I use my new mandolin!)
1/2 dl finely chopped pickled cucumbers
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp finely chopped pickled onions
1 tsp lemon juice
1 pinch of salt
1/2 tsp curry powder

Preparation
Mix everything and leave in the fridge for an hour so that all the flavours blend nicely.

I served the fishcakes and remoulade sauce with oven-baked sweet potatoes and cooked cauliflower.