Sautéed Scallops with Sweetcorn Salsa

...And yet another recipe from Gordon Ramsay Fast Food. I know, I know - I keep raving about it. But really, everything works out so well! And this little dish, wow - it was so easy and quick to make, and so flavorful! I know I'll be making this again - possibly substituting shrimp for the scallops, I bet that will work out nicely as well.

Sautéed Scallops with Sweetcorn Salsa
Serves 4 as a starter

4 large scallops
1/2 tsp curry powder
pinch of sea salt
olive oil

300 g sweetcorn (fresh, or frozen and thawed)
150 g cherry tomatoes
1 small red chili
1 small red onion
1 tbsp sesame oil
the juice of 1 lime
light soy sauce
sea salt
black pepper
fresh coriander

Finely chop the onion and chili, and cut the tomatoes into wedges. Mix this with the corn in a small saucepan, and add sesame oil, lime, a splash of soy sauce, salt and pepper. Hold back the coriander for now.

Slice the scallops into halves, across the middle. Dust them with sea salt and curry, and fry in olive oil for one minute on each side. You should have the heat fairly high, to get a nice crispy surface.

Meanwhile, heat the salsa - it will just take a minute - and add the coriander. Divide on four plates, and top with the scallops.

Recipe in Swedish:
Pilgrimsmusslor med majssalsa

Blogging By Mail

My partner in the recent Blogging By Mail round was Neha from the Literate and Liberal Foodie. Neha is based in Miami and sent me some of my favorites, and some of hers. Exciting!

When I was carrying the package from the car, I kept smelling cardamom buns - it was driving me quite crazy, and I couldn't figure out where the scent was coming from. Surely it couldn't be from the package? Well, it was! No, I didn't get cardamom buns, but I did get a large ziplock bag of fresh cardamom! From Neha's mom in India! Wow! It's extremely potent, it smells so much more than any other cardamom I've encountered. I used a little to make the Cardamom Biscotti the other day, and it's really, really great!

She also sent me three of my favorite US foods - Velveeta, dried cranberries and Honey-Roasted Cashews. Aww. That made for some supreme snacking :) And I got a large bar of La Cubanita, a cuban sweet with mango and guava. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks very exciting. Neha also included Chinese five-spice, which smells incredible. Can't wait to cook with it! And I got a bag of coarse corn meal! Yeay! :) To top it off, she sent me a St. Michael's candle. So sweet and thougtful! I loved my package! Thanks Neha, and thanks Stephanie for hosting yet another round of this fun event!

Sorry, no Daring Bakers for me today! I didn't manage to make this month's challenge (a party cake from Dorie Greenspan) but do check out everyone else's cake at the Daring Bakers blogroll.

Taleggio risotto with chicken

The taleggio risotto I've told you about is one of our staples. It's what we turn to on those nights when we want something hearty and comforting, but neither of us feel like cooking, nor shopping for that matter. We always have everything for it in the house - except for taleggio, but that can easily be picked up on the way home from work. This time, we happened to have half a rotisserie chicken, and we shredded that and added it. It was a great, great addition - the risotto really is brilliant in it's simpleness, but the chicken added another dimension that I really enjoyed. Will definitely make it again!

Cardamom Biscotti

I served the Blondies at an Easter lunch with my family, and my sister leaned over and asked, hope in her eyes, "are these healthy cookies, Anne?" I stared at her, disbelieving. "No, they're not healthy. They're cookies. Want healthy? Have a carrot."

Anyway. I then went home and made these, which are actually quite healthy, as far as cookies go. They have no butter, and I baked them with spelt instead of regular wheat flour which is supposedly a bit healthier. (Or at least it has a lower glycemic index, meaning it won't turn to sugar in your system immediately.) That's not the main thing about these cookies though - the really important thing to remember is that they are utterly delicious. I brought some into work and they disappeared in an instant - that's a good review!

They're stuffed with coarsely chopped almonds and dark chocolate, and I used fresh cardamom in them. Oooh, the scent alone was intoxicating!

Cardamom Biscotti
ca 40 biscotti

100 g almonds, blanched and coarsely chopped
2 eggs
200 ml (0,8 cups) sugar
1 tbsp cardamom, preferrably freshly ground in a pestle and mortar
1 tsp salt
400-500 ml (1,6-2.1 cups) flour (I used spelt flour, regular wheat is fine)
1 tsp baking powder
100 g dark chocolate, finely chopped

Mix together almonds, eggs, sugar, cardamom and salt. Add 300 ml (1,2 cups) of the flour and the baking powder, then the chocolate. Mix carefully and add just as much flour you need to hold the dough together.

Roll out into thick ropes and place on a lined baking sheet.

Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes, or until the dough is lightly golden. Remove from oven, and when cool enough to handle, cut into small biscotti. Dry in the oven, at 100°C for 40 minutes. (Place them with the cut side up, and turn them over after 20 minutes)

Recipe in Swedish:
Kardemummabiscotti

Another blondie

Another take on those wonderful one-bowl Blondies! This time, I added about 100 ml of dark chocolate chips, 100 g toasted and skinned hazelnuts, whole, and then a teaspoon of ground espresso beans. Delicious!

Potato Focaccia

Focaccia is a really nice bread to make for dinner. It goes really well alongside a bowl of soup or salad, and it's great at a buffet table as well. I made this potato focaccia for my mom's birthday - Christmas, remember? - and it was a huge hit. No wonder - it's super tasty, with caramelized shallots and fresh thyme!

I baked it the day before and re-heated it a little before serving, to crisp it up. You could even underbake it a little bit, freeze it, and then heat it in the oven before serving. But it's best freshly made - then it will have a much crispier crust.

Potato Focaccia

25 g fresh yeast
250 ml water, tepid
1 tsp salt
300 ml wholemeal spelt flour (or wholewheat)
300 ml regular white wheat flour
3 shallots
2 tbsp rapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 boiled potatoes, diced
flaky sea salt
fresh thyme

Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Add the water, and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Add both flours and the salt, and knead into a smooth dough. You can do it by hand, but I used my Kitchen-Aid. Move it to a clean bowl or board, cover and let it rise for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the shallots into small dice, and fry it in half the oil along with salt and sugar. They should caramelize lightly and turn golden. Let it cool.

Knead the shallots, diced potatoes and some fresh thyme into the dough. Use as much thyme as you like - a tablespoon or so is good. Press the dough into an oven tray, or a free form rectangle. Cover and let it rise for 30 more minutes.

Drizzle with the rest of the oil, and push your fingertips all over the surface to make little dimples in the bread. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and more thyme. Bake at 200°C for 25 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Potatisfocaccia

Our favorite olives

I can't believe I forgot to tell you about our favorite olives in Spain, from the market: they're stuffed with a tiny pepinillo, known here under their French name, cornichons. It's a tiny pickled cucumber, and it's very tasty - either on its own, or.. well, stuffed into an olive. Not bad at all!

I'm not really a big olive fan, but I'm getting better! And olives in Spain are delicious, somehow much more so than the ones I get at home. It must be something about leisurely picking at tiny morsels of cheese, ham and pickles, with a glass of wine.. it's just vacation for me. Doing the same at home, well, it's just not the same.

Coffee Hazelnut Cookies

Here's another great cookie recipe from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert, which I don't have but I'm thinking I really should get it because I've tried a few things (thanks to blogs - this one came from Café Fernando) and everything has been really good. These cookies are great - small, with an intense hazelnut flavor and a slight coffee tone. I used a tiny bit more salt than the original recipe stated - I really like a small salty kick with my sweets.

I love slice and bake cookies - it's great to prepare the dough whenever I have time, then have freshly baked cookies in just a few minutes.

Coffee Hazelnut Cookies
60 small cookies

500 ml flour (2 cups)
250 ml hazelnuts (1 cup) (no need to skin them)
180 ml sugar (3/4 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 tbsp ground coffee
200 g unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
60 coffee beans

Mix the hazelnuts with flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until everything is finely ground. Add coffee and butter, and the vanilla. Run until the dough just starts to come together, then tip it out on a board and knead a few times by hand until it's smooth.

Shape long rolls, keep them round or make them square if you want to, and wrap in plastic. Keep in the fridge for at least two hours, but overnight is definitely fine. You can freeze them, too.

Slice them, place on baking sheets and press a coffee bean onto each cookie. Bake at 175°C for 10-12 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Småkakor med kaffe och hasselnötter

Food in Spain

A gorgeous paella maresco, paella with seafood, at Darsena restaurant in Torre de la Horadada. Highly recommended!

I have to show you some of the food we ate in Spain! Granted, I only had my pocket camera, so it's not perhaps the best shots - but still, it'll give you some idea.


Churros, delicious sugary treats that are somewhat like donuts - a dough is piped directly into bubbling oil, and fried until golden. It's then dusted with sugar and eaten right away. I bought these at one of the markets we went to.


A humble, but oh-so-good, bocadillo con mancheco, a sandwich with manchego cheese. Eaten at a small café on the square behind the Alicante food market.


Birthday cake for Marita, a friend of my parents, at Bodegón La Pena in Pilar de la Horadada. Totally delicious - it had layers of white cake, chocolate cake, cream, chocolate mousse, and was topped with caramel and red currants.


Cordero asado - grilled lamb - at the same restaurant as above. Simple and greasy, but totally tasty. We had some mixed starters as well, and the gambas al ajillo - shrimp with garlic - were my favorites by far.


Flan. I admit to not being a huge fan, this is a little too wobbly for my taste. We ate this at a wok buffet close to my parents house. Not fancy, but surprisingly good and fresh food.

Happy Easter!

Here's my favorite candy for Easter - marzipan eggs from Danish confectioner Anthon Berg. It's simply very good marzipan (some of them are flavored with orange, lemon and lime), covered in dark chocolate and a candy shell. Delicious! I only ever eat them at Easter, and they used to only be sold this time of year. I've seen them at other times now, but for me, they really mean Easter.

Trip to Spain, part 1

The lettuce field near our house

Here are some photos from Spain. We had a really lovely time! I'll do a separate post about food - this is a bit more general.


The food market in Alicante

We lived in Torre de la Horadada, where my parents have a house. This is just south of Torrevieja, near Pilar de la Horadada, San Pedro and further south, San Javier. We made day trips to Alicante and to Cartagena, and went to several of the lovely markets that are always held in the various villages nearby.


My parents in front of their palm tree.


My dad's rather tiny lemon tree, limonera. It hasn't given any fruit yet, but he hasn't given up hope...


Our neighbor's tree with.. what? Does anyone know? There's some ripe fruit to the left in the photo. They're not plums, but something similar, maybe?


The much sadder lettuce field, after the harvest.

I'm back!

Here's the view from the walk along the Torre de la Horadada playa, where I've spent the last week. Oh, it was beautiful. Torre de la Horadada is a small little place, about an hour south of Alicante, where my parents own a house. They spend a few months each year there, and this was my fourth trip. The weather was great - nice and sunny, without being too hot.

I promise to tell you all about it in a longer post, but for now, I have to catch up a bit on my e-mails and blog readings - that's the worst part about being away without a computer! Still, the pros outweigh the cons, and I've really relaxed, You can't have missed me very much, since I had Tesse publishing posts that I'd previously written - thanks Tesse!

I'll also get up Swedish versions of the recipe's she's posted for me, in the next couple of days.

Goat's Cheese Pasta with Pine Nuts and Rosemary

Here's another recipe inspired by Gordon Ramsay's book Fast Food. He really has a knack for great flavor combination - I don't think I'd have come up with rosemary, goat's cheese, chili and pine nuts, but it really does work. And as everything from Fast Food, it's really easy and quick to make, and thus perfect for a weeknight.

Goat's Cheese Pasta with Pine Nuts and Rosemary
Serves 2

180 g pasta
30 g butter
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
150 g sugar snap peas
100 g goat's cheese
30 g pine nuts
salt, pepper

Boil the pasta in lightly salted water until it's done. Meanwhile, toast the pinenuts in a dry frying pan until slightly golden and fragrant. Set them aside.

Melt the butter and add rosemary and chili. Fry for a minute or two, and add the sugar snap peas. Fry them for a few minutes.

Drain the pasta, but save some of the cooking water. Add the cooked pasta to the pan, crumble in the goat's cheese (no rind!) and add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to make it saucier. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the pine nuts.

Recipe in Swedish:
Getostpasta med rosmarin & pinjenötter

Star Anise Cookies

Not your ordinary cookie! These little wonders are surprisingly flavored with star anise, fennel and cardamom and they pack a real punch! Brilliant with a cup of tea. The recipe comes from Swedish baker wonder-man Johan Sörberg of Riddarbageriet, definitely the place to go in Stockholm for excellent bread, buns and cookies.

Star Anise Cookies
75 small cookies

100 g demerara sugar
18 g star anise
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cardamom seeds

Mix together in a small food processor until everything is uniformly ground, or bash together in a pestle and mortar.

250 g butter, softened and unsalted
25 g dark syrup or molasses
300 g wheat flour
2 g baking powder
50 g dark chocolate, chopped finely

Mix the butter, syrup, flour, baking powder and spice sugar, and finally add the chocolate. Shape into two long rolls - or squared rolls if you want square cookies - and wrap in plastic. Leave them in the fridge to firm up for at least two hours, or overnight. When you're ready to bake, slice and bake at 175°C for 6-8 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Stjärnaniskakor

Well worth repeating

I baked bread a few days ago - a double batch of Crank's bread, but I added some sunflower seeds and crushed linseed for extra nutriotion. Turned out very yummy! I really recommend this for beginning bakers - it's so easy, and you really can't go wrong. Just add a bit more flour if the dough seems very sticky, and you'll be fine.

Pasta Casserole with Crunchy Topping

Sometimes, a creamy pasta is all you really want for dinner. Add a crunchy topping, and I'm in heaven. You can use whatever veggies you like in this - I think broccoli and red peppers would be super. I use a store bought cheese sauce, but by all means make your own if you prefer that. And the crème fraîche and mascarpone - totally optional, for me it was a good way to use up a few different pots of dairy stuff.

Pasta Casserole with Crunchy Topping

500 g penne pasta
400 ml creamy cheese sauce
100 ml crème fraîche
50 g mascarpone
280 g bacon
1 leek
200 g mushrooms

For the topping:
100 ml panko or regular breadcrumbs (Panko is Japanese and can be found in many specialty food stores or Asian markets - definitely my favorite breadcrumbs)
2 garlic cloves, minced
100 ml emmenthaler, grated
a few knobs of butter

Heat the oven to 200°C.

Boil the pasta in lightly salted water, for a minute or so shorter than the time given on the packet. It should still retail some bite.

Dice bacon, slice the leek and the mushrooms. Fry the bacon until crispy and drain it on some paper to remove most of the fat. Fry the mushrooms and the leek in whatever bacon fat remains in the pan, until it's browned slightly. Mix the mushroom, leek, bacon and pasta.

Add the cheese sauce, crème fraîche and mascarpone. Stir well and pour into a large oven-proof dish.

In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs, cheese and minced garlic for the topping. Sprinkle on top of the pasta. Top with a few evenly placed knobs of butter.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.

Blanda panko, ost och vitlökshack till täcket, och strö över gratängen. Avsluta med några små klickar smör, jämnt fördelade.

Gratinera i ca 20 minuter.

Recipe in Swedish:
Pastagratäng med knaprigt täcke

Talisker

Another Scottish whisky - Talisker is actually the only one produced on Isle of Skye, and it's rather smokey and peaty like most of those from the Scottish islands. A bit too smokey for me and Per actually, but many of our friends enjoy it. And it's great in cooking when you want a smokey flavor - try it in this red wine and whisky stew with lentils!

Chocolate Pannacotta with Raspberry Jelly and Cocoa Nibs

This might be the best pannacotta I've made. Really. It was just so inspired - raspberry and chocolate obviously go really well together, and cocoa nibs add crunch and a little hint of smokeyness that cuts through the sweetness. Actually, it's not a very sweet dessert - but it does depend on the chocolate you used. I had some Vahlrona Ampamakia at hand, and since you only use a small amount, I would really advice to go for some very high quality stuff. It does make a difference here! No need for fresh raspberries though, since you'll be heating them anyway.

Can't wait to play with more flavor combinations though - how about white chocolate pannacotta and rhubarb jelly? One question though - is it pannacotta or panna cotta? I'm not at all consistent, sometimes writing it one way, sometimes the other... Regardless, it tastes great and it's a convenient dessert since it's all prepared well in advance of your dinner party!

Chocolate Pannacotta with Raspberry Jelly and Cocoa Nibs
Serves 4

Raspberry Jelly:
200 ml raspberries (a little less than a cup)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp white wine (or water)
1/2 gelatin leaf

Chocolate Pannacotta:
250 ml (1 cup) cream (I use full-fat heavy cream, 40% fat)
3 tbsp sugar
50 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 gelatin leaf

decoration:
4 tsp cocoa nibs



Start with the jelly. Place the gelatin in a bowl with cold water and soak for five minutes. Meanwhile, mix the raspberries with sugar and white win in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add the gelatin and let it melt. Pour into four small glasses or cups, and place in the fridge to firm up for at least a few hours, or over night.

Make the pannacotta. Soak the gelatin as above. Bring cream and sugar to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Stir until it's completely melted and the mixture has an even color. Add the gelatin and let it melt. Carefully pour this on top of the raspberry jelly and place in the fridge for at least a few hours to set completely.

Just before serving, sprinkle each serving with a teaspoon of cocoa nibs.

Recipe in Swedish:
Chokladpannacotta med hallongelé och kakaonibs

Lentil-fried Fish

Are you looking for something different to make with fish? Try finely crushing red lentils (a food processor comes in very hand) and use it to coat a firm piece of filleted fish that's been lightly salted and peppered. Fry in butter or oil until the fish is cooked through and the lentils are quite crispy. Absolutely delicious! And, I suppose, a fairly low-carb way of breading without actually using bread! (Not that that's a particular goal for me - I just like the variation.)

The salad we had with it is from American Masala, and it's a delicious sort of slaw with lime, chili, fresh ginger, peanuts and coriander. I'll tell you more about it in a separate post, I promise!

Oven-Tray Linseed Bread

I really love baking my own bread. It gives me a strong feeling of satisfaction, and I really rather not eat the storebought stuff anymore - who knows what's in it? (Well, some is ok - but a lot of it isn't.) I don't, however, love baking all the time, and I definitely prefer to make loads at one time, and then freeze it. This is a really easy bread that can totally be done on a weeknight, and it freezes perfectly. I thaw it over night and then toast it in the morning.

Substitute other flours if you don't happen to have "rågsikt" which is a very Swedish flour. Wholewheat or spelt will work out nicely too! You can add more nuts and seeds as well, or even go crazy and grate in a carrot or two!

Oven-Tray Linseed Bread

500 ml milk
50 g fresh yeast
1 tbsp flaky sea salt
2 tbsp runny honey
100 ml linseed
500 ml rye-wheat flour (a Swedish flour mixture, with 60% wheat flour and 40% sifted rye flour)
700 ml wheat flour

Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Heat the milk until tepid. Add a little milk to the yeast and stir until dissolved. Add the rest of the milk and all other ingredients, and mix really well in a stand mixer or by hand.

Add more flour until the dough looks even and a bit shiny. It will still be sticky, but it shouldn't cling to the sides of the bowl or your fingers.

Move it to a clean bowl, cover with a towel and leave it to rise for 45 minutes. After that, pat out the dough in a large lined rimmed baking sheet and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.

Bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes - a little longer if you choose a smaller tray, because the bread will be thicker.

Recipe in Swedish:
Långpannebröd med linfrö

Creamy Pasta Salad

Here's the pasta salad I served at the American buffet! It was a huge hit - but it made way too much food. I made a double recipe, but here's the regular one - it will still serve a lot of people, especially as part of a buffet.

Thanks Jason, for the tip! I decided to not use almonds in mine, since there might be some allergics at the party, and I added a bit of crème fraîche to the dressing, but otherwise I pretty much stuck to the recipe!

I used a great organic mayo, it was tasty and had a much shorter ingredients list than the alternative. That's generally a plus in my book...

Creamy Pasta salad

500 g pasta shells
500 g red grapes, seedless, halved
4 celery stalks, finely sliced
2 carrots, coarsely grated
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

210 g mayonnaise (half a jar, here!)
100 ml crème fraîche (low-fat version is fine.)
3 tbsp dijon mustard
50 ml apple cider vinegar
1-2 tbsp sugar - maybe a bit more if you like your dressing sweeter, maybe a little less
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Start by whisking the dressing together until nice and uniform. Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water, drain and rinse with some cold water. Mix with the veggies, and add the dressing. Toss well.

This keeps very well in the fridge, and can definitely be prepared at least one day ahead.

Recipe in Swedish:
Krämig pastasallad

Moroccan-Indian Lamb Stew

Yes, that's a tupperware container in the photo. Why? Well, because this stew smelled so good I didn't even think about taking a photo, and dove right in. So, hmm, yes, the photo is of my leftovers. Leftovers I plan to eat for lunch in about two hours, and I can't wait!

This stew was seriously delicious. The recipe is from American Masala, a wonderful book that I've told you about. (The author, Suvir Saran, has a blog by the way!) He just calls it Morockan-Style Lamb, but I think it's a great crossover between Morockan and Indian cooking. Bearing in mind that Sweden is pretty far from both of those countries, of course!

This is the second thing I'm making from that book and it's absolutely brilliant. I've omitted a few things though - didn't have any mace, for example - and switched a few other spices, but then again, that's pretty much my style of cooking. I'm rather relaxed about reading recipes, and so should you be. Don't follow this to the letter unless you want to!

And don't worry about the long list of ingredients. Most of it is spices, and it's fast to put together. The recipe states that it serves 8 - and I'm sure it would, if you're serving anything with it like rice or cous-cous, or any other dishes. For us, it was a great dinner for four accompanied by cornbread, and it made the leftovers you see above.

Moroccan-Indian Lamb Stew
Serves 5-6

1 kg lamb, in large dice - boneless
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp flaky sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
the juice of 1/2 lime

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds (or 6 whole green pods)
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp chili flakes (or two small whole dried chilies, or 1/2 tsp sambal oelek)
1/4 tsp whole black pepper
4-5 cm fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans of chickpeas, well rinsed and drained
5 parsnips, peeled and cut into large dice
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thickly
2 medium potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced thickly
2 red onions, cut into wedges
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp flaky sea salt
500 ml (2 cups) diced tomatoes
700 ml water

To serve:
Fresh coriander
lime wedges
crème fraîche

Start by mixing cumin, cayenne, turmeric, salt and black pepper with the lime juice and the lamb. The lamb should be well coated. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes, but no more than 3 hours.

In a large pot, melt the butter and the oil, and add cardamom, cinnamon, chili flakes and whole black pepper. Let it fry on medium heat for a few minutes, then add the ginger and fry until it starts to brown - about a minute or two.

Add the lamb, and stir well. Fry until lamb starts to brown - five minutes or so.

Mash about 100 ml of the chickpeas - I used a stick blender - and set aside. Add the rest of the chickpeas to the pot with the turnips, carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic. Let it fry for ten minutes.

Add the coriander, cayenne, ground ginger and salt. Fry for five more minutes. The pot should look pretty dry now.

Add the tomatoes, the mashed chickpeas and all the water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover with a lid. Let it simmer for at least two hours, until everything is very tender. Stir every half hour. Serve with fresh coriander, lime wedges and a dollop of crème fraîche.

Recipe in Swedish:
Marockansk-indisk lammgryta

Oh, what a difference...

One of my dear readers, Sue from New York, e-mailed me a while ago and asked if she could bring me anything, as she was on her way to Sweden soon. I jumped at the chance to get my hands on some stone-ground cornmeal, and very very generously she gave me three packets - two yellow, and one blue! (Can't wait to try that one!!) I have to say, what a huge difference from the polenta I've been baking with! First of all, this actually smells like corn. Fresh, sweet corn! Delicious! And it's much finer ground.



I baked the same recipe as I had before with it, and it was so incredibly yummy! Not that it wasn't good before, but this was better. It made a much more tender cornbread, fluffier and lighter, and with much more flavor. I loved it!

The American Buffet

I promised a round-up on what I finally fixed, right? So - here we go:

-Bagels, with cream cheese, red onions and tomatoes, pastrami and smoked turkey. All on separate platters, so people could fix their own. Most actually just had the bagel with cream cheese and ate the meats with the salad.

-American pasta salad with grapes. I'll do a separate post with the recipe I used!



-Celery and carrot sticks with a delicious blue cheese dip - lots of blue cheese (500 g), sour cream (1 litre) and a little hot sauce. Yum!

-Doritos and goldfish crackers

-Chocolate Chip Cookies and Raspberry Cheesecake. The latter, sadly, not home made but still very tasty.

We had Coke and Budweiser for drinks, and of course, coffee with dessert.

I really appriciate all the input you guys gave me, I know I'll be using many of those ideas for this summer's outdoor parties!

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Apple Compote

It's Friday! So, time for dessert. I've been playing a lot with panna cottas lately. They're so delicious, so much fun, and so simple to make. They do require time to rest in the fridge, to firm up, but other than that, they're really a breeze.

I made this one for my pal Nico who talked about a great apple panna cotta he had eaten on a trip. I don't know if this came very close, but everyone loved it and it's Per's favorite out of all the ones I've made.

The basic idea is a spicy apple compote, topped with a creamy vanilla. The compote is quite loose and runny - you could add gelatin to it if you want it to set more, but I personally like the contrast. The apple compote is definitey best if it's left to infuse overnight, but if you're in a hurry, it will work anyway.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Apple Compote
Serves 4

Apple Compote:
3 apples (I used Pink Lady)
50 ml brown sugar
50 ml homemade vanilla sugar (or regular sugar)
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1/2 blood orange, juiced (or a regular orange)

Peel the apples and cut into small dice. Mix all ingredients in a small pot, bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. (You can leave it for longer if you want it to be mushier.)

Pour everything into a bowl, cover with plastic, and place in the fridge over night. On the next day, remove the spices, and divide the apples and some of the liquid in small ramekins or cups.

Vanilla Panna Cotta:
300 ml heavy cream (35-40% fat)
1 gelatin leaf
50 ml homemade vanilla sugar (or regular sugar)
1/2 vanilla pod

Soak the gelatin in cold water for five minutes. Meanwhile, heat sugar, cream and vanilla until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the vanilla. Squeeze the water from the gelatin and add it to the cream. Stir well, until dissolved. Carefully pour the panna cotta over the apple compote and place in the fridge to firm up for at least four hours.

Recipe in Swedish:
Vaniljpannacotta med äppelkompott

Pea Omelette with Goat's Cheese

Phew - I'm beat! The "american" buffet was a huge hit, and everyone walked away satisfied. I took very few photos, unfortunately - but I did manage a few, and I'll write more about it this weekend.

You might want to attempt something new for breakfast this weekend. And this is just that: a gorgeous omelette (or an omelet, if you prefer) from Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food. I know, I'm totally pushing that book (which is funny considering I don't even have it - I borrowed mine at the library) but it truly is lovely. This omelette was breakfast a few weekends ago, and it was absolutely great. If you love goat cheese, obviously. But we do.

Pea Omelette with Goat's Cheese
Serves 2

70 g bacon, diced
100 g peas (defrosted if frozen)
5 eggs
100 g goat's cheese - the kind that comes in a thin log, in slices
salt, pepper
parmesan

for the salad:
rocket (arugula)
olive oil
red wine vinegar
dijon mustard
salt, pepper

Preheat the oven to 250°C - use the grill option if your oven has it, or a broiler.

Make a simple vinaigrette for the salad - use olive oil, a little vinegar, some mustard, salt and pepper. Don't dress the salad just yet though!

Fry the bacon until crispy, in a big frying pan that's also oven-proof. Add the peas.

Beat the eggs lightly and add them to the pan. Shake it carefully so that the eggs are evenly distributed. Place the goat cheese rounds on top as soon as the omelette begins to settle a bit, and sprinkle with some salt and black pepper.

Grate a little parmesan on top of the omelette. Place it in the oven for a few minutes, just so that it sets completely.

Dress the rocket with the vinaigrette. Cut the omelette into slices, and serve with the salad.

Recipe in Swedish:
Ärtomelett med getost

Pico de Gallo

Is today over yet? Almost? Oh, good. Because it has *not* been a good day. No particular reason, except I've been stressing beyond belief, trying to get everything ready for our big meeting tomorrow. That meeting, the one where I needed to fix an "American" buffet. So I've been shopping, planning and prepping, doing all kinds of things, including a triple batch of chocolate chip cookies, and blue cheese dip with carrot and celery sticks, and a big bowl of pasta salad as per Jason's suggestion. Main food will be bagels with pastrami - probably not very authentic pastrami, but at least it says so on the package. I hope people will be reasonably happy!

And speaking of happy. I recently discovered Pico de Gallo, this simple but very bright-flavoured mixture of tomoatoes, onions, lime and cilantro. Oh god, it's so good. I know I'll be making it over and over again this summer because there can be nothing better with barbecue than this.



Pico de Gallo

5 medium tomatoes
1-2 jalapeños
1 yellow onion
1 large bunch fresh coriander
1-2 limes, juiced
salt

Chop the tomatoes, jalapeño and onion. Let the tomatoes drain off a little in a sieve if they're very juicy. Finely chop the coriander. Mix everything, add lime, season with salt.

Told you it was simple.

Recipe in Swedish:
Pico de Gallo

Portobello Toast with Caramelized Onions

Here's another recipe that I found in Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food. Like I've already said, that book was really inspring, and since I only borrowed it from the library for a few weeks, I made a lot of things all at once. This was definitely a winner - it's so simple, but so tasty. And it was my first time buying portobello mushrooms actually - nice, but I don't know that they're all that different from regular (and much cheaper) button mushrooms. So I think I'll stick to that. Here's some more info on the Portobellos.

I wouldn't mind this mushroom-onion mix with something else than toast, either. Say, on a pasta? Or with some scrambled eggs? In an omelette, for that matter? The possibilities are endless...

Portobello Toast with Caramelized Onions
Serves 2

6 small shallots
200 g portobello mushrooms
some fresh thyme, or in my case, 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
salt, pepper
butter
1-2 tbsp sherry vinegar
flat-leaf parsley
some good bread

Slice the shallots and the mushrooms. Crush the garlic clove, but don't chop it. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and fry the shallots, the garlic and the thyme. Fry for a few minutes, then add the sugar and lower the heat. Continue frying as you stir the shallots, letting them brown a bit.

Add the mushroom, and a pat of butter. Fry until the mushrooms have shrunken and lost most of their liquid. Add a splash of sherry vinegar, and let it reduce a bit. Season with salt and pepper, and finish with some chopped parsley.

Toast your chosen bread, divide the topping, and serve right away.

Recipe in Swedish:
Toast med Portobello och karamelliserad lök

Live life the Bowmore way

As you might know, this year is a leap year, which means that a few days ago, February 29, only occurs every four years. In Sweden, this is called a Scottish year, and that was the Scottish day. Which brings me to... scotch.

Bowmore is many people's favorite single malt. It's produced on Islay, which means that it's very smokey and peaty. Personally, I like my whisky a bit softer and smoother, but I do like a variety called Bowmore Enigma. Anyway, enough about that. Bowmore has recently launched a new site, called The Bowmore Way, that does a nice job of positioning the brand.

Here's a small video clip from them - there are lots more on the website, with useful tips like how to prevent garlic breath, or how to fold a rose napkin. That's life, the Bowmore Way!

A good weekend

We've spent the weekend with Per's family in Motala. Today, we went to his nephew's christening - this little cute boy is now formally known as Theodor.



I've got to show you what was served. My mother in law is great with cakes and cookies, and she and Theodor's other grandmother had baked up an impressive array of goodies for all the guests.



These cookies were my favorite. Oatmeal lace cookies sandwiched with buttercream and dipped in chocolate - yum!



Checkerboard cookies and one that I don't really know the name of, but it was crispy and delicious.



Buttery shortbread.



Swiss roll with apple jam.



And Per's very favorite cake - three layers of yellow cake with mashed banana, vanilla custard and strawberry jam, covered in whipped cream, halved grapes and milk chocolate. It's what he wants for his birthday every year.



Yesterday, we had some lovely chicken on toast for dinner - it's a stuffed chicken breast with parma ham inside and topped with parmesan, on a toast with fried mushrooms and spring onions, all nesting on a bed of salad. It was drizzled with a warm balsamic vinegar glaze - delicious!



And of course, with coffee - some homemade cookies. It just wouldn't be Swedish "fika" without it.