Ciprian's ice cream

I'm sure we can all agree that home made ice cream is the best. It's better than anything you can find in the store - hands down. However, some brands try harder than others to make good commercial products, using fresh and organic ingredients. Häagen-Dazs is a long-term favorite for me, some people love Ben & Jerry's (but I'm not crazy about their ingredients...) and a new one on the market in Sweden is Ciprian's. It's made by a very old ice cream manufacturer, Pipersglace, and marketed under this new name. It is organic and very, very good. I've been lucky enough to try several of the flavors, and while it doesn't beat home made... it's pretty good. Nougat is my favorite, a creamy vanilla with hints of toasted almonds and burnt sugar. Cardamom is also spectacular - with large pieces of actual cardamom. Not something I'd eat a full pint of, but that's a good thing! I *do* however have a slight problem with the ingredients as they do use a few additives. It deducts a little bit from the experience for me - especially since other brands manage to make good ice cream from fewer ingredients - but it's not a huge deal.

Other flavors include strawberry, blueberry, cloudberry, vanilla, elderflower sorbet, blackcurrant sorbet and a few others. Definitely pick up a package or two if you come across them - they're sold in Hemköp and other select Swedish supermarkets.

(Photo provided by Ciprian's themselves - no, I didn't keep mine long enough to take a photo of it.)

Wonderful sushi

I've had some really strong sushi cravings during this pregnancy, but since the advice differ a bit on whether or not to eat sushi, well, I haven't really given in. Until recently. See, I don't like a lot of sushi - it has to be REALLY good, and since my brother in law is one of the best sushi chefs in Sweden... well, that's really the sushi I prefer. And I completely trust him, which is more than I can say for most sushi bars out there.

Problem is, he sold his restaurant this summer, and is now working as a chef out at Svartsjö Slott. He does serve sushi once a week, but it's a pretty long drive. Worth it though. Very, very, very worth it!

Pasta at Vapiano

Vapiano is a German chain restaurant, and I know that doesn't sound very appealing. Bear with me though - because the food is really quite good! They serve salads, pizza and freshly made pasta - and I've only tried the pasta, three times so far. See, they make the pasta on the premises. And they cook it right before your eyes! You go up to a counter with several chefs, order your pasta, and they'll make the dish right then and there. This ensures a really fresh meal, and easily customized, too. The only problem is that it takes a while, and it's usually a fairly long line. They just opened their second location in Stockholm, and I really look forward to trying that. It's a great place for pasta. (Per assures me that the pizza is pretty good too.)

Vapiano
Sturegatan 12
Stockholm

Chopsticks on the Cheap

Another Saturday afternoon of shopping at Insadong: We bought handfuls of these natural wood utensils for 1000W each ($1 ~ 1520 won). The mini spoons will be perfect for appetizers and spreads. Wooden chopsticks are perfect for me - I struggle with the slippery metal ones!

Linda's Cinnamon Chicken

Who's Linda? And why am I posting about her cinnamon chicken? Well, Linda is the chef at Per's workplace. He's incredibly lucky - it's not a big company, but they have their own restaurant, and their own chef. She makes them delicious lunches every day - and when I am really lucky, she sends home leftovers for me. One of my favorites is this cinnamon chicken, and last time I ate there I begged her for the recipe. She gave me this rather rough sketch - but it really is all you need, it turned out great when I tried it.

You need to start by marinating the chicken overnight. Or you could skip that, I suppose, - but it's definitely better.

Linda's Cinnamon Chicken

Marinated chicken breasts, cubed or cut into strips, in olive oil, minced garlic, finely chopped fresh chili and cinnamon over night. When you're ready to cook dinner, fry the chicken until done, and place in an oven-proof dish.

Next, fry olive oil, minced garlic, finely chopped fresh chili and cinnamon for a few minutes. Add some cream or crème fraîche, season with salt, and let it cook into a nice sauce. Pour it over the chicken, and place in a hot oven - 225°C - for about 15 minutes. Serve with rice and toasted pine nuts.

Recipe in Swedish:
Lindas kanelkyckling

Fun in the kitchen!!

If you act fast enough you can actually run in and grab a dish from the window....careful though people never make it to the door without eating it all or getting tackled by the staff.

Jalapeño Shrimp

Here's a much lighter dish than the last one I posted. Instead of cheesy overload, I present a light brothy shrimp dish, that can be adapted in many ways. I served it as it was as part of a large menu, but it's great with some rice or crusty bread. It's based on a recipe from Isabel's Cantina, a really excellent cookbook with Latino-fusion cuisine.

Jalapeño Shrimp

1 mediun red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 jalapeños, de-seeded and thinly sliced
375 ml white wine
125 ml freshly squeezed lemon
100 g diced tomatoes
500 g raw large shrimp
salt
olive oil

Heat the oil in a deep pan, and fry the onion, garlic and jalapeño om medium heat for two minutes. It shouldn't color. Add the wine, and let it cook for two more minutes. Add the shrimp, and as they turn pink, add the lemon juice and tomatoes. Leave to simmer for 1-2 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through and opaque.

Serve straight away!

Recipe in Swedish:
Jalapeñoräkor