Category Archives: Bread

Toasted wild garlic bread

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It is no secret that Swedes take their seafood seriously. More or less every Friday of my childhood we had prawns (or crayfish when it was in season) for supper. Served as above with boiled eggs (cooked after everyone’s different preference), mayonnaise and a nice salas (preferably with avocado) this is such a relaxing way of eating prawns, peeling as you go.

And the prawns taste so much more when bought unpeeled. I find it so sad that it is near impossible to find unpeeled cold water prawns in the supermarkets here.

This meal wouldn’t be complete without some nice bread though, and sometimes we would just get a fresh loaf from the bakery and eat it untoasted with plenty of butter, or sometimes we’d have toasted bread or homemade garlic bread. With plenty of freshly picked wild garlic though, the choice was easy; I wanted to make toasted wild garlic bread. And it was just as delicious as I expected it to be. Prettier than regular garlic bread too, with its vibrant green colour.

Wild garlic grows all around the Southern parts of the UK at least, but if you struggle to forage some you can buy it from a good greengrocer (in Borough Market for example).

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Toasted wild garlic bread, serves 3-4

100 g softened salted butter

1 handful wild garlic, finely chopped

salt and white pepper after taste

12 pieces of good crusty bread

Mix the wild garlic with the softened butter until well combined. Season with salt and white pepper. Divide between the bread pieces and spread evenly. Place on a baking tray and toast in a 180-200C oven for 10-15 minutes until the bread is crispy and the butter has melted. Serve warm. 

Parmesan biscuits, with or without chilli

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Yesterday I was in the mood to bake and tried another one (yes, I’m going through a phase) of Simon Hopkinson’s recipe. This time it was his Parmesan biscuits that were as scrumptious as I expected. I will definitely make them again to have as nibbles at dinner parties or drinks parties, but they would go well on a cheeseboard too and would make a nice hostess gift.

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They are incredibly easy to make too; the ingredients are few and the dough is easy to handle. Just like Simon Hopkinson I put some sliced some green chilli on a few of them.

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Parmesan biscuits, makes 25-30

Adapted from Simon Hopkinson’s recipe.

100 g  cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

100 g plain flour

a pinch salt

a pinch cayenne pepper

1 heaped tsp mustard powder

50 g mature cheddar, grated

50 g Parmesan, finely grated

1 egg, beaten

some more grated Parmesan

1 green chilli, sliced

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the butter and flour into the bowl of a food processor with the salt, cayenne, mustard powder and cheeses. Process together to begin with, and then finely pulse the mixture in short spurts as you notice the mixture coming together – it will eventually bind without the need for egg or water. Wrap in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Lightly flour a work surface and gently roll out the pastry to about the thickness of two pound coins. Cut out the biscuits to the size and shape you wish. Lay them out on a greased baking tray with a little space in between. It may take two lots of baking to use up the entire mixture.

Carefully brush the surface of each biscuit with the egg and sprinkle over a little finely grated Parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until they are a gorgeous golden-brown colour.

Carefully lift the biscuits off the tray using a palette knife and place on a rack to cool. Although the biscuits will keep well in a sealed container for a few days. 

Kanelbullar – Swedish cinnamon buns

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As all children, I thought I had the best parents when I grew up. And I still do. They were always there for me, while still raising me to be independent. ‘I can do it myself’ was a very common sentence from me around the age of 2 and 3.

My childhood memories are all very loving, and most are actually about food. The smell of meatballs sizzling in butter, the comforting feeling when eating creamed spinach and the smell of cinnamon buns fresh from the oven.

Cinnamon buns, you see, is a Swedish institution. My mother will always have some in the freezer, along with other cakes in case of unannounced guests popping by. 

This past weekend when I was in Sweden, I baked cinnamon buns with my mother, something we always used to do together when I was a child.

And I can assure you, nothing in the whole world tastes better than warm cinnamons fresh from the oven.

My mothers recipe is a fairly standard one, but it contains more butter tahn other recipes, for a richer dough, and it has the addition of an egg to make the dough more elastic.

This recipe is actually half a batch, but it is still enough for around 40 buns or 25 buns and a sweet loaf. The loaf has the same filling as the buns but with raisins added to it for a more Christmassy feeling. Other fillings are usually marzipan for Christmas and we sometimes substitute the cinnamon for vanilla sugar.

Cinnamon buns, makes about 40

50 g fresh yeast

150 g melted butter

500 ml milk

2 tsp ground cardamom

125 ml caster sugar

1 egg

1,4-1,7 l plain flour

Filling: 

About 300 g softened butter

about 300 ml caster sugar

ground cardamom

ground cinnamon

For brushing:

1 egg

pearl sugar

Break up the yeast into the bowl for a machine with a dough hook. Mix the melted butter with the milk and heat until finger warm. Add a splash of the milk mixture to the yeast along with the sugar. Mix until the yeast has dissolved. Add the rest of the milk and butter mixture, cardamom and the egg. Start working the mixture with the dough hooks while adding the flour bit by bit until you have a fairly wet dough. Work the dough for 10 minutes. It should be sticky but come off the sides of the bowl. Cover the dough and let it rise for 20 minutes.  

Empty the dough onto a floured work surface. Divide into three equal sized pieces. Roll out the dough pieces one at the time until you have a rectangular dough about 3 mm thick. Spread about 100 g softened butter onto the dough rectangle in a smooth layer. Cover the butter with an even layer of caster sugar. Add a small dusting of ground cardamom. Add an even layer of ground cinnamon. Roll the dough from the widest side into a roll. Push the ends into the middle a little for an even roll. Cut into 12-15 pieces, about 3 cm wide. Place flat side down in baking cases on a baking sheet. Cover and let them double in size. Brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with the pearl sugar. 

Bake in a preheated oven of 225C/200C fan at the top of the oven for 6-10 minutes. Make sure they don’t burn. 

Mexican cornbread

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I borrowed a wonderful cookbook of my friend Gaby, the American equivalent to Delia Smith Mrs Beeton; The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

Gaby suggested I’d try the cornbread recipe, and I had actually thought of baking cornbread just a few days before (but from a different recipe). The book also suggests alterations to the classic cornbread, such as this Mexican version with corn, jalapeños and cheese, which I just had to try straight away.

Served with a broccoli soup, which was nice, this completely stole the show, and I don’t remember the soup much at all anymore.

The cornbread is very moist and a bit like a sponge in texture. Together with a generous spread of salted butter, this is lovely on its own, together with a soup or perhaps some pulled pork. Just promise me you’ll make it!

Mexican cornbread, 1 batch

1/4 cup (60 ml) yellow cornmeal (I used polenta)

1 cup (230 ml) plain flour

1/3 cup (79 ml) caster sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (230 ml) milk

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp melten shortening or bacon fat (I used vegetable oil)

2 tbsp chopped jalapeños (I used pickled)

1 cup (230 ml) tinned corn (drained)

1/2 cup (118 ml) grated cheddar or Monterey Jack

Turn the oven on 220 C. Grease a 20 cm square tin (I used a loaf tin though). Mix polenta, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add milk, egg and fat. Stir to incorporate. Add cheese, corn and jalapeños, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the tin and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool and cut into squares if you used a square tin and slices if you used a loaf tin like me. Serve with salted butter.

Mezze: Hummus, chilli dip and flatbread

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I have grouped the recipes from Friday’s dinner, so this is the first lot.

When eating mezze it is a must to have a few dips for the bread. The most common one is of course hummus, and here is my version:

Hummus, serves 6 as mezze

1 can chickpeas (400 g)

a splash of water

olive oil

2 tbsp tahini

2-3 tbsp lemon juice

salt

white pepper

1/2 clove garlic

Pour lemon juice, tahini, water and drained chickpeas into a food processor (or use a stick blender) and add some oil. Mix and add oil as you go until the hummus has the desired texture. Season to taste with lemon, garlic, salt, pepper and tahini. 

The next dip is almost as common as hummus in the Middle East, but less known here. The proper version is the one I made with ground almonds, but sometimes you can get a cheaper version were the almonds are substituted by breadcrumbs. We learned the rule in Syria, that if you get the almond-version in a restaurant it is a good restaurant, and if you get the bastard-version then of course, it is not as good.

Muhammara, serves 6 as mezze

120 ml ground almonds (or breadcrumbs)

2-4 garlic cloves

1/2 small onion, finely chopped or 1 tsp onion powder

spicy pepper purée (mine is from Syria, but a combination of sambal oelek and pickled peppers will probably work)

70 ml tahini

70 ml pomegranate molasses

salt

ground cumin

aleppo/cayenne pepper if more heat is required

60 ml olive oil

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with cumin and salt. The dip should have she same texture as hummus so adjust accordingly.

Flatbread is another must when it comes to mezze, and the homemade version is miles  better than the storebought option. This recipe is from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage Everyday and it is incredibly easy to make. We had a few leftover and I can happily tell you that they were just as good the next day.

Flatbread, makes 8

250 g plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil/ rapeseed oil

150 ml varm water

Pour the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the oil to the water and pour it into the bowl while stiring with a wooden spoon/fork. Mix thorougly and knead with your hands for a few minutes. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or cling film and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Divide it into eight pieces. Roll each piece flat with a rolling bin with plenty of flour. Heat up a dry frying pan on high heat, then lower to medium heat before cooking each bread for a few minutes on each side.

White breakfast rolls

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This recipe is from one of the contestants (she was the runner up) in the Swedish version of Masterchef. Jennie is really talanted and I have tried the recipies from her blog before.

These rolls are delicious for breakfast at the weekend. I served them for brunch on Sunday when I had my girls over, and they went down a treat with butter, Gouda cheese, smoked ham and preserves.

The original recipe is for 20 rolls, but I made mine slightly larger and settled for 16 instead.

White breakfast rolls, makes 16-20

75 g butter

500 ml milk

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp honey

5 tsp dried yeast

1.1 – 1.2 l plain flour (400 ml strong Canadian + 700 ml plain flour)

egg wash: 1 egg + 1 tbsp milk, beaten

Maldon salt

Melt the butter and add milk, salt and honey. Heat up the mixture until finger temperature. Pour it into a bowl and add the yeast. Stir so the yeast dissolves. Add the flour and knead the dough. Leave it slightly sticky in the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes. With dry yeast I usually put the bowl in the oven on 50C, so it rises properly.

Knead the dough again and cut into 4 pieces. Cut each piece into four pieces, roll and place on a baking sheet. Cover again to rise for another 30 minutes. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle salt on top and bake in 225C oven for 8-10 minutes. Leave to cool cobvered on a wire tray.

Creamy Croque Monsiuer

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Since I visited Gaby in the autumn, I have been meaning to try to re-create the croque monsieur we had in a French brasserie in Winchester - it was absolutely perfect!

And this weekend, I came pretty close! Yay! :)

This is a perfect dish for lunch, as a snack on its own or as a light supper together with a salad. There are plenty of different ways to make a croque monsieur, but I prefer this creamy version with bechamel on top.

Croque Monsieur, serves 1

2 slices white bread

butter

2 slices of cheese

1-2 slices smoked ham

butter and flour for the roux

200 ml milk

grated cheese

grated nutmeg

salt, white pepper

Butter the breadslices, place cheese and ham in the middle of the two to make a sandwich. Heat up a frying pan with some butter and fry the sandwich on both sides on medium heat. Put the sandwich in a small oven dish. Melt the butter in a saucepan, pour in some flour to make a roux, and add milk. Stir until it thickens. Add the cheese and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Make the sauce really thick and pour it onto the top of the sandwich. Put the dish under the grill to gratinate it for a few minutes. Serve immediately.

Smörgåstårta (sandwich cake)

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I guess for non-Swedish people, this dish seems a bit bizarre. It is a cake made with bread and savoury fillings, and in my opinion really yummy.

It is quite old school but seems to have a revival at the moment. But this is something my grandparents when they were old, would buy from the bakery and serve at a daytime birthday party so they wouldn’t have to cook themselves. Followed by a creamy cake you certainly feel full afterwards, but it is nice at the same time. It is also popular for graduations and funerals or other gatherings.

I like mine moist but not too gooey, and with only small bits in the filling. Some put peas or corn to fill it out but I don’t like that.

This cake is a meat version containing ham and brussels paté, but a fish-seafood version is equally popular with prawns, tinned tuna and smoked salmon.

Since this was my first Smörgåstårta ever that I made myself, it is of course not perfect. If I made it again, I would place filling 1 on top and filling 3 at the bottom, and try to decorate it nicer. But for a first attempt I am more than pleased, and most important of all – it was really tasty!



Smörgåstårta (sandwich cake), serves 4

12 slices white bread, edges removed (4 slices in 3 layers)

Filling #1:

100 ml creme fraiche

50 ml mayonnaise

5 cm thinly sliced cucumber

2 sliced baby leeks

3 slices chopped smoked ham

Filling #2:

200 g mascarpone

4-5 sunblush tomatoes, finely chopped

finely chopped basil

1/2 chopped red onion

Filling #3:

150 g cream cheese

lbrussels paté after taste

5 finely chopped cornichons

Filling #4 (around the cake): same as filling #1 but without the ham

Decorations on top:

2 slices nice smoked ham

tomato wedges

cucumber slices

small pickled onions

cornichons

Butternut squash soup with chilli

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It felt like winter yesterday evening. Cold wind and after a short short walk I was freezing. So when I finally got in I put on sheepskin slippers and made a warming soup. As much as I hate being cold I love when you finally get into your warm home and get the body temperature up again by making and eating something warming. That’s what autumnal food is all about, and this soup is a pretty good example of this.

Christopher was very pleased with the result as I didn’t use any cream in this soup (which I often do in soups) but this one doesn’t need it, and I’m not sure if butternut squash and cream is a great combo. The soup was slightly hotter from the chilli than I expected, so a dollop of creme fraiche was nice with it. I also made some parmesan sticks from leftover puff pastry and some quesadillas with spicy Hungarian salami.

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Buttnernut squash soup with chilli, serves 2

1/2 butternut squash (I know I should have weighed it, but was way to hungry, mine was a medium-sized one)

1 medium potato

olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 clove of garlic, grated

1 pinch of salt

water

a splash of concentrated vegetable stock

1-2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp chilli sauce (a mild sweet one)

1 tsp ground cumin

adjust with more salt and stock

Take the pits out of the squash with a spoon and cut the skin off. Cut the squash into 1 inch cubes. Peel the potato and cut it into equally sized cubes. Heat up some olive oil in a large pan and add the cumin and garlic and then the squash and potatoes. Let it soak up the flavours for a few minutes without browning, then add boiling water (or cold, but boiling water is quicker) to cover, add a splash of stock or a piece of a stock cube and bring to a boil. The squash cooks soft in a few minutes, but wait until the potato is soft too. Then remove the vegetables from the saucepan and mix them, adding a bit of the cooking water until you have the thickness you like. Pour the rest of the cooking water out of the pan and pour in the mixed soup. Bring to a boil and add the chilli, more cumin, some salt and maybe some more stock, all after your own taste. Serve with maybe a dollop pf creme fraiche to take the edge off the chilli, some nice bread or quesadillas.

Parmesan sticks

Cut puff pastry into 10 cm long and 1 cm wide strips and place on a baking tray. Grate over plenty of parmesan and bake for 8-10 minutes in 200 C.

Quesadillas

Spread salsa on two soft tortillas, sprinkle grated cheese over one of them, add some salami, a little more cheese and put the other tortilla on top. Fry the tortillas in a dry skillet until they’re brown on both sides and the cheese has melted. Cut into wedges and eat straight away. These are great with soups or with guacemole as a snack.

Tasty Kitchen’s mushroom soup with garlic cheese bread

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Via Pioneer Woman (a blog I really like with insight to American cooking) I found this recipe posted on Tasty Kitchen. I really enjoyed this creamy mushroom soup, whereas Christopher’s comment was that it tasted really nice, but he didn’t think tomato, cream and mushrooms was a good combo, not what one expects. I must say I only expected one thing – for it to taste good, and it really did! :) I had the leftovers for lunch the next day and it was really tasty then too.

I served Pioneer Woman’s cheesy garlic bread with it, (with a few changes of course) and we both really liked it!

When it comes to cooking I rarely follow recipes properly, I guess I see them more as inspiration. Even if I have the intention to actually follow it, I always end up adding or substituting something. With this soup I had been a bit silly and printed the measurements in US style and not metric, and couldn’t really be bothered to convert it, so I used all the ingredients (apart from the wine, didn’t have any at hand) and only added some chilli sauce for a punch and sweetness. If you want the original recipe, click on the link above, and below is my modified version. Tasty that one, too!

Creamy mushroom soup, serves 3-4

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1-2 small carrots, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

250 g closed cup mushrooms, sliced

1 clove of garlic, pressed

200 ml passata

500 ml chicken stock (1,5 stock cube + boiling water)

300 ml cream

some finely grated parmesan (approx 2-3 tbsp)

thickening agent (I used Swedish Maizena, made of corn starch)

2 tbsp chilli sauce

salt and white pepper

Heat up the olive oil in a large sauce pan, when hot throw in the celery and carrots and let them soften a bit. Then add the garlic and next the mushrooms. Let the mushrooms reduce in size for a few minutes, and then add the passata and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and let it boil for five minutes or so, then add the cream. Bring to a boil again, adjust the seasoning and add the chilli sauce, and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then add the thickening agent and let it boil on low heat until the soup has the thickness you desire. Maybe add some chopped parsley and serve.

Cheesy garlic bread

Cut crusty baguette lengthways. Melt a knob of butter and add some pressed garlic ot a frying pan and fry the bread (soft side own) until it is golden. Make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Then mix mayonnaise and grated cheese (cheddar and parmesan) in a bowl. Add some salt. Spoon the mixture onto the crusty bread and put them high up in the oven on 225C until the cheese mixture is nice and golden too. Dig in!