Category Archives: Quiches, pizzas & similar

Pancakes with asparagus and Parma ham

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I really enjoyed the repeat (thanks BBC!) of Simon Hopkinson’s The Good Cook, because I missed the series the first time around. I love the classic, but far from boring, dishes he cooks, and especially this dish made my mouth water instantly.

You need nice asparagus for this dish, but most importantly you need good-quality Parma ham (or prosciutto works just as well). I had this for dinner but it would work wonderfully well for brunch or lunch too.

 

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Pannkakor med sparris och parmaskinka, 4 portioner

Adapted from Simon Hopkinson’s recipe.

Pancakes:

100 g plain flour

2 eggs

pinch of salt

250 ml milk

50 g melted butter

Hollandaise sauce:

3 egg yolks, at room temperature

250 g unsalted butter, melted

½ lemon, the juice

salt and pepper

8 Parma ham slices

16 asparagus spears

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and preheat the grill to high.
  2. For the pancake batter, place the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk in the flour. Add the salt and half of the milk. Finally, whisk in the butter and remaining milk to achieve a thin, pouring cream consistency. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  3. Melt a small knob of butter in a 20cm/8in non-stick frying pan. Once it is hot and sizzling pour in enough batter to thinly cover the base of the pan. After 30 seconds you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it’s tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over, cook the other side for a few seconds, and then slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
  4. Without greasing the pan again, repeat the process in stage three to make eight thin pancakes.
  5. For the hollandaise sauce, whisk together the egg yolks with a tablespoon of water in a stainless steel saucepan set over a very low heat, until thick and smooth.
  6. Remove the pan from the heat and continue to whisk while adding the melted butter in a thin stream, leaving behind the milky residue that has settled in the bottom of the butter pan. Season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black peper and sharpen with lemon juice, to taste. Keep warm.
  7. Boil the asparagus in salted water until tender. Once cooked, refresh the asparagus in a bowl of iced water. Drain and pat dry.
  8. To assemble the délices, place a slice of ham on top of a pancake, then arrange two asparagus spears upon it. Roll up and place into a lightly buttered baking dish. Repeat with the remaining pancakes, parma ham and asparagus. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until just beginning to crisp at the edges.
  9. Serve the délices on a serving dish and coat each one carefully with a spoonful of hollandaise sauce, running it along their length. Very briefly flash the délices under the grill until only just gilded by the heat.

Tortilla pizza with salami and mozzarella

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The days you lack energy usually coincide with the days you need a little comfort food, don’t they?!

You know which days I am referring to. The days that feel longer than a week, when one is feeling unwell or hangover (or both!) and is incredibly tired. Those days when one can’t help to feel a little sorry for oneself.

Last time this happened to me, I rustled up these darlings from what I had at hand in my fridge and freezer. (I always store soft tortillas in the freezer, that way a quesadilla is only just a few minutes away).

These ‘pizzas’ are so simple I am almost ashamed to blog about them, but let’s be honest, these everyday things are probably more useful  for you than the time consuming and difficult recipes I post.

So, place some frozen flour tortillas on a baking sheet. Slather with creme fraiche and top with salami slices. Break a ball (or two – one can never have too much cheese) of buffalo mozzarella into pieces and scatter on the pizzas. Sprinkle with oregano. Bake in 200-220C until bubbly, crispy and golden (about 5-10 minutes). 

Seafood feast in Gothenburg

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The reason I went to Gothenburg the weekend before last was to keep my friend Laura company and show her around town as she hadn’t been to Sweden before. And the reason she went was to run the half marathon that was on that weekend, Göteborgsvarvet. One of the biggest half marathons in Europe apparently.

While she did the race I went food shopping to give her a nice feast to celebrate her efforts. Gothenburg is situated on the west coast of Sweden and that area is known for its excellent sea food so what could be better than fresh seafood and bubbly to celebrate?!

We had oysters with lemon, langoustines au gratin, radishes and avocado, cold smoked salmon, smoked prawns and fresh prawns (the cold water kind), a quiche with mushrooms and leek and bread.

Langoustines au gratin with garlic, serves 2 as a starter or for a buffet

2 fresh, raw, langoustines

3 tbsp butter

1 large garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper

Mix butter and garlic. Cut the langoustines in half lengthways and rinse. Place shell side down on a baking tray and place dollops of butter on the flesh. Put in 200C oven for about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Leek and mushroom quiche, serves 4-6

Crust:

120 g softened butter

300 ml plain flour

1 pinch salt

1/2 beaten egg

Filling:

200 g chestnut mushrooms, quartered, fried in butter and perhaps garlic

3/4 leek, finely sliced

3 eggs + 1/2 left over from making the crust

350 ml milk

200 ml grated cheese

salt and pepper

Mix the ingredients for the crust and knead together. Press it into a quiche dish and pierce it with a fork. Pre-bake for 10 minutes in 180/200 C oven. Place the leek and fried mushrooms in the crust and put the grated cheese on top. Beat eggs and milk and season. Pour it into the crust and bake for 30-40 mins until golden brown and set.

Potluck lunch and caramelized garlic tart

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On Sunday a bunch of us were invited to Jess and Chris for a potluck lunch and some board games. A perfect Sunday activity!

The hos and hostess had made a lovely coucous salad with feta and also contributed with nice breads. Ben had made a hearty casserole (more like a hash really) with potatioes, sausage and onions and Tom had made a chicken liver paté which was really nice. David and Debbie brought hams and salamis, and some brought wine.

I contributed with marinaded pork fillet and a caramelized garlic tart I have had my eye on for quite a while.

Jess had also made a dessert, that looked like a trifle but was brownies and meringues covered with cream and creme fraiche. Lovely! And Felicity made a gluten free crumble with a crunchy top. Yum!

I must say it was a really good spread and such fun when everyone contributes!

The tart I made is courtesy of Ottolenghi and it features (of course) in my favourite cookbook Plenty.

It is easy to make as you use ready made puff pastry and it has apart from the obvious caramelized garlic also two types of goat’s cheese in it. I used a mild creamy one but instead of the hard goat’s cheese I used Ossau-Iraty, made of ewe’s milk instead. It worked really well, and the tart was exactly so good as I expected it to be. I will definitely make it again, and I think you should all try it too. It does not disappoint.

Caramelized garlic tarte, serves 6

375 g puff pastry

3 heads of garlic, cloves separated and peeled

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vingear (I used double)

220 ml water

3/4 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp chopped rosemary

1 tsp chopped thyme

120 g mild and creamy goat’s cheese

120 g hard goat’s cheese (I used Ossau-Iraty instead)

2 eggs

100 ml double cream

100 ml creme fraiche

Preheat the oven to 180C. Roll out the puff pastry and cover the bottom and sides of a quiche dish with it. Put parchment paper and ceramic beads on top and blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove and bake until golden brown for another 15 minutes or so. Turn the oven down to 160C.

While the puff is baking, place the garlic in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and add the garlic back to the pan and add the olive oil too. Fry for about 2 minutes, then add the water and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil and cook for about 10 minutes, then add the sugar and herbs and cook for another 10 minutes or until the liquid is dark and syrupy.

Assemble the tart by shredding the cheese into the pastry case, then add the garlic and the syrup and distribute. Combine eggs, cream and creme fraiche, salt and pepper and pour it into the pastry case. Bale for about 40 minutes in 160C or until the filling is set and the tart is golden brown. Serve warm or lukewarm. Reheats well.

Delicious quesadillas with chorizo, pickled hot peppers and spinach

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One of the most fulfillinh feelings I can think of, associated with food, is actually not that of content after a delicious meal, but when I manage to create a lovely supper out of only leftovers. Not throwing food away is something my mother has always preached but in my teens and early twenties, it was difficult for me to eat leftovers. It was totally silly, but I just couldn’t do it, as it never tasted as nice as when it was just cooked. Since then I have learnt that ‘my thing’ is to transform leftovers into a new meal or if it is a lasange or pasta bake, have them as they are the next day.

So this is such a good feeling for me, overcoming wasting food, and now creating whole dinners out of only leftover food.

These quesadillas are a great example. We had tortillas left after a pulled pork feast, pickled hot peppers leftover from when I made a sauce, chorizo that needed to be eaten because it had been opened for a week, and spinach that was on the verge of wilting in its bag. Oh, and some left over cream cheese from a cheesecake and grated cheese that almost had gone a bit dry.

Throw all this into quesadillas, fry them in butter, which is oh so important for the flavour and serve either as they are as a simple supper or together with a soup. I managed to make a green pea soup out of leftovers as well, even using up some old white wine. Love it!

Quesadillas with chorizo , pickled hot peppers and baby spinach, serves 2-3

6soft wheat tortillas

3 tbsp cream cheese

150-200 ml grated cheese, I used Monterey Jack because I like the way it melts

9 slices chorizo

6-7 small pickled hot peppers, halved

baby spinach

2 tbsp butter for frying

Spread the cream cheese onto all the tortillas. Distribute grated cheese, chorizo, peppera and spinach on 3 of the tortillas. Place the plainer ones on top. Melt the butter (and perhaps some oil) in a large frying pan and fry the quesadillas on both sides until golden brown and crisp and until the cheese has melted on the inside. Cut every quesadillas in six wedges and serve straight away. 

Quiche Lorraine

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When Anna turned 30 she had an afternoon tea party at her house, and with plenty of guests she had asked a few of us to help with the baking. Ian’s mother made lovely scones, lemon drizzle cake and coffee cake. Anna and her mother made blinis with smoked salmon and sandwiches (ham; egg salad; smoked salmon) and I made a quiche.

Quiche Lorraine is a French classic containing bacon and cheese. I also added chives and parsley to the cream mixture.

I got plenty of compliments for the pie crust, which I was very pleased with, only a week after they made shortcrust in the great TV show The Great British Bake Off, so every one was well aware of soggy bottoms etc.

Quiche Lorraine, serves 4-6 as a meal, 8-10 on a buffet

Crust:

120 g soft butter

300 ml plain flour

a pinch of salt

1/2 beaten egg

Filling:

1/2 onion, finely chopped

300 g smoked and cured streaky bacon (fried in pieces, then drained on kitchen towel)

butter and oil for frying

150 ml grated cheese (I used Monterey Jack)

1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

1 bunch chives, chopped

300 ml single cream

3 eggs + 1/2 left over from the crust making

white pepper (no salt needed)

Pinch together the ingredients for the dough, do not knead it. Place in the fridge for 30 mins-1 hour. Roll out the dough or push it into place in the quiche tin. Use a fork to make holes in the bottom, pre-bake in 180C for 10 mins.

Fry the onion soft on medium heat. Place in a mixing bowl. Fry the bacon crisp in the same pan, remove to the mixing bowl and leave to cool slightly. Add the cheese, eggs, cream, herbs and pepper. Fill the quiche and bake for 35 mins in 180C (or until set and golden in colour). Enjoy it hot or cold or in between.

Proper homemade Italian pizza

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I love homemade pizza and have used the same recipe for years. It is very good but doesn’t feel all that authentic. So it was time to try something new, a real Italian recipe. It is a very simple recipe but quite different in texture compared to the other one. The strong 00-flour makes it very easy to shape the pizzas, or roll them out if you prefer. The bases also go really crispy in a regular oven on a regular (cold even) baking sheet.

The recipe is courtesy of Gennaro Contaldo, the man who has taught Jame Oliver all there is to know about Italian cooking. You can watch him make pizzas here.  The recipe for the tomato sauce is my own, but still authentic enough I hope. :)

Italian pizza dough, 2 pizzas

500 g 00-flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried yeast

325 ml lukewarm water

Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast. Add the water bit by bit while stirring with a wooden fork. Knead the dough until elastic. Cut the dough into two and shape to round balls. Put the dough balls back in the mixing bowl, sprinkle with flour and cover. Place somewhere warm and let it rise for 90 minutes.

Shape the dough into round pizzas or use a rolling pin to roll it out thinly. Add the toppings you like and bake in 225C, in a low oven, for 8-10 minutes.

Tomato sauce, for 2 pizzas

200 g passata

a splash of water

1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp dried Italian herbs

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/2 tsk brunt socker

salt, black pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a non-stick sauce pan. Bring to the boil and let it reduce (boil down) and thicken while stirring. Leave to cool.

Margherita topping for 1 pizza:

1/2 batch tomato sauce

olive oil

1 buffalo mozzarella

a handful of basil

Roll out the dough and drizzle some olive oil on it. Spread out the tomato sauce. Shred the mozzarella into chunks and place on the pizza. Add some basil leaves. Another drop of olive oil and put it in the oven on 225C, middle to low oven for 8-10 minutes.

Salami topping for 1 pizza:

1/2 batch tomato sauce

olive oil

200 g saucisson

1 garlic clove, pressed

oregano

Roll out the dough and drizzle some olive oil on it. Add the tomato sauce and spread it out. Shred the mozzarella into chunks and place on the pizza. Add the slices of saucisson. Distribute the garlic and sprinkle oregano on top. Put it in the oven on 225C, middle to low oven for 8-10 minutes.

Brunch and Henley Royal Regatta

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In England some happenings are bigger than others. The Ascot’s, Goodwood and Henley Royal Regatta are a few of those, and so far I have only been to Henley.

Last year we had a picnic with friends there, but in the afternoon so many people arrived that we no longer could see the river although we were meters from it.

To avoid such nuisance we bought tickets to the Regatta enclosure, and this is (at least for us) the way forward. When we ventured out of the enclosure to look at the shops etc., it was too many prople everywhere.

Malin and Martin, Jess and Chris and us, started the dat with a brunch at our flat. We had champagne, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, croissants, mini quiches, blueberry muffins, bread, ham and cheese and things. It was a lovely start to the day and we all enjoyed it. But then again, who does not enjoy champagne?!

To brighten up the train journey out of London we had some more bubbly, then we switched to Pimm’s at the regatta. I love events like these, when you sit by the river, watching fit men row, looking around at all the pretty (and some horrible ones) dresses, Panamas and stripy blazers.

We enjoyed the early evening best though. When the serious people started to leave and the party crowd had not yet arrived. It was quiter and we could sit front row watching the rowing.

When the enclosure closed, we walked over the bridge into the village and had a nice meal. We must have been very lucky, walking in the six of us and managed to get a table!

Back at the train station, it was mayhem. There had been an accident on the tracks and several hundred people were fighting over the few taxis. Jess managed to find us one, and waiting for it we escaped the chaos and had a drink in a pub.

It was a perfect day with nice, but not too warm, weather and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Thanks guys!

Perfectly creamy scrambled eggs, serves six on a buffet

6-8 eggs

100 ml single cream

knob of butter

salt and pepper after taste

Heat up a teflon frying pan or sauté pan on medium heat. Add the butter. Beat the eggs with cream and season. Pour into the pan and lower the temperature. Stir the whole time with a wooden fork or a spatula, and watch the eggs slowly thicken. Remove from heat when a bit undercooked and keep stirring. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Mini-quiches with Saint Agure and leek, 12 stycken

80 g softened butter

200 ml plain flour

1/3 beaten egg

100 g Saint Agure in cubes

10 cm leek, sliced

2 + 2/3 eggs (left over form the dough making)

300 ml cream

100 ml grated cheese

Mix butter, eggs and flour to a dough. Line 12 aluminium cases with it. Place blue cheese and leeks in the pastry cases. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Mix eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper and divide between the cases. Bake in 200C for 20 minutes. Serve cold, luke warm och warm.

Blueberry muffins with almonds and lemon, makes 12

Oroginal Swedish recipe here. I made mine into larger muffins than the recipe suggests.

200 ml blueberries

125 g melted butter

150 g ground almonds

1 tbsp lemon zest

400 ml icing sugar

80 ml plain flour

5 eggwhites (about 160-170 ml)

Mix almonds, zest, icing sugar and flour in a bowl. Add the egg whites and mix. Add the melted butter and mix thoroughly. Place a few berries in each cake case, divide the mixture between the cake cases (fill them to 2/3). Bake in 200 C for about 15-20 minutes.  

Enchiladas

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On Fridays we usually have something with prawns or Mexican, as it needs to be quick as the cook (me) is tired, go well with a glass of wine and give us that Friday feeling. Last Friday we had enchiladas and they certainly give you that feeling!

I used mozzarella on top of these, but it is actually even better with a grated strong or medium hard cheese on top for more flavour.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Enchiladas, serves 3-4

1 onion, finely chopped

500 g beef mince

cumin

chilli flakes

chipotle or other chilli paste

salt

black pepper

50 ml creme fraiche

1 jar enchilada sauce (store bought)

5-6 soft wheat tortillas

50ml grated cheese / 1 mozzarella in slices

3 spring onions, chopped

Fry the onion and put to the side. Fry the mince. Add the spices and the onion. Mix in the creme fraiche. Season to taste. Dip the breads into the enchilada sauce so both sides are covered, add a spoonful of the meat mixture and roll it up. Place in a greased oven tray and repeat until the meat is used up. Top the oven tray with grated cheese and spring onions. Bake in 200C for about 30 minutes. Serve with guacemole, salsa, creme fraiche and salad.

Italian asparagus tart

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I have been wanting to try Ursula Ferigno’s asparagus tart recipe in the wonderful cookbook Bringing Italy Home for a while now, and when I finally got around to it, it was as lovely as I had hoped it would be.

Because I had a roll of puff pastry that I needed to use up I substituted it for the pastry in the book, and that worked well too. The focus is indeed on the filling, which is moist and luscious, and I wanted to eat it before I even put the whole thing in the oven. Ricotta has that effect on me.

Italian asparagus tart, serves 6

1 roll puff pastry

350 g asparagus, trimmed

25 g unsalted butter

2 tbsp plain flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten

250 g ricotta

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

55 g Parmesan, grated

sea salt and black pepper

Cover a pie dish with the puff pastry. Pick holes with a fork and pre-bake for 10 minutes in 200C. Cook the asparagus in salted wanted until just soft (about 5 mins). Drain and leave to cool. Cut off the spears and put aside. Cut the stems into 2 cm large chunks. Make a roux with the butter and flour (melt the butter in a saucepan, whisk in the flour), leave to cool. Combine all the ingredients, apart from the spears, in a bowl. Pour it into the pie crust, smooth it out and decorate the top with the spears. Bake in 200C for 30 minutes. Serve as a starter, at a buffet or a lighter dish for say, lunch time.