Month: July 2011

Chicken and chorizo with roasted new potatoes

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The best way to get a nice dinner in exchange for little cooking is to use the oven. A few days ago I made this utterly simple traybake of chicken thighs, chorizo, new potatoes and celeriac. The chorizo is so full of flavour and transfers it to the chicken that all you need to add is olive oil, salt and pepper. We had some of the lovely slaw with it and homemade chilli mayo. You didn’t really need the mayo and I need to tune the recipe a bit more before I am proud of it. But you can have the recipe for the chicken and chorizo already now, as it is perfect as it is, so simple and all.

Chicken and chorizo with roasted new potatoes and celeriac, serves 2  + a lunch box

800 g chicken thighs

1/2 ring chorizo

300 g new potatoes

1/4 celeriac

olive oil

lemon pepper

salt

white pepper

Line an oven tin with parchment paper. Add the potatoes whole, cut the celeriac in sticks and add them too. Sprinkle some lemon pepper and a drizzle of oil. Place the chicken thighs, skin side up, in another tin. Slice the chorizo and add it to the chicken. Add some olive oil, salt and pepper. Place both tins in the oven, 200 C for 45 mins- 1 hr.

After 15 minutes, turn the chicken pieces around, and after another 15 minutes, place them skin side up again.


Da Polpo

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I told you briefly that I had been to the faily newly opened Italian Da Polpo in Covent Garden. With me was my colleague Caroline, who just like me appreciates good food.

We ordered the special of the day; a mackerell tartare with horseradish sauce and flatbread. I really enjoyed the tartar but the horseradish was a bit strong. We also had the chilli and garlic prawns and grilled foccacia, which both were good and just what we expected really. The foccacia was less spongy than most but still really nice. The prawns had a nice spice coating as well as the spicy oil. After we’d enjoyed the prawns we realised that the rocket left in the oil was almost as good.

We had to try one of the meatballs and opted for the spicy pork and fennel ones. They were lovely in consistency, just the right amount of heat and you could really taste the fennel seeds. We also tried the asparagus with melted tallegio and ham, which basically was a tomato free pizza. Absolutely lovely.

Both of us enjoyed all the dishes but the favourites were the meatballs and the asparagus and taleggio pizza. We also came up with the brilliant idea to eat our way through the menu. Not in one go though, but we will definitely be back. Soon.

The restaurant has a nice rustic interior and the menu is your placemat. The service was quite good, but maybe a bit slow considering the restaurant wasn’t full up. But the reason why I like this place is the good value for money. The food was very good, and plenty of it, and still the bill only came to £30 for both of us.

Da Polpo
6 Maiden Lane
Covent Garden

A weekend in the country

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The countdown to our holiday has begun. It is two weeks until we go home to the South of Sweden for a week. Can’t wait!

So it was great to prepare for our holiday with a mini break in Bucks with Chris’s mother. We got there by train on Friday, quite late, and only had a glass of wine and a chat before bed. The next day we had a nice lie-in and decide to venture out despite of the terrential rain. We went to  Waddesdon Manor, the home of Ferdinand Rothschild. There were plenty to see inside so we could escape from the wetness outside.

The manor certainly had grand interiors with marble, gold inlay on the walls, several drawing rooms and magnificent chandeliers. I enjoyed the layed tables and the china nad silver services the most. We also had a look in the wine cellar, where they keep some of the family wines.

The weather improved in the evening and we could even have a barbeque. We had foodto feed an army for just the four of us, and I am still impressed with how much we managed to eat.

As a starter we had a lovely salad with peaches, mozzarella, parma ham, crema di balsamico, honey, chives and chopped almonds. After that we tucked in on steak, chicken kebab, tuna, burgers and sausages with plenty of salads and garlic bread.

We ate and ate because we decided to skip dessert, but of course it came out anyway. It was summer pudding, which I’ve never had before, so I had to try it. I think it is safe to say I have not felt fuller in my life!

Yesterday we spent the day watching golf (Christopher) and looking through recipes (me) and just chilled out as you do on Sundays. Eileen had made a proper Sunday lunch with toad in the hole, roast potatoes, gravy and lots of different vegetables finished off with an apple crumble. Lovely!

Another version of pulled pork

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If you have not yet gotten around to cooking (and eating) pulled pork, I urge you to get on it straight away. It is so incredibly easy to make, and it basically cooks itself and most of all, it tastes amazing. Amazing. Is that not enough to convince you?!

OK, add a squirt of lime, a sprinkle of cheese, maybe a dollop of tangy creme fraiche and serve it all on a tortilla wedge fried in butter with a side of slaw. It is utter heaven. Heaven.

I have cooked pulled pork once before, and it was really nice, but this time I played around a bit more and it turned out even better. I had to alter the recipe though, because I didn’t get the chipotle I had ordered with my food shop. Instead I used Reggae reggae sauce, added more spices and a splash of cognac to it, smeared the chunk of meat with it, added onions and garlic, and let it cook itself for a good few hours, before tearing the meat apart with forks, it is that tender, and reducing the sauce to a more syrup-like sauce and mix it in with the meat. Then I just stuffed my face and was even a little sad that I started to get full and couldn’t eat anymore. That’s how good this is.

Pulled pork – a second version, serves 4

1,1 kg boneless pork loin joint

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

100 ml Reggae reggae sauce or other BBQ sauce

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

salt

black pepper

a splash of cognac/whisky

Place the meat in a casserole dish. Mix all ingredients apart from onions and garlic and smear it onto the meat. Place onions and garlic on top of the meat. Turn on the slowcooker on low heat for 3 hours, and then turn it up to high heat for 1-1,5 hours or in a 125C oven for 4 hours. Just make sure the casserole dish isn’t dry, if so, add some water. Let the meat rest for a while in tin foil, then pull apart with two forks. Pour the liquid from the casserole dish into a sauce pan and reduce on high heat until syrupy. Mix it with the pulled apart meat. Serve and enjoy!

Paul A. Young fine chocolates in Soho

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Last Friday when Jenny and I were out and about in Soho, we stumbled upon the new Paul A. Young shop, just a few days after I had read about the chocolaterie in Time Out. The shop was gorgeous with a large round table in the middle of the room showing the different kinds of truffles. There were certainly interesting flavours like the Marmite truffle, that we were told a food writer from the Times challenged them to create. I suspect we were speaking with Paul himself even, and he told us what a difficult process it was to find the right combination of flavour and chocolate. Other interesting flavours were tarragon, tomato and basil etc.

I bought a few truffles to try, but I stuck the more traditional ones such as champagne truffle, and the flavours I know I like; the combination of salty and sweet like the sea salt caramel truffle. One wild card though, a dark chocolate truffle with tahini.

My verdict reflects more upon me than the chocolate; I really enjoyed the champagne truffle and the salted caramel which was divine and I prefer those flavours to the more intersting ones. The salty nut cluster was nice, but a bit too bitter in the aftertaste, and the tahini truffle did taste of tahini, it was just not a combination i enjoyed very much.

You can still tell how skillful the people making these truffles are though, these are the most pretty chocolates I have ever seen, and although it might not be for everyone, it is fun to try new combinations of flavours, and it makes a great gift.

My London week

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I sometimes feel I don’t have time to update the blog about all the nice places I visit in this lovely city, so every Friday I will try and tell you about my week and what I have been up to.

Twice this week, have I had drinks at the London institution Gordon’s Wine Bar. The bar is situated by Embankment station and has plenty of tables outside as well as nice wines to reasonable prices. They have nice food here as well, and you buy it next to the bar. Most common is the excellent selection of cheeses and condiments, but they have salads, chilli prawns, squid, chicken scweres and much more.

I have also been to da Polpo in Covent Garden for the first time. It is newly opened and similar to its sister restaurants Polpo, Polpetto och Spuntino; they serve rustic Italian food to very reasonable prices. (A more descriptive review to come.)

This weekend we are venturing out of London, to visit Christopher’s mother in Buckinghamshire. The train journey only takes 30 minutes, but it is real countryside here with nice pubs, walks, cute shops and fresher air. We’re probably having a barbecue on Saturday, which is such a treat for someone living in a flat!

Have a fantastic weekend, guys!

Bacon-wrapped pork patties with za’atar

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As you might recall, we went to Syria on holiday before all hell broke loose over there, in March. And I still found myself so grateful for the experience. Especially the food experience, of course. Like za’atar, and especially the great blend we managed to get our hands on thanks to the food tour that showed us this spice wholesaler in Damascus. They had three different blends of za’atar, they were all really nice and we had trouble choosing. But then they pulled out another blend; a mixture of the three blends according to an old secret recipe and the result was amazing.

I deeply treasure that bag or Syrian gold, and I don’t want to waste it, but I don’t want it to sit in my cupboard either, so once in a while I get the bag out and cook with it.

This is a very simple weekday recipe made so much more interesting with the za’atar, and the sesame thyme blend works really well on pork. It was utterly delicous! I served it with potato wedges and some halloumi that joined the potatoes for 5-10 mins in the oven and some asparagus. Simple and lovely.

Baconlindade fläskfärsbiffar med za’atar, 3 portioner

500 g pork mince

1 egg

100 ml breadcrumbs

1 tbsp za’atar

a pinch of salt

white pepper

1 packet streaky bacon

Mix all the ingredients apart from the meat in a bowl. Let it swell for a few minutes. Add the mince and mix thoroughly with a wooden fork. Shape to patties and wrap in bacon. Fry until golden on both sides in a frying pan, then transfer to the oven until cooked through. Serve with potato wedges, halloumi and asparagus, and maybe a nice cold sauce. 

Stuffed squid

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A while ago I found this recipe for stuffed squid on one of my favourite Swedish food blogs: Gittos Mat. I just felt like I had to make this dish one day and bring a part of sunny Spain into my kitchen.

I rwally like squid and can not believe how cheap it is. Another thing I can not comprehend is why you in some restaurants (not the best ones, admittedly) get horrible rubbery calamari, when fresh squid is silky smooth and light years from the rubbery texture. Why oh why, I wonder.

I love homemade calamari and all my friends who have tasted it can not believe how good it is. And it is so incredibly easy to make as long as you do not mind deep-frying. This dish however, is a bit more fiddly, but it was a joy to cook it. And to eat it too of course. Serve with white bread to dip into the sauce, and perhaps a side salad of rocket and feta like I did.

Stuffed squid, serves 2

4 squid tubes

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

2/3 of a fennel

100-150 ml fresh breadcrumbs (1-2 slices)

1 egg

75 g chorizo

a bunch of chopped parsley

plain flour

400 g chopped tomatoes

salt, black pepper

olive oil

(my addition: balsamic vinegar)

Rinse the squid and pat dry. Chop onions and garlic finely and fry until soft in olive oil. Place half in a bowl for the stuffing and keep half aside for the sauce.
Chop the fennel finely and fry until soft in oil. Add to the bowl. Also add breadcrumbs and the egg, stir and leave it to swell for 10 minutes. Chop the chorizon finely and add to the mixture. Add the parsley and season. 

Stuff the squid tubes with the filling, but not too tight. Use toothpicks to seal the ends. Coat the tubes with flour and fry them until golden in olive oil. Place in a casserole dish and add the oil too. Add the onions and chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Add a glug of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar. Put on the lid and let it gently simmer for an hour. Serve and enjoy!

A reminder: green pea soup

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I have mentioned green pea soup on this blog before, but that was a while ago now and I think it is time for a gentle reminder. The reason for this is, that I think this is one of the nicest soups around and probably the only one I find light enough to enjoy during the summer. Hot, that is. I don’t really do cold soups.

I live for the weekends, although I like doing things during the week as well, I adore weekends when you have time to prepare and eat a meal with plenty of time on your hands. That’s why I usually make three courses at the weekends, or at least two. And when one is busy at the weekend, then this works just as well on a Thursday.

I suggested to Christopher that we would have a nice bottle of wine with dinner, and then I made the one course weekday meal I had planned into a three course meal quite easily. The peas in the freezer made this lovely soup, the main course was the aubergine dish I had already planned (it needs some modifications until it gets posted on here) together with garlic bread. And some cheese and crackers left over from the weekend was our dessert. Easy peasy and incredibly fulfilling.

The cheese board consisted of, from the top: Rebluchon (creamy, French, cow’s milk); a lovely French blue cheese that I have forgotten the name of; Brie de Meaux (French, cow’s milk) and last but not least Ossau Iraty (Basque region, France, ewe’s milk, hard). My must-have crackers with cheese are both British; Carr’s water biscuits and Bath Olivers (the two types to the left in the bread basket).

Greenn pea soup, serves 2

300 g frozen petit pois

water to cover

a dash of concentrated vegetable or chicken stock

100 ml cream

2 dashes (3 tbsp approx) dry white wine

Place the frozen peas in a sauce pan, just about cover with water. Bring to the boil and let it boil for a minute or two. Drain but keep the water. Blitz the peas with about two ladles of the water until you have a thick soup. Pour it back into the pan, add cream, wine and stock and bring to the boil again. Add more liquid if the soup is too thick. Season. Pour into bowls and decorate them with whirls of cream and truffle oil.

Chicken satay with rice, peanut sauce and Asian-inspired salad

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These juicy chicken scewers are absolutely wonderful. You can serve them cold on a picnic; with a salsa dip as a canapé or with rice and peanut sauce as a fulfilling dinner. The chicken should in an ideal world be marinated for 48 hours, but if in a rush, over night will do fine.

Chicken, rice and peanut sauce needs vegetables. Both the fresh salad with pak choi and this pickled cucumber is a nice contrast to the thick and creamy sauce.

Chicken satay scewers, serves 2

300 g chicken fillets

6 garlic cloves, chopped

4 tsp ground coriander

4 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp black pepper (no, it is not a typo)

2 tsp salt

120 ml soy

4 tsp freshly grated ginger (or dried)

6 tbsp olive oil

Dice the chicken. Mix the ingredients for the marinade. Place both in a ziplock bag (bowl covered with cling film) and marinate at least over night in the fridge. Put the meat on scewers and fry in oil.

Asian-inspired salad, serves 2

2 pak choi

100 g sugar snaps

a handful radishes, thinly sliced

3 spring onions, sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced

sesame seeds

1/2 lime, the juice

olive oil

Blanch the pak choien and sugar snaps. Plate, and add onions, radishes and sesame seeds. Add the lime juice and olive oil.

Peanut sauce, serves 2

200 g coconut milk

3-4 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1/2 lime, the juice

Bring the coconut milk to the boil. Add the peanut butter and let it cook for a few minutes. Add sweet chilli and lime juice until it is perfectly balanced.

Asian-inspired quick pickle

1/2 cucumber

acetic acid solution (1 part acetic acid to 7 parts water)

75 ml caster sugar

1 tsp salt

a splash of rice vinegar

1/2 red chilli, finely chopped

coriander, chopped

Slice the cucumber wuth a cheese slicer, mix with the chilli. Add sugar, salt, acetic acid solution to almost cover the mixture and rice vinegar. Add the coriander. Keeps in the fridge for a few days.