Category: Meat

Midsummer luncheon

Published on by Hanna2 Comments

Yesterday we had a lovely lunch at Ian and Anna’s house, so us scandos (Anna and me) could celebrate midsummer. There were eight of us, and everyone brought something for the meal, so we had a very international selection of food. Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Polish and, of course, English.

The weather was gorgeous so we stayed outside in the garden and cooled down with first Pimm’s, then white wine.

The first course was fish: two types of herring (mustard and dill), matjes cheesecake (more herring), smoked salmon on rye bread, borgis (Polish cabbage stew with sausage), salad and bread.

Second course was meat: shaslik (Russian lamb scewers), meatballs, Salad Olivier (Russian potato salad with sausages, mayo, gherkins, apple..) and Polish piergi with cheese and potato.

After that we had to take quite a long break, then we had two desserts; English Eton Mess and Swedish strawberry cake (which is compulsory for Midsummer).

It was a lovely day and to be able to sit outside in the sun, eating and drinking and chatting – that is quality time well spent!

Matjes cheesecake, serves 10

6-8 slices German style rye bread

50 g softened butter

400 ml creme fraiche

200 g cream cheese

75 ml mayo (Hellman’s)

1 tin matjes herring

1 bunch of chives, finely chopped

salt

white pepper

3 gelatine leaves

1 tbsp water

Mix the bread into crumbs. Mix with the butter. Cover the base of a 20 cm springform. Press properly. Chop the herring. Mix cheese, mayo, creme fraiche, herring and chives. Season to taste. Place the gelatine leaves in cold water. Squeeze out the excess water. Melt on low heat in a pan with 1 tbsp water. Leave to cool slightly. Mix with the herring mixture. Spread it out in the springform. Cover with clingfilm and leave in fridge overnight. 

Venison burgers with potatoes au gratin and porcini sauce

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Although it is summer (or is suppose to be) it is mostly rainy and grey here in the UK, sob sob.

If this is the summer we’re having, then we need to make the most of it, right?! We did that on Sunday by enjoying a very autumnal yet delicious meal; venison burgers with potatoes au gratin, wilted spinach, parsnips and porcini sauce. It was indeed a proper Sunday supper, and because it is suppose to be summer, we haven’t had one for a while. Especially Christopher enjoyed this. He had seconds and even thirds, and when he was finished, he leaned back with a content sigh and said: We haven’t had a meal like that in a long time!

Maybe that was the reason why it tasted so good?! Partly perhaps, but the seasoning of the mince was spot on, and the mince itself, highest quality from a happy wild deer in south of  Sweden (my parents brought it over when they came to visit) was amazing.

Venison burgers, serves 8

1 kg venison mince

1 egg

100 ml milk

100 ml breadcrumbs

a good pinch of sea salt

1 tbsp game spice (i. e. juniper berries, garlic, black pepper)

some white pepper

Mix egg, milk, breadcrumbs and spices in a large bowl. Leave it for a few minutes for the bread to swell. Add the mince and mix well with a wooden fork (nothing beats a wooden fork). Shape to burgers, dipping/rinsing your hands in cold water in between each burger. Fry in butter and oil until cooked the way you prefer. As with all meat I like mine rare.

Potatoes au gratin with garlic, serves 4

10 medium new potatoes

100 ml milk

100 ml cream

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp plain flour

salt

black pepper

dollops of butter

breadcrumbs

Wash the potatoes and slice finely. Grease a gratin disg (10 x 20 cm) and fill it almost all the way up with the potato slices. Mix cream, milk, garlic, seasoning and flour. Whisk thoroughly to prevent lumps. Pour the mixture into the dish. Place dollops of butter on top and pour over some breadcrumbs. Bake in 200C for 30-40 minutes – until the top is crisp and the potatoes are cooked through.

You find the recipe for the sauce here, but I substituted the port for red wine this time, as I had no port at hand. We also had wilted spinach and baked parsnips with red onions )bake wedges of red onion and parsnip in the oven with oil, salt and pepper until soft).

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.

Creamy polenta with mushrooms and chorizo

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I’ve tried once before to make creamy polenta but I failed terribly although (or despite of) I followed the instructions on the back of the packet. To not repeat my failure I consulted an Italian cookbook (Bringing Italy Home by Ursula Ferigno) and a google-search, and that made me succeed this time. Yay!

There are few different types of polenta, both yellow and white, and according to the cookbook the yellow polenta that takes about 40 minutes to cook is the best one. I could only find yellow 1-minute polenta, but that worked well too.

I didn’t have parmesan at hand, so I used a Swedish mature hard cheese instead and at the end I added, very unorthodox, a dollop of Philadelphia cheese (I picked that up in the google search) and the result was a creamy fluffy polenta with lots of flavour.

I kept the trimmings simple, just fried button mushrooms and chorizo but it complemented the creamy polenta very well. A perfect weekday supper for a gloomy day, and if you use the quick polenta like I did, this is done in about 10 minutes.

Creamy polenta with mushrooms and chorizo, serves 2

100 g chorizo, in slices

200 g button mushrooms, in quarters

chopped parsley (optional)

butter and oil for frying

600 ml chicken- or vegetable stock

150 g polenta grains

50 g butter

150 ml finely grated cheese of parmesan type

2 garlic cloves, pressed

salt, white pepper

1 tbsp Philadelphia

Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Fry in separate pans the mushrooms in butter and the chorizo in oil. Season the mushrooms. Pour the polenta grains bit by bit into the stock, stirring with a wooden spoon until it thickens (which is fast). Remobve from heat and ass butter, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and at the end the cream cheese. Serve in bowls with the mushrooms and chorizo. All you need is a fork – this is comfort food.

Lamb fillet with celeriac gratin and porcini sauce

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We ate like kings on Saturday! First the asparagus with parmesan and wild garlic mayo, then lamb fillet with celeriac gratin and a wonderful sauce with port and porcini mushrooms. It was one of those days when everything came together. The meat, the gartin and the sauce was a great combination that would work any season really. With the lamb rolled in chopped parsley it felt quite spring like, and a celeriac gratin feels so much lighter than a potato gratin. Yum!

Lmab fillet with celeriac gartin and porcini sauce, serves 2

The meat:

2 lamb fillet about 150-200 g each

butter and oil for frying

salt, back pepper

chopped parsley

The gratin:

4/5 celeriac

3 tbsp cream

200 ml milk

2 tsp plain flour

1 clove of garlic, pressed

salt, white pepper

breadcrumbs

3 tbsp butter, in dollops

The sauce:

1 shallot, finely chopped

12 g dried porcini (ceps) mushrooms, soaked and squeezed on th excess fluid, chopped

2 tbsp port

200 ml cream

concentrated game stock

colouring agent

salt, white pepper

Start with the gratin. Peel the celeriac and cut into 5 strips. Slice for of these into thin slices (1-2 mm). Put them in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes. Drain. Grease an oven dish (about 15×25 cm) with butter and add the celeriac. Mix milk, cream, flour, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and  pour over the celeriac. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and distribute the dollops of butter on top. Bake in 200C for about 40 mins or until the celeriac is soft and the gratin is golden brown on top.

Fry the meat on high heat in butter and oil on all sides. Lower the heat and fry for about 5 minutes longer. Remove to tin foil, wrap it around, and leave to rest.

Melt a knob of butter in a sauce pan and fry the onions soft without browning, add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes longer. Add the port and let it most of it bubble away. Add the cream, while stiring, bring to the boil. Add colouring agent, stock, salt and pepper to taste. Also add the meat juices from the tin foil.

Roll the meat in parsley and cut each fillet into 3 pieces. Plate and serve with green beans.

The meatloaf who said ‘I told you so’

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What's red is the smoked bacon rubbing off colour, the loaf is cooked through.

A common occurence in our house is me being over-excited about cooking something and Christopher who looks at me and says: I don’t like it. He is not picky my boyfriend (I’m actually the picky one) but he does not see the appeal with certain things.

The same thing happened with the pasta bake. Christopher thought it would be awful, but I proved him wrong. And now we went through the same scenario with the meatloaf. And the meatloaf won of course. How could it not when it had the flavours of garlic and fresh basil, was wrapped in smoked bacon and glazed with the Pioneerwoman’s glaze (who by the way is the queen of meatloaves)?!

Meatloaf with garlic and basil, wrapped in bacon, serves 4

500 g beef mince

100 ml breadcrumbs

50 ml milk

1 egg

salt

black pepper

a handful of basil, chopped

1 large clove of garlic, pressed

1 packet of smoked bacon

Glaze:

100 ml ketchup

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2-1 tsp Enlish mustard or mustard powder

tabasco to taste

Add breadcrumbs, milk and the egg to a bowl. Leave for a few minutes so the bread can soak up the liquid. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Add the basil, garlic and the mince. Mix thoroughly.

Drizzle oil in a roasting tray and place the mince shaped as a loaf on it. Cover with the bacon, overlapping each slice, and tuck the ends in underneath the meatloaf.

Mix the ingredients for the glaze and spread it on top of the loaf. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes on 200C. Leave to cool for a few minutes before serving, which makes it easier to cut nice slices.  

Pulled pork

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One of my foodie idols in Sweden has this great website called Taffel with articles, blogs and recipes, and that is where I found this recipe for pulled pork.

I had wanted to try this for a long time and had high expectations, but this was better than I ever could have imagined! We had it instead of tacos with soft tortillas, nachos, lettuce, avocado, grated cheese, homemade salsa and creme fraiche and we enjoyed every bite. Two days later we had the left-overs and it was even better that time.

Try this, so easy and sooo incredibly good!

Lisa’s Pulled pork, 4-6 portions translated from Swedish

1 kg pork tenderloin, rind removed

BBQ sauce:

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

100 ml ketchup

1/2 – 1 tbsp chipotle paste

50 ml water

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 – 1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp grund cumin

1 tbsp whisky

Place the meat in a casserole dish. Peel onion and garlic and cut into thick slices. Mix all the other ingredients and spread onto the meat. Place onion and garlic on top. Put the lid on and place the casserole dish in the oven and put the temperature to 125C. Leave it for 4 hours. After an hour, push the onions to the bottom of the casserole.

Just check so the juices hasn’t evaporated so it will burn, if so add some water. Take out the casserole dish from the oven when the meat is so tender that it falls to pieces when you touch it. Leave to cool slightly. Pull the meat apart using forks and mix with the sauce. Add more spices if you prefer.

A nice Friday dinner

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On Friday after work we made our way to Terroirs for a drink or two, and we managed to get a table in the basement even though we hadn’t booked and were only having drinks. Perfect! And our friends liked the place too. 🙂

When we got home we started cooking. We had bruschetta as a starter, followed by rack of lamb with a herb crust, pommes anna and red wine sauce.  

Christopher made his lovely tarte tatin for dessert, and after that we were shattered and decided to go to bed, so we could have an early start the next day.

Herb-crusted rack of lamb, inspired by Gordon Ramsay’s recipe, serves 4

2 rack of lamb with 6 cutlets on each

1 sprig thyme

2 sprigs parsley

1 sprig rosmary

2 tbsp grated parmesan

4 tbsp breadcrumbs

olive oil

1 tsp English mustard

Cut lines in the fat, and rub in salt and pepper. Sear the outsides of the racks in olive oil in an oven-proof pan. Put the pan in the oven for 15 mins, 200C.  Mix the ingredients for the herb crust. Take the pan out of the oven and brush the lamb with mustard on one side, and sprinkle the herb mixture on top. Pat it to secure it.  Put the lamb back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Leave the meat to cool a little before serving.

Lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic

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On Sunday I made a proper roast. I love to slowcook meat and have the wonderful smell of rosemary and garlic fill the rooms. It feels so homely and cosy. Love it!

Lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic, serves 4

half lamb shoulder, bone in 

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

10 rosemary sprigs

1 onion

salt

black pepper

Pierce the meat in a few places and put garlic and rosemary in the holes. Pour some olive oil into a roasting pan, put some rosemary in it and put the meat on top. Rub in olive oil, salt and pepper into the mat. Cut the onion into wedges and place around the mat (gives great flavour to the sauce/gravy). Put the pan in 200C for 30 mins, then cover the pan with tin foil and turn the temperature down to 125C.  Cook for another 3,5 hours. Let the meat rest covered with foil 15 minutes before carving.

The sauce: Pour the meat juices and onions into a sauce pan. Add cream, bring to the boil. Season to taste with stock, jelly, salt and pepper. Remove the onions with a sieve.

Beef fajitas

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We had beef fajitas for dinner yesterday. And it was the first time I liked my own seasoning better than Old el Paso. 🙂 Will definitely try this again, but I think chicken fajitas are even better, although I love beef.

I was inspired by a The Pioneer Womans recipe but I did not really follow it, but it turned out great anyway! We served it with cheesy nachos (Monterey Jack melts perfectly), guacemole (of course), salsa, sour cream, grated cheese and vegetables. Delicious!

Beef fajitas, serves 3-4

300 g rumpsteak

Marinade:

2 limes, the juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, cut in half

1-2 tbsp chipotle paste

salt and black pepper


1 onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

Mix the ingredients for the marinade the day before. Pour into a zip lock bag, cut the fa off the meat and put it in the bag too. Leave in the fridge for 24 hrs.

Fry the meat on high heat in a little olive oil, about 3-4 minutes each side. Place on a chopping board and leave to rest. Fry the onion and pepper in the same pan until soft, maybe adding a bit more chipotle if you wish. Slice the meat and put it back in the pan. Serve immediately with soft tortillas, vegetables, grated cheese, sour cream, salsa and guacemole. And nachos.