Category: Quick suppers

Baked butternut squash with chorizo and feta

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This simple yet very tasty dish was my supper on Sunday night. I kind of forgot about supper until it was half past eight and by then I couldn’t really be bothered to make anything time consuming as Homeland was about to start at nine. And luckily the oven pretty much cooks this for you. Just a little chopping required from the cook.

bnut3The combination of sweet, salty and spicy is always a winner but especially during the colder months as it really warms you up from within.

Baked butternut squash with chorizo and feta, serves 2

1 medium butternut squash, about 400-500 g

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

a pinch of salt

100g feta, crumbled

60-70 g chorizo, sliced/cubed

Wash the squash, cut in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Cut into large chunks, keeping the skin on. Drizzle with olive oil in an ovenproof dish and season with cumin, smoked paprika and a little salt. Roast in 200C for 20-30 minutes or until soft.

Add the chorizo and crumbled feta to the dish and put back in the oven for a further 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

Simple summer fair: halloumi, tzatsiki, fried courgette and pitta

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London, 32 degrees, muggy. Monday evening, having worked past 7pm and a hot tube journey home.

Then it’s bliss to come home, wash hands and face and start preparing a quick supper from whatever is available in the fridge.

Fry some courgettes with chilli, fry some halloumi until crisp and golden, whip up a batch of tzatsiki and put a pitta in the toaster. Easy peasy. And so very nice.

This is my kind of summer food. No effort – full enjoyment.

Fried courgettes with chilli, serves 1-2

1 medium, firm courgette

1 tbsp olive oil for frying

1 tsp aleppo pepper 

salt, black pepper

Wash the courgette and slice as thinly as you possibly can. Heat up the oil in a frying pan on medium-low heat. Add the courgettes to the pan and fry slowly on low heat. Be careful as not to brown, but make sure they soften. Add the chilli and fry for about 10 minutes in total. Season.

Tzatsiki, serves 2-3

300 ml thick Greek yoghurt

5-6 cm cucumber

1 large garlic clove

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt, black pepper

Grate the cucumber and squeeze the liquid out of it. Add the cucumber to a bowl and stir in the toghurt. Add pressed garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Leave to develop its flavours for about 20 minutes before serving.

Slice the halloumi and fry on high heat in some oil until golden on both sides. Serve with toasted pitta. 

Weekday wonders: pasta with pesto and fried broccoli

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As much as I like finickety recipes sometime nothing but simple food will do. Simple without being boring that is. It’s a fine line, but I definitely think that this simple concoction of pasta, fresh pesto (may it be store-bought) and fried purple sprouting broccoli with lemon zest is simple, fresh and far from boring.

Penne with pesto and fried purple sprouting, serves 2

2 portions penne

50 ml fresh pesto

200 g purple sprouting broccoli

1/2 lemon, zest only

grated parmesan

olive oil

Cook the pasta according to the packet. Cut the broccoli into chunky pieces. Fry on medium heat in olive oil. Once browned add lemon zest and season. Drain the pasta and mix with the pesto and some olive oil. Divide between bowls, top with broccoli and grated parmesan. 

Eggs in tomato sauce – uovo in purgatorio

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I find it interesting how much our food preferences change with age. As a child I didn’t particularly like eggs, but if I had to eat it I preferred the whites, fried hard or a scrambled version of a fried egg with Swedish hash.

Nowadays, I love eggs. Especially the yolk. I want it very runny, and if I make oeufs en cocotte I don’t mind if the white is runny too.

So it is easy to understand why I fell for this simple Italian dish of eggs kind of half poached, half fried in tomato sauce. I had this for supper with some nice bread to mop up the sauce and it was, in its simple way, utterly delicious.

You can make a bolognese version of this, but with the creamy egg I need nothing more than some vegetables in my tomato sauce.

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Eggs in tomato sauce – uovo in purgatorio, serves 4

150 g chestnut mushrooms, cut in half

1/2 -1 red onion, coarsely chopped

2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 batch tomato sauce

2 tbsp red wine (if at hand)

4 eggs

Fry the mushrooms in oil on medium heat in frying pan. Season and remove from pan. Add more oil and fry the onions until soft. Add the tomatoes and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato sauce and wine and bring to the boil. Let the mixture thicken if needed. Adjust seasoning and add the mushrooms. Make sure you keep the heat on medium and crack the eggs into the pan. Cook until the whites are set then remove from heat. Serve straight away with some nice bread. 

Warm salad of bulgur wheat, courgette, spinach and feta

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When I made this salad for lunch this week my expectations were quite low. I used up some veggies I had laying around the fridge and thought I would have an alright lunch, but nothing more.

Although this salad is so simple and easy, it turned out really satisfying. I was actually quite surprised! Never underestimate the power of simple ingredients.

Warm salad of bulgur wheat, courgette, spinach and feta, serves 2

400 ml bulgur wheat, cooked according to the instructions of the packet

1 courgette

olive oil and butter for frying

200 g fresh baby spinach

150 g feta

1/2 lemon, juice only

2 tbsp nice extra virgin olive oil

a pinch of salt, black pepper

Cut the courgette in half lenghtways and slice it. Fry in oil and butter until soft and golden brown. Remove from pan. Add the spinach to the pan and stir until it wilts. Squeeze it to remove excess liquid and place with the courgette.

Heat up the bulgur if needed and mix in the vegetables, lemon juice and olive oil. Add the crumbled feta and season. 

Celeriac, mushrooms, croûtons and aioli

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Sometimes when the fridge at a first glance looks completely empty, it is usually possible to rustle up meal after a little think. I love this type of problem solving and creating a satisfying meal out of ‘nothing’.

I am particularly happy with this dish. It is quite earthy in flavour, but the squirt of lemon juice makes it fresh and I love the contrasting textures of crispy croûtons and soft celeriac and mushrooms.

Celeriac, mushrooms, croûtons and aioli, serves 2

150 g celeriac

100 g chestnut mushrooms

1 handful dried mushrooms (I had a mix of black trumpet and porcini) 

10 cm ciabatta 

1/2 garlic clove, chopped

butter and oil for frying

salt, black pepper

1 lemon wedge, the juice

1 batch aioli

Cut the bread into cubes. Fry the croûtons crispy in butter and oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic at the end but be careful not to burn. Remove from the pan. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water in a bowl. Peel and grate the celeriac coarsely. Fry until soft in butter and oil and remove from the pan. Squeeze the water off the mushrooms and slice the chestnut mushrooms. Fry the mushrooms together on high heat in oil/butter until golden. Add the celeriac back to the pan for a few moments. Season well. Add the lemon juice.

Spoon the mushrooms and celeriac into bowls, top with aioli and a handful of croûtons. 

Black salsify and feta fritters with wild garlic mayo

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While preparing my supper quite late last night my flatmate asked me what I was making. He looked puzzled when I said I was cooking with salsify and showed him the long dark sticks. He still didn’t know what it was, and I realised then that it is a rather unusual vegetable.

But it shouldn’t be. It grows in Britain and similar climates (like Sweden and Southern Europe), it is nutrious and as it is a root vegetable it makes this time of year a whole lot more interesting (as it is mainly root vegetables and cabbage that grows locally in winter).

In Sweden it is knows as poor man’s asparagus as it is similar in taste, and I read that it is also said to taste similar to oysters.

In this recipe I paired it with feta and lemon juice and added the subtle garlic flavour of the wild garlic in the mayonnaise. The whole dish feels like a promise of spring. Utterly delicious! I had it as a light supper but it also works as a lunch, brunch or even breakfast.

PS. If you haven’t got flavoured oil at hand, you can make the mayonnaise from fresh wild garlic instead.

Black salsify and feta fritters with wild garlic mayo, serves 1

3 black salsify, peeled and coarsely grated 

3 tbsp feta

1 egg white

4-5 tbsp plain flour

1 tsp lemon juice

salt, black pepper

butter and oil for frying

Fry the grated salsify in butter for a few minutes to soften. Then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the crumbled feta, egg white (save the yolk for the mayo), flour, lemon juice and seasoning. Mix well. Heat up butter and oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Spoon the mixture into the pan shaping four fritters. Fry until golden brown on both sides.  

Wild garlic mayonnaise, serves 1

1 egg yolk, at room temperature 

ca 100 ml wild garlic flavoured oil

1 lemon wedge, the juice

salt, white pepper

Beat the egg yolk and add the oil drop by drop while whisking until you have a thick mayonnaise. Add lemon juice and seasoning. 

Loaded potato skins with spring onions and cheese

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I don’t know about you, but I really dislike January. I am constantly tired, cold and it seems like the longest month ever.

At times like these one needs comfort, and I like mine in the form of food, scented candles, duvets or blankets and either a good television series or a good film.

Comfort food no 1 for me always involves melted cheese. Nothing can beat its gooeyness and oozing warmth. Paired here with spring onions for both texture and bite, sour cream for creaminess as well as a binding agent and fluffy baked potato and crispy skins. Yummy!

The inspiration is Nigella and of course America. And I will not give you a recipe – you don’t need one – just a quick sketch.

Loaded potato skins with spring onions and cheese

1 baking potato per person

grated strong cheese, cheddar or a matured Red Leicester works well

chopped spring onions

sour cream or creme fraiche

salt & pepper

Wash the potato(es). Bake it/them whole but pierced in a 200C oven until soft. This depends on both oven and the size of the potato but somewhere between 40 and 60 minutes. Cut the potato(es) in half lengthways. Spoon out the fluffy potato and place in a bowl. Mix with spring onions and grated cheese. Add sour cream and mix to combine. Season. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top with some more grated cheese. Place on a baking tray and bake for another 5-10 minutes for the cheese to melt. 

Serve with crispy bacon and a salad, or just plain. 

 

Servera gärna med knaperstekt bacon och sallad. 

Tray bake with sweet potato, peppers and chorizo

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Sometimes finding dinner inspiration in your own cupboards really work. That is this dish a good example of. it is perfect to double, triple or quadruple for more dinner guests. It is also healthy and super easy to make. And it is proper comfort food.

A plate of tasty healthy food that gives you a warm hug from within.

Roast sweet potato and peppers in the oven.

Add chorizo to the veg to cook together the last 15 minutes.

Squeeze with lime juice and top with plenty of chopped crisp spring onions for a different texture.

Tray bake with sweet potato, peppers and chorizo, serves 1

1 sweet potato

1 pepper of any colour you like

5-10 cm cooking chorizo

4 spring onions, sliced

1 lime wedge

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180C. Wash the pepper and peel the sweet potato. Cut into same sized pieces. Place in an oven proof dish and drizzle with olive oil. Season. Toss to coat the vegetables with oil.

Place in the oven for 20 minutes, stir around once to cook evenly. Peel and slice the chorizo and add to the dish and let it cook for another 10-15 minutes. Plate, squeeze with lime and sprinkle with spring onions.

 

Steak sandwich with spinach and parmesan

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During the two weeks I stayed with my friend Nick while waiting to move into the new place, I did cook a bit although I missed my own larder and equipment. I mainly re-used old favourites requiring only ordinary ingredients found in any corner shop, but you can still make some really nice things out of basic ingredients.

Like this steak sandwich for example. The taste of crispy buttery bread and rare steak is divine, and with some green leaves, mayonnaise and good parmesan this a true delight.

Steak sandwich with spinach and parmesan, serves 1

200-300 g sirloin steak

1 ciabatta

salted butter and oil for frying

1-2 tbsp good mayonnaise, like Hellman’s or homemade

1 handful baby spinach

parmesan shavings

salt, black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Season the meat. Cut the ciabatta in half. Heat up a frying pan with butter and oil on medium heat. Fry the bread crispy and golden and remove to a plate. Turn the heat up to high and fry the meat for a minute on either side. Remove to another plate and let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes.

Spread mayonnaise on the breads and top with spinach. Trim the meat and slice it. Divide the meat slices between the breads and top with parmesan shavings, ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Tuck in!