Category: Starters

Once again: asparagus with wild garlic mayo and parmesan shavings

Published on by Hanna15 Comments

On Friday when Daniel and Maria arrived from the airport I had prepared a three course dinner, starting with this spring time favourite from last year; asparagus with wild garlic mayo and parmesan shavings.

I bought some lovely British asparagus from the supermarket and used some of my hidden freezer treasure of wild garlic for the modified mayonnaise recipe.

Wild garlic mayo 2.0

15 wild garlic leaves, steamed and drained

200 ml sunflower oil

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

lemon juice

salt

white pepper

Blend the oil with the wild garlic to a smooth oil. Place the egg yolk in a beaker and add the green oil drop by drop, later a little by little, while beating with an electric whisk. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Leave for 30 minutes to deepen its flavour.

Asparagus with wild garlic mayonnaise and parmesan shavings, serves 2

8 asparagus stems

wild garlic mayonnaise

parmigiano reggiano or other matured parmesan

extra virgin olive oil

Maldon sea salt

Break the ends off the asparagus, where it breaks naturally. Steam in salted water for 1-2 minutes. Drain. Place a large dollop of mayonnaise on each plate. Place the asparagus next to it, add shavings of parmesan, drizzle some olive oil and add a pinch of sea salt. Serve with crusty bread or as it is.

 

Easter buffet

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On Easter Eve we usually have the traditional eggs and herring in Sweden, and we did the same this year.

But before dinner we enjoyed some bubbly and crustades filled with prawns in a bechamel sauce.

Easter buffet

We then had the Easter buffet as a starter, since most of it was starter type food. It was smoked salmon, boiled eggs, two types of pickled herring but also other nibbles like cured ham rolls with lemon crème.

Boiled eggs with mayonnaise and caviar
Matjes (herring) cheesecake
This might seem weird but it is lovely. One of the few herring dishes I like myself.
Cured ham rolls with lemon crème
Smoked salmon rolls
Mammas löksill, vitlökssill
Mother’s onion herring; garlic herring
Paté with pimiento (bought, not homemade)

Rostbiff, potatisgratäng och rödvinssås

For mains mother had prepared roast beef (topside) with potatoes au gratin, red wine sauce, pickled small onions and crispy fried onions.

After dinner we once again enjoyed the almond meringue tart.

Matjes cheesecake, serves 6

5-6 slices dark rye bread

40 g melted butter

1,5 jar matjes herring

1 bunch chives

200 ml creme fraiche

2 tbsp fromage frais

1,5 tsp gelatine powder (or 3 gelatine leaves)

3 tbsp water

Mix the bread to crumbs in a food processor, add the melted butter and combine. Line a oval shaped dish (approx 10 x 20 cm) with cling film and add the bread crumbs to it. Pat them down hard to create the base. Leave in the fridge while preparing the filling.

Pour the brine off the herring and chop coarsely. Place in a mixing bowl and add the chopped chives, creme fraiche and fromage frais. Combine. Place the gelatine powder and water in a small sauce pan and let it swell. Then heat up until the gelatine melts. Let it cool slightly and add to the creme fraiche mixture. Stir to combine and then spead the mixture onto the bread base evenly. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Remove from the dish, remove the clingfilm and place on a plate. Decorate with lemon slices and chopped chives.

Smoked salmon rolls with caviar and chives

1 packet cold smoked salmon (approx 7-8 slices)

100 g philadelphia

1 bunch chopped chives

a pinch paprika

2-3 tsp lumpfish roe

Mix philadelphia with roe, chives and paprika. Season with salt and white pepper. Place a spoonful of the mixture on every slice and roll up.

Butternut squash soup with roasted garlic

Published on by Hanna1 Comment

One of the most popular cookbooks in Sweden in the autumn was Lotta Lundgren’s amazing Om jag var din hemmafru (translates: If I was your housewife). The design of the book is very spectacular for a cookbook with glossy sexy pictures, not just of food, and the texts are amazing as well as the recipes. It is no surprise that Lotta has a background in advertising.

I bought this book as soon as it was published but haven’t have time to properly read it until now. Love it though! And it was also about time I tried one of her recipes, this fabulous soup with roasted butternut squash, garlic and onions.

The only changes I made to the recipe was to exchange a regular onion for a red onion, and to use less stock as my butternut squash was rather small.

Butternut squash soup with roasted garlic, serves 4

1 butternut squash

1 regular onion (or a red onion)

4 garlic cloves

1 lemon, the zest and juice

400-600 ml chicken or vegetable stock

200 ml cream

salt, pepper

Place the squash, onion and garlic cloves whole with the peel on on a roasting tray. Place in 200C oven. Roast the garlic for 20 minutes and the rest for 50 minutes. Leave to cool a little. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Scrape out the flesh. Cut off the roots on the onion and squeeze out the whole thing. Peel the garlic. Grate the zest off the lemon and purée the squash, onion, zest and garlic. Heat up the stock in a saucepan and add the purée, then add the cream and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper and add a few drops of lemon juice.  Lotta suggests serving the soups with parmesan shavings or crispy bacon, I just added a dollop of creme fraiche.


A vegan New Year’s Eve menu

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I like to be challenged in the kitchen, and that is why I thought it was a good idea to cook for my friend Jenny and her boyfriend James on NYE before heading to a party. Last time I invited James I cooked a whole lot of mezze dishes inspired from my trip to Syria and Ottolenghi’s book Plenty.

I wanted the NYE menu to be quite traditional, nice and vegan and because it was just for the three of us I kept it quite simple.

~ The New Year’s Eve menu 2011 ~

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Crostini with bean spread

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Jerusalem artichoke soup with coconut milk and fried chestnut mushrooms

Rustic baguette, olive oil and balsamico

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Butternut squash risotto with spinach

Salad with romaine lettuce, romano peppers, avocado and pomegranate

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Vanilla pannacotta with soy cream and passionfruit

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We had champagne to start as well, and thanks to Waitrose I got a great bottle of bubbly half price. At the champagne tasting at Harrod’s I tried some champagnes from Duval-Leroy, but not thiis one; their regular Brut NV, but because I liked the others and it is a good quality champagne house I bought this bottle and it was really good.

Vega Jerusalem artichoke soup with coconut milk, serves 3 as a starter

1 shalot, finely chopped

1 tbsp oliv oil

500 g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled

water

2 tsp concentrated vegetable stock

50 ml coconut milk

salt, white pepper

Topping: fried, sliced chestnut mushrooms

Fry the onion until soft in the oil. Add the artichokes to the pan and fry for a minute or so, Add hot water to cover and add salt. Bring to the boil and cook until very soft. Remove half the water, but keep it on the side, and puré the rest with the artichokes. Add the coconut milk and then adjust the thickness with the left over water. Add concentrated stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil again and serve.

Vegan butternut squash risotto with spinach, serves 4

1/2 butternut squash

1/2-1 onion

olive oil

100 ml dry white wine

1 litre vegetable stock

400 g aborio rice

2 handfuls fresh spinach

salt, white pepper

Peel the squash and remove the seeds. Cut it into chunks and place them in a roasting tray, add oil, salt and pepper and mix. Place in 200C for 35 minutes or until soft.

Fry the onions in olive oil in a casserole dish or large saucepan but don’t let it brown. Add the rice and stir for a minute or two. Add the wine and watch most of it evaporate. Then add a ladle of the hot stock and continue to stir while it cooks in. Add another ladle and repeat the procedure until all the stock is used up and the rice is soft. it usually takes 18-20 minutes depending on the type of rice. Add the spinach and stir until it is wilted. Season with salt and pepper and add the butternut squash. Feel free to serve with parmesan if you’re not vegan.

Vegan vanilla pannacotta with soy cream and passionfruit, serves 3

400 ml soy cream

2-3 tbsp vanilla essence

50-75 ml jelly sugar, or the same amount of caser sugar + enough veggie set or agar flakes for the amount of liquid

3 passionfruits

I tried my way through when I cooked this, to get rid of the particular aftertaste soy products have, and I recommend you do the same.

Add the cream to a sauce pan and the smaller amount of sugar and vanilla and heat it up. Then add the sugar and vanilla little by little until you are satisfied with the taste. Add the jeling agent if not using jelly sugar. Bring to the boil and stir so the sugar melts. Pour into dessert coupes or ramekins and leave to cool. Place in the fridge for a minimum of four hours to set. 

Before serving, place the inside of the passionfruits in a bowl and place enough on each pannacotta to cover the top. Serve and enjoy.

A fabulous last meal

Published on by Hanna1 Comment

My last evening in Sweden happened to be a Monday night, but we did not let that stop our family to enjoy a New Year’s Eve worthy supper.

Mother pulled out all the stops with Lobster Thermidor, that the whole family loves, followed by wild duck, boiled potatoes, creamy sauce and broccoli pared with a lovely bottle of Italian red.

Safe to say I left Sweden very happy! 🙂

My mother usually cooks the duck quite done by cooking it for hours so it is very tender. But since I love red meat and she loves me, she cooked it pink this time. I ate the redest bits and it was lovely and tender.

As for the wine, it was a 2007 Masi Campofiorin, that I know almost nothing about, but it was a lovely bottle. Very easy to drink also after the meal.

Lobster Thermidor is a very classic dish, and it hasn’t featured on the blog before although I have made it a few times. Unfortunately there are as many recipes as there are cooks, so my version is not even the same as my mother’s. Instead of a full recipe I will give you a little idea of how to make it, so you can take your own twist on it:

Lobster Thermidor

Use half a lobster per person. Cut the cooked lobsters in half lengthways and remove the meat. Rinse the shells and place them in a baking tray. Try to get the claws out of the shells whole if you can and use it for decoration, or just chop it up with the other lobster meat.

Fry sliced button mushrooms. In another pan make a roux and add cream until you have a thick bechamel. Season with cognac, fish or seafood stock, dijon mustard, maybe some parsley or cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and the lobster meat towards the end and fill the shells. Sprinkle grated strong cheese on top and place in oven, 200C, for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is golde brown. Serve with bread and tuck in.

Here we go again – a Friday supper favourite

Published on by Hanna2 Comments

Some foods I never get bored of. Blue steak and homemade bearnaise sauce is one thing, baked camembert another. And these two things are usually served on a Friday in my house, as they provide instant comfort after a work week.

Last Friday we served the baked camembert oozing from the oven, together with some nice bread, charkuteries (Hungarian chorizo; chorizo, saucisson; Milano salami), cream cheese stuffed pickled baby peppers it was a fabulous supper although quite modest.

To make camembert is oh so simple, but just in case you have forgotten, let’s take it again!

Baked camembert, serves 2-4 depending on the spread

1 whole camembert, I normally buy the brand Le Rustique

bread for serving

also cornichons, pear wedges etc. works well with the cheese

Heat up the oven to 200C. Remove the packaging from the cheese. If it comes in a wooden case however, place it back in it. Otherwise place the whole cheese in a small ovenproof dish. Cut some wholes on the top of the cheese before placing in the oven. Bake until warmed through and runny, 20 mins approx. Serve immediately with bread and dip into the cheese like a fondue.

Scallops with bacon and wild garlic mayonnaise

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This is a great throw-together starter, that still has that something extra. Just serve with some nice bread.

I know that wild garlic is not in season now, but I happen to have quite a lot of it in the freezer, so I can use it for special occasions. I totally adore the flavour!

Scallops with bacon and wild garlic mayonnaise, serves 2

1 batch wild garlic mayonnaise

3 slices streaky bacon

6 large fresh scallops

mixed baby leaf salad

extra virgin olive oil or coldpressed rapeseed oil

salt

Make the mayonnaise. Cut the bacon into smaller pieces and fry until crispy. Drain on kitchen towel. Dress the salad with oil and salt. Cut off the muscles on the scallops (the tough white part) and fry in butter on high heat until just cooked through. Season. Plate and serve straight away.

Cannellini bean spread

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Another crostini topping is this cannellini spread with sage. It is the Italian cousin of hummus but tastes very different.

I added sage, garlic and lemon juice to make it fresh and add to the Italian feel of it. Mix it together the day before and leave in fridge overnight for the flavours to really develop.

Just like the chicken liver mousse, we served this in a mini copper pan and the crostinis on the side so each guest could help themselves.

Cannellini bean paste, serves 4

400 g canned cannellini beans

1/2 lemon, the juice

5 sage leaves

1 small garlic clove, pressed

salt, white pepper

mild olive oil

Rinse the beans and drain. Mix together with the lemon juice, garlic and sage, add olive oil until desired consistency. Season. Refridgerate overnight.

Italian chicken liver mousse

Published on by Hanna2 Comments

I had almost my first encounter with chicken liver (cooking it I mean) just a little while ago when I used this recipe to make a paté with cognac and porcini mushrooms. The only reason I didn’t post it on here is because I didn’t get a decent photo of it. But it was fabulous!

I am a huge fan of chicken livers since then. It is really tasty, and has less of a liver flavour than say pig’s livers or calf’s livers. On top of that it is very versatile to add different flavours to, and it is cheap.

Last week we had Chris and Jess over for dinner, and we had an Italian theme for the evening, with both food and wine. The most typical Italian starter to me is chicken liver crostini, so that’s what I made. This one is flavoured with white wine, sage and anchovies, very Italian flavours to me.

Since liver might not be for everyone I also made a bean spread (that I will post tomorrow) and classic bruschetta with tomato and garlic. We served the mousse and the bean paste in mini copper pans (my boyfriend’s idea) on a rustic cutting board and piles of crostini on the side. A nice and laid back start to the evening.

Italiensk kycklinglevermousse

400 g fresh chicken liver

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

100 ml dry white wine

4 anchovies

100 ml homemade chicken stock

50-100 ml mild olive oil

Remove all tendons and chop the liver coarsely. Fry the onion until soft in butter and oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and sage, make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the wine and watch some of it disappear. Add the anchovies and let it melt together with the other ingredients. Turn up the heat and add the liver, cook until cooked through. Add the stock and let it bubble away a bit.

Mix it all in a food processor. Add mild olive oil bit by bit until it has the moussy texture you’re after. I used almost 100 ml, but start off with a lot less. Leave to cool, then refridgerate.


A nice get together in the summer house

Published on by Hanna7 Comments

Our summer house has survived many dinner parties and parties through the years, but the one we had during this holiday in Sweden was probably the best one so far. The weather was good, it was a nice group of friends and the perfect amount of people, and even the food seemed to be appreciated. 🙂

And it is so nice to have a party among old friends sometimes. Friends who without even asking just start helping you. All of a sudden Carina was doing the washing up, Linus carved the meat, Maria made coffee and Claes took charge of the camera. Thanks, guys!

I also had both Malin and Emma to help me in the kitchen with the canapés (and the gossip) and they did a great job (followed orders, I mean).

We started off with two canapés, both found on a lovely Swedish foodblog: Pyttes. We had fried halloumi with grilled peppers and crustades with girolles. Both adorable and extremely tasty!

As a starter I chose a dish I have made before and love; the salmon tartar with cream cheese topping. It is a great summery dish that looks more difficult to make than it is, plus you can prepare it in advance.

For the mains we had barbecued chicken with lemon and rosemary and barbecued leg of lamb marinated in red wine, garlic and rosemary. With this we served celeriac gratin, tomatoes provencale and small carrots.

The dessert was prepared in advance as well, the best way to do it for a large gathering I think. I had made an elderflower pannacotta with passionfruit on top, and it was really nice actually, made with mothers homemade elderflower cordial.

I poured the panna cotta into disposable plastic cups, not very sexy, but nice to skip the washing up, when there is 17 of you!

Thank you to all my great friends for coming!

Halloumi canapés with grilled peppers, serves 20 if combined with another canapé.

2 packets of halloumi

5 bell peppers

1 bunch of basil

crema di balsamico

olive oil for frying

cocktail sticks/small scewers

Cut the peppers into big chunks. Rinse and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Put the tray in the oven until the peppers are soft and has got some colour, about 25 minutes, 200C, this step you can do in advance.

Slice the hallomi and fry in olive oil until golden, just before serving. Place a piece of pepper and a piece of halloumi on a cocktail stick with a basil leaf in between. Place on platter and repeat until it is all used up. Drizzle crema di balsamico on the platter. Serve with napkins.

Crustades with girolles, serves 12-18 together with another canapé

2 packs (48 pieces) of crustades (you find them in Waitrose)

500 g girolles

butter for frying

150-200 g garlic and herb cream cheese

50 ml sourcream or creme fraiche

1 tsp honey

1 tsp dijon mustard

salt, white pepper

chives to decorate

Clean the mushrooms and chop them. Fry in butter on high heat. Remove from pan to a bowl and add the cream cheese, sour cream, mustard and honey. Season to taste. Fill the crustades with the mixture just before serving (otherwise the crustades go soggy). Cut the chives and sprinkle on top. Serve and enjoy!

Barbecued whole chicken with rosemary and lemon, 8-10 people at a buffet

2 medium chickens

50 g softened butter

rosmary

1 lemon

4 garlic cloves

Rinse the birds. Mix the butter with lemon peel and rosemary leaves. Season the birds and cut pockets in the skin above the breasts. Fill the pockets with butter and smear the rest of the butter around the birds. Cut the lemon in half and place each half the the bird’s cavarties. Place the chickens in a cooking bag each. Place 2 garlic cloves in each bag. Cut a small whole on the top of the bag (as a chimney) and place the chickens in the oven on 200C for about 45 minutes or until almost done. Remove from the bags and place on the barbecue and cook until done (clear juices at the joints).

Barbecued leg of lamb with red wine, rosemary and garlic, serves 12

2 legs of lamb

1 bottle red wine

1 bunch rosmary

garlic

Season the meat on all sides and place in a cooking bag each. Add rosemary sprigs and garlic to the bags and pour half the bottle in each bag. Let the meat marinate for 24 hours, make sure to turn the bag a few times so it marinated evenly. Cut a small whole on the top of the bags (as a chimney) and place the bags in the oven (200C) for about an hour. A meat thermometer is a great tool here, but unfortunately our old one in the summer house didn’t work. Take the meat out of the bags and barbecue at the end to get the crisp and sooty outside. Let the meat rest before carving.

Tomatoes provencale, serves 2-4

2 large tomatoes

3-4 tbsp grated parmesan

5 tbsp breadcrumbs

1 garlic clove

chopped parsley

olive oil

Cut the tomatoes in half (nicest if you cut vertically). Place with the cut side up and brush with oliv oil. Bake in 200 C for 15 minutes. Mix parmesan, breadcrumbs, garlic and parsley in a bowl. Add enough olive oil for the mixture to soak it up. Season the tomatoes and place a spoonful of the mixture on each halve. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Elderflower pannacotta, serves 6

700 ml cream (I mixed  single and double)

4 tbsp concentrated elderflower cordial (preferrably homemade)

40 g caster sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

3 gelatine leaves

Decoration: 2 passion fruits + 2 tsp icing sugar

It is best to make this dessert the day before serving so it has time to set properly. Cover the gelatine leaves with cold water in a bowl. Mix sugar, cream and vanilla in a non-stick saucepan. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves and add them to the cream mixture. Stir so they dissolve evenly. Add the elderflower cordial and leave the mixture for 30 minutes to cool down. Pour into plastic cups or small bowls. Leave to cool completely before putting them into the fridge. Leave them overnight to set.

On the same day, scoop out the passionfruit and mix with the icing sugar. Divide the mixture between the pannacottas and spread it out over the top. Serve and realise with the first spoonful that you have gone to heaven.