Category: Vegetables

Griddled aubergine with feta, chilli and mint

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I have quite a large cookbook collection in London (too big for my book case anyhow) so I have to keep some cookbooks in Sweden as well. The ones with easy, summery recipes I keep in the summer house and I just love flicking through Summer by Nigella every time I’m there. This summer I finally tried these lovely aubergine rolls with feta, chilli and mint. They are incredibly easy to make, and utterly delicious to eat.

Griddled aubergine with feta, chilli and mint, serves 4

Adapted from Nigella’s recipe.

2 large aubergines (each cut thinly lengthwise into about 10 slices)

4 tablespoons olive oil

250 grams feta cheese

1 large red chilli (finely chopped & deseeded or not depending how hot you require it)

1 bunch fresh mint (finely chopped – save some for sprinkling over)

juice of 1 lemon

black pepper

Preheat the barbecue or griddle to a high heat.

Brush both sides of the aubergine slices with the oil, and cook them for about 2 minutes each side until golden and tender.

Crumble the feta into a bowl and stir in the chilli, mint and lemon juice and grind in some black pepper. You don’t need salt, as the feta is salty enough. Pile the end third of each warm aubergine slice with a heaped teaspoon of the feta mixture and roll each slice up as you go to form a soft, stuffed bundle.

Place join side down on a plate, and sprinkle with a little more mint.

New potato salad with asparagus and wild garlic pesto

Published on by Hanna1 Comment

IMG_1431It’s not peak season for wild garlic anymore (sob) but I have been slightly too busy lately to be able to post on the blog regularly. I’m hoping to redeem myself with this delicious (and super easy) recipe and higher posting frequency going forward.

If you don’t happen to stumble on some fresh wild garlic in an usually shady part of the woods you can use blanched frozen wild garlic too, or bookmark the recipe for next year.

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New potato salad with grilled asparagus and wild garlic pesto, serves 4

450 g new potatoes

200 g asparagus

1 batch wild garlic pesto

salt, black pepper

Make the pesto. Boil the new potatoes in salted water. Drain and leave while you fry the asparagus on a griddle pan until semi-soft. Cut each stalk into 3-4 pieces and cut the potatoes into chunks. Toss with pesto in a bowl and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve with various barbecued meats or this lovely pork fillet.  

Sweet potato fritters with coriander yoghurt and chorizo

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I really like this kind of lighter dishes for my supper. It’s still cooked food so feels like a proper dinner, just not as heavy. The coriander yoghurt is a nice, fresh contrast to the sweeter and earthier flavours of the fritters. Get in!

Sweet potato fritters with coriander yoghurt and chorizo, serves 2

1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated

70 g plain flour

1 egg

60 ml milk

1 tskp cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper or chilli flakes

salt, black pepper

10 cm chorizo, chopped

Sauce:

250 ml thick Greek yoghurt

1 decent bunch coriander 

1/2 lime, the juice

1 tbsp olive oil

salt, white pepper

Mix yoghurt and coriander with a blender. Add olive oil. Season to taste with lime juice, salt and pepper.  

Mix eggs and flour in a bowl. Add the milk and whisk until no lumps. Add the grated sweet potatp, spices, salt and pepper. Fry in butter and oil on medium heat until golden brown and cooked through. Remove and fry the chorizo pieces until crisp. Plate up and serve with the coriander yoghurt and chopped coriander.

Fried Brussel sprouts with shallots

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I never liked steamed Brussel sprouts as a child because of the strong cabbage smell that comes with them, and I’m not too fond of the smell as a grow up either. But fried in plenty of butter (it really is the answer to anything) and served with sweet shallots (or fried bacon) the sprouts taste wonderful and you escape that awful smell. I actually think my younger self would have liked this!

Fried Brussel sprouts with shallots, serves 3-4

500 g trimmed Brussel sprouts
1 echalion shallots, finely chopped
3 tbsp salted butter
Salt, pepper

Wash and trim the sprouts and cook until soft in salted water. Drain. Melt half the butter in a frying pan and add the shallots. Fry slowly on low/medium heat until golden brown. Add the rest of the butter and fry the shallots for a few minutes. Season.

Roasted beetroots with butter and grated horseradish

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Roasted beetroots may not sound too exciting, but trust me, these ones which were roasted with plenty of butter and served with grated fresh horseradish are delicious! Another veggie dish for Christmas, perhaps?!

Roasted beetroots with butter and grated horseradish, serves 4

750 g fresh beetroots

1 small splash mild oil

3 tbsp salted butter

grated fresh horseradish

salt, pepper

Use plastic gloves to avoid red hands. Peel the beetroots with a potato peeler and cut in half. Add some oil to an roasting dish and add the beetroots. Add a tbsp butter and season. Roast in 180C oven until soft, for approx 40 minutes.Turn them once in a while and add another tbsp butter halfway through cooking. Once soft, remove from the oven and toss them in some more butter. Add grated horseradish and serve. 

Creamed kale

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I was hosting the last book club gathering of the year and as it was Christmas themed I made meatballs and Jansson’s temptation but also a few vegetarian dishes, like this creamed kale. It’s very popular in Sweden for Christmas but not a traditional item on my family’s julbord, so it was fun to make it. It’s really nice too, full of flavour and not too creamy.

Creamed kale, serves 4-6

400 g chopped kale

5 dl vegetable stock (or beef stock)

1 tbsp butter

100 ml double cream

a small pinch of sugar

salt, white pepper

Rinse the kale, cook until soft in the stock, approx 25 minutes. Melt the butter in a sauteuse pan. Remove the kale from the stock with a slotted spoon and transfer to the pan. After a minute or so, add the cream and cook for approx 10 minutes. Season with sugar, salt and white pepper. 

Creamy mac ‘n cheese and broccoli slaw

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When the weather is biting cold and one has little energy or body warmth when stepping through the front door I’m of the opinion that mac ‘n cheese is the answer. It’s cheesy and comforting (for me that’s the same thing!), warm and filling and utterly delicious. Although there is no such thing as too much cheese it’s nice with something sharp cutting through the creaminess and this is where the broccoli slaw comes in. It’s fresh, zingy and healthy. The perfect counterpart to the heavy mac ‘n cheese!

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Creamy mac ‘n cheese, serves 3-4

250 g de Cecco, I used the Cavatappi shapes

1 tbsp salted butter

1 tbsp plain flour

100 ml semi skimmed or whole milk

150 ml single cream

1 large handful grated matured cheddar

1 tbsp white wine

salt, white pepper

more grated cheddar to go on top

Cook the pasta al dente. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan. Add the flour and stir for a few minutes. Add the milk a little at the time while whisking and the sauce thickens. Add the cream little by little while whisking until you have a thick bechamel. Add the cheese and stir while it melts on lower heat. Add the wine and season with salt and pepper.  

Drain the pasta and mix with the cheese sauce. Pour the cheesy pasta into an oven-proof dish, sprinkle with grated cheddar and place in 200C oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese on top is bubbly and golden. 

Broccoli slaw with lime, serves 3-4

1/2 head broccoli

2-3 carrots

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 lime, the juice

salt, black pepper

Slice the broccoli, including the stem and cut into matchsticks. Grate the carrots. Mix mustard and mayo in a bowl. Add the lime juice then add the vegetables. Mix well and season. 

Fried aubergine with saffron yoghurt and pomegranate seeds

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In the midst of excursions and heavy rainfall in Skåne, I actually managed to cook a little. Among other things this delicious aubergine dish courtesy of Sabrina Ghayour’s amazing cookbook Persiana. I definitely have a thing for aubergine and absolutely loved this and so did the few friends that got the opportunity to try it!

Fried aubergine with saffron yoghurt and pomegranate seeds, serves 4

Adapted and translated from Sabrina Ghayour’s recipe in Persiana.

2 large aubergine

olive oil for frying

2 good pinches saffron threads

1-2 tbsp boiling water

250 ml Greek yoghurt

1/2 lemon, the juice

sea salt

2-3 tbsp pomegranate seeds

parsley

Rinse and slice the aubergines lengthways. Either fry the slices in olive oil in a frying pan on the hob or on a baking tray in the oven until soft. Mix saffron and hot water and leave to cool. Mix yoghurt with the saffron water, season to taste with salt (maybe a tad of white pepper) and lemon juice. Chop the parsley. 

Distribute the aubergine slices on a platter, drizzle with saffron yoghurt and scatter pomegranate seeds and parsley on top.

Asparagus with chives hollandaise and pancetta

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Asparagus is probably my favourite vegetable, at least during the time it is in season. The rest of the year it is probably in second place behind the aubergine.

One reason I think I love asparagus so much is its compatibility with buttery sauces. If it didn’t work so well with hollandaise it probably wouldn’t be my favourite.

Last time I had asparagus and hollandaise I flavoured the sauce with chives and added some crispy pancetta to the plate. It was really delicious and a dish I will cook again and again. I had it as a starter but I would happily eat it for brunch too with an added poached egg.

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Asparagus with chives hollandaise and pancetta, serves 2

6-8 asparagus stems

6 thin slices pancetta

1 batch chives hollandaise (receipe below)

Break off the wooden part of the asparagus stems and cook in simmering water for 2-3 minutes. Drain. Fry the pancetta until crisp in a frying pan or in the oven. Make the sauce. Plate up and serve.

Chives hollandaise, serves 2-4

3egg yolks

150 g salted butter

1/2 – 1 tbsp lemon juice

salt and white pepper

1 bunch chives, chopped

Mix egg yolks and lemon juice in a non stick sauce pan (start off with only half a tbsp lemon juice if you don’t want the sauce too sharp, you can add more towards the end). Cut the butter into cubes and put one or two into the egg yolks, while whisking. Let all the butter melt before adding more butter cubes and repeat this until all the butter is used. The sauce will slowly thicken and when it is thick enough, remove it from heat, still stirring, season and add the chopped chives. Serve.

 

 

Frittata with asparagus, spinach and cheddar, topped with creme fraiche and lumpfish caviar

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This frittata bursting of spring greens and new potatoes is a new favourite of mine. I added some sharp grated cheddar to reduce the sulphur-y taste fried eggs, which I’m not a fan of, but you can omit the cheese if you prefer although it does make the frittata a little creamier. Topping the frittata with crème fraiche and lumpfish caviar is very Scandinavian but it works really well and makes the dish feel a little lush.

Frittata, serves 4 as a starter/light bite, serves 2 as a main course

200 g cooked new potatoes, sliced

6 asparagus stems, cut into 2-3 cm large pieces

100 g spinach

a knob of butter for frying

3 eggs

a splash of milk or cream if desired

50 ml grated sharp cheddar

salt & pepper

To serve:

crème fraiche

lumpfish caviar

Pre-heat the oven to 180-200C. Bring water to the boil in a saucepan and cook the asparagus fir 2 minutes. Drain. Beat the eggs in a bowl (and add a plash of milk or cream if desired), season. Heat up some butter in a oven-proof frying pan (no plastic handle) and wilt the spinach. Drain the excess water and add a little more butter. Add the potato slices and asparagus pieces and fry for a minute on high heat. Add the beaten eggs and lower the heat to medium. Let the eggs set at the bottom, scatter with grated cheddar and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the just set.  

Leave to cool for a few minutes, cut into pieces and serve with crème fraiche and caviar.