Fattiga riddare – sweet eggy bread

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When we make french toast in Sweden it is slightly different, we call it Fattiga riddare (which means poor knights), and it is just a sweeter version of french toast/eggy bread. It is usually served as a afternoon snack for children och as dessert, but you can also have it for breakfast like I had today.

1 slice per portion might sound like it won’t be enough, but I find this very filling so it is enough for me. If you want some more, just double the recipe.

Fattiga riddare, 2 portions

2 slices of white bread

1 egg

200 ml milk

75 ml flour

a pinch of salt

a knob of butter

granulated sugar

ground cinnamon

I cut the slices in half, but there is no need for that. Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour and salt. Dip the bread in it, make sure it is properly coated. Fry the slices golden och both sides in the butter on medium heat. Thereafter dip the bread in the sugar mixed with some cinnamon (after taste). Enjoy immediately.

Pasta carbonara

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I like to cook dishes that doesn’t need any specific ingredients, but only things I always have at hand. It feels like a free meal!

This is one of these free meals, as we always have eggs and bacon in our fridge, and most of the time parmesan and a bit of cream too.

Pasta carbonara, 2 portions

400 grams spaghetti

6 slices smoked streaky bacon

2 eggs

50 ml single cream

50 ml grated parmesan

blackpepper

salt

Cook the spaghetti the way you like it. Meanwhile, cut the bacon in small pieces and fry them on medium-high heat until they’re brown and crispy. Let some kitchen towel soak up the excess fat. Whisk the eggs and cream together and add the parmesan and blackpepper. Drain the pasta and pour the eggmixture over it and add the bacon. Make sure you coat everything with the sauce. Serve with some more black pepper and parmesan for those who want some, and it is nice to serve a salad with this creamy dish.

Sushi for lunch

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I had sushi from Wasabi for lunch. This happens once in a while, and everytime I tell myself not to have it again. Because it really isn’t that good. Look at my sushi above; massproduced, fresh though (otherwise they would be out of business), edible but not very tasty. From now on I won’t eat their sushi again. Promise!

Instead I will go to Tobiko in Covent Garden, where I never have been disappointed. They even made me love the maki rolls more than the nigiri again, because they have wonderful combinations in them. They just taste heavenly. Everything looks so much nicer and fresher and tastes amazing! And, they have proper ginger too, not the tiny prepacked shreds of ginger Wasabi have, but big juicy slices. Yum!

Are there any other sushi restaurants out there I should try?

Tosca cake

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In Sweden we have an amazing book for baking called Sju sorters kakor, and I dare to say that nearly all households own a copy. My mother had to buy a new one a couple of years back as the other one was falling apart after using it so much. You can buy the English version of the book, Swedish cakes and cookies, here. This recipe is from that incredible book.

Tosca cake

Cake:

100 grams butter

2 eggs

200 ml plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

50 ml milk or cream

Topping:

100 grams butter

100 ml granulated sugar

2 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp milk

100 grams chopped almonds

Butter a springform and cover the butter with breadcrumbs. Melt the butter for the cake and let it cool. Whisk egg and sugar fluffy and add the flour and baking powder mixed togeter, the butter and the liquid. Pour into the springform and bake for 20-25 minutes in 175 centigrade oven, at the bottom of the oven.

Meanwhile make the topping. Put all the ingredients in a pan, heat it up while stirring carefully until everything has blended together and thickened. Put the mixture on the cake and move it up to the middle of the oven. Bake for another 15 minutes or until it is golden and crispy.

Serve on its own or with whipped cream or custard. Or just with berries, like we did.

Bruschetta

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I love this simple appetizer. Perfect while waiting for the barbecue. Delicious!

Bruschetta, as an appetizer for 2 people

1 crusty baguette, about 20 cm long

2 tomatoes

fresh basil, half a bunch

1 clove of garlic

olive oil

salt and white pepper

Cut the baguette in slices and put them on a baking tray. Drizzle some olive oil on each slice. Peel the garlic and cut it in half length wise, and rub the clove over the bread to give it a hint of garlic. Toast in oven for 7-10 minutes in 200 degrees. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes and the basil, mix together and pour in some olive oil, season. When the bread is toasted, put a spoonful of the tomato mixture on each slice, be generous, but make sure you don’t put the juice on the bread (use a strainer if you want) as it goes soggy. Enjoy immediately!

Hasselback potatoes

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This is a Swedish classic, ‘invented’ in the 40s when there were plenty of potatoes but little of everything else.

Hasselback potatoes (Hasselbackspotatis)

White potatoes, as many as you need (2-3 per person)

olive oil

salt

white pepper

Peel the potatoes, then cut in half lengthwise. On every potato, make cuts 2 mm apart, nearly all the way through. It is a bit fiddly and you need to be gentle on the knife, but it is all worth it. Pour some olive oil on a baking tray, place the potatoes on it, drizzle over a bit more olive oil, season with salt and white pepper. Bake in 175-200 centigrade over for about 45 minutes, until crisp and golden. Best served with meat. We had steak, bearnaise sauce and asparagus. Yum!

Pasta with courgette, tiger prawns and parsley crème

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As you can see below, we forgot to take a picture before dinner, this is Christopher’s plate mid-dinner when I had finished (inhaled) mine. Very tasty!

The parsley crème is not my own creation, you find the Swedish original recipe here.

Pasta with courgette, tiger prawns and parsley crème, 2 portions

200 ml fresh parsley

50 ml olive oil and more for frying

150 ml creme fraiche

1 baby courgette

1 packet tiger prawns

1 clove of garlic, pressed

1 lemon

spaghetti

Start with the parsley crème; mix the parsley with olive oil. Then stir in the creme fraiche, squeeze half the lemon in and season with salt and pepper (it needs quite a lot of salt). Next slice the courgette finely and cut the slices in half. Fry until golden in olive oil, then remove from the pan. Cook the spaghetti. Then use the same frying pan as before, warm up some oilve oil on low heat and add the garlic, then the prawns. When they’re slightly golden, squeeze the other half of the lemon over it and let it reduce a little, season with salt and white pepper. Add the courgettes. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and mix with most of the parsley crème. Plate the pasta and put the courgettes and prawns on top of the pasta, then dollop some of the remaining crème on top. Enjoy immediately!

 

Baby back ribs

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This ‘recipe’ is hardly considered cooking; the oven does all the job for you, but this is a great dinner when you can’t be bothered to cook but don’t want to order in.

Baby back ribs 2 portions

0.5 kg rack of loin ribs

barbecue marinade, I used Newman’s Own

Put the oven on 175-200 centigrade, it all depends on the oven. I have to put mine on 175 otherwise the ribs get dry and a bit burned. Take a big oven dish and put the ribs meatside down and brush some marinade on the rack, just enough to coat it. Bake for about 30 minutes, they should have a lovely brown colour by now and your house will smell divine. Turn the rack around and brush some marinade on the other side, put back in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Take them out and cut them up – that’s it!

In the meanwhile I made some potato wedges that needs about 40 mins-1hr in the oven (potato cut in wedges, coat lightly in olive oil + spices (BBQ or Cajun is great with the ribs)). Serve with coleslaw for an American feel and some nice sauces. On my plate we have cold bearnaise sauce, and creme fraiche with sambal oelek. Enjoy!

Mexican chicken quiche

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In Sweden we eat a lot of quiche, I have no idea why, but you find quiche recipes everywhere. This is not a traditional quiche, but it’s very tasty. You find the original recipe in Swedish here, since this is not my own recipe, but enjoy it anyway! 🙂

Mexican chicken quiche

Pastry:

Either readymade puff pastry (which I used) or:

50 grams butter (at room temperature)

150 ml plain flour

1 tbsp water

Just mix together and cover the quiche dish. If you use puff pastry, roll out and cover the dish. Peck wholes in the pastry using a fork. Pre-bake at 225 degrees for 10 minutes.

Filling:

5-8 feferonis or pickled jalapenos

1/2 grilled chicken, de-bone and cut into smaller pieces

10 button mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, or shallots, chopped

150 grams cream cheese

1/2 jar chunky salsa (preferably homemade)

300 ml grated cheese

Fry the onion, mushrooms and chicken, add the salsa and cream cheese and simmer a few minutes. When the pastry is cooked, sprinkle the chillis over the base, then add the chicken mixture. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is golden.

Serve with a nice salad.

Brownie cupcakes

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This is not really a brownie recipe, but I don’t know how else to describe them. They are moist, a bit gooey in the middle but crisp on the outside. Best way to find out is to make a batch!

Originally this recipe is for a springform, make sure to butter the tin and dust it with breadcrumbs or flour so the cake won’t stick to the tin. In Sweden we call this Kladdkaka.

Pimm's and brownie cupcakes with whipped cream. Only one word for that: yum!

20 Brownie cupcakes or one kladdkaka

300 ml granulated sugar

150 ml plain flour

4,5 tbsp cocao

1 tsp vanilla sugar

a pinch of salt

2 eggs

150 grams melted butter

Mix all the dry ingredients together, pour in the eggs and the butter and stir. Pour into cake cases. Bake in 200 centigrade oven for about 15 minutes. When cool, pipe some whipped cream on top and decorate with silver balls and strawberries. These keep for days (without the cream on top) in a plastic bag or cake tin.