Scandelights

Theatre, cooking and a chilled weekend

Published on October 10, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The third week in September the nice weather continued. For most of the week at least.

So I made the best of it eating a lot of caprese salads. With the best supermarket mozzarella I have ever come across. Yum! Some leftover charcuterie from the weekend added some protein as well.

In the evening we had dinner at Honest Burgers on Southbank before we went to see Peter Gynt (an adaptation of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt set in modern day Scotland) at The National Theatre. It was really long and I’m not sure the adaptation really worked, but it was still nice to see it.

The next day I once again had caprese for lunch (can’t get enough) but with the addition of avocado and prosciutto. So yummy!

I also managed to eat a whole bag of Swedish Polly sweets in just a few days. Wish I had bought more though. Other than work I didn’t do much on Wednesday. Had toast for dinner and went to bed early.

But Thursday night I spent some time in the kitchen. We pretended it was Friday and I made us a three course dinner consisting of puff pastry bites (recipe to come), pasta al limone (will post this soon) and white chocolate crème with raspberries (also to come). Now that I have someone to cook for I enjoy cooking for just myself a bit less.

Friday we had eggs for breakfast and I worked from home the whole day. In the evening we had dinner at Home SW15 (love their shrimp burger!) before going to the cinema to see Once upon a time in Hollywood. Such a great film!

Saturday I had a lie-in, did some errands and had store-bought pizza for dinner in front of a film I’ve wanted to see for a long time now; All the president’s men with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as the Washington Post journalists uncovering the Watergate affair. Really good!

On the Sunday I had another lie-in and stayed inside all day as it was pouring down with rain the whole day. I read a lot, put on a face mask and made a very simple pasta for dinner (cheese tortellini with browned butter, parmesan and lemon). It was a day of rest and so needed.

Norfolk: seafood dinner at The Hoste

Published on October 9, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

One of the evenings in Norfolk in August we all went out for dinner at The Hoste in Burnham Market. It was my first time there, but the others had all been before.

To start I just had to have the Norfolk oysters, as it’s such a treat to have fresh local seafood, and they did not disappoint. Lovely, almost buttery, oysters. So yummy!

Most of us around the table had the Lobster Thermidor and fries as our main course and it was really nice. We had a really nice dinner here, but the service could have been a lot faster and more attentive, so I hope that improves.

But nice food and atmosphere!

The Hoste, The Green, Burnham Market, King’s Lynn PE31 8HD

Picnic, black tie party and concert!

Published on October 8, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The second week of September we had quite nice weather. An Indian summer almost. But even so a Monday is still a Monday and I just stayed in after work. Read a new book by one of my favourite authors and just took it easy.

Tuesday I had caprese with burrata for lunch and it made me so happy it was salad weather again!

In the evening we had dinner at Green Room before we went to the Margaret Atwood talk at The National Theatre. She was of course amazing, and so were the three actresses reading chapters from her new book!

The following day I went to The New Forest for work during the day and had my Pret lunch by my desk as usual.

Back in London in the evening I met up with a friend for impromptu cocktails and pizza. So fun!

Thursday I switched up my caprese salad a bit and added avocado – so yummy!

As it was a glorious day I took the opportunity to do work errands AND enjoy my first and only frappe this summer.

In the evening I made a really quick supper, consisting of cheese filled tortellini and fried mushrooms from the freezer. Super speedy and yummy! I also watched the first episode of a new series that seems promising; The Loudest Voice.

On Friday I made some puff pastry slices topped with prosciutto and tomatoes as a starter and then made our favourite prawn pasta, but without the mushrooms.

Saturday started with a lie-in and a cooked breakfast, as usual.

And then we decided to have a little picnic in the park so we could enjoy the gorgeous weather!

In the evening we went to a fun black tie party by the river and we got to sip champagne while taking in this view and sunset. A good start indeed.

But we also had our faces painted by a really talented artist and enjoyed a hog roast followed by an ice cream of your choice! Such a great evening!

Another lie in and another cooked breakfast on the Sunday before we got ready.

We shared a pizza for lunch before heading east, using several different modes of transport.

First the tube, then the DLR and then this cable car that I hadn’t tried before. Not the fastest route to the O2 but definitely the most fun!

Then we had dinner at Gaucho, enjoying steak, fries and red wine.

Next we had some drinks in the Sky Backstage bar while waiting for the concert to start.

We saw Muse for a second time this year and as this concert was smaller it was a bit more intimate, but I loved both concerts equally. And the new album is so good!!

Back home we had toast and hot chocolate before bed to unwind after a pretty full on but amazing weekend!

Recipe: chewy chocolate cookies (gf)

Published on October 5, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

These deliciously chewy chocolate biscuits happen to be gluten-free, and that’s why I decided to make them in the first place; for a friend who can’t have gluten, but as I suspected they were so lovely that I will keep making them for myself as well.

Because they don’t contain gluten-free flour they’re not a regular cookie made into a gluten-free version. Instead the technique is completely different using eggs and corn flour to bind a mixture of mainly melted chocolate. Yes, they’re THAT chocolate-y!

Gluten-free chocolate cookies with sea salt, makes 20-25

Translated from and adapted after Brinken Bakar’s recipe.

135 g caster sugar

40 g butter, softened

2 eggs

45 g corn flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

250 g dark chocolate

120 g white chocolate, chopped

sea salt

Pre-heat the oven to 160C fan. Melt the dark chocolate in a Bain Marie and leave to cool slightly. Whip the butter with electric beaters fir approx 2 minutes, then add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs; first one, then whisk and then the other and whisk. Mix corn flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and add to the egg mixture. Add the melted chocolate. If the mixture feels too runny leave it to thicken for while. When the mixture is cool, add the white chocolate. Spoon out the mixture onto baking tray covered with parchment paper. Scatter with sea salt and bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes. Leave to cool. They are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Sweden: prawn sandwiches by the sea

Published on October 4, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

As you might have learnt from this blog, us Swedes LOVE seafood. I ate prawns every single Friday night through my childhood and I still love them. Like a lot.

So every chance I get to eat nice (cold water) prawns I take. Like when I was at home in Sweden in the summer and my parents suggested we try out the local café in Smyge (the most southern point in the country!) because their prawn sandwiches are talked about a lot and meant to be really good!

So on my boyfriend’s last day visiting we had lunch there, in their cosy little garden a stone’s throw from the sea.

They offer prawn sandwiches in three different sizes and we all decided on medium as that looked pretty big to us. And what we received was the perfect specimens of a Swedish prawn sandwich. It had soft white bread that’s still sturdy enough to not go soggy, lettuce, a nice amount of mayonnaise and sliced boiled eggs and a small mountain of Atlantic prawns peeled by hand. And of course lemon, dill and tomato and cucumber slices as decoration.

So nice, and extremely filling! We only had a hot dog each for supper as we were too full to have something resembling a proper dinner. Great place! Highly recommend. Especially when you can sit outside in the garden. Inside is quite rustic, but I can see it being cosy too.

Café Smyge, Smyge strandväg 4F, 231 78 Smygehamn, Sweden

Autumn, nights in and seeing friends

Published on October 3, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

September and it seems like autumn arrived when I wasn’t looking. The week before it was summer and then this. I can’t say that I was prepared for such a sudden change, or that I liked it. But I of course dealt with it.

By slowing down, concentrating on work and staying inside a lot more (since the weather changed drastically to cold, windy and rainy).

The first day back after a lovely summer of leisure (and some work, but broken up by fun plans and weekends away) I concentrated on getting on top of things work wise and to catch up on sleep. So I had Shake Shack for dinner and an early night.

The following day was pretty much the same, but without the burger. And it was so needed to just introvert for a few days and catch up on chores (hello laundry) and getting back on track.

On the Wednesday I had enough energy left after work to whip up some tortilla pizzas (which isn’t exactly hard but that’s all I could muster) and finished reading a brilliant book, which I highly recommend; The Silent Patient. One of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a while!

Thursday and more comfort food, I had homemade (and by “made” I mean assembled) chicken escalope burger with cheese and grilled peppers. And I watched a film I missed when it was on at the cinema; Call me by your name. Really sweet film!

Friday I ventured outside to meet a friend for dinner at a pub in Surbiton. It was low key and lovely to catch up so perfect for a Friday.

The following day I had a long lie-in and then did some errands locally and treated myself to a coffee and custard filled croissant at a café nearby.

Back home I went up to the roof terrace to enjoy some sunshine as it was finely nice weather again!

I didn’t feel great on Sunday but after a morning in bed I managed to meet two friends for a late Sunday lunch followed by an ice cream and a stroll in the park. A perfect Sunday activity, and all in all a good first week back.

Recipe: spaghetti carbonara with girolles

Published on October 2, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

As we’re bang in the middle of the mushroom season (and it looks like a great mushroom year this year, judging from the bounty my foraging friends present) I thought it appropriate with a little homage to the lovely girolle. Which also happens to be one of my favourite mushrooms!

I think mushrooms and pasta go well together, and I have several great recipes on the blog already, but as I learned to perfect a proper carbonara I couldn’t help but experiment with it too. You see, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that the addition of girolles to the creaminess and saltiness of a carbonara would work really well, and so I tried it out on my favourite guinea pigs; my best friend, her husband and my boyfriend.

As I really wanted the girolles to take center stage I was afraid the salty pancetta would take over, but with the double amount of girolles compared to pancetta in weight, it worked really well. I also fried the mushrooms separately to the pancetta, adding plenty of butter, garlic and seasoning to really make them hold their own.

Hope you like my little experiment as much as I do. For me, this is just the perfect Friday night pasta, especially in autumn, obviously paired with a large glass of smooth red wine and great company.

Spaghetti carbonara with girolles, serve 4

6 egg yolks

80 g parmesan + extra for serving

175 g good quality pancetta, diced

350 g fresh girolles, washed and patted dry

2 tbsp butter

400 g dried good quality spaghetti

2 garlic cloves

olive oil

salt and black pepper

Put the egg yolks. in a bowl and grate the parmesan into the bowl. Add some pepper and mix thoroughly with a fork. Put to the side. Cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the instructions on the packet, until al dente.

Fry the mushrooms in butter and a little oil on medium-high heat. Finely chop a garlic clove and add it to the pan. Season well. Pour the mushrooms into a bowl and leave to cool a little. Fry the pancetta in oil on medium-high heat. Peel a garlic clove, crush it with the palm of your hand and add to the pan – remove it if it browns or when the pancetta is cooked. Drain the cooked pancetta on kitchen towel.

Fill a mug or small jug with pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Mix the spaghetti with the pancetta and mushrooms and remove from heat. Pour everything back into the pasta pan, add some pepper and some of the pasta cooking water. Add the egg and parmesan mixture and mix well. Add more pasta water if the mixture is too dry. Divide into bowls and serve with grated parmesan and black pepper.

Hello October!

Published on October 1, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

To welcome October (and autumn) I thought I would look back at some great recipes that I’ve posted through the years here on Scandelights.

As I’m usually behind with my posts (as in I write and publish them a while after they happened) I thought this would be a good way to highlight some more seasonal recipes each month.

Although I’m a summer person I also love this time of year; the beginning of fall (before I get depressed mid-November) when the air is crisp, it feels cosy to stay in and cook and drink red wine (rosé, you’re retired until April!) and binge box sets. I love lighting candles and curling up on the sofa with a soft blanket.

The recipes I have selected definitely reflect this cosy feeling October gives me. We have warming soups, a comforting stew, lots of lovely mushroom recipes (as it’s their peak season right now) and of course APPLES!

And that’s where I’d like to start; with the apples! And this lovely apple cake to be precise. I don’t love the gooey kind much, but this one is different. It’s more cake-y and it has a crunchy top which really makes it stand out!

Staying on sweets, I think the best autumnal pudding is a really good crumble, and this Delia recipe is the best I’ve tried. It warms you from the inside out and is the best way to use up any autumnal fruits. It works with plums, apples, pears or a mixture of them all. Serve with this fluffy raw custard and you’ll really impress your guests!

Moving on to soups, I’ve started with a selection of easy to make soups that are sort of autumnal light, let’s save the heavier ones for November when we really need it! First up is this British classic: carrot and coriander soup. It’s perfect for a weeknight supper with a cheese toastie on the side, or do as us Swedes and have pancakes after.

Next we have a really lovely and filling cream of corn soup with lovely toppings (don’t skip these). Use fresh corn while it’s still in season!

soppa2

Moving on to my favourite category: mushrooms, what’s better than starting with a mushroom soup – a recipe that fits in two camps and probably makes it the most October appropriate of them all! The addition of sherry it what really makes it stand out (in a good way) and also makes it totally dinner party worthy as a starter.

Next we have this open lasagne with mushrooms, thyme and truffle ricotta. It’s just as lovely as it sounds and very easy to make! Definitely qualifies for a dinner party or date night!

As I love love love girolles there are a fair amount of lovely recipes here featuring them already, so I thought I’d highlight two of my favourites. This delicious pizza bianco with butter-fried girolles and Vasterbotten cheese (available at Ocado, or can be substituted for a sharp cheddar or comté)…

…and this girolle cannelloni. So delicious! And albeit a little fiddly it’s quite therapeutic to make and totally worth the labour!

The last mushroom recipe features black trumpet and is a lovely dish with crispy pork belly, Jerusalem artichoke purée and a creamy black trumpets. Such a lovely dish!

Moving on to stews, like with the soups I think it best to save the heavy artillery for next month, but this aubergine and chorizo stew to have with creamy delicious polenta is a good one for October!

Lastly, I’m sharing a tomato recipe. I know, the season is almost over, but only almost. So let’s make the best of the last few locally grown tomatoes we can find and make this pappa al pomodoro with burrata. You can thank me later.

If you have any favourite October recipes you’d like to share, please leave a comment below! ❤️

Summer in Norfolk and a long weekend in Italy

Published on September 28, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The last week in August was mainly a week of fun for me; not a lot of work. Monday was a bank holiday so we were all off and I had Tuesday and Friday off. Wednesday and Thursday I worked from Norfolk and so had the evenings there at least.

Monday was a gloriously sunny day so we went on a little trip to Holkham Hall with the children. First we spent some time in the lovely (and big) playground and then went for a little walk around the estate, stopping by the lake so we could all go on a little rowing adventure. So in we went, four adults, three children and a small dog all in the same rowing boat. It was such a lovely little outing and the perfect activity on a hot day. While the children and their parents stayed to have lunch my boyfriend’s mother and I drove to the golf club to have lunch with our boy, and also the proud winner of that weekend’s golf competition!

After lunch we went down to the beach for a swim and drying off in the sun, before grabbing an ice cream on the way to the car.

In the evening we toasted the winner with champagne and had a lovely dinner prepared partly by us all. Somebody did the food shopping, another took care of the wine, somebody manned the barbecue and yours truly contributed with a smoked paprika butter for the steak, potato salad, tomato salad and a green salad with avocado.

The next day I had the day off so we made the most of it with a little road trip. Starting with crayfish baguettes in Brancaster Straithe because I had heard so much about them and then a little boat trip in Wells-next-the-Sea.

It was really fun to see a working (and thriving) commercial harbour with boatload after boatload of fresh lobster and crab. Our little boat trip went out to one of the lovely beaches and back out again and it was so much being on the sea for a little while.

After a lovely artisan ice cream we drove back to get ready for a dinner party. It started with rosé and blinis with smoked salmon and sour cream in the garden and then we moved inside for the rest of the evening. Another lovely evening!

Wednesday I locked myself in a room during the day to work, but came out for lunch and of course in the evening. We had fresh crab with mayonnaise and salad for lunch and it was probably the best lunch that week! So yummy!

In the evening we had a little date night, just him and me, and went to The Jolly Sailor for pizzas and then to another pub for a drink afterwards. So nice with a chilled and cosy evening just the two of us.

On Thursday I worked during the day and in the evening we had lasagne for dinner, followed by meringues, berries and cream for pudding. Then it was time to say goodbye to lovely Norfolk and drive back to London as we were going away again early the next morning.

On the Friday morning we flew to Milan, rented a car and drove to Piedmont where our friends were waiting for us.

After some delays we arrived just in time for the wine tasting and basically started our stay by drinking four large glasses of lovely local wines. A good start indeed. After a very speedy shower and change of clothes, the whole group (we were here for a wedding!) had aperitivo outside, followed by a whole buffet of antipasti followed by pasta and pudding at the table. And the wine was flowing! Such a lovely evening toasting the happy couple and listening to Italian live music. Around midnight the day had caught up with us (we had about 4 hrs sleep the previous night plus all the travelling) so after a quick dip in the pool we went to bed and slept and slept.

The next day (our friend’s wedding day!) started with a late breakfast and then we joined the others by the pool. We had lovely salads for lunch (caprese and ham and melon) and then I decided to practice my speech but I ended up tweaking it as well.

Then it was time to get ready for the wedding and join everyone but the happy couple for bubbly and nibbles before we followed the cellist to the spot among the vines where the wedding ceremony would take place. It was such a beautiful wedding! Afterwards we walked back down to the hotel to toast the happy couple before we sat down for dinner.

It was a lovely and long wedding breakfast with great food, nice wines and lots of speeches, singing and games. Afterwards we watched the bride and groom cut the cake and have their first dance. Then the dancing continued until the early hours when most of the guests gathered by the pool for a swim before going to bed.

The next day we had brunch at the hotel and after some more time by the pool we packed up and drove to Acqui Terme for lunch, at a place recommended by the sommelier at the hotel.

Next we stopped at some Roman ruins and made a few stops on the way to the airport.

Such a lovely week! It feels so much longer when you visit different places. And I loved that we got a little bit more of the gorgeous summer weather, both in Norfolk and of course, in Italy (where I definitely would expect it!).

Sweden: escaping the rain – lunch at Strandtugg

Published on September 26, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

I usually bang on about how great Swedish summers are to my London friends, and although that is completely true, we of course have some less glorious days too.

When the sky is dark and the clouds are brooding and you know the thunder and lightning are not far away. But the summer lover that I am, I refused to really believe the weather forecast and still met up with my childhood friend Henrik and his two children on the beach. Mainly because we didn’t really know what else to do!

We managed a half an hour or so of playing in the sea and sand until the raindrops started to fall, in a rapid succession, so we packed our things and sprinted to the nearest place for shelter. Luckily the nearest place was a brand new (new for this year!) restaurant that were just about to start serving lunch. Perfect timing!

So we installed ourselves at a table upstairs and had a lovely lunch as the storm continued outside.

I had the weekly pasta which this particular week was tortellini with smoked salmon in a creamy sauce. It was nice-ish but nothing spectacular and I must admit I was a little disappointed and got a serious case of food envy when I saw Henrik’s Wallenbergare (basically a large meatball made with veal mince) with potato purée and lingonberries.

He confirmed it was really good, and I know what to order next time. As we finished our lunch the storm had passed and the sun came out, so we did get that glorious sunny day after all. So we went for a walk and in search of ice cream!

Apart from being a good place to shelter from thunder storms I could see myself sitting on the deck here drinking rosé and overlooking the beach on a balmy summer’s evening. Let’s make a plan for that next year!

Strandtugg, Östersjövägen 79, 236 36 Höllviken, Sweden