Tag: recipe

Updated: The Best Chicken Satay

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I already have a chicken satay recipe up on the blog, but the last time I made it I thought it was a little bit lacking, so with inspiration from Rosie’s version I sort of amalgamated the two into what I think is the perfect chicken satay.

The marinade, the cooking method and of course THE SAUCE all really matter here, and this is how I think it’s best enjoyed. I added the chillies after cooking so everyone can adjust the hotness they want, but don’t worry, the meat is still full of flavour! I highly recommend the tangy cucumber and radish salad and the sesame broccoli too – they both add another dimension (and some lightness) to the dish.

The Best Chicken Satay, serves 4

600 g chicken thigh fillets – diced into smaller pieces (2 cm x 2 cm or so)

8 garlic cloves, chopped

6 tsp ground coriander

4 tsp honey

1 tbsp black pepper (no, it is not a typo)

2 tsp salt

240 ml soy sauce

180 ml olive oil

wooden skewers soaked in water for an hour

To serve:

bunch fresh coriander, chopped

1 lime, cut into wedges

1-2 red chillies, chopped

Dice the chicken. Mix the ingredients for the marinade and pour into a bowl or a shallow dish. Add the chicken and make sure every piece is coated with the marinade. Leave it for at least 3-4 hours but preferably overnight in the fridge, covered by cling. Thread the chicken onto the skewers and place on an oven rack with a tin foil covered baking tray underneath (to catch the juices). Place the tray under the grill turned on medium-high. Grill the chicken for 10 minutes until nice and browned. Take it out, turn the skewers over and cook for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the rice (I prefer basmati), make the sauce and prepare the vegetables.

Satay sauce, serves 4

400 g coconut milk

8 tbsp smooth or chunky peanut butter

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 lime, the juice

salt and pepper

Bring the coconut milk to the boil. Add the peanut butter and let it cook for a few minutes. Add sweet chilli and lime juice until it is perfectly balanced. Season with salt and pepper.

Sesame broccoli, serves 4

2 packets tenderstem broccoli (approx 300 g)   

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

4 tsp sesame seeds 

1/2-1 lemon or lime, the juice 

salt and pepper 

Trim the dry ends of the broccoli. Place in a large frying pan and almost cover with boiling water. Add salt and cook for about a minute on high heat. Drain and return to the hot pan. Add sesame oil and squeeze with lemon. Toss and add sesame seeds and season.

Cucumber and radish salad, serves 4

1 cucumber

1 small bag/bunch of radishes

1/2 lime, the juice

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp mild olive oil

salt and pepper

Slice both vegetables thinly and place in a bowl. Add lime juice and oil, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Recipe: Fried Prinskorv in Brioche Buns with Truffle Mayonnaise and Crispy Onions

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One of the more substantial canapés at the Christmas party were these yummy little hotdogs! Fried mini pork sausages (prinskorv in Swedish, we use them mainly for special occasions, like holidays) served in pillowy brioche buns with truffle mayonnaise and crispy onions! They’re so good! But if you don’t like truffle, just flavour the mayonnaise differently or use ketchup instead.

But I highly recommend trying to use these sausages. They’re similar to frankfurters in the way that they are smoked but so much better. I got mine from Scandinavian Kitchen but I believe Ocado (in normal times) also carry similar sausages.

Fried prinskorv in brioche buns with truffle mayonnaise and crispy onions, makes 8

Translated from and adapted after Jessica Frej’s recipe.

8 prinskorv (or 4 regular sized sausages – preferably smoked ones)

4 brioche hot dog buns, cut in half

150 ml Hellman’s mayonnaise

3 tsp good quality truffle oil

approx 100 ml crispy onions

salt and pepper

more truffle oil for serving

Fry the sausages in a frying pan or in the oven. Mix mayonnaise with truffle oil, salt and pepper. Place a sausage in each (halved) brioche bun. Top with a tbsp mayonnaise and some crispy onions. Add a few drops of oil on top and serve.

Recipe: Mini Dauphinoise Potatoes with Roast Beef and Crispy Onions

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These mini dauphinoise potatoes topped with roast beef and crispy onions have become (one of) my signature party dish!

As you know, I like to feed people, and even if I host a party with only canapés they will be substantial enough for you not to stop my the kebab shop on your way home. At this party I had some lighter canapés mixed with some more filling little dishes like these. I usually stagger the canapés from light to filling and then the sweets to finish. But I also like to have put out bowls of nuts and crisps and sweets on tables, so there is something to munch on at all times. I can easily get hangry at parties (how often do we rush straight from work to a party without having eaten since lunch time?) so want there to be plenty of food so my guests can relax, have fun and know that they will get fed.

Mini Dauphinoise Potatoes with Roast Beef and Crispy Onions, makes 20

20 aluminium baking cases (or ramekins)

10-15 medium sized firm potatoes, peeled if you have the time

600 ml double cream (at least)

grated cheddar

salt and pepper

1 topside of beef (approx 800 g)

2 tbsp salted butter + 1 tbsp oil for frying

salt and pepper

1 tub crispy onions

Start with the beef as it can rest while the potatoes finish cooking. It doesn’t have to be warm, but don’t put it in the fridge.

Remove the meat from the fridge an hour ahead of cooking. Brown all around on high heat with butter and oil in the pan. Season well and place in a roasting tin. Place in a 180 C oven for approx 10-15 minutes depending on thickness (I like mine quite rare). Remove and place on a plate and let it rest for ten minutes. If the potatoes need longer cover with tin foil after it’s rested and keep warmish. Slice thinly just before serving.

Place the baking cases on a foil-lined baking tray. Slice the potatoes (I use a rotating grater for this, but you can use a regular grater or a knife too) thinly and fill the cases. Add salt and pepper. Pour cream almost to edge of each case. Top with a pinch of grated cheese and bake for 40-50 minutes on 180C fan or until soft (pierce the potatoes with pairing knife to check) and golden brown.

Place a slice of beef on top of each potato case and add a teaspoon of crispy onions. Add sea salt and serve with small forks.

Recipe: Cured Salmon Canapés with Dill Cream Cheese and Lemon

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These little canapés went down really well at our Christmas party. They’re really easy to make but will impress your guests. Why? For a number of reasons. 1. Not many people cure their own salmon, but they should as both the flavour and texture is so different from what one can buy. 2. It’s delicious. Salmon, cream cheese and dill go so well together and here they are in the purest form, i.e. without anything else (like bread) competing for their attention. 3. They look pretty. Yes, we eat with our eyes too and although these are so easy to throw together they look really delicious.

If you prefer, you could of course put the salmon and cream cheese on top of a cracker or piece of rye bread, but I had quite a lot of nibbles and some were very filling so wanted some lighter options for balance. Plus eating them like this they just melt in your mouth and that’s a rather nice experience!

Cured Salmon Canapés with Dill Cream Cheese and Lemon, makes about 30-35

Cured salmon

500 g salmon fillet

3 tbsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

Cure the salmon 48 hours before you intend to eat it. Place the salmon in a deep glass or china dish. Sprinkle the salt and sugar evenly on top of the salmon and pat it in. Add roughly chopped dill and cover with clingfilm. Put it in the fridge and place something heavy on top of the salmon (to help squeeze out the water in the fish) and leave it for 48 hours.

Once cured, pour away the water, rinse quickly in cold water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Cut into thin slices.

Dill cream cheese

340 g (large packet) full fat Philadelphia

6 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill

1 lemon, the juice

salt and pepper

Mix Philadelphia with dill in a bowl. Add lemon juice to taste. Season and mix again.

To assemble:

cured salmon

dill cream cheese

cocktail sticks

3 tbsp chopped dill

1/2 lemon, the juice

Take a slice of salmon and place a teaspoon sized dollop of the dill cream cheese in the middle. Roll it up and fasten with a cocktail stick. Place on a platter, squeeze with lemon and scatter with dill.

Recipe: Butternut Squash Canapés with Persian Pesto and Pomegranate Seeds

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Do you guys remember this lovely recipe? I’ve made it many times, and for our Christmas party I made it into bite size canapés, and it worked really well so of course I wanted to share with you what I did differently. Loved these as canapés! They’re a bit fun and different, refreshing amid meaty or heavy canapés and of course perfect for vegetarians. Plus they look gorgeous!

Instead of large wedges I cut the butternut squash into little triangles that I then topped with feta, pesto and pomegranate seeds.

Butternut squash canapés with Persian pesto, feta and pomegranate seeds, makes about 30

Adapted from Sabrina Ghayour’s recipe

1 large butternut squash, quartered lengthways (skin-on), and seeds removed 

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

150 g feta

100 g pomegranate seeds

For the pesto:

100 g pistachios

70 g parmesan

100 ml olive oil

1 small bunch coriander

1 small bunch parsley

1 small bunch dill

1 red chilli

1 lemon, juice only

2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Cut each wedge into 1 cm thick slices and place on lined baking trays, evenly spread out. Drizzle with oil, add salt and pepper and roast the squash for about 30-40 minutes, just until the edges have begun to brown slightly and they’re soft.

For the pesto, add the pistachios and cheese to a food processor. Pulse to break them into small pieces and add enough olive oil to slacken the mixture to your desired consistency (you may not need all the oil). Add all the herbs and a little more olive oil. Season generously with sea salt and give the mixture one last pulse. Taste the pesto, to make sure it has enough salt and acidity, and allow it to rest in the fridge until you need it. 

To serve, place the butternut squash pieces on a platter, spoon a little pesto on each and top with crumbled feta and pomegranate seeds.

Recipe: Beetroot Cured Salmon Toasts with Dill Cream Cheese and Prawns

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This was our starter on Christmas Eve. Not traditional but still with a nod to Christmas. And most important of all; it was so yummy!

It was my first time curing salmon with beetroot but I love the ombre effect and will definitely do it again. The beetroot doesn’t add any flavour – only the intense and lovely colour! But do wear gloves when handling it as the colour can stain your hands easily. And of course, cover your clothes with an apron.

Beetroot cured salmon toast with dill cream cheese and prawns, per toast

1 slice soft white bread

1 tbsp salted butter

2 slices beetroot cured salmon (recipe below)

5 peeled Atlantic prawns 

1 tbsp dill cream cheese (recipe below)

1 slice lemon

1 dill sprig

To serve:

honey mustard sauce mixed with creme fraiche

Fry the bread slice in butter on low-medium meat until golden brown on both sides. Drain on kitchen towel. Cut off the crusts with a serrated bread knife. Place 1 msk dill cream cheese on the bread and arrange the salmon slices around it. Add the prawns and decorate with a lemon slice and dill. Serve with the sauce on the side.

Beetroot cured salmon

600 g salmon fillet

3 tbsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

3 beetroots, peeled and coarsely grated (use gloves)

Cure the salmon 48 hours before you intend to eat it. Place the salmon in a deep glass or china dish. Mix salt, sugar, grated beetroot and dill in a bowl and pat into the top of the fish. Cover with clingfilm and place something heavy on top of the salmon and place in the fridge for 48 hours.

Once cured, pour away the water and scrape off the beetroot. Rinse quickly in cold water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Cut into thin slices.

Dill cream cheese

180 g (small packet) full fat Philadelphia

3-4 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1/2 lemon, the juice

salt and pepper

Mix Philadelphia with dill and lemon juice in a bowl. Add salt and pepper and mix again.

Recipe: Mini Rösti with Smetana, Bleak Roe and Chopped Red Onions

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In Sweden we love our own version of caviar; the bleak roe. It’s orange instead of black and the eggs are a lot smaller, and although quite different in taste than sturgeon caviar it’s just as delicious! And it’s native, so not as expensive and easier to get hold of.

But it’s still very much a special occasion type of food (even if that occasion is just a Friday night); we typically don’t eat it for breakfast on a Tuesday. As I (and I think every single Swede) love it so much, I often eat it when I’m home in Sweden, and always on New Year’s Eve. It’s perfect for nibbles and I love it on a little toast or on pizza (!) but this time I put it on little crispy röstis to avoid having too much bread (we also had the girolle toast so that was enough bread).

Rösti might seem daunting to make but it couldn’t be easier. All you need is a firm potato variety like Maris Piper, a grater and plenty of butter. And you know, salt and pepper and a nice topping.

Mini rösti with smetana, bleak roe and chopped red onions, serves 4 as a canapé

3-4 medium sized firm potatoes, peeled

3 tbsp salted butter

1 msk neutral oil for cooking

salt and pepper

To serve:

1 tub smetana or French full fat creme fraiche

1 tub bleak roe

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 bunch dill, finely chopped

1/4 lemon, the juice

Grate the potatoes on the coarse side of a grater. Gather the grated potatoes into little rounds, approx 1,5 inches in diameter. Heat up half the butter in a (preferably non-stick) frying pan on medium-high heat. Add a splash of oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted and the pan is hot, place the little röstis in the pan with some space in between (you will need to fry a second and maybe a third batch depending on the size of the frying pan). Flatten the potato rounds with a spatula and let it sit undisturbed until golden underneath. Add salt and pepper and turn over, fry undisturbed until golden on both sides. Season on top and remove to a plate covered with kitchen towel to drain. Repeat with another batch or two.

Put some of the rösti on a plate or platter and top with smetana, bleak roe, chopped onions and dill. Add a little squeeze of lemon and serve straight away.

Updated: Peanut Butter Noodles with Cucumber!

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I’ve made Nigella’s peanut butter noodles a lot (A LOT!!) through the years. It’s the easiest ‘instead of takeaway meal’ you can make at home and sooo satisfying. It’s lovely as it is, but when I saw that Deb at Smitten Kitchen added thinly sliced cucumber to her peanut butter noodles I thought I better try that and make sure I’m not missing out on something.

Since I already love Nigella’s noodle recipe and the Smitten Kitchen one seemed more cumbersome to make (the whole point here is ease) I thought I could just add the sliced cucumber to the noodles I usually make and see how that works out. And wow! It’s amazing how the addition of a thinly sliced watery vegetable without that much flavour to it, can take this dish to a whole other level!

When I make the peanut butter noodles I usually omit the vegetables in Nigella’s recipe and I’ve never cared for the sesame seeds, so I just top the noodles with coriander, lime and chopped salted peanuts. So without really trying to, I have changed the recipe enough to warrant an update of it here.

The addition of thinly sliced cucumber (best made using a cheese slicer – not a knife) is now my go-to version to eat it as it adds a freshness to it that’s just amazing together with coriander and lime. But sometimes I also add crispy chillies in oil to the mix as it’s good on practically everything!

Nigella’s peanut butter noodles my way – with sliced cucumber, serves 4

Heavily adapted from Nigella’s recipe.

Dressing:

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil (or regular olive oil)

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

100 g peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

2 tbsp lime juice

salt and pepper

Noodles:

550 g cooked and cooled egg noodles

To serve:

a handful toasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

a bunch coriander, chopped

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

4 lime wedges

In a large bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients. Add the noodles and mix well. Divide between bowls and top with chopped peanuts and coriander. Place the sliced cucumber on the side of the bowl and serve with a lime wedge.

Recipe: Bruschetta Bar Winter Edition

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When we were tired of heavy Christmas food on Christmas Day (we celebrate on Christmas Eve in Sweden) I threw together this Winter Edition Bruschetta Bar with various goodies we had at home.

A mix of reinvented leftovers, charcuterie and cheese. We had thinly sliced venison with remoulade and crispy onions, sun blush tomato cream cheese spread, olives, pata negra ham, homemade mayonnaise, saucisson, cured salmon and dill cream cheese. As well as cheeses, crackers and sliced pear.

It was the perfect antidote to heavy Christmas food as well as a really good way of using up leftovers. In summer I love tomatoes and burrata for the bruschetta bar, but in winter I think a spread such as this is better (tomatoes are a bit dull in winter), so I hope this could serve as some inspiration.

Recipe: White Chocolate Crème with Raspberries and Biscuit Crumbs

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This pudding is probably the easiest there is. Consisting of only two (!) ingredients this white chocolate crème is a breeze to make but also a total joy to eat. The acidity in the soured cream makes the crème feel less rich and the raspberries serve the same purpose while also adding a fruity freshness. The biscuit crumbs can be omitted but add a nice crunch.

White chocolate crème with raspberries and biscuit crumbs, serves 4

Adapted from and translated from Klas Lindberg’s recipe.

200 g good-quality white chocolate

300 ml soured cream

To serve: 

4 crunchy biscuits of your choice

20 raspberries

fresh mint to decorate

Melt the chocolate (over a Bain Marie or in the microwave), mix in the soured cream and stir until glossy and smooth. Pour into a cold bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Shape to quenelles and place in bowls. Decorate with raspberries, biscuit crumbs and mint.