Tried and Tested: Chicken Korma

 

Indian food is very popular here in the UK. So much so that Indian dishes have been voted the nations favourite food for years. Although, I am sure many Indian dishes in the UK are adapted to a European palate and very different from their original version. However, I am offering you here our family's take on a very popular curry - Chicken Korma. With its mild, fragrant and tasty herbs and spices it suits most people - particularly if you are not too keen on very hot and spicy food. It truly is a tried and tested recipe which has now settled in this form:

 

You need:

1kg Chicken breast or mini breast fillets
(You can obviously substitute the chicken with lamb, beef or game)

1 heaped tablespoon of finely grated fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic, minced
150g thick (plain) yogurt
1 dried red chilli

2 finely chopped onions

1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil

1 tbsp ground coriander
Pinch of ground black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala

water
75g creamed coconut
salt to taste

2 heaped tbsps. ground almonds
finely chopped Coriander Leaves, to garnish
juice of  1/2 lemon

This is how you do it:

 

Cut the chicken breasts into bite sized chunks and mix it with the ginger, garlic and yogurt. It is preferable to then cover it and marinade for 12 hours or in the fridge overnight.

On the day of cooking you need to liquidise the chopped onion and red chillies, add a little water if you need to blend til a smooth paste.

Heat the ghee/oil in a pan and add the ground coriander, ground black pepper, turmeric and garam masala and stir fry for about 1-minute over a low heat.

 

Turn up the heat, add the onion and chilli paste and stir fry for 5-10-minutes.

Add the chicken with the yogurt marinade and continue to stir fry for another 10-minutes.

Add the creamed coconut and enough water to *just* cover the chicken (be careful not to add too much water as the flavour may become watery). Bring it to the boil and stir in the ground almonds.

Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is tender (30-40 minutes).

Remove from heat, add lemon juice and salt to taste. Mix well.

 

Serve with basmati rice and salad of finely chopped tomato, red onion, flat leafed parsley and mango .

 

Tried and Tested: Sholezard (Persian Saffron Rice Pudding)

picture borrowed from the web

My in-laws have been living with us for quite a while and I am very spoilt with coming home to ready made dinner most days. I tend to do the cooking on the weekends, both to give my mother-in-law a break, but also because I truly enjoy cooking. She is a very good cook, but there are still the occasional Iranian dish not included in her repertoire which I make on occasion. Traditional Iranian cuisine is based on the use of lots of fresh vegetables, pulses, beans, meat, rice and fruit. There are not as many desserts as in Scandinavian cooking, as fresh fruit is often the preferred end to a meal.

 

Here is an exception to this rule:

Sholezard

(or Persian Saffron Rice Pudding)

 

You need:
250 grams rice

2 l water
 400 grams sugar
4 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon cardamom
 1/2 teaspoon saffron
 2 tablespoons crushed almond

 

For decoration:
 cinnamon and either slivered almonds or pistachios

This is how I do it:
Wash the rice a few times until the water is clear, then drain.

Add the 2 l of water and bring to a boil, removing the foam.

Cook for 30 mins and then add the sugar and stir well.
Dissolve the saffron in 2 tablespoons of hot water and add to the mix.

Add the oil, cardamom, and the crushed almonds as well. 

Stir carefully, cover and cook at low temperature for another 20 mins. 

Take the lid off and cook for another 20-30 mins.

Chill and serve with pistachio, almond and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Iranians make the most elaborate decorations - I am not well versed in this respect...

 

Some add rosewater to the rice while it is cooking, but I omit this as I am not keen on the taste or smell of rosewater.

This rice pudding has a strong flavour of saffron, but it is actually very light, although very sweet.

 

I made it last weekend and it was well received

:-)

Tried and Tested: Sylterull number 2 or Norwegian Pork Roll 2

I am really pleased with the result of this year's pork roll recipe. Here is my other version of how to make it. This version was simple, straight forward, little mess and it is nice and firm.

 

I got the recipe from MatPrat.No and here is the English version of how I made it:

 

You need an approx. 1.5 kg slab of pork belly

No bones and preferably not scored, but it doesn't matter too much

You might need to go to a butcher to get a big enough piece

 

Cover it completely with water and let it simmer for about 2 1/2 hours

 

In the meantime, mix in a bowl and set aside:

1 1/4 table spoon salt

1 tea spoon ground pepper

1 tea spoon ground clove

1 tea spoon ground all spice

1 tea spoon ginger

3 tea spoons gelatine powder - equivalent of one sachet of gelatine powder from Dr Oetker

(the recipe called for 5, but I put in three and it is ample!)

 

Take the meat out of the water and let it cool so it can be handled

 

Take the skin off in as whole pieces as possible

 

Bring out a bread mould and generously line it with cling film letting the ends hang over the sides so you have enough to cover the meat at the end

 

Take the skin and put a layer with the outer side down in the bread mould

 

Sprinkle some of the spice mix on the skin

 

Cut up the meat - it says to do it in nice slices, but mine crumbled no matter how I cut it and it doesn't seem to matter too much

 

Put a layer of meat on the spices

 

Alternative putting the spice mix and the layers of meat

 

Build it as high as possible in the mould

 

 

End with a final layer of the skin, this time the outer side out

 

 

 

Cover it with the clingfilm

 

 

 

Put it in a press (of 2-3 kg) or use a heavy frying pan/books/etc and leave it in the fridge till the next day.

 

It is now ready!

 

I decided to divide mine in two and freeze them, but you can also put it in brine to keep it in the fridge.

 

Bring on the mustard!

 

 

Deep Blue Gig

 

 

What a weekend!

 

Starting with a great birthday party on Saturday for another dear friend being introduced to to the "50+ club" and ending last night out on the town supporting a friend's gig! Well done, T!

 

December is such a busy month with all sorts of lovely, fun activities!

 

And I even managed to bake Berlinerkranser, Biscotti and Red Onion Marmelade...!

 

Tonight I am planning to make "ribbesylte" - after a new recipe.

I will let you know if it is better than my old recipe

(which happens to be one of my most viewed blog posts!)

 

But first off to the last yoga session of the term!

Much to Celebrate and a Taco Chicken Tip!

Yes, there is no denying it.
This month it is

50 years since President Kennedy was killed,

50 years since C.S. Lewis who wrote the Narnia books died (he died the same day as Kennedy - which is probably why nobody remembers) 

50 years since Dr Who was first aired and
 

50 years since I was born in a hospital in New Jersey!

 

It sounds very grown up - being 50... Hope it isn't compulsory...!

☺

I am truly blessed with all the celebrations in my honor with lots of attention from dear friends, visits from Norway, meals out and a fun party last weekend!

So far, turning 50 has been nothing but FUN!

Over to the Spicy Chicken Tip:

Due to my illness this summer, I am 'using up' holidays from the previous holiday year (our holiday year runs from 1 October - 30 September) by having every Friday off. It feels like a real luxery - I could get used to this!

☺

So, sitting this morning with a cup of coffee reading blogs, I came across Trine's Matblogg with a recipe for making your own taco spices. Taco is much loved in this house and by putting together the spices yourself it isn't just cheaper, but you are also in control of how much sugar and salt you consume!

 

Homemade taco spice:

 

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 1/2 teaspoons chiliflakes 

2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons paprika powder (I use the hot smokey variety)

2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 tablespoons seasalt

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Be aware that spices can vary in strength, so start out carefully.

 

Despite liking taco, I got fed up with the usual taco recipes with minced meat, cheese, etc, etc. Instead, I often roast chicken with the spices.

Here is my simple Taco Chicken recipe:

take one raw chicken

place it in a roasting bag

add a couple of tablespoons of taco spices

close the bag

shake vigoursly to spread the spices

roast the chicken in the oven for the time suggested on the roasting bag pack

Voila!

One VERY succulent, juicy, spicy taco flavoured chicken!

Well, I'd better get a move on. First Sunday of Advent is coming up and Our Young Man is expecting an advent calendar - as usual! I have got 19 out of the 24 surprises ready.

Only 5 more to go... It is getting hard being inventive and keeping the price down!

Besides he said - no chocolate...!

 

Any suggestions...?

♥

Tried and Tested: Lemon Drizzle Cake

 

 

I have been so spoilt this summer with friends constantly bringing me food and cakes to help out whilst I was in recovery. One day, this cake arrived. It was divine and I asked for the recipe. As I was clearing out old papers today, I thought I would share this recipe on the blog and then I also have it for future needs.

☺

 

You need for the cake:

75 gram softened butter

125 gram caster sugar

150 gram self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 tbsp lemon curd (optional, but it will intensify the flavour)

2 1/2 tbsp milk

 

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix till they are thoroughly combined.

Pour the mixture into a 1kg greased loaf tin and make at 180 degrees for 40-45 minutes (or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean)

 

You need for the drizzle:

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp granulated sugar

 

Mix the lemon zest, juice and sugar. Pour the mixture over the hot cake in the tin. Leave to cool completely.

 

mmm....!

 



Tried and Tested: Hot in the Heat: Pulled Pork and Sweet Potato Chilli

I am not very fond of too spicy food, but both my men are, so I thought I would surprise them with a dish of spicy pulled pork and sweet potato chilli. My recipe is taken 'a little from here and there' and by the sounds of my men I think this will be requested again in our house. I just add some extra dollop of sour cream or yoghurt to adjust the heat to my taste. This recipe will feed 4 VERY hungry people or 6-8 with more normal appetites. For once I noted down what I used and here is how I did it:

Brown 1,5 kg pork shoulder steak cut into chunks and set aside

Cut 2 onions into slices and fry gently with 4-6 garlic gloves (don't burn the garlic as it will taste bitter).
Add 2-4 chillies and deseed them if you don't want it too hot.
Add the following spices to the mixture and mix well:
1tsp cumin
1tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/4 tsp hot chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground gloves
1tsp cinnamon
1Tbsp sugar

Add 2 cans of tinned tomatoes and 500 ml of good stock as well as the juice of an orange and a lemon.

Add the meat back to the mixture and let it simmer under a lid for 2 hours. The pork will at this stage be easy to shred apart if you so desire.

Clean and peel about 500gr of sweet potato and cut into cubes and add to the pan. Let it cook for another 15 mins without the lid. Then add two tins of kidney beans or mixed beans and let it cook for further 10 mins.

Serve with fresh bread and a good dollop of Greek yoghurt or sour cream and either with fresh coriander or parsley.

Mmmmm...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tried and tested: Banana Bread

We are loving the hot weather that has finally arrived. We have had several days with temperatures soaring over 30 degrees. Ok, the nights are a bit sticky, admittedly, but we are NOT complaining!

My days are quiet and rather uneventful, just enjoying the heat sitting under the lilac tree and trying to get back to my normal self. Must admit I am a bit impatient and the pain I experienced after a cautious swim yesterday was not very encouraging, but still, I am making progress. Just a very slow one...

We are all craving fruit and vegetables in the heat, but I had some bananas that had reached the height of ripeness, so making a banana bread was the only solution. It turned out very moist and delicious. You can make it with buttermilk, but you can also substitute this as suggested below if you don't have any:




285 plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
110g butter, plus extra for greasing
225g caster sugar
2 free-range eggs
4 VERY ripe bananas, mashed
85ml buttermilk (or normal milk mixed with 1½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Bake at 180C

Sift the dry ingredients (flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt) into a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well. Fold in the flour mixture.

I baked it in a normal bread tin which I greased well using Cake Release which I got from Lakeland. Bake the cake for about an hour, or until well-risen and golden-brown. Let the cake cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tried and Tested: Café Sting's Chocolate Heaven

I have never been to Stavanger, but there is apparently a very popular place there called "Café Sting". I have read somewhere that they claim to offer the best coffee in Stavanger and that they are also known for their killer chocolate cake.

A friend sent me this recipe and since I have  promised to make the wedding cake for some other friends, I am in the process of trying out various options. I have made a couple of minor amendments from the original recipe. It came out really moist with an amazing chocolate cream.

 

The Cake:

125 gram butter

1 dl water

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla sugar

4 eggs

250 gram sugar(I used golden caster sugar)

150 gram flour

3 tsp baking powder

 

 

Melt the butter in a pan. Add the water, cocoa powder and vanilla sugar. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in 4 egg yolks. Add the sugar, flour and baking powder. Ensure the dough is smooth and without lumps. Whisk the egg whites till it forms stiff peaks and add this gently to the dough.

 

Line a baking tin with grease proof paper and bake at the bottom of the oven at 175 degrees for 45 mins. Let the cake cool in the tin. When cooled, take it out of the tin and divide the cake in two.

The Chocolate Cream:

2 eggs

1 dl cream (I used whipping cream)

135 gram sugar

50 gram good quality baking chocolate (I swapped it for 50 gram cocoa powder)

125 gram butter

1 tsp vanilla sugar

 

Add the cream, eggs and sugar in a pan. Let it come to a boil and keep stirring. Take it off the heat and add the chocolate (or cocoa powder).  Let the chocolate melt and add the butter and vanilla sugar. Stirr till it all has melted and there are no lumps. Put the pan in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Use an electric whisk to whip it up.

Add the cream betwen the two cake layers and on top. 
 

Decoration (if you really think you need any more):

grated dark chocolate

This cake keeps well in the fridge and you can also freeze it.
If there is anything left...
I am thinking it might be interesting adding some chili to the chocolate cream.
Does any body have any views on this?

Don't worry about too much cake in our house - I tend to give most of it away to neighbours in exchange for their comments!

 

Tried and Tested: Gluten-free Irish Cream Coffee Cake



Poor light gives poor picture quality, so I have borrowed this picture from the web and it is what the cake looks like!



Easter is just around the corner and I had been given permission by Our Boy to bake a cake

♥

I am always looking to try something new, and decided after seeing I had some gluten-free flour in my larder that needed using up to make Lorraine Pascal's Gluten-free Irish Cream Coffee Cake.

I can report that the cake was approved by Our Boy!

♥

My only comment is that this recipe gives you perhaps more buttercream than necessary unless you want to spread it both between and over the cake. That makes it a bit too much in my opinion, but others may beg to differ.

This is what you need:

200g light brown sugar

pinch of salt

200g cold butter

200g gluten-free flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 beaten eggs

2 drops vanilla extract

80ml strong coffee

In a mixer, mix together the sugar, salt, butter, flour and baking powder. I poured it all in and let it run till it was like breadcrumbs.

Beat in the egg, one at a time, then add the vanilla and coffee.

Beat for 2-3 mins

The recipe said to divide the mixture into two 8 inch tins, but I put it all in one and then cut through them.

Cook for 25-30mins at 180°C

For the buttercream you need (you can probably halve this):

125g butter

250 g icing sugar

2 drops of vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp of Irish Cream liqueur (Bailleys)

I put it all in the mixer and let it beat together till it was all light and fluffy.

Once the sponge(s) is cooled, spread the icing over one and sandwich the other on top.

Dust some icing sugar over for decoration.

A cake best served with strong coffee or a nice cup of tea!

Happy Easter!

Tried and Tested: Sticky Toffee Pudding



A Sunday treat?

It was most confusing when we moved to the UK all those years ago and people were talking about 'what they were having for pudding'. Well, we quickly understood that they meant dessert. But to add to the confusion, pudding can also be a savoury dish like Yorkshire pudding, black pudding, or steak and kidney pudding, to mention a few. The word pudding is believed to come from the French boudin, originally from the Latin botellus, meaning "small sausage", referring to encased meats used in Medieval European puddings. As I said, all too confusing and I won't bore you with more historical pudding facts.

I am in this post referring to a dessert (and the pudding is in fact a cake!)

Illustration borrowed from Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861

A friend of mine loves Sticky Toffee Pudding and will have it anytime he goes out for a meal. I happened to think of him yesterday and decided to see if I could find a good recipe to learn to make this traditional British dessert (I still prefer to call this part of the meal for dessert). It was incredibly yummy, moist, and more-ish. The recipe suggested it being served with warm sauce and a scoop of ice cream. I think there can be too much of a good thing and don't see why you need ice cream, but hey! whatever takes your fancy

☺

I found this recipe on the BBC Good Food website, and I made some minor amendments to it as I didn't have the exact ingredients to hand. The recipe calls for a bit unusual ingredient - tea!, but trust me - it was delicious!

200 gram dried dates (I used prunes and figs)

250 ml black (not too strong) tea (I used a tea bag of Lady Grey)

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

85 gram butter

175 gram self-raising flour

1 tsp mixed spice

175 golden caster sugar

2 eggs

For the toffee sauce:

100 gram light muscovado sugar

100 gram butter

142 ml double cream (I used whipping cream)

This is how you do it:

Chop the dates (prunes/figs) into small pieces and add to the tea and let it boil for a few minutes until soft. Add the bicarbonate of soda.

Beat the butter and caster sugar until creamy.

Add the eggs, flour and mixed spice.

Add the tea/date mixture and poor into a buttered ovenproof dish.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is firm to touch.

Make the sauce by simmering the sugar, butter and cream over low heat till the sugar has dissolved. Cook till the sauce is thick and has a toffee colour. 

Cut the cake into squares and pour some warm sauce (and a dollop of ice cream, if you want) over.

Mmmmm...

☺ 

Tried and Tested: Peanut Brittle

 

Busy weekend cleaning, baking and cooking!

Just love it.

True to tradition, I went to "carols by candlelight" last night with 3 friends. We tried out a new church this year - it was nice, although more 'happy clappy' than the more traditional places.

♥

Time to try something new for Christmas! In addition to my regular Rocky Road,

I made Nigella's Peanut Brittle and it is super easy and super yummy (and not too much!).

Let's just hope Our Boy gets his braces off for Christmas so he can enjoy them.

If not, they are great little gifts!

 

Heat up gently

200 gram caster sugar

60 ml water

150 gram golden syrup

 

Let it boil briskly for about 10 mins!

Be aware - this is VERY hot!!!

 

Add

150 gram salted peanuts

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

25 gram soft butter

1 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

 

Stirr well and pour the mixture onto a well greased baking paper and smooth it out.

Let it cool and break into pieces.

 

Make the brittle up to 1 week before eating or giving. Store in airtight bags or containers in a dry, non-humid environment.

Once opened, eat within 7 to 10 days.

Tried and Tested: Cranberry and Red Onion Marmalade

I bought some really nice red onion marmalade when I went to the Country Living Christmas Fair and it 'disappeared' very quickly. A friend gave me this recipe for this very nice and seasonal accompaniment to cheese/cold meat/pate/etc. and I made some last night. Judging by how it was received in our house, I will probably have to make another batch for Christmas. 

Here is how I made it:

2 tablespoons olive oil

500 grams red onions, sliced

Juice of 1 orange

1 tablespoon pickling spice

150 gram dark muscavado sugar

150 ml ruby port

120 grams dried cranberries

(the original recipe called for 450 grams fresh cranberries, but I took what I had)

Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onions for 5 mins.

Add the orange juice, spice, sugar, cranberries and port and simmer gently for 1 hr.

Cool and chill

Tried and Tested: Chocolate Fondant

Talk about mid week temptation!
On an ordinary Wednesday I surprised Our Boy with Fru Tunheim's recipe for chocolate fondant.

It won't be the last time...

All in all it took less than 25 mins from start to finish! 

 

You can either make them the traditional way with flour and sugar or there is the alternative to make them low carb. I did kind of a mixed version using ground almonds and sugar. I also want to mention that I got 5 fondants out of 3/4 of the recipe below so the recipe is generous.

 

To make 6 generous fondants

125 gram butter
150 gram dark chocolate

125 gram sugar OR 75-100 gram Sukrin/Splenda
85 g flour OR ground almonds

4 eggs

Melt the butter and chocolate and add the sugar/sweetener.

Mix well.

Add the flour or ground almonds and whisk with a hand held mixer.

Add one egg at the time.

 

Pour in to well greased ramekins.

 

Bake in the middle of the oven for 11 mins at 200 degrees.

 

They were lovely and had exactly the right consistency of lovely gooeyness when we cut into them

mmmm....

♥

 

Tried and Tested: Fruity Biscotti

Lovely treat with a nice cup of tea or coffee on a windy and rainy Sunday...

I got inspired to make biscotti after last Saturday's adventure to the pop-up restaurant and was recommended this recipe by the chef. It is from BBC's Good Food website but since this blog also serves to keep my own favourite recipes, I have shamelessly copied it here. They are super easy to make and an instant hit in our house. BBC Good Food calls them "Fruity Christmas Biscotti", but I don't think these should be limited to Christmas (besides - it is too soon to start baking for Christmas, isn't it?) :

 

 

To make about 72 biscotti you need:

 

350g plain flour , plus extra for rolling

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp mixed spice (a British spice blend of cinnamon/clove/ginger/coriander/nutmeg)

250g golden caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

coarsely grated zest 1orange

85g raisins

85g dried cherries

50g blanched almonds

50g shelled pistachios

 

This is how you do it:

 

Heat oven to 180C. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.

 

Put the flour, baking powder, spice and sugar in a large bowl, then mix well.

Stir in the eggs and zest until the mixture starts forming clumps, then bring the dough together with your hands - it will seem dry at first but keep kneading until no floury patches remain.

 

Add the fruit and nuts, then work them in until evenly distributed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 pieces. With lightly floured hands, roll each piece into a sausage about 30cm long.

Place 2 on each tray, well spaced apart.

 

Bake for 25-30 mins until the dough has risen and spread and feels firm. It should still look pale. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack for a few mins until cool enough to handle, then turn down the oven to 140C.

 

Using a bread knife, cut into slices about 1cm thick on the diagonal, then lay the slices flat on the baking sheets.

 

TIP: The biscuits can be cooled and frozen flat on the sheet at this point, then bagged and frozen for up to 2 months (so perhaps it isn't too early to start preparing some of the baking for Christmas...?).

 

Bake for another 15 mins (20 mins if from frozen), turn over, then bake again for another 15 mins until dry and golden.

 

 Tip onto a wire rack to cool completely, then store in an airtight tin for up to one month, or pack into boxes or cellophane bags if giving as gifts straightaway.

This was my contribution to Sota Saker's November challenge

Tried and Tested: "Form" or Mac & Cheese with Fish

 

Food is so often connected to memories.

We loved 'form' (don't know where the name came from) when we were children. It was a staple dish when we came to visit my grandfather in Oslo's house.

 

 It is actually a form of mac&cheese with extra filling.

This is my version, this time with fish (this will easily feed 5-6 people):

 

Warm up (a bit warmer than luke warm) 5 dl of milk with half an onion and 5-6 peppercorns and set it aside to infuse while you

 

Boil 500 grams of macaroni till almost soft enough to eat.

Drain the macaroni and put it to the side while you

 

Make a cheese sauce with

70 grams of butter and 3-4 tablespoons of flour and the warmed milk (discard the onion and the peppercorns before adding to the sauce).

Add 200 grams of grated cheese to the sauce along with

2 teaspoons of English mustard

A good dash of Worcester sauce,

2 teaspoons of lemon juice and

a good pinch of salt

 

Add the cheese sauce to the boiled macaroni and coat the pasta well

Add 350 grams of chunks of uncooked fish to the macaroni mix. I normally use a variety pack containing salmon, haddock and smoked Alaskan pollock.

 

Pour it all into a greased heatproof oven dish and cover the top with breadcrumbs. You can also crush some garlic into the breadcrumbs, if you like for some extra flavour.

 

Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes on 200 degrees.

 

Serve with a salad

 

Such a simple comfort food on an autumnal day!

♥

 

Tried and Tested: Eshkeneh - Persian Onion Soup

 

My mother-in-law has taught me most of the Iranian dishes I make, but this one I taught her!

 

I found the recipe of this favourite dish of ours in a book given to me many years ago by dear friends in Chicago. The book, "New Food of Life" by Najmieh Batmanglij is an excellent book if you are looking for an introduction to Persian cuisine. She has written many cook books, but I keep coming back to this one.

 

Eshkeneh or Persian Onion Soup is simple and easy and very tasty and perfect on a cold days!

 Here is my take on it:

 

4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced

2-3 cloves of garlic
1 cup fresh or 3 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves (Norwegian: bukkehornkløver)
3 eggs

2 tablespoons flour,

1 teaspoon turmeric (Norwegian: gurkemeie)

3-4 peeled potatoes
1.5litre water

2 dried lime or 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil

 

Saute the onions and the garlic in a large pot with some oil on medium heat until golden brown - dont' burn them!

 

Add flour, turmeric and some salt and pepper and stir and cook for a minute or two.

 

Then add the fenugreek and saute for a few minutes, stir well to mix all the ingredients.

 

Add 1.5l of water, salt and pepper to taste.

 

Add the peeled and chopped potatoes.

 

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 50 minutes on medium-low heat.

 

Break the eggs into a small bowl, stir well and add to the soup and blend well.

 

Adjust the seasoning before serving (Tip: Add a spoon of sugar if it is too sour).

Serve hot with warm bread and plain yogurt.



Oreo - Just For Fun...

I like Oreo cookies and use them in baking, but I really love this commercial for the cookies

(no I am not sponsored!!!).

 

That little 'madame' is really something else!

☺



Tried and Tested: Apple Sauce/Jam/Goodness











A friend of mine has a couple of apple trees in her garden and she lets me pick the apples I want. I started making apple jelly yesterday which I hope to finish today, but the quicker version was to make apple sauce/jam/ or whatever you want to call it. It is really delicious on bread, with meat, to put in a cake or mixed with fresh fruit and a dash of yogurt for a quick dessert.



1 kilo of apples

1.5 dl water

1.5 dl sugar

(add more sugar if you like it sweeter - it also depends on the apples you use)

Peel and cut the apples and bring it to a boil with the water. Cook them till they are completely soft. Mash them while warm and add the sugar. Bring it back to the boil and let it simmer away for 7-8 mins (mind that it doesn't burn).

This filled three jars (which I had cleaned and boiled beforehand). After the Professor's and Our Boy's compulsory tasting sessions and last night's dessert (fruit salad with crumbled weetabix and yogurt) we only had one jar left.

Just as well as they don't keep very long unless you freeze them.


PS: this is my contribution to September's challenge on Sota Saker

Tried and Tested: Russian Danishes

Ok, so the name comes out a bit funny in English.
Here is the background for my translation:

A 'Danish' in Norwegian is called a "wienerbrød" or directly translated "Viennese Bread", so when Tulip put the recipe for "Russiske Wienerbrød " (Russian Viennese Bread) the English translation naturally should be

Russian Danishes

Are you still with me?

Obvious, isn't it...

☺

Oh, languages can be such fun...

However, I should check with my Russian friend if this is anything she recognises...?

Anyway, here is the recipe that we tried in our house yesterday.
The Russian Danishes did not last long in our house with hungry bikers around!

This is the full recipe that Tulip (click on the link for the recipe in Norwegian) provided, but I halved it. I still got 24 Russian Danishes...

Melt 300 grams of butter and
add 9 dl of milk and bring to the boil

Add 375 gram of flour and mix it in with a mixer.

Leave the batter in the fridge to cool down completely.

Whisk 6 egg together and blend in well

Use two table spoons and drop generous dollops on a baking sheet

Bake in the oven on 180 degrees for 25-30 mins (Tulip said 30-40 mins, but mine were done after 25 mins)

Cool and drizzle over powder sugar mixed with water/lemon juice.

Very moooooreeeeish!

☺