….. and I’m keeping to the soup and salad theme, woo hoo!

But this doesn’t mean I’m only eating green salads….. having forced gently persuaded my love to resolve to widen his repertoire of fruit and vegetables (while narrowing the one for roast pork and ham), I decided it’s only fair I should conquer some food fears myself.

There are very few things I don’t eat….. as avocado (I just can’t eat them!)….. otherwise, on the top of that No list is: beetroot (unless they are served as soup - strangely enough - I love beetroot soup).

Here are the virtues of beetroot: They’re full of Vit A, a series of Bs, and C, and iron. There’s also sodium, potassium, Vit K, calcium, magnesium and protein….. and miraculously, boiling boosts the content of some minerals in this root…… So tonight I am giving it a go with a:

Beetroot, Goats Cheese, Pine Nut and Rocket Salad

This is a really tasty dish which is perfect for preparing the ingredients ahead of time and simply assembling them at the last minute to create a pretty impressive salad. If you don’t want to roast the beetroot yourself, you can by precooked vac packed ones in the supermarket.

Salad (Serves 6)
6 medium sized beetroot
75g pine nuts
250g goats cheese, cut into bitesize pieces
60g rocket leaves
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Half a clove of garlic, minced
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

Do this:
You can cook the beetroot ahead of time if you wish, simply wrap them in tinfoil, place on an oven tray and bake for about an hour at 190C or until you can insert a fork smoothly.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then peel with knife and slice into quarters.

On a large frying pan, over a medium heat, toast the pine nuts, until golden brown, make sure to keep an eye on them as they can burn quite easily.

In a large bowl whisk together the Dijon mustard, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper and set aside.

When you are ready to serve the salad, arrange the beetroot quarters and goats cheese pieces on each plate.

Toss the rocket leaves in the dressing and place a little on each plate.

Finally scatter each plate with the toasted pine nuts and serve straight away!

Enjoy

Lizzy

via: Thegoodmoodfoodblog

The beetroot is back….. did you notice that beetroot is enjoying something of a revival?

….. you can buy beetroot in so many different ways - raw, cooked, marinated - today, there’s so much more to that little root, than the pickled one most of us remember from our childhood.

Beetroot soup
1kg beetroot
450g carrots
8 shallots
2 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
1 stick of celery, chopped roughly
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp caraway seeds
enough stock to cover the vegetables with about half a pint left over
salt and freshly ground black pepper

garnish: parsley

Do this:
Peel and roughly chop the vegetables. Place in a large pan with the bay leaf and caraway seeds.

Cover with the stock. Bring to a rapid boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove the bay leaf and place the soup in a food processor, liquidize the soup until smooth. Adjust the seasoning.

Reheat gently (do not allow to boil). Serve the soup with parsley and soured cream.

Photo: private, woman-hood

….. in all of the cookbooks I own (and I have a lot), I could not find one single recipe for chocolate muffins? Not even in my favorite cake book “a piece of cake”….. Baffling!

I baked chocolate muffins before (I just can’t find the recipe)….. lucky for me, I had no trouble visiting the Internet to look for one…..and it only took me 2 minutes of internet searching before I found an appealing recipe. Anyway, this recipe came from the BBC Food site (just re-written my way) and it went down well with the whole family. I think the apple sauce is the reason these muffins are so juicy….. but try it yourself and see if you like them!

Chocolate muffin

Ingredients
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Do this:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.

In large mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until well blended. Add applesauce, blend well.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and cinnamon, if desired. Add to butter mixture, blending well. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 22 to 26 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool slightly in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle muffin tops with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Serve warm.

Enjoy

Lizzy

PS: if you have a good recipe for chocolate muffins (or another favorites muffin) you’re always welcome to post it on my blog.

….. balsam for the soul….. I think about food….. what else?

I found a little old cookbook with the titled “Good food in Römertopf”….. Römertopf….. how German is that?

Anyway it was subtitled “Cooking with archaic origin in modern form, flavor-filled with aroma….. light and healthy”.

We decided to test our Römertopf (Clay Pot) with a stuffed chicken….. and what a chicken….. it was the most flavor-filled and juicy chicken I’ve ever tasted….. but try it yourself ….. I am sure that you will be surprised how much flavor a chicken can contain and how juicy and tender it can become.

a chicken
salt
pepper
1-2 onions
1 bunch parsley
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
40-50 g butter
fresh tarragon
dried tarragon
evnt. 1 dl grated cheese

Do this:

Moisture Römertopf (clay pot) in water 30 minutes.

Chop onions, garlic, parsley and fresh tarragon and crush bay leaf; stir it all together with most of the butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour butter mixture into the chicken.

Place chicken in clay pot.

Brushes chicken with the rest of the butter and season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle dried tarragon over.

Put the lid on clay pots and place it in the oven.

Turn on oven and set temperature at 250 degrees.

After 45 minutes, lift the lid and sprinkle the cheese over, put the lid in place again and let it cook for another 30-45 minutes.

Tip: server the chicken with a green salad….. and the salad with a cream-lemon dressing….. I know….. it’s the ultimate grandmother dressing….. but it is superior with chicken and green salad.

300-400 grams green lettuce salad

Cream-lemon dressing
5 tsb whipping cream
4 tsp lemon juice
1 ½ tsp sugar
salt & pepper

Guilt salad and brake it into suitable pieces.

Shake the dressing together and turned into salad just before serving.

Another good tip is: the Cucumber salad that I propose this Saturday….. is also phenomenal with chicken.

Enjoy
Lizzy

Photos, private, woman-hood

Today’s post on: Delightful People

…… a mind opened by wonder,than one closed by belief.”
-Gerry Spence

[Photo: mundo mudo & private, woman-hood]

And talking about opendminded….. I cooked this chili yesterday….. and it was fantastic.

It might be that you’re thinking ground coffee….. why coffee, but believe me, it brings something special to the taste….. it gives it an extra dimension, and makes it a chilli fit for kings and queens.

Chili (4 serves)

300 g minced beef
2 yellow onions
2 garlic cloves
1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground coffee
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can kidney beans,
1 can of baked beans,
2 cans crushed tomatoes
Salt & black pepper
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 bunch thyme
1 sprig parsley

Do this:

Brown the meat and set it aside.

Chop onions, garlic, zucchini and peppers. Fry the vegetables along with spices and coffee in olive oil until it becomes golden brown.

Add the meat, thyme, beans and crushed tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and vinegar.

Finely chop parsley and sprinkle on chili before serving.

Tip: if you don’t eat meat, this chili is also great without it.

Enjoy

Lizzy

I tested the Rillons yesterday and they where exquisite….. true Friday food….. melting on the tongue…..

….. but remember cucumber salad, the acid helps to neutralize the fat….. and do not forget to use plenty of salt flakes…..

Cucumber salad

1 cucumber
1 dl vinegar
1 ½ dl water
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
fresh dill (1 teaspoon dried dill can be used as well)
4 tablespoons sugar

Do this:
Shred or cut cucumber into paper thin slices.
Mix water and vinegar with spices and sugar. Place cucumber slices in the liquid and let it stand at least ½ hour before serving.
Tip: Will keep in refrigerator a week or so.

Oh la la this meal made me feel very French!

Bon appétit et bonne week-end
Lizzy

Photo: private, womanhood

….. and it’s the sight of yellow grain colors that meets us when we cross the field, on our bike ride to Esrum this lovely evening…… this vision contains summer heat and yellow joy….. and send us a silent sign, that autumn is coming.

….. time passes….. and everything is in balance….. the landscape is lying there with stubble, straw bales and the lake as a mirrored backdrop, which glitters in the late summer sun.

….. you have to take this trip on foot or by bike….. the car will not do….. as it is like traveling in a soap bubble….. you travel far and wide, but senses only little.

….. and it is sublime….. to sway quietly on a gravel road and inhale the sounds and scents of bark, moist soil and grain….. and it triggers your appetite….. so we turn the bike in direction of our garden and these lovely:

Scallops with Parma ham and pesto

Ingredients (for 4)

1 dl olive oil
1 lime
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper
16 scallops
16 sliced Parma ham
4 wooden spears

Pesto:
2 dl fresh basil
50g pine nuts
1 dl grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil (volume depends on how liquid you want your pesto).

Do this:
Place spears in water.

Mix olive oil with grated zest and juice from lime and the pressed garlic. Place the scallops in the marinade while you prepare the rest.

Pesto: Place all ingredients in a container and mix with a hand mixer to desired consistency.

Prepare grill.

Remove scollops from the marinade and wrap a slice of Parma ham around each. Put them on the spear (4 on each spear).

Grilled the scallops to they become slightly firm but not dry.

Serve with pasta and pesto, or with a fresh salad and other seafoods.

Photos: private, woman-hood

….. with my TV the last two weeks….. this meant, that I only have had four channels to choose from…..

….. and this event made me realize the unthinkable….. I’ve missed my TV….. yes now it’s out ….. I’ve missed my TV….. in spite of the fact that I have been complaining that there is never anything on worth seeing….. I’ve missed my TV!

Any way, I only have access to 4 channels and it has been raining almost un-ended since we came back from Stockholm….. so I was zapping around between the four available channels and came across a program called: Food from River Cottage….. have you seen it?

It’s great….. and Hug Fearnley-Whittingstall, who is known for his earthy, back-to-basics approach to cooking….. is very entertaining!

The other day, Hug had “Rillons” on the program, and that looked absolutely lovely….. TRUE FRIDAY FOOD…… I still can’t watch TV, so, I might as well use my time on something else….. like a little cooking….. therefore I have decided to test this recipe tomorrow, together with freshly baked bread and spicy cucumber salad.

Rillons (serves 6)
Ingredients
1-2kg/2¼-4½lb pork belly (ideally from the thick end, the ribs removed)
1 generous spoonful of extra lard
some sprigs of thyme
2-3 bay leaves
3-5 cloves of garlic (optional), whole but lightly crushed
a large glass of red wine
a small glass of water
flakey salt and black pepper

Do this
Cut the pork belly roughly into large 5cm/2in cubes, leaving the skin on.

Heat the lard in a large pan and throw in the pork bellies. Brown fast and hard, turning occasionally, then transfer to a large ovenproof dish, the pieces should fit fairly snugly without piling on top of each other.

Throw in all the other ingredients, including a generous sprinkling of salt and plenty of black pepper. Transfer the dish to a hot oven of 200C/400F/Gas 6. Check every 8-10 minutes, turning the pieces. After about half an hour the fat rendered from them should be at least half way up the pieces, which will be getting very nicely browned. Turn the oven down to to 160C/325F/Gas 3 and cook the rillons for at least another hour, turning once or twice during that time.

When the skin is tender enough to chew without too much effort, they are done.

Cut each rillons in three or four slices, and sprinkle with a few extra flakes of salt. Serve hot or cold.

Tip: if you are not a bread person, this dish is also great (according Hug) served with a lovely mash.

Enjoy
Lizzy

….. a wonderful late summer fruit, which can be used for deserts, on the grill and in late summer dishes, like for example this fantastic: Summer Steak with plum salad, which by the way is one of my personal favorites…. sweet and strong at the same time….. if you like food with a little spice, try it, it is truly a unique taste experience.

Summer Steak with plum salad (4 serves)

4 pcs ribeye steak (180-200g)
400g Rocket Salad
12 plums
125-150g cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons pickled jalapenos slices

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons plum jam

salt & pepper

Do this:

Prepare grill and brush with a little oil.

Rinsed salad.

Halve plums and free them from stones.

Cut the cheese into small cubes (about 1×1 cm)

Mixed Rocket Salad with cheddar, plums and jalapenos.

Grill the meat 4-5 minutes on each side. Sprinkle salt & pepper on.

Mix dressing of olive oil, balsamic and plum jam, and turn the salad mixture in the dressing just before serving.

….. from our trip to Stockholm……

….. here we among others visited Riche.….

….. where I tested a new variant of: Spaghetti all Vongole classico:

Sandwich Vongole

I will guess it can be made like this:
400 gr. clams
400 gr. cherry tomato
1 sprig of parsley
a few basil leaves
1 clove garlic
chilli q.b.
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

bread

Do this:
Clean the clams and keep them in salted water for at least 2/3 hours. Put them in a pan with a lid and let them cook.

Meanwhile clean tomatoes.

When the clams have opened, strain the liquid and keep it all aside.

Chopped parsley, basil and a clove of garlic and fry it in a pan in olive oil. Add the liquid and reduce until it remains only the fund.

Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and a pinch of chilli, then cook over high heat for about 10 minutes, then add the clams, and cook for a few more minutes.

Meanwhile, grill the beautiful bread.

Serve as desired and garnish with a handful of basil and parsley.

Tips: it is a good idea to serve the bread aside, so the juice from the clams does not soak it.

Photos: private, woman-hood