"Burnt" cod with grated Kalamata olives and olive oil #161

This recipe is both simple and a bit complicated, simple that it only consists of four ingredients but complicated since you´ll need a blowtorch and spend a few days drying olives, it is still delicious so you won´t be disappointed if you decide to give it a try.

The recipe for the cod is quite simple, you cut out a piece of fresh cod loin and salt it for about one hour and then burn it using a blowtorch, this will give it a really nice slightly burnt (in a good way) taste and get the cod semi cooked. Then all you need to do is slice it.

The drying of olives is not difficult but it will take a few days, I use fresh Kalamata olives, that is only fermented olives which is way higher in taste and quality so see if you can get your hands on some of those in a good grocery store. Then I simply put them on a plate and let them dry in the oven on low heat (about 50°C / 120F). If you have a dehydrator I´m sure this will work fine to but since I don´t have one myself I really don´t know. This took me four days to dry but I only turned on the oven whenever I was at home and awake. 

Also the olives should not get dried all the way through but only enough to be able to be grated. What I did was to simply grate an olive now and then until they were dry enough. Also if I forgot to mention it, the taste is simply amazing.

"Burnt" cod with grated Kalamata olives and olive oil

fresh cod loin

sea salt

olive oil

fermented Kalamata olives, dried as described

Cut and salt the cod, leave in the fridge for one hour. Pad the cod dry with paper and then burn it using a blowtorch. Slice thin and plate. Add some olive oil and sea salt. Grate olives on top, serve.

Pulled beef tacos with apple & fennel coleslaw #160

Pulled pork and pulled beef are great to put on tacos, the other day I´ve got some pulled beef left over from making tacos and decided to make some mini tacos and add a fresh coleslaw and a few drops of Sriracha sauce on top. I made my pulled beef in a clay pot with some chillies, onion, garlic and some steak sauce and it turned out great, of course you don´t need to get a clay pot if you don´t have one, just use any other pot with a lid that can be used inside an oven or you could roast the meat without any pot but I think it sometimes gets a bit dry when I do that.

The coleslaw is made with fresh apples, fennel, yogurt, mayonnaise and a little bit of cress. I use the yogurt the make it a little bit lighter in both fat and taste. If you´re not into fennel you can of course replace it with any cabbage you like. For the bread I bought regular wheat tortillas and cut them i nacho size pieces so the tacos would be small enough to eat in one bite.

Pulled beef tacos with apple & fennel coleslaw

beef, one big piece that´s good for slow cooking (I used chuck roll)
dried chillies, (I used ancho and cayenne)
garlic
steak sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
onion
water
salt, pepper

fennel
apples
mayonnaise
yogurt
cress
salt, pepper

tortilla bread
Sriracha sauce

Chop the onion and garlic and add in a pot with the meat, chillies, steak sauce, salt and pepper, add a little bit of water and put the lid on. Place the pot in an oven and cook on low temperature (about 120°C / 250F) for 6-8 hours or until the meat is tender enough to pull. Once done pull the beef and add more chillies, salt, pepper and steak sauce if necessary.

Slice the fennel thinly and cut the apples in julienne, combine with equal parts yogurt and mayonnaise, add the cress and season with salt and pepper.

Cut the tortillas into small round pieces, add a spoonful of pulled beef and top it off with the coleslaw and a few drops of Sriracha, serve.

Salsiccia with braised tomatoes & garlic #159

Great salsiccia is always a special treat, usually I try to keep it simple since the salsiccia has loads of flavor I think it goes best with simple things. Here I roasted the salsiccia on low heat until done then roasted some garlic and tomato paste in the fat that gets left in the pan, add a bit of white wine, a bay leaf and some fresh small tomatoes. If you get some small pieces of salsiccia left over you can leave it in the sauce as well. Then just slow cook for about one hour and you´re done.

I got my salsiccia imported from Italy, that´s great but if you have a local butcher or shop that happens to make their own sausages then they usually have their own, if so then get theirs since it´s always more fun to support your local shops then buying the imported stuff.

Salsiccia with braised tomatoes & garlic

Italian fresh salsiccia (or similar with the same flavor profile)
bay leaf
water
tomato paste
chives
garlic
white wine
chives
olive oil
small whole tomatoes
salt, pepper

On low heat fry the salsiccia until golden and cooked trough, then add chopped garlic, a little bit of olive oil, tomato paste and a few small pieces of salsiccia. Let it roast for a few minutes. Add white wine, a little bit of water and the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and then leave to simmer on low to medium heat for about one hour. Season if necessary, then reheat the salsiccia and slice, serve with a spoonful of sauce and some of the tomatoes and some sliced chives.

Pan fried mussels with chives & croutons #158

Mussels in all forms are one of the most affordable and tastiest seafood you can make. It´s also very simple so if you´ve never cooked it before now´s the time. There´s not that much you need to worry about when cooking mussels besides over-cooking them, this will turn them chewy so keep the cooking to a minimum.

For this recipe I pan fried the mussels which give them a bit different flavor, what I do is that i steam them in water until they open up then quickly remove them and pick them from the shell. Then I simply pan fry them in butter and olive oil on high heat for a few seconds with a little bit of garlic and chives and serve straight away.

Pan fried mussels with chives & croutons

mussels
garlic
chives
white bread
butter
olive oil
salt, pepper

Rinse the mussels i cold water and remove any dirt that might be attached to the shell, add a bit of water to a big pot and bring to a boil. Add the mussels and steam until they open up, as soon as they have opened remove them from the water and leave to cool. Discard any mussels that have not opened.

Add a little bit of butter in a pan and cut the bread in croutons, roast the croutons in the butter until golden. Peel and slice the garlic, slice the chives. Add butter and olive oil to a pan and then fry the mussels with the garlic for about a minute, season with salt and pepper and then add the chives. Serve immediately with the croutons. Good luck!

Caesar salad #157

It´s time for a classic, few salads can beat a classic Caesar salad and it´s it works really good served as a starter or tapas dish. Usually I do it as a side dish to grilled meats during the summer but now it was time to let this classic get all the attention. Instead of croutons I used a fresh white bread and sliced it a thin as I could using a normal kitchen knife, then roasting it in a pan with a little bit of butter. This make the croutons a little less hard to chew on and I prefer them that way for this dish. Besides that just make the bacon crispy, get great cheese and romaine lettuce. I got my hands on some really small ones that was perfect for this serving size, if you can´t find small ones then get normal size and just cut them up in smaller pieces.

Caesar salad

romaine lettuce

Parmesan cheese

bacon

white bread

butter

Dressing

2 anchovy fillets

1 egg yolk

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup neutral oil, I use rapeseed oil

lemon juice, salt, pepper

water

2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese 

Using a blender mix egg yolk, anchovy and garlic, then slowly add the oil until the dressing thickens. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice, then add the Parmesan cheese. If the dressing gets to thick then thin it with a few drops of water.

Wash and cut the lettuce if necessary, slice the bread thin and roast until golden in a frying pan. Fry the bacon until it´s crisp. Combine the lettuce with the dressing and then arrange lettuce, crouton slices, bacon and some extra Parmesan cheese on a plate, serve. Good luck.

Lomo with roasted pepper and herbs #156

Lomo is Spanish pork tenderloin that is dried in a similar way like salami, it´s very lean and is great if you like charcuterie but are not a fan of the fat that usually comes with it. Sometimes the Lomo is also flavoured with spices like paprika or herbs. To the lomo I simply added a piece of roasted red pepper that is marinated with some chives and parsley. A very simple tapas that is packed with flavor.

Lomo with roasted pepper and herbs

sliced Lomo
red peppers
vegetable oil
chives
parsley
salt, pepper
olive oil

Turn on your oven on maximum heat, coat the peppers with a little bit of vegetable oil and roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside to cool down. Peel the peppers and cut them i large squares. Marinate the peppers in the olive oil with chopped chives, parsley, salt and pepper. Add a piece of pepper for each slice of Lomo. Serve.