Egg with truffle caramelized onion and beef broth #185

Eggs and truffles always go good together, to make that into a complete dish I added some caramelized onions, fresh herbs and a flavorful but still mild beef broth. Only tricky thing about this dish is getting a good beef broth, sometimes you can find good broths or stocks at good supermarkets, if you don´t want to cook your own then look for one or ask around if there are any to be bought near where you live.

Egg with truffle caramelized onion and beef broth

eggs

beef bones with a bit of meat left on

onion

mixed fresh herbs, for example chives, parsley, chervil

truffles, fresh or oil (I used summer truffles in truffle oil in this recipe)

carrot

garlic

bay leaf

salt, pepper

butter

The beef broth

In a frying pan roast the bones and meat until golden, season with a bit of salt and pepper, add a chopped carrot, a clove of garlic, a bay leaf and cook for a few minutes. Add water until it´s covered and let simmer on low heat for at least 6 hours, this is usually best to prepare a day or two ahead and then keep refrigerated until serving, then just heat and check the taste before serving.

Keep adding water as it will evaporate during cooking, once time is up strain the stock and discard the bones and vegetables, check the flavor and reduce if necessary.

The onion

Peel and slice the onion, add to a frying pan with a little bit of butter and some salt and pepper, cook on low heat until it starts to brown and the onion is completely cooked through, check the taste and add a bit of sugar if it´s not sweet enough.

The egg

In a small frying pan cook the egg with a little bit of butter on low heat until the egg white are done, season with salt.

Final steps and plating

Chop the herbs, heat the beef stock, add the fried egg in the middle of a bowl or soup plate, put the onions on top and add the truffle and herbs. Pour the warm beef broth on top, serve.

Home made dried tomatoes with arugula & garlic #170

Home made dried tomatoes is a great way to serve tomatoes and I think they are good enough to serve as simple as this, just the tomatoes with a few leafs of arugula and the oil and garlic from the drying. The technique for this is simple, all you need are good tomatoes, some herbs and garlic, olive oil and a few hours to spare.

What you are doing is simply to dry the tomatoes in your oven until they are about half their original size, this will concentrate the flavors and make taste amazing, however the result is very dependent on what tomato you will choose, you don´t have to spend a fortune but there is one simple rule, if the tomato is not good before drying it won´t be afterwards.

Home made dried tomatoes with arugula & garlic

tomatoes
some herbs, I used some chives, parsley and basil
garlic
olive oil
salt, black pepper
arugula

Bring water to the boil, prepare a big bowl packed with ice and water beside to boiling water. Cut through the skin of the tomatoes on the end sides, this will help the skin open up when you boil it. Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and leave in the water for about 10-20 seconds and then lift out and chill them immediately in the ice water. If you are making a big batch then boil them in batches, otherwise the tomatoes will chill the water and either the skin won´t come off or the cooking will take too long and make the tomato soggy.

Peel the tomatoes and cut in half and put on a tray with the skin side up, drizzle with olive oil, add sliced garlic and a few leafs of chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for drying at 110°C / 230 F. The drying will take anywhere between 4-8 hours, check them every hour and take them out when you like them. Add the tomatoes to a plate and add a few leafs of arugula and some olive oil and garlic from the drying.

This can of course be prepared one or two days ahead of serving, make sure you gently warm them in oven before serving. And I think it goes without saying that this is also great for all tomato dishes like a Caprese salad, on home made pizzas or as a side dish with some grated Parmesan cheese! Good luck!

10 Easter appetizers!

Easter is up and what better way to spend it but eating loads of delicious food. I´ve put together some of my spring and easter favorites into this great collection, after each photo there is a link where you will find the recipe, now go cook and have a great easter!



Salmon with cucumber, dill and wasabi



Crayfish salad with dill on toast



Grilled asparagus with Parmesan cheese



Smashed peas with mint on toast



Soused herring with egg, chives and potatoes



Fennel, shrimp, carrot and orange salad with dill



Soft boiled egg with broad beans and shrimp



Gazpacho salad



Lamb with goat cheese and herbs



Caesar salad

Baked parsnips with garlic and herb butter #166

This is a great snack or a perfect side to meat or fish. I use small parsnips and keep the skin on, just make sure you clean them so there´s no dirt left. Cut them and season with salt, pepper and garlic. I then wrap everything in tin foil and bake it in the oven. This is also great to cook on a grill and serve as an individual side to grilled meat. The herb butter is just that, butter and herbs and some olive oil mixed together.

Baked parsnips with garlic and herb butter

parsnips
garlic
salt, pepper
olive oil
mixed herbs, use your favorites I used parsley, chives, rosemary and sage
bay leaf

Wash and cut the parsnips in smaller pieces, dress with olive oil, salt, pepper, slice garlic and a bay leaf. Wrap the parsnips in tin foil and bake in the oven on medium heat until done, this took me about half an hour.

Mix the butter with the herbs and some olive oil. Once the parsnips are done remove from the oven and open the package, add a spoonful of herb butter and serve.

Super Bowl recipes! 10 great classics!

Almost time for Super Bowl and it´s time to make some great tasting stuff that goes great with football, this time I will focus on some in my opinion classics like burgers, chicken wings and ribs!

I´ve put together a list of my favourites and below each photo below there is a link to the recipe in case you´ll need it. Most dishes are simple classics so if you´re just looking for some inspiration then you´ll found the right place.

If you´re only looking for some great tasting snacks to enjoy during the game then check out my previous post: 10 great Super Bowl snacks!

OK here we go....

Sliders, who doesn´t love sliders? Serving sliders is a great idea since your guests won´t be too full not to be able to enjoy all the other great stuff you will be serving. I prefer the with classic toppings like lettuce, cheese and tomato.

Sliders!

Crab claws are great to serve since you won´t need to worry about serving them hot, this recipe with a classic aioli and some salt is all that you´ll need.

Crab claws with aioli and salt.

Grilled corn on the cob (how else would you grill them?) with a generous amount of butter, herbs and chili is a barbecue classic and fits great for the Super Bowl.

Grilled corn on the cob with chili and parsley.

A meatball sandwich with loads of Parmesan cheese can be wrong, either serve them like this or just serve bread on the side with the meatballs still in the sauce, this will keep the meatballs warm for longer and your guests can make their own sandwiches.

Meatball sandwich with Parmesan and herbs.

Well it´s salad time, don´t worry since these iceberg wedges are getting a good splash of dressing and some blue cheese on the side you will still like it.

Iceberg lettuce with blue cheese.

You didn´t think I would leave out the chicken wings did you?

Fried chicken wings with Sriracha sauce.

Or the ribs?

Ribs with lettuce and tomatillo and chipotle sauce.

Tortilla bread packed with ham and cheese are a great snack that is easy to prepare.

Tortilla bread with cheese and serrano ham.

I love fries, especially home made and if you try this recipe I´m sure you will to, besides what else are you serving up with those sliders?

French fries with truffle mayonnaise.

Last one, home made onion rings deep fried with Japanese Panko. Crunchy and great tasting.

Onion rings.

Potato chips with herb salt & Sriracha dip #147

You´ve gotta love chips, and you´ll probably like them even more if you put in some effort and make some yourself. Use a firm potato, slice them thin and deep fry. To make it a bit more fun I made a herb salt for seasoning instead of regular salt and are serving them with a Sriracha dip. This is perfect to serve with the first drinks of the evening, who doesn´t like salt and fat?

Potato chips with herb salt & Sriracha dip

potatoes
oil for deep frying
salt
fresh parsley
fresh chives
dried thyme
dried rosemary
mayonnaise
sour cream
Sriracha
smoked paprika powder

Blend all the herbs with salt, I use about four parts herbs to one part salt. Make sure you use both fresh and dried herbs because otherwise the salt will get to moist and you won´t be able to salt the chips in a good way. You can use only fresh herbs but you have to make it a day or two in advance and then dry the salt for it to work.

Wash the potatoes but keep the skin off, slice them as thin as you can, use a mandolin or a potato peeler to get this done easier. Rinse the potatoes in cold water to get rid of any extra starch. Remove the potatoes from the water and dry them on kitchen paper. Deep fry the slices on medium heat until golden, remove from the oil and immediately season with the herb salt.

Combine sour cream, mayonnaise with the Sriracha and smoked paprika, adjust the amount of Sriracha depending on how hot you want it. Serve.

Cod with fennel, champagne sauce & fresh herbs #125

This is more of an traditional appetizer but as long as it tastes good it´s good enough. I shaved the fresh fennel and then wrapped it around the cod fillets and fixated it with cling film. Then I poached the fish in water for about ten minutes.

This may look a bit tricky and it can be but it´s a fun way to present the fish in a new way. It makes no difference for the taste of the dish so if you don´t want it to get to complicated then just serve the fish with the fennel lightly cooked on the side.

Cod with fennel, champagne sauce & fresh herbs

fresh cod fillets
champagne
fennel
fish stock
cream
shallots
fresh herbs, dill, cress, fennel dill,
salt, pepper
butter

Season the cod with salt and pepper, shave the fennel lengthwise and put them side by side on top on a sheet of cling film so that almost the whole piece of film is covered. Put the cod fillets on the fennel and wrap the whole thing around the fish. Make sure the film don´t get stuck in between the fennel. Steam or poach the fish for about ten minutes, you can carefully stick a thin knife to check if it´s done before opening the package.

Dice the shallot and cook on medium heat in butter until soft, season with salt and pepper and then add the champagne, let it reduce by half and then add fish stock and once again let it reduce by half. Add a bit of cream to the sauce and let i reduce a little bit more, season to taste and the mix the sauce using a handheld mixer. Before serving add a few drops extra of champagne.

Remove the film from the fish and carefully slice it and place in a deep plate, add the sauce and fresh herbs. Serve.

Meatball sandwich with Parmesan & herbs #124

It´s great fun to take something that´s usually served as an main course and make it smaller, this is a variation to sliders with meatballs cooked in tomato sauce with loads of fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese. Served on a bun with some extra cheese on top makes it a fun dish to serve tapas style.

Meatball sandwich with Parmesan & herbs

ground beef and pork
eggs
milk
parsley
thyme
chives
Parmesan cheese
sage
salt, black pepper
olive oil
garlic
canned tomatoes
onion
baguette
butter

Roughly chop the herbs, garlic and onion and combine in with the ground meat. Add eggs, milk, olive oil, salt, grated Parmesan cheese and pepper. Use the same proportions as you would for normal meatballs or ground meat patties.

Take a bit of the mixed meat and fry it in a pan to make sure you´re satisfied with the seasoning. Once done roll all of the meat into meatballs. Fry on medium heat in some olive oil and butter, when the meatballs are starting to get some color then add the canned tomatoes and let the meatballs simmer for one hour on low heat. Season the sauce if necessary.

Cut the baguette into pieces that will fit one meatball, toast the bread in an toaster or dry pan. Add a meatball to the bread and grate some extra Parmesan on top. Put the lid on and put a wooden skewer trough the bread and meatball to stop it from rolling away, good luck.

Grilled artichokes with herbs and garlic butter #101

Grilled artichokes is not something I do very often, I usually buy marinated ones that are great but sometimes it´s fun to use fresh ones. I tried to explain how to prepare the artichokes in the recipe below but if you have never done it before I found a step by step instruction with some pictures here.

Grilled artichokes with herbs and garlic butter

artichokes
lemon
salt, pepper
mixed herbs
butter
garlic
olive oil

Peel the stems of the artichokes and remove the outer leafs, cut away the top and soak the artichokes in cold water with some squeezed lemon. This is for keeping the artichokes from turning brown. Bring salted water to the boil and add the artichokes with another squeeze of lemon, let the simmer until they are cooked through. Remove from the water and let them cool off in room temperature.

Divide the artichokes and remove the center of the flower, be careful not to remove the bottom. Then cut each half in a few quarters depending on size. In a food processor mix butter, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper into a soft garlic butter. Rub the artichokes with the butter and grill them over high heat for a few minutes.

Arrange the artichokes on a plate with some fresh herbs, and some spoonfuls of the garlic butter, salt, olive oil and pepper. Serve.