Third time's the charm

How hard is it to make muffins?
     - Very hard, it turned out,  especially when you don't have an oven that works properly...

It took three attempts to get this right - first at my place, which lead to the realisation that the oven does not work and my muffins sort of exploded ( I wish I had photographic evidence, because in hindsight it is kinda funny - at the time it was not).
    Attempt number 2 at Nina's: oven worked little too well and the muffins got little too dark (all the oven's fault... :P)

And finally! Nr 3:

Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins 

• 1.5 cups of all purpose flour
• 0.5 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 1.5 tbsp Poppyseeds
• 50g. butter
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp. soda

1.Mix dry ingredients.
2.Whisk the egg lightly and add yogurt and lemon (zest and all.)
3. Mix the dry things with the liquid. Add the melted butter and fill the muffing tray/cups to 2/3.
4. About 15 minutes in a functioning oven at 200'C

 X/A

The calm before the storm

Got up early today and went to play tennis with a friend I haven't seen in ages. As difficult as it is to wake up early the reward is worth it: empty streets, little traffic, shops opening. Slow and nice as a Sunday should be.

Some major admin ahead as I am planning revision tactics (leaving over spring break and will sadly - or happily? - be cut of from the Library) and sorting all my papers into new and colourful folders. But first I'm re-charging my batteries with some classic tea and scones.
     With my last scraps of Wilhelmina Green tea - lucky thing I am going home soon so I can re-stock my supply - and some home-made scones and clotted cream, this Sunday is off to a good start.

Scones

This recipe is adapted from the lovely chef Leila Lindholm.

7.5 dl flour
0.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 dl brown sugar 
125 grams cold butter 
1 egg 
2 dl (200 ml) milk 

Blend the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar, rub in the butter with your fingers.
Add egg and milk, work together, adding a bit more flour as needed.
Put on a flour covered surface and knead until you can form small buns - I like to put my scones in a muffin tray. That way you get nice and high scones, easy to cut in half.
   Put into the oven, (alternatively glaze the scones with a whipped egg and sprinkle some more brown sugar on top) 250 degrees, for ca. 10 minutes or until golden.

Happy Sunday!

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Death Star Canteen

This stuff should come with a warning - the pasta is angry! Or is it be the cook who is slightly heavy handed with the chili-flakes that should come with the warning sign? Either way, today's dish comes from the canteen of the Death Star via Eddie Izzard.

Penne All'Arabiata (for 2)

• Penne pasta
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes 
• Chili flakes
• Herbs ( basil, thyme etc. dried or fresh) 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Boil the pasta.
2. Sauté chopped onion, garlic and chili flakes. Add the chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 5minutes (until the pasta is cooked) add herbs and mix the sauce and pasta

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The Tzatziki Battle

Carrot vs. Cucumber

If you are one of those who have never understood the glory of those watery, green things called cucumbers - look this way! A quick and tasty dip for veggies, naan-bread and more. Also lovely as a simple sauce with chicken.

Carrot Tzatziki

• 1 Crème fraiche (or a nice yoghurt if you prefer)
• 1 Carrot
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (or more depending on taste)
• Dash of black pepper

Pour the crème fraiche in a bowl, grate the carrot and garlic. Mix well with black pepper according to taste.

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__________________

But what about the rest of us that don't share Nina's views on cucumbers? Are we to be left out? I say, NO - and here is why:

• 500g natural yogurt
• 1 large cucumber (without seeds)
• 2-4 cloves of garlic in tiny bits
• 1.5 lemon (the juice of)
• Good amount of fresh mint (or dill)
• Salt and pepper

1. Drain the yogurt (I use a coffee filter), dice or grate the cucumber. Leave the cucumber in a colander with a pinch of salt to get rid of excess moisture.
2. Mix the everything in a bowl, add lemon, mint, salt and pepper according to taste. and let it stand in a frige for 10-20 minutes.

X/A

Happy Valentines!

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” 

― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Argue as much as you want about the commercial, cynical sides of Valentine's, I can't help enjoying the abundance of flowers and visible love-declarations all around. Whatever you are spending this day/night doing - hope you have a blast, and if you need to satisfy that chocolate-craving, we have a nice little treat for you!

This is one of those simple, fairly quick to make, sweets that are dangerously tempting to make on Monday (or Thursday) evening when my sugar-cravings kick in. Especially since the ingredients are things I normally have at home anyway...



Chokladbollar/Chocolateballs

• 100g        butter
• 1dl           sugar
• 1tsp          vanilla essence
• 2-3 tbsp    cocoa powder
• 3dl            oats (porridge oats are fine, but bigger ones are nicer
• 2-3 tbsp    cold, strong coffee

                          'nib sugar', coconut flakes, or sprinkles

1. Stir the butter (leave it out until soft, don't melt!)R sugar and the vanilla smoothly.
2. Mix in the cocoa powder.
3. Add the oats and coffee
4. Mix well.
5. Shape the paste to small round balls and roll the in your chosen sprinkles (read more about nibsugar and other types of sugar in this interesting blog-post)

XX
N

Power Lunch

Long day at the Uni? Library? Work?
Here is something easy and filling to take with you.

Lentil Salad with Lemony Chili Dressing

Puy lentils
Rocket
Baby plum tomatoes

Dressing
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Dried chili and garlic flakes
Sugar
Salt

The basic rule of vinaigrettes is to have a oil to acid ratio of 3:1; I make mine closer to 2:1 ratio. Key thing is to keep tasting. Mix all dressing ingredients in a bottle or a container that can be closed tightly, and shake the living daylights out of it until it has emulsified.

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Fat Tuesday!

Drum roll please!  My very first attempt of making 'Semlor' (in Finish they are called Laskiaispulla) a traditional cardamom filled bun eaten on Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras.

 

Traditionally the last day before lent, and when it is allowed to eat as much fatty stuff as you can get your hands on. These buns are filled with different things and how you make them vary from country to country - one standard variation is to fill the bun with an 'almond-paste', or marzipan, and topped with whipped cream. 
    Another way of eating these are to put them in a bowl with warm milk, called 'Hetvägg'. 

Read more about the history of the Semla  (Swedish in this case) - and learn the name of the King, who died after eating 14 in one sitting - here .

Semlor (Fat Tuesday Buns or Sledding Day Buns - for all the Finns out there)

100g of butter margarin eller smör
3 dl (300 ml) of milk
14 g od Dried Fast action yest (2 sachets)
1/2 tsp salt
1 dl sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
2-3 tsp of ground Cardamom
600-1000g wheat flour

Glazing : 1 egg
Filling: 
Whipped cream
Icing sugar

• Mix the dry ingredients, start with 600 grams of flour, and add more later until the dough has almost stopped sticking to the sides of the bowl. 

• Melt the butter and stir in the milk, make sure the butter-milk mix is not too hot when pouring into the dry ingredients, it could upset the yeast.

• Cover, and  let stand (in a warm place) for ca 30 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. 

• Next step is to knead the dough with flour, as you do when making bread etc. 

• Form into small, round buns about the size of the palm of your hand.

• Let stand for a while.

• Break the egg with a fork, and glaze the buns before putting in the oven, on ca.250 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

• Let cool, and then cut the top part of (like a little hat) make a dip in the bun and fill with almond-paste or jam, top with cream and then re-place the lid. Dust the whole bun with icing sugar.

 

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Pancakes!

Mardi Gras and lent are nearly upon us, and being just a tinytiny bit excited about this we got an early start on pancakes. As a person who have grown up considering pancakes to be food, I still have trouble accepting the British (and lots of other places as well apparently) notion that they are dessert. Even though I like jam and butter on top of my pancakes, I would argue it is the more sweet toppings such as chocolate and syrup that makes them bit 'desserty'. In any case, they can be made more savoury by adding, e.g,  cheese, ham, bacon, or spinach in the batter. A completely acceptable, and yummy, lunch in my opinion (and since there are people who consider crisps and a drink to be lunch - I feel  pancakes are a way better choice, and more filling anyway)  

Plain pancakes:

• 2½ dl wheat flour (half can be replaced with rye for an even healthier option)
• ½ tsp of salt
• 6 dl (600 ml) of milk
• 3 eggs
• Butter

Mix the flour and salt, then adding half of the milk and stir until smooth. Add the rest of the milk and the eggs - as well as any additional ingredients such as blueberries, cheese, spinach etc. If you have the time leave it standing for a while. The butter could be melted and added to the batter, though I prefer just to use a bit of it while frying the pancakes.

      Serve warm!

Enjoy!

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Brain food

We are in the middle of an essay-writing marathon, and all the help that we get is seriously needed (sugar and caffeine have stopped working). Some foodstuffs are said to enhance your brainpower - oily fish, blueberries, nuts and seeds etc. and we are hardcore-believers (or 'hopers' in any case).

Here is our study snack for today!

Pumpkin seeds

Dry roasted, in a pan, with a pinch of salt.

  

X A&N

Cooking with Wine: Risotto

'We like cooking with wine...
                 Sometimes we even use it in the food.'


Risotto with Mussels

• 2 dl risotto rice (arborio rice for example)
• 1 onion (white)
• 200g of mussels (the pre-cooked ones were on sale)
• 1,5 dl (or more) emmental cheese grated
• about a liter of veggie stock
• half of lemon
• dill
• 1-2 dl white pepper
• garlic
• white wine (dry-ish)
• little bit of butter for the skillet

1. Sauté the onion (and garlic) in a large skillet. Add the rice and give it a turn.
2. Start adding the warm veggie stock bit by bit, letting the rice soak it up before adding more. This process will take about 30 minutes (depending on the rice).
3. Once your rice is almost done, add the juice of a half of lemon and the white wine (Mondelli, Pinot Grigio used here) and dill according to taste
4. Last but not least mix in the cheese and mussels

A tiny confession:
I don't think making risotto is that hard, what it takes is care and especially patience - something I find myself sometimes in short supply of. So make sure you spend enough time on step 2, I know I don't always do...and I wish I had had fresh dill.

Budget:
Total cost for 2 portions came to under £4 excluding the wine (which could easily be left out).

X /A.

Right now we like:

A simple, white wine that was on sale, and we found it worked excellent with seafood dishes (on the side or in it!)

Mondelli, Pinot Grigio from 2012

To be pasta, or not to be pasta…?

Zucchini ‘pasta’ in two ways

                          Procrastination

Avoiding doing something for as long as possible, sometimes not doing it at all.

As a uni student you find yourself procrastinating (a lot). Sometimes when procrastinating on other people’s food blogs, you stumble on something unexpected: zucchini pasta -  in which the zucchini is the pasta!? For a person who tried (and failed) making a lasagna by replacing the pasta sheets with slices of zucchini, this was something that had to be tried. The essay writing will wait another day.   

As it turned out, Nina had been making another version of the same dish during last summer; so here we go, Zucchini ‘pasta’ in two ways:

Anna’s

1 zucchini (smallish : 300g)

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

50 g of walnuts

2 garlic cloves ( 1 is enough, but I am a garlic girl)

feta cheese according to taste

1 or 2 spring onions for garnish (and to give a little brightness)

sunolive oil for the pan

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      1.  Either press or finely chop the garlic onto a frying pan, add mushroom slices and the walnuts. Sautee in the oil until the mushrooms are cooked. Add salt and pepper

      2.   Use a potato peeler to slice the Zucchini into fine thin ‘pasta’ strings. Do not use the middle bit with the seeds (that is watery!!)

      3. Pop the ‘pasta’ onto the pan with the mushrooms etc. Give it a quick stir for 2 minutes (don’t overcook!)

      4.  Choose a nice plate or bowl – pop your beautiful ‘pasta’ on it and sprinkle some feta cheese and chopped spring onions on top.
                                                                      5.  Enjoy!

Oh and the budget! This is less than £5 for 2.

This recipe was inspired by: http://www.lily.fi/juttu/kesakurpitsapasta. Modifications were made. For example, no bread in mine, and mushrooms added on a whim… J  

X /A

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Nina's

You need:
1 Zucchini
1 clove of garlic
1/2 of a red onion

1. Chop the onion and garlic, put in a pan with olive oil and fry gently.
2. With a potato peeler, slice into thin 'pasta' strings.
3. Finally, put the zucchini in the pan with the onions, and mix well. Serve immidiately.

Enjoy!
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A little bit of Heat

After 24 hours of particularly Glaswegian-style weather: rain, snow, sleet and hail with little rays of sunshine in between (all in 5 minute intervals), I am craving something with a little bit of heat to it.

Tomato soup with a kick

400g of diced tomatoes
1 white onion
1 clove of garlic
1 red chili (medium heat)
1 veggie stock cube (and some water - if needed)
fresh basil (dried will do as well)
some goat's cheese to balance the heat
a drop of oil

1. Sauté the onion, garlic and chopped chili.
2. Add the diced tomatoes, veggie stock and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes
3. Just before serving add the basil and top of with the cheese.

X/A.