Pork Tenderloin with banana and curry sauce

 1.5 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 1 inch thick slices

1 yellow onion cut in half and slices

2 - 3 garlic cloves

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp chicken broth concentrate or 1 cube

2 cups heavy cream

1-2 bananas

Coarsely chopped peanuts

Freshly squeezed lemon

Salt & peppe

Serve with rice

1. Brown pork tenderloin slices and sen aside

2. Fry skiced onions in the same pan. Add chopped garlic

3. Add slices bananas and curry powder and fry until mived.

4. Add heavy cream and broth concentrate.

5. Add pork and let cook until ready.

6. Add squeezed lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Decorate with chopped peanuts.

7. Top with parsley or cilantro to add some cover.

Raspberry Mousse Cake

 For the mousse

12 ounces (340 gram) frozen raspberries

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsps flavorless gelatin powder

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

For the cake bottom

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour + 1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp cocoa powder

3-4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup milk

2 ounces (50 gr) chocolate 

1. Start with the cake. Butter a 9" spring form.

2. Whip egg and sugar until foamy.

3. Melt butter and chocolate in a pan on low heat

4. Add melted chocolate/butter mix and milk to the egg/sugar miox.

5. Add cocoa powder.

6. Mix flour and baking power and gently add to batter.

7. Pour in form and bake for 18-20 minutes in 340 F.

Let cake completely cool.

Raspberry Mousse.

1. Melt raspberries and put in mixer until smooth.

2. Push through sieve to get 1 cup of a seedless puree. Discard seeds.

3. Mix gelatin powder with lemon juice.

4. Mix raspberry puree with sugar and heat until bubbles. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved.

5. Remove from heat and pour in a \bowl. Let cool to room temperature, 20 minutes.

6. Whip cream with 1-2 tbsp of sugar and gently mix with raspberry puree.

7. Add on top of chocolate bottom.

8. Refrigerate 3 - 4 hours or overnight.

9. Carefully remove from form, put on plate and decorate with fresh raspberries.

Prune sauce for pork tenderloin

16 pitted prunes (4 ounces)

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp grated orange zest

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

3-4 large shallots, finely diced

1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1-2 tbsp capers

Salt & pepper

2tsp potato starch dissolved in cold water

1. Simmer prunes in red wine until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Turn off heat and stir in ginger and orange zest. Let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Fry chopped shallots in melted butter and olive oil.

4. Add thyme, chicken broth, prune with wine, capers, salt and pepper.

5. Add a tbsp madeira or sherry. 

6. Last you add the potato starch. Simmer until thickens.

7. Spoon sauce over sliced pork tenderloin and serve.

Lemon almond olive oil dressing

1 lemon

2 tbsp toasted almonds

1 tbsp honey

1-2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Quarter the lemon, remove seeds and hard ends. Chop in food processor.

Add almonds, garlic, honey and slowly mix in olive oil at end.

Pork Belly - marinated and slow cooked

 4 lbs pork belly skin on

Marinade

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup cider vinegar

10 peeled, halved garlic cloves

2 tbsp fresh rosemary

2 tbsp fresh thyme

2 tbsp sliced serrano pepper

2 tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper

1. Mix all marinade ingredients in a blender and pulse until chopped. Put pork belly in a freezer bag and add marinade. Let marinade for at least 12 hours.

2. Cook pork belly in slow cooker for 4 hours on high or in the oven on 250 F for 6 hours.

4. Raise oven temp to 425 and cook pork belly until crisp, about 40 minutes.

Beef Stew

 This is a hearty stew based on a traditional beef stew recipe from the New York Times.

1 lbs cubed beef (I use sirloin when on sale at Costco)

1 cup red cooking wine (burgundy)

3 1/2 cups beef broth

1/4 cup flour + 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp red vinegar

2 1/2 tbsp oil or butter

1 yellow onion

5 carrots

2 bay leaves

2 tsp salt

Stew will need about 2 hrs to simmer and tastes better the next day.

1. Toss cubed beef in flour/pepper mix.

2. Fry tossed beef cubes in the oil in a Dutch oven or cast iron pot.

3. Add vinegar and red wine and scrape while simmering.

4. Add broth and bay leaves.

5. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

6. Add chopped onion an d carrots and simmer for another 20 minutes.

7. Add salt. You can also add a little Worcestershire sauce.

8. Serve with boiled potatoes. You can cube potatoes and boil them in the stew.

Lime Meringue Pie (Key Lime Pie)

4 eggs separated 

1 14 ounce can of condensed milk

1 1/2 cups pulverized graham crackers or gingerbread snaps, or 50/50

6 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp - 1/3 cup light brown sugar (more if using graham crackers)

1/4 cup regular sugar

15 limes or 4/3 cup lime juice

Grated lime rind: 1/2 tsp for the crust, 2 tbsp for the filling

1. Heat oven to 350 F

2. Prep limes by grating rind and then juicing the limes 

3. Mix crumbs with sugar, grated rind and  and butter

4. Press mixture into a pie form.

5. Bake for 10 minutes.

6. Whip egg yolks until frothy, then add condensed milk, juice and remaining grated rind.

7. Add lime mixture to pie form and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove.

8. Heat oven to 450 F. Make meringue by whipping egg whites until you can turn the bowl upside down with whites sticking to bowl. Whip in 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla extract.

9. Cover pie with meringue mix and bake for 5 minutes or until beige/brown.

10. Cool pie for a couple of hours before serving.

 

Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew

Dal Sweet Potato Stew (V)

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 yellow onion, peeled and cubed

1 can of coconut milk

1 can chopped tomatoes

2-4 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 tsps ground turmeric

2 tsps ground cumin

2 tsps ground coriander

Concentrated broth

Salt and red pepper flakes

In a pot fry the chopped onion until soft in olive oil (or butter). Add sweet potatoes and fry for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until soft. Using a mixer stick, mix to desired texture. Serve with bread and cheese.

 

Mushroom Spinach Chevre Lasagna

Ingredients:

500 grams mushrooms

500 grams fresh spinach

25 grams butter

1 garlic clove

12 lasagna sheets

200 grams of grated Västerbotten cheese

Sauce Bechamel:

50 grams butter

1 1/2 dl flour

200 grams chevre cheese

2 tbsp honey

1 liter milk

Pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

1. Make the sauce béchamel: melt butter and mix in flour. Add milk, little at time and spices. Let simmer until thinking. Add chèvre cheese, then honey. Remove from heat.

2. Heat over to 395 F (200 C)

3. Quickly fry spinach in butter. Season with salt and pepper. 

4. Fry mushroom util most liquid is gone. Add garlic and finely chopped onion and fry until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Mix with spinach

6. Alternate sauce, spinach-mushroom mix and grated cheese, ending with sauce. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes. Top with French spinach, chopped parsley and toasted walnuts.

7. Serve with salad.

Blueberry Pie

Crust

1 1.2 cups flour

1/3 cup almond or regular flour 

1/3 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) melted butter

Filling

3 - 4 cups frozen blueberries or 1 lb fresh blueberries

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tbsp ground lemon rind

2 tbsp flour

pinch of salt.

1. Mix crust ingredients and use half the mixture to cover a pie form. To cut down on clean up, I use a rolling pin and parchment paper and cover the dough with plastic wrap before rolling to a thin crust. Add the paper to the form and cut off any part sticking out above the form. 

2. Heat air fryer on bake or oven to 350 F

3. Mix filling ingredients and add to the pie form.

4. Crumble remaining crust over the filling.

5. Bake until filling is bubbly and set, about 40 minutes.

6. Let cool and serve with vanilla ice cream. Pie also tastes good the day after.

Enjoy!

Chopped liver

 3 hard boiled eggs

1lbs chicken liver

2 medium sz yellow onions

5 tbsp chicken fat or butter or olive oil

Salt and pepper

1. Chop and fry onions in fat until soft

2. Chop and fry liver in same fat

3. When cooled, mix all ingredients including fat

Enjoy!

Bolzano Apple Cake

 Easy to make apple cake without cinnamon.

Heat oven to 375 F (200 C).

Butter and flour parchment paper and line a pie form to prep easy clean up. Peel, core and slice 3 - 4 apples. Whip 1 cup sugar, and 2 eggs fluffy. Melt a stick of butter (114 grams) and add 1/2 cup milk to butter. Once lukewarm, add to egg sugar mixture. Add a tsp vanilla. Fold in 1/2 cup flour mixed with 2 tsp baking powder. Add apples. Pour in pie form and bake until golden, 30 - 50 minutes depending on pie form and oven.

Christmas Cake with pumpkin, apple, pecans, cranberries and spices

I make this traditional cake in a Bundt form I inherited from the previous owner of our house many years ago.

1 1/4 stick butter

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp grated ginger or 1 tsp dried

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup cranberries, halved

1 can unsweetened pumpkin puree

Bake for 50-70 minutes in 350 F. Let cool and top with powder sugar glace or serve as is. 

Baked Olives

 24 filled (pimiento) olives (canned), dried on paper towel

2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 dl grated cheese (Västerbotten or cheddar)

1 1/2 dl flour

1-2 tbsp water

Oven 400 F (200 C)

Red pepper flakes - not too much

1. Mix butter and cheese, then add flour and pepperflakes and water.

2. Cover each olive in dough

3. Bake until color

Princess Cake

 4 eggs room temperature

1/2 cup potato flour

1/2 cup pastry or regular wheat flour

2dl (almost 1 cup) sugar

2 tsp baking powder

Seedless rasberry jam

2 cups instant vanilla pudding (1 pack)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Ready made almond paste lid or home made.

How to:

1. Heat oven to 400 F

2. Butter and dust a round form w removable bottom

3. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy

4. Mix flours and baking powder

5. Carefully fold flour mix into egg and sugar mixture

7. Bake until stick comes out clean, approx 30 minutes

Filling.

Make instant vanilla pudding (2 cups of milk) and whip the heavy cream before mixing together.

Assembly:

Once cake is cool, separate into two or preferably three layers. Cover each layer thinly with rasberry jam and a thick layer of vanilla cream, saving some for the top of the cake. Cover cake, topped with heavy vanilla cream,  with almond paste lid and sift confectioner sugar. Decorate as desired - crown and roses are traditional themes.

Rotmos (mashed root veggies)

2 lbs turnips

2 large carrots

3-4 large potatoes

2 cups broth

2 tbsp butter

Salt, pepper. I use a pepper mix or black pepper.

1. Peel turnips and carrots and cut in pieces.

2. Simmer for 20 minutes in the broth while you peel and cut potatoes in pieces.

3. Add potatoes to the pot and simmer until soft. 

4. Pour out and save broth for diluting the mash.

5. Mash root vegetables with butter, seasoning and broth to desired texture. Add an egg for smoother texture (optional). 

6. Serve with pork roast or pork sausages.

Suggestion: If you can, buy some Swedish fläsklägg and simmer for a couple of hours before making the rotmos to go with it.

Kladdig chokladkaka (chocolate cake)

This is a favorite recipe I have used since I was a teenager.  There is a previous version on this blog with morsels instead of cooking chocolate.

Turn on oven to 225 C/440 F. Butter a spring form.

Melt 200 gram dark cooking chocolate or morsels and 200 gram butter together on low heat.

Whip  4 eggs with 1 1/4 cups sugar. Add chocolate/butter mixture. Stir until mixed. Add 1 cup flour - don’t stir too much. Mix a teaspoon baking powder with 1/3 cup of flour and fold into batter. 

Pour into form and bake for 12-15 minutes. Middle should still be wobbly when removing from oven.

Medisterkaker

 Norwegian pork-veal patties served at Christmas.

1 1/2 lbs ground pork

1 1/2 lbs ground veal

1/2 tbsp ground ginger

1/2 tbsp salt

1 1/4 dl potato flour

7 dl milk 

Pepper to taste 

Mix ingredients and form patties. Fry in butter on both sides. (My husband also simmers them in broth for a few minutes after frying). Serve with lefse and Swedish mustard (Slottssenap).

Flygande Jakob chicken banana dish

1 grilled chicken or pieces of a chicken
2-3 bananas
1 tsp Italian spice mix, salt, pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup mild chilli sauce or ketchup
6 strips fried bacon in small pieces
1/4 cup salted peanuts

Heat oven to 400F
Put pieces of chicken in a buttered oven proof form and season
Whip cream and mix with chilli sauce and cover chicken
Bake for 20 minutes
Top with fried bacon pieces and nuts and serve with rice and salad

Split Pea soup and Swedish pancakes

I often make pea soup and Swedish pancakes for Thursday dinner. On Wed night I cube an onion, a carrot and 1/4 root sellery. On Thursday morning I fry the veggies with seasoning (thyme, sslt, pepper, garlick powder, a bay leaf), and add a bag of dried green split peas and 1 3/4 quarts of broth. I boil while getting ready for work and then turn heat off and let sit under lid until the evening. When back from work, I add cubes of smoked ham and cook for 30 minutes or until desired texture.

Swedish pancakes
1 dl flour per person
1 egg per person
2dl milk per person

Mix and let sit for 5 min or make the night before and store in fridge. Before frying, melt 1/2 tbsp butter per person and mix with batter. Fry and serve with jam or sugar after eating pea soup.