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