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Books & Spoons Recipe SALMON WITH BARLEY AND PEARS

26/2/2016

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I heard barley was the grain of the month in February, and I had to prepare a meal with it.
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I admit, that I don't use barley as a starch very often with my meals. When I'm trying to avoid the excess of starch, it is not the first one this pasta lover would even think of. 
But it was delicious. I cooked it in vegetable stock, instead of salted water, and it took some lovely flavours from it, not just the typical nutty flavour that it is known for. 



And added to the salmon, the sweetness of the pears, and the acidity of the sour cream sauce, I enjoyed the taste, smooth, harmonies the flavours were making with each other. I would imagine this would be appropriate for the children as well, as smooth as it was.
This meal ended up being a complete success, a fast favourite,  something I will want  to make again, not only because of the flavour, but it was done so quickly, really, everything ready in the time it took to cook the barley. 

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I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, this was the perfect way to kick off the spring season up here north! Till next time
~ Cheers! 
SALMON WITH BARLEY & PEARS
  • Barley
  • Vegetable stock
  • Leek
  • Sour cream
  • Lemon
  • Salt
  • Salmon file, cut into portion sizes
  • Salt, pepper
  • Pears
  • Oil for cooking/butter
  • Lemon
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​- Set the barley cooking
- Rinse the leeks well, and cut for about 3 cm/inch pieces from the firm part of it
- Let the cut pieces of leeks cook for about 8 minutes with the barley
- Let them drip dry before frying
- Mince some of the leek and mix with sour cream, add lemon juice and salt to taste to prepare the sauce. Set aside. 
- Season the salmon pieces with salt and pepper
- Cut the pears into fours, and remove the seeds
- Pan fry the salmon on medium high heat, to get a nice crust to salmon
- Set the pear pieces and leek pieces into the pan with the salmon, and let them get a good color
- Remove the salmon from the pan when done, if the pear and leeks need more time to be done, reduce the heat to medium, and let them cook for a minute or two. (You can add a drop or two of water if the pears seem to be dry)
- Serve with lemon slices, (or you can flavor the fish, pears, and leeks with lemon before serving)
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Books & Spoons on economic cooking for a small household 

19/2/2016

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I have received several questions about how would I handle cooking for a small family, for just for two, or for a single person, and do it in economic way, and still serve relatively healthy meals. 
Now, since that is what I do every day, it's not that big of a challenge for me, and I would love to share with you all, how I manage it.

Of course, the price of food is different in different countries and areas of the world, what is easily available and affordable for me, might not be the case for you. But I try to keep it on the main principles, and broader ideas, just to give you an idea how to go about it. 

I enjoy leftovers. Some dishes are even better reheated, than the first time around. But it is good to remember, in general, the once prepared food is good for three days if stored properly.
Most of the recipes I share here are for two adults and two children, making it about three adult meals, perfect for those who like to eat leftovers.
But sometimes eating the same food day after day can get tiresome. You make a big pan of lasagna, or some other casserole, and then it just comes a task to try to eat it before it goes bad, or before you don't want to eat lasagna ever again.  
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I make some soups, marinara, and casseroles in large quantities, and then freeze parts of it. Part of my freezer is dedicated to those ready made meals, that I will be able to serve with nearly any effort, or extra cost.
Instead of making a big pan of lasagna, or cabbage casserole, or other kinds of casseroles, I make three or four small ones, with only about two servings in them. I have bought some small aluminum pans for this, making it handy to have the meals heated up in the oven.
While preparing them, I bake them about half way through, before cooling and freezing. If the casserole calls for cheese on the top, I leave it out until the dish is baked to be served.
The night before wanting to serve the dish, I take it out of the freezer to defrost in the fridge. And by dinner time, it is ready to go in the oven. Really makes some mealtimes easy and effortless.
The meatless marinara I often have in my freezer, is fast to defrost, and perfect for so many different dishes, from eggplant Parmesan, to use as is with pasta, to be used in a lasagne, and so fort. 
Also, some vegetable soups freeze well, and are very handy if frozen in a small serving size containers.
I also buy family size packaging of different meats, and then at home freeze them individually, so I can use them as needed, one, two, or many at the time.
There are many ways to make your money count for more at the grocery store, planning the weeks worth of meals ahead, so you can utilise the ingredients the best possible way, is one of the keys for me. And trying to limit my shopping to one or two trips to the store per week, to avoid the impulse shopping of items not on the list. 
These ideas help me to keep my weekly grocery budget, and avoid waste with food. I hope you find some of them useful in your household.
At the end I will share the cabbage casserole recipe, for me, it is a definite wintertime comfort food. And it holds well in the freezer, a perfect meal to make several dishes at once. 

CABBAGE CASSAROLE

1 1/2 dl / 0,6 cups   rice (for porridge)
1/2 tsp                     salt
4 dl / 1,6 cups         water
1                             onion
1000 g / 2,2 lb        cabbage
400 g / 1 lb             ground beef/pork
1 tsp                       salt
1/4 tsp                    black pepper
1 tsp                       marjoram
1 TBLS                   cooking oil
1 TBLS                   syrup
4 dl /1,6 cups          vegetable stock



​1. Cook the rice in salted water, until all the water is absorbed
2. Peel and chop the onion, cut the cabbage into strips.
3. Sauté the onion in a pan, add the meat and cook until done. Season with salt, pepper and marjoram and transfer to a plate.
4. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cabbage. Simmer cabbage under the lid 5 to 10 minutes, until it has softened slightly. Seasoned with syrup.
5. Mix together the rice, ground beef and cabbage. Spread the mixture in an oven dish.
6. Pour in the broth and bake in 200 C / 350 F oven for about an hour. 
If the surface darkens too much during baking, cover the box with aluminum foil.
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Books & Spoons Recipe PEANUT BUTTER PORK THAI STYLE

12/2/2016

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I enjoy Thai food, and all the near variations of it, and I love peanut butter, so this was a no brainer to me, more like 'must. have. now.'

​I have published a similar recipe for this one before, but I think this is good enough for a repeat reminder of its existence.



And I also love that it is easy, simple, and not very time consuming, to prepare, set in the oven, or a slow cooker, and the meal will be ready when you are, pretty much.
At the end, when the peanut butter is mixed into it, its creamy consistency thickening the sauce to a lovely mixture of tastes and textures.

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I chose to cook it with pork chop still on the bone, to get all the flavor that the bones can contribute to the dish, and then before adding the peanut butter, I carefully took the one away. The meat pretty much falls off the bone. But if you have little ones eating the meal, and you are not 100 % sure you will be able to get all the bones off, use a boneless pork chop. Also, if you so choose, there's no need to shred the meat at the end, I just liked it that way myself. 

​PEANUT BUTTER PORK THAI STYLE


  • 2  Bell peppers, seeded and sliced into strips
  • 1 Red onion, cut into strips
  • 2 (8 ounce) (boneless) pork chops
  • 1/2 cup low salt soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 bulb Chinese garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts




1. Place the bell pepper strips, onion, and pork chops in the Dutch oven (or slow cooker).
​2. Pour the soy sauce, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and garlic over the pork chops.
3. Cover and set into the oven on a low heat, for about 2/3 hours, until the pork is very tender, in a slow cooker it will take 8 to 9 hours on a low. 
4. Once tender, remove the pork from the slow cooker, and whisk in the peanut butter until smooth. 
 - If you cooked with pork chops on the bone, remove the bones.
5. Return the pork to the slow cooker, and cook 10 minutes more.
6. Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with green onions and peanuts to garnish. Decorate with lime wedges to serve, if desired.
I heard a rumor, that in many places, there's going to be a cold, snow filled weekend. I hope you all bundle up, let the oven do the cooking for you (and heat up your kitchen) and enjoy some tasty comfort meals. Until next time, stay warm! 
~ Cheers!
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Books & Spoons COUPLE IDEAS FOR PREPARING COD

4/2/2016

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I eat fish couple times a week, I like it, it is affordable here, so versatile, and rather easy to make tasty meals from it with a little effort.

​Even though my favorite is salmon, I try to keep the variety on the menu. And cod is such a perfect fish for what I had in mind for these couple recipes I prepared.



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Why is cod perfect? Because of the texture of it, it keeps together well, even after cooking, making it perfect for example homemade fish fingers.
The kids, and many adults, favorite, fish fingers, come together rather fast at home, and then you have a full control of the ingredients. 
If you go to read the ingredients on some of the packaging at the store, you might be surprised...

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So I made a light breading, dipped the fish fillet pieces first in the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, that had pepper and salt in it.
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​Just make sure they are fully coated. And then into the oven, like it was in my case, or if you rather fry them in the pan, that is your choice, of course. 





​I wanted some fries with it, 'fish and chips' as they are called in England, so I cut a large sweet potato into fries, and baked them, salted and peppered, in the oven with the fish.

​They were all done at the same time, in my oven it took about 20 minutes on medium heat, so fun, tasty, crowd pleasing meal in just a little time and effort! 
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The other recipe might be as pleasing as well, because most people I know, love bacon. I made the choice to have bacon wrapped cod files. Each file piece is wrapped in one thin slice of bacon, giving the fish lovely taste, making the presentation look nice, and the meal time is not overwhelmed with the fat from the couple slices of bacon each person possible consume, especially since everything else on the plate is vegetables.
I seasoned the fish, and wrapped the bacon around it - voilá! Now, yes, there are couple things to think about. 


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Try as well as you can, to get the bones out of the fish. With cod the bones are big, but sit fast. If you have the opportunity, you can always ask at the market, if they will de-bone it for you.
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Secondly, if using bacon on a meal preparation, try using bacon you are familiar with. Some  brands are highly salted, and that might throw your seasoning off. 
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I had some seasoned veggies in the oven with the bacon wrapped cod. Just bell peppers in different colors, and thin slices of carrots. Cut into a size, that I knew will be all done at the same time as the fish. ​

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On the side, I also prepared the Zucchini Pasta I have done before, just click on the name to get that recipe.

​I used just a teaspoon of pesto per serving, because in pesto, there are some serious calories hiding in that lovely sauce (olive oil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and basil).


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I have to say, that was as tasty, as it was colorful. So here you have a couple of ideas, how to dress up your fish next time it is on the menu. I hope you enjoy them! 
~ Cheers!
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