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Books & Spoons Recipe for CREAMY FISH SOUP

24/6/2016

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It's hot, lovely, summertime here in Norway, and it means lots of soups, light lunches,  cooking outside on the grill, and fruit for dinner, because the heat took my appetite. 
Fish soup takes me right back to my childhood, and to my momma's kitchen. I have talked about her being my inspiration before, and the foundation she gave, that is priceless. 
This fish soup is my own twist of everything I learned from others. I know there are as many recipes for fish soup, as there are kitchens and cooks in the world. But they all have some things in common, and that is great, fresh products. 



I love my fish soup chunky, like  a thick chowder. Carefully using a thickening agent, Crème fraîche with, or instead, of cream, and as I did, a little bit of everything, and a drizzle of Parmesan, to give deeper, more layered taste, can all give the results of a lovely, tasty, hearty fish soup. 
Adding fresh shellfish on top of the fish soup is very popular around here, but remember to take consideration any and all allergies of the eaters.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Till next time, 
~ Cheers
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FISH SOUP

400 g / 14oz of Fish fillets (skin and bones removed) cut into pieces
8 dl fish / 3 cups Bouillon 
2-3 dl / 1,5 cups milk / cream / Crème fraîche
200 g / 7 oz of root celery, cut into cubes
200 g / 7 oz of turnip, cut into cubes
100 g / 3,5 oz parsnips cut into chunks
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 onion or 100 g / 3,5 oz of chopped leeks
1 dl / 0,5 cups cup parsley, chives or dill, chopped
5 black peppers
1 bay leaf
salt
Parmesan cheese, grated


- Add celery, turnip, parsnip, carrot, onion, bay leaf and black peppers into the fish stock. 
- Put the broth to boil and cook for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are almost cooked. 
- Taste the broth and add salt as needed. 
- Add the fish in the soup. 
- When the fish is done, add the milk / cream / Crème fraîche, Parmesan and herbs
- The soup needs only be heated to boiling at this point, no continues boiling needed
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The soup is ready to serve.

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Books & Spoons SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT WITH FOOD ON THE STICK! 

17/6/2016

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One of my old bosses loved to do catering events with 'food on the stick' as he called them. It is really convenient for parties, even though can be labor intensive if we are talking about a party for a couple hundred people... 
But if you plan and built the spears well, so that the weight is evenly distributed, the spears are not too heavy, and the items on the spears are not 'dripping' too much, this is a great way to serve tasty, colorful food, with a little flair, on the summer parties. With some planning and careful construction, you might be able to just use large, heavy duty napkins, instead of plates and cutlery. Great to remember, when planning a party. 

Since summer weather is always unpredictable, planning an outside party has it's risks. At least up here. But the items put on the spears can be done in the oven as well, on the stove top, or on the grill. If you grill the spears, ready constructed, make sure your pieces are evenly cut, takes about the same time to be done, and have a little space between each other, so that they will be fully cooked. Also, remember to soak the spears in water, before putting the food items on them, so that they will not catch a fire, when put on the grill. 
My little window garden tomato plant gave me another harvest of cherry tomatoes. I love how sweet and tasty they are. That inspired me to make a grill spears. I had planned to make them with beef, but as I went to the local market, they had great looking trout, and my plans changed. 
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I made it really simple, seasoned the trout with ocean salt, fresh ground pepper, and little paprika, to give it a little kick. 
I had small mozzarella balls, the sweet cherry tomatoes, that I had a little of ocean salt on, and I constructed the spears after cooking, to keep the form of the mozzarella. The cheese got just lovely warm, nearly melting, when speared in between the fish and tomatoes. I had new potatoes on the side, with herbs from my window garden and good olive oil tossed on them. 
There are so many different ways and possibilities are endless with the speared summer food. I hope you find your own favorite combination, and go a little out of the box this summer as well, while cooking. Till next time,
~ Cheers! 
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Books & Spoons Turkey Thursday food blog! 

10/6/2016

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Turkey, people, let's talk about turkey. I fell in love with turkey from the first time I had the opportunity to eat it.  But it is not just for the winter season, anymore, it is for everyday use, in all possible forms. 
I like the taste of turkey better than chicken, it also very lean meat, with lots of protein. My local grocery has it year around, minced, filet, whole breast, half breast, sliced thigh... Now, as the grilling season is upon us, they have even added it to their grill selection. 

These sliced thighs of turkey are easy to prepare on many different ways, on the grill, on the frying pan, in the oven. I also love it, because it still has a little bit of bone, and when you are cooking it, the bone marrow gives the meat more flavor.
I took some onions, garlic, chili and paprika powder, salt, pepper and olive oil, took a stick mixer on it, and made a nice marinade for the turkey with a little heat on it. I set the slices in the oven, in a roasting bag, perfect way to hold on to the juices, and of course, clean up time is so much easier. 
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It didn't take a long time for them to be ready, about 30 minutes in the oven, just enough time to set the table, fix the salad, grill the corn, and be ready to eat as the meat came out of the oven. And it was a delicious! 
Hope you are enjoying the summertime, outdoor cooking, and lovely taste experiences! Till next time
~ Cheers!
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Books & Spoons Recipe STUFFED PITA BREAD

3/6/2016

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This week's food blog topic is quick and easy, and absolutely delicious!
This is a great lunch, or a  lighter dinner, especially now in grill season, if you happen to have extra leftovers from the day before, or have just one steak and need to feed couple people.
From on smaller size pepper steak, I got six filled pita sandwiches. And other meat would work as well, or if you want to go meatless, by all means. I just loved the heat from the pepper steak, the edge from the arugula and basil, the sweetness of the tomatoes,  the mushrooms and spring onion... Really, this is now one of my summer favorites! 

Here is what you need for six pita sandwiches: 
6 oz / 170 g pepper steak, sliced
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks of spring onion, sliced
Fresh basil
Cherry tomatoes
Cream cheese mixed with arugula and pesto
Pita bread
This comes together nearly as fast as you can toast the pitas, so be sure you have your prep ready, when starting the process. 
I quickly sauté the mushrooms with the spring onions on one pan, while in the other pan I had the steak, and the pita bread in a toaster.
I spread the cream cheese on the toasted pita bread, inside, put some basil leaves in as a salad, sauté mushrooms, steak, tomatoes... DONE! 
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I hope you will enjoy this as much as I did. Now I am off to enjoy the sun and summer, and maybe even ice cream, after all, it is Friday! Till next time,
~ Cheers! 
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