I'm so excited for the autumn, the fall colors, and colder temperatures, soups and stews, fresh veggies, hoodies, wool socks, tea & cookies, candles, and reading at night - hah - who am I kidding, there's reading around the year for me, but you get the picture. As much as I loved every minute of the summer, now it is time to embrace the new season! And what better way to start the new season, than a hot stew, that had a lovely, slow-burning heat on the aftertaste, was rich with flavors, and colorful on the plate?! I got out of control at the market when all the new harvested veggies arrived at the store, everything just looks so attempting and tasty, and the imagination goes wild with all the possibilities out there. The pork fillet was marinated overnight in a Moroccan spice mix. If you don't want to use pork, chicken works well, maybe even turkey, too. The Moroccan flavors came from
I cut some sweet potatoes, potatoes, rainbow carrots, leeks and green onions for the stew, and for the liquid, I used vegetable stock. I have a big non-stick kettle, so I first saute the meat until it had a nice color, then add the veggies, and the stock until just covering the ingredients. With a slow burning heat, I let the stew cook until I was ready to eat. This is something for a slow cooker as well, so easy to just set it going until you are ready for it. I made a big batch, and I have to say, it was almost better the next day, with the heat from the spices really getting the kick in there, and wonderful flavors bursting out. For more inspiration, you can visit the Instagram account, where I post pictures of what's cooking around here through the week. Until next time,
~ Cheers!
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Getting back to the rhythm of things can be hard when the summer heat is over, especially if the summer-like temperatures are still hanging on, and you really just want to spend your time enjoying the last warm rays of the sun before polar nights hits you hard... So nothing better if you can accomplish a meal in less than 30 minutes, and it is not only healthy but also delicious! I have been on a fish kick these days, more than normally, I think. I love that we have such a great variety available around us and that it is rather reasonably priced, considering. My neighborhood store had some quality salmon on a campaign price, and yes I filled my freezer with it, so much more salmon to come. I wanted to make a salmon wok, but not with the traditional veggies you often see it prepared with, at least up here. I also have fallen for the taste of kale lately, even to the point of raw kale+asparagus juice in the mornings, so no wonder I wanted it to play the main veggie role in this medley.
European plaice is a delicious fish, that I have recently fell in love with. The last time I served it, I just breaded it, sautéd in a very hot pan, and set in the oven to bake the rest of the way. That's my cheating way to get the lovely breaded fish filé, and not get all the oil from frying it. I added a dash of powdered paprika to the breading mix, with salt and pepper, of course. Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) Plaice is the best-known flatfish in our Western European climate. Its spine is formed in a similar way to the common dab, the turbot and the flounder. One of the characteristics of Plaice is the red spots on the brown/green side of the fish near the eyes. The other side is white with some dark patches. It is found in the Northeast Atlantic seas, ranging from the White Sea to southern Portugal and the North Sea to the western Baltic Sea. Plaice lives on a mixture of sandy and clay seabeds at a depth of 200m near the coast and at a depth of 400m in the Mediterranean. It can reach a maximum length of 95cm, a weight of 7kg and an age of about 50 years. However, such large sizes are rarely caught. The average length varies between 25cm and 40cm and its average weight varies between 2 and 3kg. Plaice feeds off bristle worms, muscles with thin shells and beach fleas. Source: Wikipedia
I hope you are enjoying the last rays of the warm sun. I have enjoyed the long, warm summer for sure, but now I am ready for some soup evenings, big hoodies, candle light, and Saturday baking.
Till next time ~ Cheers! Welcome autumn, with your cooler days, candlelight evenings, cups of tea and great books, and not to mention some good eating and great baking! That's what I love about autumn, that and the colors in the nature that leave me in awe. And let's not forget the harvest time, stores filled with fresh produce and many temptations in form of fruits and veggies. Since the website feed will tell you how much I love apple desserts, I'm not going to get more into the fantastic flavor combinations you can create with apples. But instead, I am going to share with you a simple, and a rather easy way to make an apple pastry that will blow you away. With step by step pictures to follow. One of my favorites is the baked apples with vanilla sauce. They are rustic, filled with flavor and the aroma is unbelievable.
I love the oven dish meals that you can just spice up, set in the oven, and then let it do its thing. Not much time required from you in the kitchen and the results can be amazingly delicious. What more could you want?! I do these meals often like I am sure you have noticed, it's just a great time saver when a lot is happening. And I like the flavors of the slow roasted veggies and meat. This week's recipe was so tasty. I had a slice of a pork butt. It is a popular grill season product here, with a spicy marinade, and I thought it would be perfect for some slow roasting in the oven right at the beginning of autumn. I knew I was going to keep it in the oven for a long time on a lower heat, so I set some robust veggies with it in the oven.
Always remember to add salt and pepper to the meat, and if you have a new sauce you haven't used before, I would recommend tasting it first, just to see if you need to add anything to it, or how powerful the flavors in it are. You don't want to go to all the effort to prepare a meal and then the end result is a surprise party. I had them all in the low heat oven (130C / 260F) for about two hours. By then the pork was so tender it was melting in the mouth, and the beets had such a deep, lovely sweetness to them, a great combination, indeed. I'm really into the beets this year, I have noticed, so I am sure there's going to be more with them later on. But this is it for this week, I hope you enjoy it and have a great weekend with some good eating. Till next time
~ Cheers! The harvest time is at its best right now and I love to walk to the produce store down the street when every bin is filled with fresh, colorful, beautiful products, and the only problem you have is not to buy more than you can eat. Rainbow carrots are something I rarely can resist, just the abundance of color is tempting, not to mention the ease of the use of them, and the ultimate goal of the great taste is guaranteed.
I am aware that many people think that turkey is only good on one or two holidays towards the end of the year. Thankfully it is available most year around at the local stores since I love to use it for the rich taste it has and the great source of protein it is, as well as the leanness of the meat. And it is rather reasonably priced as well, compared to for example to chicken. Of course, that is a local thing and varies from place to place with the availability and ease of access to the product. I added some butter sautéd asparagus to the plate. I sautéd the asparagus while the turkey breast was resting so that the timing was perfect and it didn't wilt while in wait. The leftover turkey is great for a wok, soup, or a casserole, all dishes that can be made with the galore of veggies I have in wait. So that's what's for dinner over here, you can get more dinner ideas through the week from the Instagram account. Till next time ~ Cheers! Every now and then an idea that you have about a recipe works even better than you originally thought, and you completely fall in love with the taste of the dish. Yes?! Absolutely. The dinner that made me want seconds and was even better than I first thought was Parmesan crusted deep fried brussels sprouts with marinara and whole grain pasta. Oh yes, I don't often advocate anything deep fried, but this is a recipe I hope you try. Make sure the brussels sprouts are washed and well dried. You can use frozen ones as well, just make sure the are dry on the outside and remember they might take longer to fry if still frozen inside.
Summer time seems to be filled with coming and goings, and few days of laundry and recouping at home, before heading out again. I have loved the warm weather, sunny days, and the couple opportunities to see a bit more of the beautiful country I live in. I got couple inquiries where's the Spoons been for the last couple of weeks, no worries, we are still here, just took some time to breathe and soak up the sun. The meals during the hot summer days tend to be light. When the heat gets too much, it takes the appetite with it. I have gotten into smoothie making this summer again and been mixing and matching different fruits and berries. I think my favourite one is the watermelon, peach, and orange smoothie. But there wasn't a one that I didn't like, so far. This past winter I talked about cooking a double amount while making the effort, and freezing the half to use when needed. In between my adventures, I took a full advantage of the half way ready meals from my freezer, and saved a lot of time and trouble, giving me more time to rest and recoup, and get ready to explore again. Fish is my go-to dinner during the hot, sunny days of summer. Just add some veggies with it, and you have the perfect meal. Here I had a trout filé that I baked with some basic spices, salt, pepper, and paprika, the aromatic veggies, carrots, leeks, and fennel, were in the oven with the fish. I cut them small enough and shredded the carrots so that they would be done at the same time as the trout. Instead of starch on the side like pasta or potatoes, I had some corn. If you wanted to have some sauce with it, a basic white sauce would be lovely, or just some butter on the top of the veggies while in the oven. A real butter, no imitation or margarine. I really enjoyed this meal, it was light yet filling, filled with flavours, and not to mention like a ray of sunshine on my plate! I hope you are enjoying your summer as well. I can't believe it went by so fast, that there's already a little hint of autumn in the air up here. But let's make most of the sunny days when we have a chance!
Until next time you can catch me on the Instagram posting pictures mostly under #whatsfordinner ~ Cheers!
I have experienced this myself as well before, but at Fabel from the first moment I made a contact with the staff, I felt welcomed, comfortable, and enjoyed my time there immensely. I wish more restaurants would realize the potential of solo eating clients also at dinner time. The pasta sauce had layers of piquant tastes in it, I cleaned my bowl with the sourdough bread I was served, didn't want to waste a drop. The pork neck melted in my mouth and the soft, well-rounded nuances of the dish, all working smoothly together was such a pleasure. The sweet potato fries was on the salty side and balanced the sweetness of the pork nicely. The dessert - it was like the summer sun, so cheerful, lovely, and refreshing, absolutely loved the distinctions of the different fruits. I hope you enjoy the pictures I captured through the evening (with asked permission)
Till next time ~ Cheers! I need more beets in my life! I don't know why I don't use beets more in my cooking since I like the taste of them so much. Of course, they pretty much color everything else red, but there's nothing wrong with the red food, cutting boards, plates, fingers, etc. Beets are healthy: "Packed with essential nutrients, beetroots are a great source of fiber, folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron and vitamin C. Beetroots and beetroot juice have been associated with numerous health benefits, including improved blood flow, lower blood pressure, and increased exercise performance. Many of these health benefits are due by their high content of inorganic nitrates." (https://authoritynutrition.com/foods/beetroot/) I love the robust taste of beets, and since I had them in the house from last weeks fish burgers, I wanted to use them for something tasty. And this dish turned out to be just what I wanted, and very red! I used shredded beets, carrots, red onions, kale, red cabbage as my veggies on the wok. I had beef for the meat and teriyaki sauce for the moisture and added flavor. And I have to say, it burst with flavors, all strong, all vigorous, and all in harmony with each other. I am glad I had some noodles on the side. They soften the hot teriyaki sauce I had going, but of course, it's not something you have to have if you want to avoid carbs or not a fan of them. I sauté the beef in a very hot pan, added the veggies and let them on sauté for a couple of minutes. Then added the sauce, and let the whole dish heat up. The noodles came on the side while all of this was happening. And it all came through quick, the longest time and effort would be the veggies, washing and cutting them. If you don't get them pre-prepared. If you like earthy, strong flavors, with great healthy side effects, I would recommend adding some beets to your meals. I think I will, I am even looking for a juicer right now. Now that would be something different, huh.
Want more dinner ideas on nearly daily basis, check us out on Instagram, you can follow the website account, or go for #whatsfordinner and find our pictures there. Till next time ~ Cheers! Burgers are part of the summer, like bees on the flowers. I love a great meat burger, but this time I wanted to do it with fish. I know, I already got a question, why do I use so much fish on my cooking. Well, I like it, it's affordable here in Norway, it is tasty, and healthy, and good, and it's summertime, you want to eat healthy, and ... Yes, there's been a lot of fish on the menu this summer. I made an avocado cream to go on the bun, instead of mayo. If you are a regular here on Spoons, you might have caught on that I am not a fan of mayo, and will avoid it to great lengths. So, avocado cream - sour cream, garlic, avocado, fresh lemon juice, kosher or ocean salt, freshly ground black pepper. I gently mashed the avocado on a bowl, trying to avoid bruising it too much. Added a teaspoon of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and then a teaspoon at the time, sour cream, until the consistency and tasty was what I wanted. So that was on the bun. On top of the avocado cream, I had a chopped and shredded mix of kale, red cabbage, red onion, carrot, and beetroot. All very flavor rich, and added so much into the burger, it was the perfect combination, with the other components. The burger recipe follows below. I used a small egg, but you can make them without one too, just make sure you pack them well, before cooking, so they will stay in form. A hamburger patty press is a lovely thing to have. They don't cost that much, and are durable, so you can use one for years, and will save you a lot of headache, if you make a lot of burgers over the season.
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.
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.
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. 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! 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!
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! |