Lasagne Soup

Lasagne Soup

Lasagne is the ultimate comfort food for me, so why not make the dish into a yummy hearty soup?

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound (450 g) ground beef
• 1 large onions, chopped 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup red wine (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• 5-6 cups (1½ l) Beef stock (I used leftovers from my beef soup)
• 1 handful pasta (I used  XX)
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Topping: 

• 1 cup (240 ml) sour cream or creme fraiche
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch of freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• shredded mozzarella cheese 

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the beef, breaking it up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. 

Add onions and cook until softened, then add garlic, and spices. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and heat it through, until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves and beef stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. The longer you let it cook, the deeper the flavors become. 

Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Right before serving stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the topping. In a small bowl combine all but the mozzarella, and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup in bowls with a dollop of the topping and som sheredded mozzarella on top.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Lasagnesuppe

Ingredienser:

• 2 tsk olivenolie
• 450 g hakket oksekød
• 1 stort løg, groft hakket 
• 4 fed hvidløg, presset
• 2 tsk oregano
• 1 tsk timian
• 1 tsk basilikum
• 1 tsk rosmarin
• ½ tsk chiliflager
• 2 spsk konc. tomatpuré
• 1 dåse hakkede tomater 
• 2½ dl rødvin (behøves ikke, men giver mere dybde i smagen)
• 2 laurbærblade
• 1½ l okseboullion (jeg brugte resterne af min oksekødssuppe)
• 1 håndfuld pasta 
• 1 dl hakket frisk basilikum
• salt og friskkværnet peber, smag retten til

Topping: 

• 240 ml creme fraiche
• 1 dl friskrevet parmesan 
• ¼ tsk salt
• 1 knsp friskkværnet peber
• ½ dl hakket frisk basilikum
• revet mozzarella

Directions:

Varm olien i en tykbundet gryde, og brun det hakkede oksekød heri. Sørg for at kødet bliver findelt, mens det brunes. Tilsæt løg, hvidløg og krydderierne, og steg i et par minutter indtil løgene er blevet bløde. Tilsæt tomatpureen og varm den igennem, til den får en rødbrun farve, Dette tage lidt af syren i tomatpureen.

Tilsæt de hakkede tomater, rødvin, laurbærblade og oksebouillonen. Lad suppen simre i omkring 30 minutter. Jo længre tid den koger, jo dybere bliver smagen.

Kom den ukogte pasta i suppen og kog indtil den er al dente.  Kom den friske basilikum i suppen lige før serveringen. Smag suppen til med salt og peber. 

Mens pastaen koger i suppen, mix toppingen. Bland alt undtagen mozzarellaen  og smag det til med salt og peber.

Server suppen i skåle med en klat topping og revet mozzarella på toppen

Velbekomme!

Tzatziki

Tzatziki

This spread is a perfect starter for summer BBQ's. 

Ingredients:

• 1 english cucumber
• salt
• 17.6 oz. (0.5 l) non-fat Fage Greek yogurt
• garlic
• olive oil

Direction:

Grate the cucumber and toss it with 1-2 tablespoon salt, place it in a sieve, and place it over a bowl. Let the cucumber drain for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.

Mix in the greek yogurt with 1-2 teaspoons olive oil and garlic. Set aside.

Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumber as you can, and add the cucumber to the yogurt.

You can serve it immediately, but I like the flavors to blend in the tzatziki, so I let it sit in the refrigerator for an hours before serving. Just before serving drizzle some good olive oil on top.

Serve chilled or at room temperature, with a good sourdough bread or Pita Bread. 

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Tzatziki

Ingredients:

• 1 agurk
• salt
• 0,5 l fedtfri Fage græsk yoghurt
• 2-4 fed hvidløg
• olivenolie

Direction:

Riv agurken, og bland den med 1-2 spsk salt, for at vandet drænes ud af agurken, så tzatzikien ikke bliver vandet. Kom agurken i en sigte og sæt sigten over en skål. Lad det dræne i 2-3 timer (optimalt) i køleskabet.

Bland yoghurten med 1-2 tsk olivenolie. 

Pres så meget væde ud af agurken, som muligt, og kom den i yoghurten.

Du kan servere tzatzikien med det sammen, men smagen bliver bedre, hvis den får lov at hvile i køleskabet i en times tid.

Lige før serveringen hældes lidt god olivenolie over.

Kan serveres kold eller ved stuetemperatur, med godt surdejsbrød eller med pitabrød.

Velbekomme!

Pita Bread

Pita Bread 

Pita bread stuffed/filled with a good salad is a perfect lunch or dinner a hot summer day. But this pita bread tastes great with a good spread like tzatziki and a glass of red wine.

Ingredients:

• 30 g live yeast (2 teaspoons dry yeast)
• 350 g water, finger-warm
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 500 g all-purpose flour

Directions:

Dissolve the live yeast in the water. If you use dry yeast, add some sugar to the water and wait a few minutes till the yeast start to foam. 

Add the salt to half the flour, and mix it in the yeast/water mixture. Add the rest of the flour a little at a time, until the dough is elastic but not sticky. You might not need all the four. Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes on medium on a stand mixer. 

Let the dough rise covered for about 1 hour, until the dough is doubled in volume.

Pour the dough unto a flour dusted workplace. Cut the dough up into 6-8 parts, and roll them into balls.

Preheat the oven to 500℉ (250℃), with a pizza stone in.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchmentpaper. 

Roll each ball into a flat circle and leave the breads to rise on the baking sheets, covered for about 10 minutes.

Bake the Pita breads for about 7-9 minutes until they are golden brown and puffed up as small pillows. Let thew Pita's cool on a wire rack, covered with a kitchen towel.

Enjoy!

6-8 stk

Pitabrød

Ingredienser:

• 30 g gær (2 tsk tørgær)
• 350 g lunkent vand
• 1 tsk salt
• 500 g hvedemel

Fremgangsmåde:

Opløs gæren i vandet. Bruger du tørgær, så kom en smule sukker i og vent til det skummer.

Kom salten i halvdelen af melet og ælt det i gærblandingen. Kom resten af melet i lidt ad gangen, indtil dejen er smidig uden at være klistret. Det er ikke sikkert at du skal bruge al melet.

Sæt dejen til hævning i omkring 1 time, indtil dejen er doblet i volumen. 

Hæld dejen ud på et meldrysset bord, og del dejen i 6-8 lige store dele. Rul hver del til en bolle.

Opvarm ovnen til 500℉ (250℃) evt. med en bagesten i. Kom bagepapir på et par bageplader.

Rul hver bolle ud til en flad cirkel. Læg brødene på bagepladerne og lad den hæve tildækket i ca 10 minutter.

Bag brødene i 7-9 minutter indtil de er lysebrune og pustede op. Afkøl brødene på en bagerist med et viskestykke over.

Velbekomme!

Chicken Nuggets - homemade

Chicken Nuggets

I would rater die,  than eat chicken McNuggets or other store bought nuggets. There is nothing good about a salty fattening fried piece of "chicken." But homemade nuggets made from chicken breast, is a meal worth eating. They are easy to make and is a good and healthy dinner on a week-night. You just have to plan ahead, and marinate the chicken. You can even substitute the cracker with rye flour for a healthier option.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 250 g buttermilk
• 25-50 g saltine crackers or another salty buttery cracker
• 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 pinch pepper
• salt

Directions:

Cut each chicken breast in 8-10 pieces, and put them in a plastic bag or container. Add the buttermilk, and let the chicken marinade in 24-48 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Drain of the buttermilk, and wipe the excess buttermilk off in a paper towel. 

Put cracker and spices in a zipplock bag, and break the cracker into small crumbs. Put the chicken pieces into the bag, to coat. 

Spread the chicken onto a baking sheet, and bake 15-20 minutes. Turn pieces over midway.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Kyllingenuggets

Ingredienser:

• 200 g kyllingebryst
• 250 g kærnemælk
• 25-50 g tuc kiks
• 1-2 tsk chilipulver
• 1 tsk paprika
• 1 tsk hvidløgspulver
• 1 knsp peber
• salt

Fremgangsmåde:

Kyllingen skæres i passende bidder, ca. 6-8 stykker pr kyllingebryst.  Kom kyllingestykkerne i en plastikpose. Hæld kærnemælken ned i posen, og lad kyllingestykkerne marinere i køleskabet i 24-48 timer.

Opvarm ovnen til 200℃.

Kom kiksene ned i en frysepose og bank dem til rasp, tilsæt krydderierne. Tag Kyllingestykkerne op, og tør den overskydende kærnemælk af. Kom kyllingestykkerne ned til kiksraspen, og ryst posen til de alle er dækket af et lag. Læg kyllingestykker på en bageplade og bag dem i 10-15 minutter. Vend evt stykkerne halvvejs.

Velbekomme!

Grilled Espresso Tri-Tip

Grilled Espresso Tri-Tip

I had never heard about a tri-tip roast befor moving to California. And even though I have seen the cut in the stores, I didn't know how to cook it. My dear neighbors changed that, when they invited us for a BBQ, and served tri-tip. Now tri-tip is on my cuts to buy. It is so good and flavorful. Now I have to get my neighbor's secret rub, to get the perfect tri-tip for summer.

The tri-tip is a cut from the bottom of the sirloin, and is a close cousin of the culotte roast. 

Since the tri-tip is a lean cut, you have to be careful not to over cook it, particularly when preparing the full roast. You don't want to cook it to more than medium. 

This time the tri-tip became a little more done, than I would have liked, but I still turned out great. The deep flavor of the coffee worked perfect with the spice from the pepper and the beef. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tri-tip roast
• 3 tablespoons finely ground espresso coffee beans
• 1 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Combine espresso beans, brown sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, and chili powder. Rub mixture onto the roast and place in a large dish. Let the roast marinade covered, in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

Preheat grill to medium heat (400℉/200℃).  

Remove roast from fridge and place on grill/BBQ, use indirect heat. Cook for 15-18 minutes turning occasionally. When done, remove from heat allow to sit for a few minutes before carving into  thin slices. 

Enjoy!