Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup.

I love the fall season. Fall is the best excuse to make soups, and butternut squash soups are a fall staple here in the US. I earlier posted a roasted version, and to be honest I can't tell which is the best. 

This version is made mostly vegetarian, if you loose the cream and the sour cream and bacon topping. The crispy tart apples plays well with the clean flavors from the soup.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 1 butternut squash

• 2-3 large potatoes

• 2 carrots

• 1 chili pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 heaped teaspoon grated ginger

• 400 ml (1¼ cup) water

• ½ lemon, the juice of

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• 1½ dl (little over 1 cup) heavy whipping cream

Topping:

• 3-5 thin slices of bacon (+ a sprinkle ghost chili powder)

• 1 crisp apple, cut in small dices, dressed in juice from ½ lemon + ½ teaspoon honey

• roasted pumpkin seeds

• 1 chili thinly sliced

• creme fraiche (sour cream)

Directions:

Microwave the whole butternut squash for 2 minutes to soften it a bit, making it easier to cut.

Cut it in half, peel, deseed and dice the butternut squash. Peel and dice potatoes and carrots. 

Sauté the vegetables in a large pot in olive oil for a few minutes. Add water, chili, ginger and cumin. Bring it to a boil and cover it and cook it for 15-20 minutes, until the squash is tender.

Purée the soup in batches in a blender* until smooth. (You can also use an immersion blender.) 

Add the cream and season the soup with lemon juice, salt and pepper, heat soup through before serving.

Serve the soup hot with your favorite garnish and a slice of good bread.

*Be careful when blending hot liquids, it can make the lid pop off, and you may risk getting serious burns on you skin. You can remove the small cap on you blender lid and cover the lid with a clean kitchen towel. You need to hold on to the lid and towel. This will let the steam from the hot soup escape and avoid the lid from popping off. You can also get blenders like the Vitamix, where you can blend hot liquids, without any hassle.

Pot-Roasted Chicken

Pot-Roasted Chicken 

This family-style pot-roasted chicken was something we got for dinner a lot when I grew up. The chicken stay nice and juicy, because it's roasted in a liquid. And the sauce you get from this is heavenly. Like many other roasts, you get the most delicious sauce, with tons of flavors from the meat you are roasting. 

Whenever we have a pot-roasted chicken for dinner, I feel like I'm back home, in my parents vacation home. Some tastes and smells just bring you right back. I miss you mom and dad ❤️

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken
• 1 bunch parsley
• salt & pepper
• olive oil for searing
• 1 cup (2.5 dl) water
• 1-2 tablespoon  corn starch mixed with 3 tablespoon cold water
• a few drops gravy browning (or Danish Kulør)

Directions:

Pad the chicken dry. Season the chicken on the inside and on the skin with salt and pepper. Rinse the parsley, and put it inside the chicken.

Heat the oil over high heat in a large pot (that will hold the whole chicken). Sear the chicken about 5 minutes on each side, until it gets deep golden on all sides. Add the water, and let it get to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and let the chicken simmer away for about an hour.

When chicken is tender, remove from the pot. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil and add the cornstarch mixture a little at a time (you may not need it all) to pot and simmer for a few minutes, until slightly thickened. Add some gravy browning, and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Carve the chicken, and serve it with boiled small potatoes, the sauce and Danish cucumber salad. 

Enjoy!

Danish Hamburger - Dansk Hakkebøf

Danish hamburger or Hakkebøf med bløde løg, is a traditional danish dish. Normally it is served with a brown gravy made with the dripping from the frying of the hamburger and onions. I rarely make brown gravy, but my mom always made it, she put the onions in the gravy, making it extra yummy. But if you want to indulge you can serve the hamburger with béarnaise sauce.

A hamburger/hakkebøf is a cheaper take on a steak dinner, great for a weeknight.

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

• 1 Ib (450 g) ground beef (7-10% fat)
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 large onions
• oil for frying

Directions:

Form 3-4 round hamburgers season with salt freshly ground pepper. Fry them in a little oil or butter on a large frying pan for 5-7 minutes on each side.

Peel the onion and slices them thinly. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, Fry the onions until they get soft, translucent and get some golden caramelizing. Season with salt. Add a splash of water to prevent to much browning.

Serve the hamburgers with boiled potatoes, the soft onions and petit green peas. 

Enjoy!

Tomato Risotto

Tomato Risotto

Risotto has been a thing I have been reluctant to cook. I have always been convinced that it was a difficult dish to master. But after I have been cooking risotto a few times, I can't see what I was afraid of.  Somehow I might have been cooking risotto for many years. Well, not risotto, risotto. But the classic Danish dish Risengrød, is arborio rice cooked in milk, a sweet milky risotto sprinkled with cinnamon. And I have had Risengrød numerous times through my childhood.

This risotto embodies some of my favorite ingredients, tomatoes, wine, parmesan and basil, And of cause is was delisious. 

Inspired by Martha Shulmans Tomato Basil Risotto.

Serves 2-3 (4-6 as an appetizer)

Ingredients:

• 700 ml chicken stock, or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 225 g tomato, grated (2 large tomatoes)
• 2 sprigs thyme, leaves only
• 130 g arborio rice
• 100 ml white wine (I used a Pinot Grigio)
• 2 tomatoes, without seeds, and diced
• ¾ dl (about ¼ cup) fresh grated parmesan
• 5 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Directions:

Grate the parmesan, set aside

Grate the tomatoes. Cut the tomato in half at the equator. Grate on the coarse side of a box grater, with the cut side of the tomato up against the grater. Watch your hands. Set aside.

Slice the basil, set aside. 

Dice onion, and mince the garlic.

Heat the stock, and keep it warm.

Heat olive oil in a wide sauté pan, sauté the onions until translucent. Add rice and garlic, cook while stirring, until all the rice are coated and they start to crackle. Add grated tomato and thyme, and cook until the rice has absorbed most of the tomato liquid. 

Pour in the wine, and let it simmer until the wine is absorbed. 

Start adding a small ladleful of hot stock at a time, letting the rice absorb the liquid before adding more. You want the risotto to cook for a low simmer, stirring constantly. Cook the risotto for about 25 minutes, until the rice are al dente, and they have a little bite, without being crunchy.

Add the diced tomatoes, basil and parmesan, making the risotto nice and creamy. Season the risotto with salt, to taste. Serve Immediately.

Enjoy!

Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma

Karma is one of my favorite indian dishes, well at least of the ones I have tried. The bold flavors and the creaminess makes me happy every time. And when you serve korma with my kryptonite bread, as naan bread and rice, it can't get any better in my world.

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 4 large chicken breasts (about 2¼ pounds/1kg)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons garam masala

• 2 teaspoons curry powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Sauce:

• 2 onions, peeled and quartered

• 6 garlic cloves, peeled

• 250 ml (1 cup) water

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 teaspoons curry powder

• 2 teaspoons turmeric

• 2 teaspoons garam marsala

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 red dried chili, minced (use less if you don't like spicy food)

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 can peeled tomatoes, diced

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

• 85 g cashews, ground

• ⅔ can of coconut milk

• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt

Topping:

• cilantro

Directions:

Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a ziplock bag, and set aside.

Cut the chicken breasts up into bitesized cubes. Add the chicken to the marinade, massaging it, to cover it all with the spices. Let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat some oil in a large pot, I used my dutch oven. Brown the marinated chicken. Remove the chicken, and set aside.

Blend onion and garlic with water, until you have a smooth puree. Heat the olive oil in the pot, Add the pureed onion mixture and cook for a few minutes, until it begins to darken in color. Add tomatoes, ginger, ground cashews, coconut milk, yogurt, red chili, and spices. Turn the heat down and let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add the chicken and yogurt to the sauce and let it simmer another 10-15 minutes, while you cook the rice, and the chicken gets cooked through. 

Serve with rice and naan bread.

Enjoy!