Ratatouille

Ratatouille.

Ratatouille is a French vegetable stew. Back in the days it was characterized as peasant food, because vegetables were cheap.

In this version the vegetables are thinly sliced, and arranged nicely in the tomato sauce. I looks like it takes forever, but if you slice all the vegetables first, it only takes a few minutes, and looks like a million dollars.

We often have ratatouille as a side dish or served with rice and a slice of some good bread. Sprinkle some fresh shaved parmesan cheese on the ratatouille as you serve it, and it takes it over the top. Another advantage by cooking it like this is, that you get some nice caramelization of the vegetables, which gives added flavor to the dish.
Pick good quality vegetables, because this is a rather simple dish, and the vegetables are the stars, so the better the vegetables the better the dish. I normally use canned tomatoes for the sauce, but you can easily substitute it with crushed fresh tomatoes, it might even be better.

Leftovers will keep a day or two in the refrigerator, and are fantastic as breakfast with a poached egg, kinda like a Shakshuka.

Serves 3-4 as a side

Ingredients:

• 1 can crushed tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, about 3-4 large leaves, sliced

• 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence spice mix

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon chili powder

• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

• 1-2 large zucchini, I used both summer squash and zucchini

• 1 Japanese eggplant, or regular eggplant, with quartered slices

• 3-4 large fresh tomatoes, sliced

• 2-3 small bell peppers, sliced
  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Lightly grease a 9" baking dish and set aside. I used a round dish here, but any ovenproof dish will do.

In a mixing bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes, oil and vinegar, and stir in salt and the other spices.

Pour the tomato mixture into the prepared baking dish in an even layer..

Ratatouille ready to serve.

Stack the veggie slices in alternating patters, you don't have to go all OCD on this, it will be pretty no matter how you do this. The most important thing is to spread the onions around, so it spreads its flavor throughout.

Sprinkle a little olive oil on top to encourage the caramelization of the vegetables.

Bake for about an hour, until the tomato sauce is bubbling and the veggies are tender, but not mushy.

Serve the ratatouille hot or warm.

Enjoy!

Wienerschnitzel - Danish style Schnitzel

Wienerschnitzel - Danish style Schnitzel.

Schnitzel is a classic Austrian or German dish. The German version is made with pork, and the Austrian is made with veal. But the Danish version can be made with both, but mostly I make it with veal.

The Danish wienerschnitzel is served with something called a boy, or dreng in Danish. The boy is the topping, the lemon, capers, horseradish and brined anchovies. I have no idea why it is called a boy, but I love the salty and tangy addition to a rather fatty schnitzel. Normally I serve a wienerschnitzel with boiled potatoes, some steamed peas and a mushroom sauce, or sautéed mushrooms.

If you for some reason don’t like the topping, I would serve the schnitzel with a warm tangy potato salad with lots of fresh herbs.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 2 veal scaloppines

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• salt and pepper

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 2 cups unseasoned bakery bread crumbs or panko

• Olive oil or clarified butter for frying, do not skimp

Topping:

• 1 lemon, cut in slices

• 2-3 tablespoons capers

• horseradish, grated, to taste

• 2-4 brined anchovies

Directions:

Prepare 3 shallow bowls. Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate large, shallow bowls. Season the veal scaloppine with salt and pepper. Start dipping each scaloppine/schnitzel in flour, shaking off the excess. Then dip each completely in the eggs. Drain the scaloppine from the eggs and dredge them in the third bowl with bread crumbs, pressing the veal lightly into the crumbs to adhere. Place the breaded scaloppine/schnitzel on a plate or some parchment paper.

Heat the oil/clarified butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook the scaloppine/schnitzels for 4 minutes on each side, only turning them once. Add more oil or butter when turning, so the pan won’t run dry. You want the schnitzels to be golden brown and crisp. Transfer the schnitzel to some paper towels to drain excess fat. Place a schnitzel on each plate and top them with lemon, capers, horseradish and anchovies.

Serve the wienerschnitzel with boiled potatoes, peas and mushrooms and with a cream of mushroom sauce.

Enjoy!

Lemony Kale and White Bean Soup

Lemony Kale and White Bean Soup

My mom often made kale soup during the winter months, but her soup was made with very fine chopped kale, it was kinda grated. It felt like I was eating the fresh cutting from the lawn, and the cut of meat was very fatty. To be honest, it was far from a favorite of mine, but my mom and dad loved it.

So here many years later, after I have been using kale in green salads, I wanted to try a white bean and kale soup, hoping not to visit my childhood kale soup traumas. Maybe that was why it took me years to muster enough courage to give it a try. As it turned out, this soup was nothing like my moms kale soup, actually it has become one of my favorite winter soups. The different textures and the tanginess of this soup makes all the difference. It makes an appearance on the menu in my house several times a month. It’s easy to make, and you have a comforting, warm, and healthy meal on the table within 25-30 minutes.

Normally I use Lacinato kale also known as Dinosaur, or Tuscan kale, but any kale will do. Just make sure to give it a rough chop, so you have something to chew on. If you want to keep the soup vegan, use vegetable stock and omit the chicken.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed

• ½ teaspoon rosemary

• ½ teaspoon thyme

• 2 lemon, the juice

• 2 liter (8 cups) chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

• 250 g raw chicken tenders, cut bite sized

• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained (not rinsed)

• 250 g fresh kale, roughly chopped

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat add the onion, and cook them until soft and translucent, you don’t want them to be brown. Add the garlic and cook for a little minute. Stir in the herbs, and add vegetable or chicken stock, lemon juice and chicken tenders. Cover, and bring the stock to a boil. Turn the heat down so it gets to a simmer. After about 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

Add the white beans and kale, and let it heat through befor serving. This will give the kale a bright green color, but keep it crispy. Serve the soup hot, with some good bread.

Enjoy!

Hasselback Potatoes

Hasselback potatoes is a Swedish dish invented in the 1950’s created at the Hasselbacken restaurant in Stockholm. And they were very popular during the 70’s and 80’s, but do no deserve to be forgotten. Personally i love them for their crispy outer and creamy center.

Normally I won’t add any flavors to the butter, but fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme goes really well with the potatoes, as do garlic. If you like another flavor profile, you can use other types of fat or oil, like olive oil and duck fat.

Serves 3-4 depending on the size of the potatoes.

Ingredients:

8-10 potatoes, the size of a golf ball, I used Yukon Gold potatoes

60 g salted butter (About ½ stick)

salt

Direction:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃), and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, set a side.
Place a potato up against a handle of a wooden spoon. Slice the potato into thin slices, not cutting all the way through. The handle of the spoon helps you not slicing the whole way through. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.

Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and brush them with the melted butter, making sure to get in between all the slices. Sprinkle with salt. Bake potatoes for about 55 to 60 minutes, brush the potatoes with more butter every 20 minutes. Bake until crisp and tender.

Serve them as a side.

Enjoy!

Danish Pancakes version 2 - Crepes

Danish pancakes.

Danish pancakes are thin like crepes, and is kinda of a dessert. But in my family we occasionally had pancakes for dinner. Maybe not an healthy option, but it was not on a regular basis.

I like my pancakes to be soft like the ones my mom made, but if you want the edges to be a little crispy (the edges mostly) then add a tablespoon regular beer, like a Pilsner. My mom didn’t do that, maybe because we rarely had any beer in the house, so I don’t do that either.

Right now this is my favorite recipe for Danish pancakes. I often make a double portion, and save the extra in the freezer, for an easy treat another day. When freezing fold each pancake in quarters, with parchment paper between each pancake, so you easy can defrost one or two at a time.

Makes 10-12.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs

• 400 ml milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract

• 4 tablespoons sugar

• 165 g all-purpose flour

• 1 pinch salt

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to the blender and blend it until a smooth batter. If you don’t have a blender, just whisk it by hand, until you get a lump free batter.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Brush the skillet with a small amount of butter. Using a ladle, pour just enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan, tipping it to coat evenly. Place pan back on heat and cook until batter is set and turned light brown. Flip the crepe with a spatula and cook the other side for additional 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer cooked crepe to a plate and continue with the rest of the batter, brushing the pan with more butter as needed and stacking finished crepes on top of each other.

Serve the crepes with sugar, jam, or even ice cream.

Enjoy!