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!

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!

Pigs in a Blanket - Pølsehorn

Pigs in a Blanket - Pølsehorn

Pigs in a blanket aka pølsehorn is a favorite among kids and adults all over the world.  They are perfect for kids birthday parties or as an easy snack or lunch. You cant eat them cold, warm or hot with your choice of condiments. 

Ingredients:

10 German style Wieners 

Dough:

• 50 g live yeast (or 4 teaspoons dry yeast)
• 250 g water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 40 g butter (salted)
• 1 egg
• 425 g all-purpose flour
• 100 g spelt flour
• 1 egg for egg-wash 

Directions:

In a bowl combine warm water, milk, yeast and sugar. If you use dry yeast let the mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. 

In the stand mixer bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and mix it with a flat beater until the flour looks like crumbs. (Well the dough hook works too.) Stir in yeast mixture and egg until a dough forms. Knead the dough for 5-8 minutes on medium, (8-10 minutes if kneaded by hand), until smooth and elastic. 

Let the dough rise covered for 1 - 2 hours until doubled in bulk.

Cut the wieners in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pour the dough onto a lightly floured workspace, fold the dough over 3-4 times and using dough scraper, divide the dough into 18-20 small balls. Gently roll each ball into a 11-inch/30 cm  rope, and wrap the dough around the half wiener. Squeeze the ends onto the rest of the dough, so it won't unroll when rising.

Cover the pigs loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let to rise in a warm place for one hour.

Preheat oven to 400℉/200℃ with rack in center. Beat an egg and brush some on top of pigs. Bake until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Transfer to a rack to cool before serving.

Serve the pigs in a blanket with your favorite condiment. 

Enjoy!

This post has been submitted to YeastSpotting

The Danish version:

Ingredienser:

• 50 g gær (eller 4 tsk tørgær)
• 250 g vand, lunkent
• 1 tsk salt
• 2 spsk sukker 
• 3 spsk mælk
• 40 g saltet smør
• 1 æg
• 425 g hvedemel
• 100 g speltmel
• 1 æg, til pensling

Fremgangsmåde:

Bland det lunkne vand med mælk, gær og sukker. Hvis du bruger tørgær, så lad blandingen stå indtil det begynder at skumme.

I en røremaskine bland melene, salt og smør, indtil smørret er blandet ordentligt med melet, så det ligner krummer. Kom gærblandingen og ægget i. Rør indtil det er blevet til en dej. Ælt dejen i 5-8 minutter. (Ælt 8-10 minutter, hvis du gør det i hånden). Du skal ende op med en jævn og elastisk dej.

Lad dejen hæve tildækket i skålen i 1-2 timer, eller til den er doblet i størrelse.

Halvér pølserne., og kom bagepapir på et par bageplader.

Hæld dejen ud på et bord drysset med mel. Fold dejen 3-4 gange og del dejlen i 18-20 lige store stykker/boller. Rul bollerne ud til ca. 30 cm lange pølser, og sno dejen rundt om pølserne. Pres enderne ind i dejen, så snoningen ikke ruller op, når pølsehornene hæver.

Dæk pølsehornene med et rent viskestykke, og lad dem hæve i omkring 1 time.

Opvarm ovnen til 200℃. Pensel pølsehornene med det sammenpiskede æg, og bag dem i ca 15 minutter indtil de er gyldne og gennembagte.

Køl pølsehornene lidt af inden de serveres.

Server pølsehorn med sennep og ketchup.

Velbekomme!

Beer Can Chicken

Beer Can Chicken

Beer Can Chicken is one of the best ways to cook a chicken on the grill/BBQ. The chicken stays juicy, and you get the best crispy skin.

I use a poultry roaster instead of the beer can, since you do not know what’s in the color on the beer can, and if it will migrate into the roasting chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature 
• 2-4 tablespoons salt
• ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic

Directions:

Preheat your grill/BBQ to medium high heat, the chicken need to be cooked at indirect heat, meaning no flames or coal directly under the bird. 

Zest the lemon, and add it to the butter together with the thyme.

Remove neck and giblets from chicken and discard them. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with salt inside and put the chopped up lemon inside too. Put the spiced butter in between the skin and chicken breast and drumsticks. Set aside.

Pour the wine into the poultry roaster  and put the garlic in there too. place the chicken on the stand. Rub a good amount salt all over the chicken. Transfer the chicken to the grill/BBQ.

Cook the bird for 50-65 minutes or until the thigh juice runs clear, when poked with a sharp knife. Remove the bird from grill/BBQ and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. (The center temperature should be 165℉ (75℃).

Enjoy!