Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken served over cilantro and lime cauliflower rice.

Dansk Udgave

This is one of my dishes I tried with a lot of spices, and it became one of my go-to dishes. It's fairly easy to make, but the flavor is so big and bold, that people think I have been working for hours in the kitchen. Now my secret is out.

I do add the cream in the end, but it's optional. But I'm not looking to cloak up my ores, so I cut the butter to a minimum. I still keep the buttery name, because the flavors is still there. 

Here served over cilantro and lime cauliflower rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 tablespoons coriander seeds 
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 5 black peppercorns 
• 3 small dried red chilies 
• 150 ml plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 6 cloves garlic
• 3 whole cardamon pods
• 25 g unsalted butter
• 1  tablespoon oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 ½ dl water
• 1 ½ dl heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Topping:

• 1  lime
• fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Spice paste: Grind coriander seeds, peppercorn, and chilies in a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle, mix in the cumin and garam masala.

In a bowl mix the spice mix with yogurt and tomato paste. Add minced garlic, finely grated ginger, salt and the whole cardamom pods. Put the paste into a zip-lock bag.

Cut up the chicken into 6-8 pieces, discard the skin. Put chicken in the spice paste to marinate for about 15 minutes.

Chop the onions, and brown the onions in butter in a large pot.

Add the chicken and all the spice paste. Lower the heat and let the chicken get some color. The sauce color will become more brownish red/ orange.

Add water, bay leaves and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasional. Add the cream and let the dish keep on simmering for another 10-12 minutes. Adding the cream is optional, but it makes the dish more creamy. Just before serving, stir in chopped cilantro.

Serve the chicken over rice or quinoa with a slice of lime and your favorite greens.

Enjoy!

The Danish Version:

Butter Chicken / Smørkylling

Ingredienser:

• 1 kylling
• 2 tsk garam masala
• 1 spsk korianderfrø
• 1 tsk spidskommen
• 5 stk sorte hele peberkorn
• 3 stk små tørrede røde chili
• 150 ml yoghurt naturel
• 2 spsk tomatpure
• 1 ¼ tsk salt
• 2 ½ cm frisk ingefær
• 6 fed hvidløg
• 3 stk kardemommekapsler
• 25 g smør
• 1 spsk. olie
• 2 stk mellemstore løg
• 2 stk laurbærblade
• 1 ½ dl vand
• 1 ½ dl piskefløde
• ½ dl hakket frisk koriander

Topping:

• 1 stk lime
• frisk koriander

Fremgangsmåde:

Krydderi pasta: Kværn korianderfrø, peber, chiler i en kaffekværn (brug en der ikke skal bruges til kaffe) eller i en morter. Bland spidskommen og garam masala i. 

Blad krydderierne med yoghurt og konc. tomatpuré. Bland tilsidst med presset hvidløg, revet ingefær, salt, kardemommekapsler.

Skær kyllingen i stykker og fjern skindet. Kom kyllingen i krydderipastaen, og lad den marinere i ca 15 minutter i kølesklabet.

I mellemtiden hakkes og brunes løgene i lidt olie og smør i en sauterpande.

Kom kyllingen og al marinaden ned til de brunede løg. Lad marinaden blive gennemvarm, så den skifter farve til mere orangerød. 

Tilsæt vand, laurbærblade og lad retten simre i ca. 30 minutter. Rør i retten en gang imellem.

Tilsæt fløden og lad den simre med i 10-12 minutter. Du behøver ikke at bruge fløde, men retten bliver mere cremet, hvis du gør.

Lige før serveringen, tilsættes den hakkede friske koriander.

Server kyllingen med ris eller quinoa, en skive lime og lidt grøntsager.

Her er kyllingen serveret med koriander og lime blomkålsris.

Velbekomme! 

Pork Roast Sandwich - Flæskestegssandwich

Pork Roast Sandwich - Flæskestegssandwich

We had a BBQ this weekend, and we served flæskestegssandwiches aka pork roast sandwiches. It was way easier than serving burgers. You don't need to flip burgers at the hot grill all day. Just make the bread/buns, red cabbage and danish cucumber salad in advance and grill the roast, before the guests arrives. Then you just need to slice the roast, whenever you are ready to eat. This sandwich is a crowd pleaser.

 In Denmark you can get pork roast sandwich at good hotdog stands (Pølsevogne), and it’s the perfect hangover food.

Ingredients:

• hamburger buns or bread
• Danish cucumber salad
• pickled red cabbage
• Danish Pork roast aka flæskesteg
• condiments like mustard, miracle whip and ketchup, or whatever you fancy.

Directions:

Toast and slice the bread, and assemble the sandwich to you’re liking. I love a bit of miracle whip, pork roast, red cabbage and some cucumber salad in mine.

Steak Rolls - Benløse Fugle

Steak Rolls - Benløse Fugle

As a child we sometimes had steak rolls, or “benløse fugle" (directly translated: Birds with no legs - sounds weird, right?) This was thin slices of meat wrapped around a piece of smoked speck. To be honest that was not one of my favorites. But the thought of swapping the speck with a smoked cheese might be a way to give this old-school dish a new life. 

It totally worked. The spiciness from the chili and the smoked cheese with the meat, made a perfect flavorful combination. It won't be the last time I make these steak rolls.

Ingredients:

• 4 thin slices skirt steak like the meat you use for carne asada
• 4 small blocks smoked gouda, the size of string cheese
• 1 handful spinach
• 8 small slices sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 jalapeño, divided in 4, lengthwise 
• salt & pepper
• oil for searing

Directions:

Season the steak pieces generously on both sides with salt and pepper.

Take a strip of the steak and lay it with the short side towards you. Place some spinach leaves, a slice jalapeño, 2 pieces of tomatoes and one block of cheese in the middle and roll the steak up over the filling, securing it with a toothpick along the length of the roll. Repeat with the last three steak rolls.

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃)

In an ovenproof skillet, heat a splash of grape-seed oil over medium-high heat. When hot add the steak rolls, sear them on all sides. Place the skillet in the oven and let it roast for about 15 minutes, until the steak rolls are done, when the cheese are expanded out of the rolls. Serve the rolls with your favorite sides.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Benløse fugle

Ingredienser:

• 4 tynde stykker oksekød såsom flanke- eller flapkød
• 4 bjælker røget gouda, på str. med ostehaps
• 1 håndfuld spinat
• 8 små stykker soltørrede tomater
• 1 jalapeño, delt i 4, på langs 
• salt & peber
• olie til stegningen

Fremgangsmåde:

Krydder kødet med salt og peber.

Læg et stykke af oksekødet på skærebrættet, med den korte side henimod dig. Læg lidt spinatblade, ¼ jalapeño, lidt soltørret tomat og en ostebjælke på kødet, tættest dig selv. Rul kødet rundt om fyldet og "lås" rullen med en tandstik eller kødnål. Gentage med de sidste 3 kødstykker. 

Forvarm ovnen til 200℃.

Brun rullerne på alle sider i en pande, der kan gå i ovnen, i lidt vindruekeneolie. Sæt panden i oven i ca. 15 minutter, indtil rullerne er møre og osten er "vokset" lidt ud af rullerne.

Server de benløse fugle med dine foretrukne grøntsager. 

Velbekomme!

Sous-Vide Duck Breast

Sous-Vide Duck Breast with Citrus Salad with Liquorice-vinaigrette 

I really like the meat from a duck, especially the breasts. If you cook it to long it will dry out, but served medium-rare to medium is the most tender juicy piece of meat you can get. Since I got my Anova sous-vide cooker I have been longing to cook the duck breast sous-vide. Today was the day.

Ingredients:

• 2 Duck Breasts
• Salt

Directions:

Wash you hands very thoroughly, when handling the duck. You don't want to cross-contaminate other foods or the duck. So keep your work station clean and tidy all the time. 

Refrigerate duck breasts on paper towel-lined plate overnight. This will allow some of the juices to evaporate, and you get a firmer breast in the end.

Have the vacuum bags pre-sealed in one end (doh!). Fold the rim out, so you don't get any grease or water on the place you need to seal the bags. Have the salt and pepper you want to use in small bowls, so you don't get any "duck" in the salt you're not using. 

Take the duck breasts out and score the skin in a harlequin pattern with a sharp knife. Season them with salt and pepper. Place them in the vacuum bags, vacuum and seal them. (I seal them twice just to be on the safe side.)

Place them in 135℉ (57℃) water bath for at least 45 minutes and up to 3 hours. I stopped after 2 hours, no need to go the limit with this delicate meat. Remove duck from bags and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Place breasts skin side-down in heavy-bottomed non-stick or cast iron skillet and set over high heat until sizzling, about 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and cook  until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Make sure that you get good contact between skillet and the skin. You won't need any oil, the fat from the duck will render and give you plenty of fat for the searing. Flip  the breasts and cook the other side until slightly seared.

Slice the breasts thinly and serve with your favorite sides. One of my favorites is caramelized potatoes, picked red cabbage or Citrus Salad with Liquorice-vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

Porchetta on the BBQ

Porchetta - just of the BBQ

I made porchetta before I started with this blog, but I knew I had to make again and again and again. Like a Danish pork roast aka flæskesteg, the porchetta has the crackling pork skin aka flæskesvær, that makes this dish so perfect. The crispy and salty skin goes perfect with the soft juicy pork seasoned with all kinds of goodness. 

If you can get hold of a meaty pork belly and make the porchetta it might be the best BBQ meal you've ever had. But if the pork belly is mostly fat, it won't be that great. Well, you still have excellent  cracklings.

This time I was lucky to find a nice piece of pork belly in my local Whole Foods Market. It was so meaty, with only thin lines of fat between the meat. This called for a porchetta, even though it would mean a late dinner for us.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 pounds (2½-3 kg) Pork belly with skin on

• ½ cup (1 dl) breadcrumbs, fresh and finely chopped

• 1 cup chopped parsley

• 1 large onion, chopped

Spice rub:

• 2 lemons, zest of

• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tablespoon whole black pepper, cracked

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and cracked

• 4 bay leaves

• 2 sprigs rosemary

• salt - quite a lot

Equipment:

• Grill Rotisserie

Directions:

Let the pork belly sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

Make a spice blend from lemon zest, garlic, rosemary, toasted fennel seeds, bay leaves, salt and pepper.

Try to roll up the pork belly, and remove the part of the skin, that will be rolled up inside the porchetta. If you don’t do that, you’ll have a chewy rubbery piece of skin inside your porchetta. 

Place the pork belle skin-side down on your kitchen counter. Spread the spice rub, onions, parsley and breadcrumbs. 

Roll up the pork belly tight, and tie the roast crosswise at 1-inch (2½ cm) intervals with butcher's string. 

Porchetta

Insert the grill rotisserie, spear into the center of the roast. Rub the porchetta with olive oil and a good amount of salt. Let the porchette roast for 2-4 hours until the skin is chrisp and dark golden brown, and the center temperature is about 140℉ (60℃). Use indirect heat.

Let the Porchetta rest for about 20 minutes before serving.

Slice the porchetta and serve in a hamburger bun and/or with a good salad.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Porchetta on the BBQ

Ingredienser:

• 2½-3 kg svineslag

• 1 dl hakket daggammelt lyst brød uden skorpe

• 2 dl hakket persille

• 1 stor løg, hakket

Krydderiblanding:

• 2 citroner, skallen fra

• 3-4 fed hvidløg, pressede

• 1 spsk hel sort peber, meget groft kværnet

• 1 tsk fennikel frø, tørristede og groft kværnede

• 4 laurbærblade

• 2 kviste rosemarin

• salt - Ret meget

Udstyr:

• Roterende grillspyd

Fremgangsmåde:

Lad svineslaget ligge et par timer på køkkenbordet, så det opnår stuetemperatur.

Bland ingredienserne til krydderiblandingen.

Rul svineslaget og fjern den del af  sværen som vil være rullet ind i porchettaen. Denne del af sværen vil blive sej og gummiagtig, hvis den steger med. 

Læg svineslaget med sværen nedad og spred krydderiblandingen, løg, persille og brød på kødet. 

Rul svineslaget stramt op som en stor rullepølse og snør den stramt, med ca. 2½ cm imellem snorene.

Spid stegen med det store grilspyd, og sæt den på grillen og motoren. Smør porchettaen ind med olie og en del salt. Steg porchettaen i ca. 2 timer indtil sværen er brun og sprød, og kødet har en center temperatur på ca 60℃. Brug indirekte varme.

Lad Porchettaen hvile i ca. 20 minutter inden serveringen.

Skær porchettaen og server den i en burgerbolle og/eller med en god salat.

Velbekomme!