Lasagna stuffed squash

Lasagna stuffed squash

This is another take on my vegetable spaghetti with meat sauce, this time using my favorite winter squash as serving bowls, and as the "spaghetti". I really liked the color of the gold nugget squash at the store, but thought that the spaghetti squash would be more appealing for my I'm-not-into-squash-husband. Oddly enough he liked the god nugget squash better, so I might have to end bashing him here, for not liking squash, I might. 

You can change up this dish, by using another meat, adding bacon or vegetables, or go all in and just make a veggie bolognese. You can even use these roasted squash to dress up a leftover curry, the possibilities are endless. 

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:

Squash:

Spaghetti squash

• 1 small spaghetti squash
• 1 small gold nugget squash
• 1 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper

Meat Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound (450 g) ground beef (lean)
• 1 can tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon beef base (bouillon)
• 1 cup (2 dl) water 
• ½ cup (1 dl) red wine
• ½ teaspoon rosemary
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

• some mozzarella cheese
• chopped fresh basil

Direction:

Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Slice squashes length wise and scrape out the seeds. Rub each squash half with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place each squash half cut-side down on a parchment paper lines baking sheet, and bake for 40-60 min until the squash is tender.

Meat sauce: 

Heat a drizzle of oil in a pot over medium heat and brown the onions. Add the garlic after a few minutes.  Add the ground beef and brown it, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato paste and cook it until tomato paste turns a deeper red, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rosemary, thyme, a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the wine, beef base and water. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer it simmers, the better it gets. 

Let the Squash cool slightly, so you can handle them. Flip them cut-side up.

Scoop the meat sauce into each squash half, and top with mozzarella cheese. (You can add a cheese sauce or ricotta cheese to the squash, if you like)

Turn oven to broil, and cook the squash for another 2 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbling. You have to keep an eye on this process, because this happens very quickly.

Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff with Celery Root Mash

Beef Stroganoff with Celery Root Mash

Beef stroganoff was a fall favorite in my childhood. My mom loved to make simmer food, especially when entertaining guests. She could get the dinner started, clean up and get ready for the guests to arrive, instead of sweating over the pots and pans, when the guests arrived. I totally get her. I believe this is the way to go, when you're having guests over. 

Normally stroganoff is served with pasta, but in my family we have always had mashed potatoes. Today I opted for at lighter version with the celery root mash

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Stroganoff:

• 10 slices bacon (10 thin slices or 5 thick cut), diced

• 2 pounds Beef stew meat

• 2 tablespoons paprika

• 1 tablespoon hot paprika (or regular paprika if you don't like the spiciness)

• 1½ teaspoon smoked paprika

• 3 onions (medium or 4 small), diced

• 2 tablespoons salted butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 400 g button mushrooms, sliced

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 teaspoon beef base

• 200 ml water

• 200 g creme fraiche

• ½ cup (1 dl) whipping cream

• salt & pepper

Mash:

• 2 celery root

• 4 medium potatoes

• 2- 3 tablespoons butter

• ¼ cup (½ dl) hot milk

• salt to taste

Directions:

Stroganoff:

Place bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Cook bacon until crispy and fat has rendered, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving some of the fat in the Dutch oven. 

Sauté onion and mushrooms in some of the rendered bacon fat, until golden brown. Remove from Dutch oven, and set aside. 

Put some all-purpose flour in a ziploc bag, add paprika, some salt and pepper. Pad dry the meat, and place them in the ziploc bag, cover the meat with the spicy flour.

Heat the butter in the Dutch oven and sear the meat in batches so you get a good sear on the meat, and set aside. Wipe the pot clean with a paper towel. 

Heat the olive oil to the pot, add the tomato paste and cook until tomato paste turns a deeper red, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add  meat, onions, mushrooms, bacon, beef base and water. (Beef stock can be used instead of water and beef base.)  Cook the dish for 2-3 hours on a low simmer. Add creme fraiche and cream, and let simmer for another 30 minutes.

Mash:

Peel and dice the potatoes and celery roots. Put them in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Add about 1 teaspoon salt. Boil them for about 25-30 minutes, until soft. 

Drain celery roots and potatoes well, return them to the pot, and let the remaining water evaporate for a minute or two before returning the vegetables to the pot. Add butter and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Add the milk and season with salt. I whipped the mash to get it more creamy, but that is optional. 

Serve Stroganoff over pasta or over hearty mash.

Enjoy!

Spicy Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Spicy Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

These spicy lamb meatballs in a tomato-curry are so tasty and flavorful, and I really love it. You would think, that the dish is burning hot when you start adding all the chilies, but somehow the chilies mellow out and just adds a nice heat. Of course I removed all the seeds, but serranos usually pack some heat.

I really like to drizzle the juice from the lemon over the dish when plated. The tanginess brightens the flavor profile of the dish.

For at low calorie version, serve the meatballs over cauliflower rice.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 450 g ground lamb

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger

• 1 garlic clove

• 2 Serrano chilies

• 1 teaspoon garam masala

• 35 g (1 dl) plain breadcrumbs

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• 1 egg

Purée:

• 4 tomatoes

• 4 Serrano chilies

• 1 inch (2½ cm) fresh ginger

Sauce:

• 2 teaspoons grape seed oil

• 2 teaspoons cumin

• ¾ teaspoon turmeric

• 2 teaspoons paprika

• ⅛ cup almond slivers

• salt to taste

Topping:

• Serrano chili

• lemon

Direction:

Meatballs:

Peel and grate ginger and garlic. Cut the chilies in half, length-wise and remove the seeds with a spoon. Dice the chilies. Mix meat, garlic, ginger, chili, egg, garam masala and breadcrumbs in a bowl, season with salt. Form about 12 round meatballs with your hands.

Purée:

Cut the chilies in half, length-wise and remove the seeds with a spoon, peel the ginger, and roughly chop it up. Cut the tomatoes in half. Add all the ingredients in a blender, and purée until smooth.

Sauce:

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and fry cumin, turmeric, paprika and almonds for about 20-30 seconds until fragrant. Add the purée and bring it to a simmer while stirring. Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes. Place the meatballs in the sauce and simmer them in the sauce for another 15 minutes. Add more water if necessary. 

Finish of the dish with slices of chili and lemon wedges. Serve the meatballs over rice.

Enjoy!

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.