Lemon Marinated Skirt Steak

Lemon Marinated Skirt Steak

I love grilling skirt steak. You can marinate the meat to make it fit the cuisine you are aiming for. The beef flavors are pretty intense and the it is not as pricy as regular steaks. Here I marinated the skirt steak in a soy-lemon marinate, giving the meat a clean bright flavor. 

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

• 700 g (1 ½  pounds) skirt steak
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 lemon, for serving
• fresh coriander, for serving

Marinade:

• 60 ml (¼  cup) extra-virgin olive oil
• 60 ml (¼  cup) soy sauce 
• 2 lemons, the juice from 
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed

Directions:

Place the skirt steak in a ziplock bag, and add the ingredients for the marinade. Rub the marinade into the meat. Let the meat marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or up to 6 hours in refrigerator.

Heat grill to medium-high. Remove meat from marinade and pat off excess juices with some paper towel. Grill the meat, just turning once, until  medium/medium rare about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the meat to a cutting board, cover with some aluminum foil and let stand to rest for about 5 minutes.

Thinly slice meat against the grain (muscle fibers) and serve it with some cilantro on top, and lemon slices on the side. I served the warm Asian-style slaw on the side, but you can easily serve the meat in tacos.

Enjoy!

Halloween Meatloaf

Halloween Meatloaf before cremation

One scary meal, fit for halloween.

Ingredients:

Meatloaf:

• 1 kg (2 lb.) ground beef

• 1 onion, grated,

• 1 egg

• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves chopped

• salt & pepper

Mummification:

• ketchup mixed with hot hot sauce

• 2 yellow tomatoes (eyes)

• blanched almonds

• 1 package bacon

Sauce:

• Drippings from the pan

• 1 cup milk or whipping cream

• 2-3 teaspoons redcurrant jelly

• a few drops of kulør* or gravy browning

• salt

• milk & all-purpose flour mixed to thicken the sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Mix the meats with the rest of the ingredients. Form a round loaf  with indents for eyes and an open mouth in an ovenproof pan. Place the almonds like teeth in the mouth. Brush the loaf with ketchup mixture. Wrap the bacon around the meatloaf. Use yellow tomatoes for eyes.

Cook the meatloaf in the oven for about 20 minutes. Add about a cup of warm water to the pan, this will later be used for the sauce. Cook for 10-15 minutes more until it reaches a center temperature of about 167℉ (75℃).

The cremated halloween meatloaf

Pour the pan drippings into a sauce pan and heat it. Add milk and red currant jelly and thicken the sauce with milk and flour. Season with red currant jelly and salt.

Serve the meatloaf with mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

Christmas Liver Pâté

Christmas Liver Pâté

December 8th.

Liver pâté is a big part of the Danish Christmas celebration, especially for the christmas lunches. Most workplaces throw a Julefrokost, aka christmas lunch. It might not be during normal lunch hour, but more likely a big party at night including food and a lot of beer and snaps. I've been to large events, with stand-up comedians and live music. At a traditional julefrokost/christmas lunch one of the dishes will most likely be warm liver pâté with crispy bacon and sautéed mushrooms.

I gave my other liver pâté recipe a makeover. I wanted a smoother texture and I wanted to eliminate the pork fat. I really like how this turned out. This one will definitely be my go-to recipe. It's simpler to make and the favor is spot on.

Makes 5-6 small or 3 big loafs.

Ingredients:

• 600 g calf liver

• 170 g onion

• 90 g button mushrooms

• 240 g bacon

• 250 g butter, melted

• 200 ml heavy whipping cream

• 75 g all-purpose flour (use rice flour for a gluten free version)

• 2 eggs

• 30 g anchovy paste

• ½ teaspoon beef better than bouillon paste

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon all-spice

• 1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Using a meat grinder at the finest setting, pass the liver, bacon onions and mushrooms through the meat grinder twice.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. When melted take off the heat. Add the cream to cool it down. 

Mix all the ingredients together. Pour mixture into 5-6 small aluminum baking pans and top each with a small piece of bacon. (I wasn’t able to find the small pans, so I used a bigger size, and ended up with 3 pates. 

Bake the liver pâtés in a water bath at 360℉ (180℃) for about an hour. I preheat the oven, and place a slightly larger baking pan in the oven. Place the liver pâté on the baking pan and add some boiling water to the pan.

Let the liver pâté cool somewhat before eating. But warm liver pâté taste really good served hot with bacon and sautéed mushrooms.  

Enjoy!

You can freeze the uncooked pâtés and bake them, when needed. 

Other recipes for the christmas lunch:
Curry Salad for the pickled herrings.
Pickled beets for the liver pâté and frikadeller.
Danish Rye Bread
Pork roast 
Pickled red cabbage 

Green Poisonous Cake

Green Poisonous Cake

Well, the cake isn't poisonous, but the green color makes it look a bit toxic. The cake is a regular poundcake with green food coloring and some marzipan for some luxury.

This green poundcake was a classic cake to bring to school at birthdays and for "klassens time," a kind of free-time, where you might discuss current topics and issues, and maybe eat cake.

The vibrant color made me think, that it would be perfect for Halloween.

Makes one 9-inch square sheet pan.

Ingredients:

• 250 g butter, salted, room temperature
• 250 g sugar
• 35 g marzipan or 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 medium eggs. room temperature
• 1 teaspoons vanilla paste or the seeds from ½ vanilla bean
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
• green food color, I used a smallamount Wilton icing color

Frosting:

• 100 g confectionary sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
• about 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 355℉ (180℃). Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Cream the butter to fluffy and pale, with the sugar, add the marzipan and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Mix in one egg at a time. Mix flour and baking powder and add it with the milk and food coloring. Be careful not to over-mix the batter, mix until just incorporated.

Pour the batter in the pan, and bake the cake for about 25-35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan. Mix the frosting, and frost the cooled cake.

Serve the cake with a good cup of tea or coffee.

Enjoy!

Danish version:

Grøn giftkage

Ingredienser:

• 250 gsmør, saltet, stuetemperatur

• 250 g sukker

• 35 g marcipan eller 1 tsk mandelessens

• 2 medium æg, stuetemperatur

• 1 tsk vanilje pasta eller kornene fra ½ vaniljestang

• 250 g hvedemel

• 1 tsk bagepulver

• 120 ml mælk

• lidt grøn frugtfarve, jeg brugte en lille smule grøn Wilton icing color

Glasur:

• 100 g flormelis

• 1 spsk kakaopulver

• ca 2 spsk vand

Fremgangsmåde:

Forvarm ovnen til 180℃. Beklæd en bradepande med bagepapir. 

Rør smør let og luftigt med sukker. Tilsæt marcipan og vanilje, og rør massen indtil du har en homogen masse. Æggene blandes i ét ad gangen. Pisk godt imellem hvert æg. Tilsæt de tørre ingredienser og mælk + frugtfarve skiftevis. Rør kun dejen så den lige er homogen. Hvis dejen overmikses ender du op med en tung og kompakt kage i stedet for en let og luftig.  

Hæld dejen i bradepanden, og bag kagen i ca. 25-35 minuter, indtil der ikke hænger dej ved en nål/tandstik, når den prikkes i kagen.  

Lad kagen køle i bradepanden. Bland glasuren, både en kakao, og en lille smule hvid. Dekorer den kølede kage. Jeg udstak mindre runde kager før dekoreringen.

Velbekomme!

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!