Crispy Pork with Parsley Sauce

Crispy Pork with Parsley Sauce

I am serving Crispy Pork with Parsley Sauce aka stegt flæsk med persillesovs for election night in America. In Denmark we have a term called 'valgflæsk' (election pork) meaning the hot air or elaborate promises politician give in order to be elected. So many Danes eat this crispy pork dish on election day in Denmark. 

For me crispy pork with parsley sauce was my favorite dish growing up. I always chose this as my birthday dinner, the most important for me was the potatoes and the sauce. 

In 2014 Denmark voted for their national dish, and crispy pork won in a landslide. 

I hope you will try out this old Danish classic dish, maybe even served with a cold beer.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• about 600 g (1½ pound) potatoes (I prefer fingerling potatoes)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 16-20 slices pork belly 

For the parsley sauce:

• 25 g butter
• 2½ tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 300 ml milk
• 100-200 ml water from the boiled potatoes
• ⅛ teaspoon sugar
• salt
• 1 cup finely chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃)

Lightly sprinkle the sliced pork belly with salt on both sides. Place the pork on a wire rack over a sheet pan, so the fat can drain away from the meat. Roast the pork in the oven for 30-40 minutes turning it once or twice until the pork looks crisp and delicious, remove from the oven and place plate.

Bring the potatoes to the boil in lightly salted water, then simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Parsley sauce:

Melt the butter in a pan. Add the flour, mix with a whisk and warm through, making sure not to get any color on the mixture.

Add some potato water while whisking vigorously making a thick paste without any lumps. Add more water and milk until you have the desired consistency, you want it to be a bit on the thick side. Let the sauce boil a few minutes to get rid of the flour taste. Season the sauce with sugar and salt. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the chopped parsley.

Serve the crispy pork with the boiled potatoes and a large spoonful parsley sauce.

Enjoy!

Pot-Roasted Chicken

Pot-Roasted Chicken 

This family-style pot-roasted chicken was something we got for dinner a lot when I grew up. The chicken stay nice and juicy, because it's roasted in a liquid. And the sauce you get from this is heavenly. Like many other roasts, you get the most delicious sauce, with tons of flavors from the meat you are roasting. 

Whenever we have a pot-roasted chicken for dinner, I feel like I'm back home, in my parents vacation home. Some tastes and smells just bring you right back. I miss you mom and dad ❤️

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken
• 1 bunch parsley
• salt & pepper
• olive oil for searing
• 1 cup (2.5 dl) water
• 1-2 tablespoon  corn starch mixed with 3 tablespoon cold water
• a few drops gravy browning (or Danish Kulør)

Directions:

Pad the chicken dry. Season the chicken on the inside and on the skin with salt and pepper. Rinse the parsley, and put it inside the chicken.

Heat the oil over high heat in a large pot (that will hold the whole chicken). Sear the chicken about 5 minutes on each side, until it gets deep golden on all sides. Add the water, and let it get to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and let the chicken simmer away for about an hour.

When chicken is tender, remove from the pot. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil and add the cornstarch mixture a little at a time (you may not need it all) to pot and simmer for a few minutes, until slightly thickened. Add some gravy browning, and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Carve the chicken, and serve it with boiled small potatoes, the sauce and Danish cucumber salad. 

Enjoy!

Danish Hamburger - Dansk Hakkebøf

Danish hamburger or Hakkebøf med bløde løg, is a traditional danish dish. Normally it is served with a brown gravy made with the dripping from the frying of the hamburger and onions. I rarely make brown gravy, but my mom always made it, she put the onions in the gravy, making it extra yummy. But if you want to indulge you can serve the hamburger with béarnaise sauce.

A hamburger/hakkebøf is a cheaper take on a steak dinner, great for a weeknight.

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

• 1 Ib (450 g) ground beef (7-10% fat)
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 large onions
• oil for frying

Directions:

Form 3-4 round hamburgers season with salt freshly ground pepper. Fry them in a little oil or butter on a large frying pan for 5-7 minutes on each side.

Peel the onion and slices them thinly. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, Fry the onions until they get soft, translucent and get some golden caramelizing. Season with salt. Add a splash of water to prevent to much browning.

Serve the hamburgers with boiled potatoes, the soft onions and petit green peas. 

Enjoy!

Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma

Karma is one of my favorite indian dishes, well at least of the ones I have tried. The bold flavors and the creaminess makes me happy every time. And when you serve korma with my kryptonite bread, as naan bread and rice, it can't get any better in my world.

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 4 large chicken breasts (about 2¼ pounds/1kg)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons garam masala

• 2 teaspoons curry powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Sauce:

• 2 onions, peeled and quartered

• 6 garlic cloves, peeled

• 250 ml (1 cup) water

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 teaspoons curry powder

• 2 teaspoons turmeric

• 2 teaspoons garam marsala

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 red dried chili, minced (use less if you don't like spicy food)

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 can peeled tomatoes, diced

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

• 85 g cashews, ground

• ⅔ can of coconut milk

• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt

Topping:

• cilantro

Directions:

Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a ziplock bag, and set aside.

Cut the chicken breasts up into bitesized cubes. Add the chicken to the marinade, massaging it, to cover it all with the spices. Let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat some oil in a large pot, I used my dutch oven. Brown the marinated chicken. Remove the chicken, and set aside.

Blend onion and garlic with water, until you have a smooth puree. Heat the olive oil in the pot, Add the pureed onion mixture and cook for a few minutes, until it begins to darken in color. Add tomatoes, ginger, ground cashews, coconut milk, yogurt, red chili, and spices. Turn the heat down and let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add the chicken and yogurt to the sauce and let it simmer another 10-15 minutes, while you cook the rice, and the chicken gets cooked through. 

Serve with rice and naan bread.

Enjoy! 

How to Cook the Perfect Steak

The Perfect Steak

In my family we like a good steak. We have been trying to find the best technique to get the perfect prepared steak every time. We have been sous vide-ing steaks, the nerdy way to getting a  steak with the same color and temperature all the way trough the steak. But not all people have the equipment to cook sous vide, even though it's become more affordable the last couple of years.

I think it's a lot of work and effort, making a water bath and vacuuming the steak, for just ONE steak. The time aspect is another thing. Sous vide 2 hours at 131℉/55℃, or 8 minutes in a skillet at high heat. If we were having company, I would make it sous vide for making more than 3 steaks.

A few years ago we started to slice up the cooked steak, and sharing just one steak. Somehow I think a steak is more enjoyable thinly sliced. I know some people likes a large steak for themselves, go ahead and indulge. But I find less is more, when you get a good quality meat.

I alway buy grass-fed boneless ribeye steaks at Whole Foods Market. They are about an inch (3 cm) thick, with a good marbling. 

After a lot of trials, I perfected my steak-cooking-skills, and this is how I cook the perfect steak.

Serves 1-2.

Ingredients:

• 1 ribeye steak
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons butter, cold and salted
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1-2 sprigs of thyme

Directions:

Let the Steak get to room temperature. 

Pad the steak dry with a paper towel, and season it with a good amount of salt and some cracked pepper.

Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Sear the steak on both sides, and keep turning the steak every 20-30 second, still over high heat. This will cook the steak faster than just flipping the steak just once. 

By flipping just once, the steak won't cook faster or more evenly, it's just easier. Generally you can say, that the more you turn the steak, the faster and more uniformly it will cook. Of cause within limits. When you sear food the surface touching the skillet, will quickly get hot, dehydrate, caramelize and get well done and overcooked. The overcooked part will act as an insulation layer between the heat source and the rest of the food. Resulting in longer cooking time and sometimes even burn food. By flipping the steak more often, you get a cooling of the searing surface, helping to heat up the center of the steak, and getting less of an insulating layer. 

Keep cooking and turning until just under the preferred doneness. (Rare: 130℉/54℃, Medium-Rare: 135℉/57℃, Medium:  146℉/63℃, Well done:  155℉/68℃.)  Generally I cook the steak until it has a dark sear, and the steak has some give to it, about 8 minutes in total, this will result in a medium to medium rare steak.

Turn off the heat, add butter, thyme and garlic. Baste or turn the steak in the now seasoned butter, and let it rest for a few minutes.

Slice the steak in thin slices, and serve immediately.

Enjoy!