Chardonnay Shrimp Pasta

Chardonnay Shrimp Pasta

I have to come clean. I love pasta - Big Time! And I do not discriminate, I love all pasta equally.

I love the taste, texture and how it is soaking up sauce. I do crave pasta.

When we have pasta for dinner, I have to plate it up in serving sizes, no family style pasta in my house. 

We went to BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse as one of the first places when we just moved to the US. And I fell in love with their chardonnay shrimp pasta. And whenever we went back there this was my go-to meal. But at one point BJ's discontinued this yummy pasta dish, and I had to try to make my own version. 

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2-3 servings spaghetti, boiled al dente

• 1 shallot, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 4 slices bacon, diced

• 12-16 shrimps, peeled and deveined

• 1 cup (2.4 dl) chardonnay (I used a Picchetti 2014)

• 1 cup (2.4 dl) heavy whipping cream

• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced

• a little handful chopped parsley

• 1 lime, the juice from

• ½ cup (1.2 dl) grated parmesan cheese

• a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, optional

Directions

Cook the spaghetti.

Cook the bacon. I cooked it almost crispy in the microwave oven, and then diced it. Set aside, letting it drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Melt butter and a splash of olive oil in a sauté pan, sauté the shallot until translucent. Add garlic and shrimp and sauté until the shrimp start to take color. Add wine, cream, rosemary, bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes till the shrimp is tender.
Add cooked spaghetti, diced tomatoes, parmesan, lime juice and parsley, and let it heat through for about a minute. 
Serve immediately sprinkled with some parsley and red pepper flakes.
Enjoy!

Potato Leek Soup

Potato Leek Soup.

This soup is a classic in many countries. It's a good hearty everyday soup, that will heat you up and fill you up without robbing your wallet. And I love that this soup is easy to make, dinner is ready under 45 minutes.

Serve the soup with a cheesy dinner roll.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 850 g potatoes, peeled and diced

• 3-4 leeks, rinsed and sliced thinly. Save a little for garnish

• 20 g butter

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1200 ml stock, vegetable or chicken

• 1½ dl (little over ½ cup) heavy whipping cream

• salt & pepper to taste

• lemon juice to taste

Toppings:

• bacon

• leeks

• parsley

Directions:

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan. Add leeks, garlic and potatoes, cook them for 5-7 minutes, until potatoes begin to soften. Do not let the potatoes get browned. Add the stock in bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in a blender* until smooth, and return to saucepan. 

Add the cream and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Serve the hot soup with the toppings.

Enjoy!

* Be careful when working with hot soup in a blender.  If you need a new blender, consider a Vitamix. They are expensive, but they are worth all the money. They can liquefy almost anything and makes soup and margaritas so smooth and creamy. But the best part, you can blend hot soups without having to clean the soup of all your kitchen cabinets afterwards. Just saying. ;)

Cranberry - Orange Sauce

Cranberry - Orange Sauce

I'm cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner this year, making my first turkey. Even though I have never roasted at turkey before, I do sometimes make cranberry sauce for the traditional Danish Christmas dinner. This is my favorite recipe:

Makes about 2 cups.

Ingredients:

• 1 orange, zest and juice

• 200 ml water

• 125 g sugar

• 340-350 g fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions:

Heat orange juice, orange zest, sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.

Stir in cranberries and bring it to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until sauce has  slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes, and most of the berries have bust.

Let cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!

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!

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup.

I love the fall season. Fall is the best excuse to make soups, and butternut squash soups are a fall staple here in the US. I earlier posted a roasted version, and to be honest I can't tell which is the best. 

This version is made mostly vegetarian, if you loose the cream and the sour cream and bacon topping. The crispy tart apples plays well with the clean flavors from the soup.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 1 butternut squash

• 2-3 large potatoes

• 2 carrots

• 1 chili pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 heaped teaspoon grated ginger

• 400 ml (1¼ cup) water

• ½ lemon, the juice of

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• 1½ dl (little over 1 cup) heavy whipping cream

Topping:

• 3-5 thin slices of bacon (+ a sprinkle ghost chili powder)

• 1 crisp apple, cut in small dices, dressed in juice from ½ lemon + ½ teaspoon honey

• roasted pumpkin seeds

• 1 chili thinly sliced

• creme fraiche (sour cream)

Directions:

Microwave the whole butternut squash for 2 minutes to soften it a bit, making it easier to cut.

Cut it in half, peel, deseed and dice the butternut squash. Peel and dice potatoes and carrots. 

Sauté the vegetables in a large pot in olive oil for a few minutes. Add water, chili, ginger and cumin. Bring it to a boil and cover it and cook it for 15-20 minutes, until the squash is tender.

Purée the soup in batches in a blender* until smooth. (You can also use an immersion blender.) 

Add the cream and season the soup with lemon juice, salt and pepper, heat soup through before serving.

Serve the soup hot with your favorite garnish and a slice of good bread.

*Be careful when blending hot liquids, it can make the lid pop off, and you may risk getting serious burns on you skin. You can remove the small cap on you blender lid and cover the lid with a clean kitchen towel. You need to hold on to the lid and towel. This will let the steam from the hot soup escape and avoid the lid from popping off. You can also get blenders like the Vitamix, where you can blend hot liquids, without any hassle.