Anne's Food

Asian-ish Chicken mince sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 15:18:00 +0000

Ok - let me just apologize for the horrible photo - I know, I know. Bad food blogger. In so many ways. But the recipe makes up for it. I promise. Make it, enjoy it. It was a hit with my whole family - Titus and I had it with rice noodles, Dante and Per with rice. It'd go great with regular pasta too.

And as always, please adapt as you see fit. I don't cook in a particularly exact way, and I really don't believe that you have to, either. You can use more or less of all ingredients, this is just a sketch.

Asian-ish Chicken mince sauce

Serves 4-6

Chicken mince, 800 g

vegetable oil

3-4 tbsp red curry paste (I didn't measure - half a small jar)

1 tsp (or so) of red chili flakes, I used a korean variety which is finer ground than most and very spicy

2-3 garlic cloves, or 1 whole solo garlic, finely minced

fresh ginger, at least 5 cm or so, finely grated

2 carrots, coarsely grated

1-2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce

1-2 tbsp runny honey

1 tsp Vegeta or similar herb seasoning (completely optional)

1 can (400 ml) coconut milk

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 lime, zest and juice

Start by browning your chicken mince in a large pot, and you can add the chili and the garlic pretty much right away. I use regular vegetable oil for this.

When the chicken is no longer raw, go ahead and add ginger, carrots, soy sauce (start with about one tablespoon), honey (again, start with a spoonful and see how you like it), vegeta, coconut milk and sesame oil. Let everything cook for ten minutes or so. Add the lime - zest and juice - and then season to taste. You might want more soy or honey, to adjust the levels of salty and sweet.

Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:30:00 +0000

We made some really yummy buffalo chicken last night for dinner, and this is a recipe I definitely do NOT want to lose. The method is super simple, and I bet this could work with different spicing as well.. might have to try it with an orange chicken soon.

It might feel a bit fiddly because of different things to prepare, but don't worry - it's all fast and simple. And well worth the effort, SO good!

Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken
Serves 6-8
1,5 kilos of boneless chicken - we used chicken thighs, cut in two. (I'd cut breasts in maybe 3-4 pieces, depending on the size)
2 eggs
2 tbsp Franks Buffalo Wing sauce

For the crunch:
1.5 liters of corn flakes (yes, it sounds like a lot, you'll use it all)
1 tbsp smokey paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
100 ml grated parmesan cheese

For the sauce:
150 ml Franks Buffalo Wing sauce
80 g butter
1 tsp vegeta (or other seasoned salt)
1 tsp chipotle powder
a few dashes of cayenne
2 tbsp honey

Also:
olive oil

Cut up the chicken. Whisk the eggs and the hot sauce and turn the chicken in this, to make sure it's well covered.

For the crunch, use a food processor to mix up the corn flakes into crumbs with spices and parmesan cheese.

Coat the chicken in the crumbs, making sure they're well covered, then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes. Check with a thermometer to make sure the chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: Melt the butter and wing sauce together with vegeta, chipotle and cayenne. When it's all combined and smooth, take it off the heat and add the honey. Stir well.

When the chicken is cooked, drizzle the sauce on top and serve right away! Ideally with a blue cheese dip - here's the recipe I used for that, too.

Blue Cheese Dip
140 g blue cheese (Kvibille Gräddädel is the one I used)
75 ml mayo
200 ml sour cream
1 tsp garlic powder
dash of hot sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Mix it all together. I used a stick blender to make it smooth.

Tomatillo salsa

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 17:53:00 +0000

Titus first had tomatillo salsa at Dos Caminos restaurant in NYC, on our trip in early 2020. (As a side note, it was in the airport on the way back that we first really heard about Covid and what it might mean…)

He loves it. Green, spicy, sharp and fresh. We then forgot all about it for a while, but recently he’s been asking about it and I hunted for tomatillos for a while. Clearly not grown in Sweden and pretty darn expensive, but eventually I found some. I googled various recipes but ended up doing something like this:

Tomatillo salsa

5 tomatillos

2 shallots (white onion would have been nice, the store was all out)

1 large garlic clove

1 small jalapeño, seeded

1 lime, juiced

Cilantro, to taste

Salt

Cut tomatillos, shallots, garlic and jalapeño in chunks. Cover with water and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Drain but reserve cooking liquid.

Put in a blender with cilantro and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Now, put it back into the saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes. It will thicken so use some of the reserved liquid to get it to the consistency you’d like.

Taste for seasoning.

Langos

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 25 Dec 2021 17:54:00 +0000

Have we ever talked about Langos? Originally an Hungarian dish, but made very much every-man's-festival-favorite during the 90's in Sweden. I never tried them back then, mostly because the traditional way of serving them was with roe - not my fave. However, my pal Dagmar made them for me, and her topping was far superior: creamy fatty smetana (to make all the other things stick), crispy fried bacon, sharp chopped red onion and strong umami-rich Västerbotten Cheese. Oh, and you begin by rubbing the newly fried bread with a slice of garlic.

We often requested it when she made us dinner. It was lovely. And then she moved away. And for a while, langos became a yearly tradition when we finally saw each other. But during covid-times, it's just been so long. I had to try making it myself.

My first go - which was last New Year's Eve - was not that great. I had mostly great big fried bubbles. Good, but pretty inconvenient to eat. This time, the dough was less puffy and much better, so I thought I'd write down the recipe.

This makes enough for.. well, four adults and some kids. We're just two adults and two kids and we have way too much. Don't fry more than you'll eat, they're better just after they're made. Add whatever toppings you like.

And well, if you happen to have room... they're pretty delicious served with Nutella, whipped cream and fresh berries as well.

Langos
about 16 small

25 g fresh yeast
300 ml tepid water
1 large (or 2-3 small) boiled potatoes, coarsely grated
pinch of salt
700 ml flour (about 420 g)
oil to fry

Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Add the water and swirl until the yeast is dissolved. Add salt, potato, and the flour. Work into a smooth and supple dough - I used a Kitchen-Aid and let it run on the lowest setting for a little less than ten minutes. Leave to rise for about an hour (I watched Gremlins in the mean time so.. a little more than an hour.)

On a well floured surface, divide the dough into equal-ish portions, and with a small roller, shape into thin ovals, about the size of your hand. (or a little longer).

Heat the oil, and when it's warm enough - about 180, 190°C. Add one or two langos at a time and fry for about a minute on each side. Place on paper towels to drain some of the excess oil, then eat at once.

Shrimp Nachos

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 09:03:00 +0000

Every Friday is Taco-Friday in Sweden. I know, weird, right? (Read more about that crazy phenomenon in this interview I gave many years ago, here!)

Well, we don’t eat tacos, or versions thereof, EVERY week but it’s a regular occurrence for sure. And I’m always interested to hear about new fun ideas. My husband found a photo of pretty unorthodox shrimp tacos on Instagram, and I decided to make a version at home.

This is the kind of recipe that’s not really a recipe, just an assembling instruction. Here is what we used:

-nachos

-cooked shrimp

-finely chopped red onion

-smetana (or creme fraiche)

-lemon zest

-avocado

-salad (we used mache salad)

-red fish roe

-browned butter (do NOT skip this, it totally made the dish!)

I like to just put everything out in bowls and let everyone make their own plate. Fun and delicious!

Nespresso - a love story

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 12:33:00 +0000

I just got the urge to show you our Nespresso setup. (And no, this is in no way a sponsored post - I just happen to really love it.)

This is a really important part of our kitchen and daily routine. I start most mornings with a cup of coffee, and if I’m alone I always opt for the Nespresso Vertuo. We have a Moccamaster too but that’s really only worth it if I’m making coffee for more people. My husband usually has breakfast at work, so unless he’s working from home, it’s just me.

And speaking of working from home, Nespresso is perfect for the after-lunch coffee as well. My favorite for that is a flat white - a double espresso with foamed milk. In the mornings, I usually make a bigger mug. This is what I love about the Vertuo vs. the classic machine - bigger capsules make bigger cups of coffee.

Our foamer is an Aeroccino 4. It’s really nice way to use, and while I like it I’m contemplating getting the very cool Barista foamer instead. Has anyone tried it? It’s programmable for a variety of drinks and I can really see that it would be handy!

Our capsules box is from Amazon and it truly makes me happy. It holds up to 50 capsules and takes virtually no extra space on the (already overcrowded) counter. Definitely a good buy! As for what capsules to get… it’s really up to you. With the classic line we always got the strongest ones, but I find that’s not at all the same with the Vertuo. I usually opt for the ones that say 6-8, and I always have milk with my coffee.

Lemon Brownies, gluten-free

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Fri, 21 May 2021 07:41:00 +0000

Lemon Brownies

Makes 12

150 g butter

2 eggs + an extra egg yolk

2 lemons, zest and about 50 ml of juice

200 ml sugar

150 ml gluten-free flour mix (I used Semper Finmix)

2 tsp vanilla sugar

Pinch of salt

100 g white chocolate, coarsely chopped

powdered sugar

Prepare a 20*20 cm square tin by lining it with baking paper. Heat the oven to 175C

Melt the butter.

Whisk the eggs, they don’t need to be airy, just well-blended.

Add the lemon zest and juice to the butter, along with sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and the gluten-free mix. Add the eggs and stir well. Finally add the chocolate.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 15 minutes. It should be firm around the edges but can be a little bit wobbly in the middle.

Let it cool completely before cutting, ideally overnight. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar before serving.

Triple Chocolate Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 14:03:00 +0000

Titus favorite treat when we go out for coffee is always a chocolate muffin. I figured he should learn how to make them, so he can always have some at home. These turned out great - very tender and soft, and very indulgent with all the chocolate.

Triple Chocolate Muffins

Makes 24 regular sized muffins

120 ml canola oil
200 g sugar
120 ml milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (or paste)
150 g sour cream or yogurt
250 g all-purpose flour
50 g cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
75 g white chocolate chips
150 g dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 175°C. Line your muffin tins with muffin liners - I got 24 out of this recipe.

Whisk oil and sugar. Add milk and eggs and vanilla, and whisk again. Add the sour cream or yogurt, and stir. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and both types of chocolate.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix - don't overdo it, just mix until combined.

Dollop into your muffin liners - about 1/2-2/3 of each. They will rise quite a bit.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if they're baked through - it should come out mostly clean. (Unless you hit chocolate of course.)

Take them out of the tin as soon as they're cold enough to handle and leave to cool on a rack.

Asian Cole Slaw

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 15:12:00 +0000

Here’s a small side salad that I made the other day! It’s super easy. Go ahead and add fresh chili if you want. Some sliced red onion wouldn’t be bad, either. But it’s also really good just like this!

Asian cole slaw

2 carrots, coarsely grated

100 g shredded cabbage

Small handful peanuts, salted, chopped

Large handful coriander, chopped

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

Put carrots and cabbage in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk lime juice, sugar, soy and sesame oil. Pour onto the veggies and mix well. Top with peanuts and coriander. Done!

Sticky Lemon Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 07:49:00 +0000

Sticky cake? I know, it doesn't sound that appealing.. the Swedish name is kladdkaka and the original is a chocolate one. A lot like a brownie, but a bit.. stickier. Anyway, you can make tons of versions (just as brownies can be made into blondies) and this is the latest one I've tried - citronkladdkaka. Essentially a lemon blondie with white chocolate. It's incredibly good! Intensely lemony and the perfect balance between tangy and sweet. I highly recommend serving it with some raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Keeps well in the freezer, too - just defrost in the microwave for a few seconds.

Sticky Lemon Cake
8 slices

150 g butter, melted
2 lemons (the zest from both and about 50 ml of juice)
200 ml / 180 g sugar
150 ml / 90 g flour
2 tsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
2 eggs
small handful white chocolate chips (no need to measure, really)

Heat the oven to 175°C.

Place the melted butter in a bowl. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice, sugar, flour, vanilla and eggs. Stir carefully until it's just blended, then add in the white chocolate.

Pour into a lined springform tin - mine is 20 cm. Bake for about 15 minutes, check to make sure it's pretty much set. It's fine if it's still a little wobbly but it should not be completely runny at this point.

Cool completely before eating. It's actually the best after a few hours in the fridge.

Stay at home cinnamon buns from pizza dough

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 07:39:00 +0000

Sick of being at home yet? Sweden is one of few countries that are so far fairly non-restricting but as we are a country full of introverts, many choose to limit their movements anyway. Those who can work from home. Our high schools are closed but the other schools are still open.

I need to share this almost-no-work-at-all cinnamon buns recipe. It’s so easy, my eight-year old could do it with no problems at all. So can yours. Or you.

Do they taste like “regular” cinnamon buns? Yep! The texture is not exactly the same, but since they don’t have to rise at all, I can forgive that.

Stay-at-home Cinnamon Buns

1 roll pre-made pizza dough

2 tbsp melted butter

3 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:

4-5 tbsp powdered sugar

1-2 tsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 175C. (350F).

Unroll your pizza dough, ideally on a nonstick sheet if it doesn’t already come on one. (The one I buy does) Brush with melted butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the dough, leaving a little space along the long edges. Roll it up, starting at the long edge.

Cut into 2-cm thick pieces. Place in bun or muffin cups, to prevent the filling from going all over your oven.

Bake, until risen and lightly golden. Mine took about 15 minutes but everyone’s oven is different so keep an eye on them.

Let the buns cool for a few minutes and mix up the glaze. Add more milk if it’s too thick, or more sugar if it’s too runny. Drizzle over the buns. And eat.

These do not keep very well, so just go ahead and indulge.

Apple Pie Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 08:54:00 +0000

This cake is no ordinary cake - it's an äppelkladdkaka! Literally, an "apple sticky cake." A Swedish "kladdkaka", is a sticky cake, sort of like a brownie or a blondie. They're dense and fudgey rather than cakey. I've seen these types of cakes without chocolate before, and I've made a few too - like my semmelkladdkaka - but it never occurred to me to try it with apples.

I don't love apple cake in general, but as it's my husband's favorite, I'm always looking to tweak old versions and come up with new favorites. And let me tell you, this one is a real winner. It's a dense apple cake, super moist and flavorful, and with a crunchy cinnamon-y topping... oh yum. It's great sligtly warm, or ice cold from the fridge - it's all up to you. We ate it without anything else, but I would never turn down a soft dollop of whipped cream.

This cake is based off this one, from My Kitchen Stories. I modified it a bit here and there - as always, I NEVER follow a recipe to the letter. (And neither should you! Have fun!)

Apple Pie Cake

for the cake:
2 apples (medium large - if you're using big ones, use about 1,5)
175 g butter, melted
150 g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla powder
80 g brown sugar
3 tbsp rolled oats
pinch of salt
3 eggs
240 g flour

for the topping:
50 g butter, softened
60 g flour
50 g rolled oats
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

for decoration:
1 apple
extra cinnamon

Start by pre-heating your oven to 175°C. (I did NOT use my fan assist for this, just the regular heat.)

Use a springform tin of about 9 inches, and line it with baking paper. Grate the apples coarsely (not the one for decoration). No need to peel them. Squeeze out any excess liquid.

Place in a bowl, add the eggs, and then melted butter, caster sugar, vanilla, brown sugar, oats, a pinch of salt and flour. Stir until it's a nice batter and pour into your prepared tin.

Place all the ingredients for the topping in a bowl, and pinch with your fingers (or use your Kitchen-Aid, that's what I do) until you have crumbs.

Slice the apple for decoration thinly and press the slices into the batter. Top with the crumbs, and finish with an extra dusting of cinnamon.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes. The cake should have started to pull away at the edges and be mostly dry throughout. It's fine if it's still wobbly, but if it is you need to chill it before eating. If you want to have it warm, you want it to be a little bit more set.

Cinnamon Bun Day 2019

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 14:13:00 +0000

Sweden is getting cold. The leaves are turning yellow and red. Fall is here. And that means.. Kanelbullens dag! Yes, that’s Swedish for “cinnamon bun day” - and that means a whole day to celebrate our national favorite baked goodie. I bet you nearly every Swede has at least one cinnamon bun today. My kids were greeted at school this morning by parents handing out buns, and I’ve had plenty of opportunities to partake as well.

I thought I’d round up some of my recipes for you!

These are cinnamon "knots", a sort of twisted bun.

Regular buns.

Buns free from eggs and dairy.

And finally, American style sticky cinnamon rolls. Not traditional in Sweden, but delicious.

Mr Cake!

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 16:49:00 +0000

Have you visited Mr Cake yet? It’s one of Stockholm’s best contemporary cafes at the moment. It’s run by Roy Fares and Mattias Ljungberg, both talented and innovative pastry chefs.

I had a morning meeting there today and opted for the delicious Autumn Dream cake. It has apple and carrot cake layers, apple compote, caramel panna cotta and white chocolate mousse. Highly recommended.

Mr Cake
Rådmansgatan 12
Stockholm

No Bake Nutella Chocolate Squares

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 14:18:00 +0000

In the mood for something yummy? Look no further. This is a simple treat, easy and fast to make. It keeps really well - in the fridge or freezer. And the recipe makes a lot so you WILL have leftovers - at least I did.

Very adaptable, as most of my recipes are.

No Bake Nutella Chocolate Squares
300 ml sugar
125 g butter
4 tbsp cocoa powder
125 ml milk
100 g dark chocolate
4 tbsp Nutella
100 g hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped
7-800 ml rolled oats
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, melt butter and sugar. Stir in cocoa powder and milk, and heat until just about to boil. Add the chocolate and Nutella, and stir until melted. Add salt, vanilla, hazelnuts and enough oats to make a thick mixture. Press into a rectangular plan, lined with baking sheet, and chill until set. Cut into squares and go nuts!

Rhubarb Cake with Almonds

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sun, 30 Jun 2019 13:40:00 +0000

Always on the search for the perfect rhubarb cake - that perfect combination of sweet and tart, chewy and soft. This one hits all the spots - I added some slivered blanched almonds for extra crunch and that was really good.

Rhubarb Cake with Almonds
12 pieces

150 g butter, melted
2 eggs
300 ml sugar
300 ml flour
1 tsp cardamom
About 5-6 stalks of rhubarb, thinly sliced
1 tbsp pearl sugar
100 g almonds, blanched and slivered

Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. No need to be very vigorous, I did this by hand and it was fine. Add the flour, cardamom and melted butter and stir until combined. Pour into a tin lined with baking paper - mine is about 9*7 inches or so.

Top with the sliced rhubarb, almonds and pearl sugar. Bake at 175° for about 25-30 minutes. Check to make sure it doesn’t burn, but also that it’s cooked all the way through and isn’t wet on the inside.

Let it cool before eating. It goes well on its own but I’ve always preferred a dollop of cream on the side.

Swedish brownies - large batch

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 15:04:00 +0000

Swedish kladdkaka is very similar to brownies - a dense and rich chocolate cake. It’s just as delicious slightly warm from the oven, as it is chilled. It will keep for a few days in the fridge, or for a very long time in the freezer. You can eat it with whipped cream, with ice cream, with a dollop of créme fraiche, or just as it is.

This is a large batch - three times as large as a regular one. I bake it in a large rectangular pan.

Large batch Kladdkaka
300 g butter, melted
6 eggs
700 ml sugar
150 ml cocoa powder
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
450 ml flour (all-purpose)
1-200 g dark chocolate, finely chopped (depending on what you have and how chocolatey you like your cake)

Crack the eggs into a bit bowl. Add sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla sugar and flour and stir. Add the melted butter. Finally add some chopped dark chocolate, no need for exact measurements here.

I like to use a large rectangular pan but since I hate washing up I always line it with baking paper. Do so, and just pour in the batter.

Bake at 150°C - about 20-25 minutes. It should still be quite gooey but not overly runny.

I prefer to eat this cold, so chill it and serve later on. It keeps well in the fridge, and even better in the freezer. And I always serve it with some whipped cream.

Frozen Lemon Cheesecake with berries & caramelized pistachios

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 20 Apr 2019 13:30:00 +0000

This is an eggless version of one of my oldest and most favorite desserts, the frozen lemon cheesecake. I actually made it as a dessert for New Year’s Eve, which we spent in Long Beach with dear friends. I normally make it with raw eggs at home since Swedish eggs don’t have salmonella. I’m sure most Californian eggs are perfectly safe to use but to be on the very safe side, I decided to make version without eggs. Instead of eggs - and sugar - it uses sweetened condensed milk. I’m going to say that the end result is very, very close.

And very, very good. Also quite a bit easier to make.

You can top this with whatever you’d like of course, and whatever berries are in season where you are. We found some super tasty strawberries that I macerated with lime and a little brown sugar, and then I quickly caramelized some pistachios that tasted much better than they look in the photo, I promise. (And all that there’s too this is melting sugar in a small pan, non stick unless you love to clean up, add the nuts, and let them be well coated, turn out on a non-stick surface and cool. Add a very light sprinkling of salt if desired)

Everything can and should be made well in advance. Just remember to bring out the cheesecake a little while before you want to eat - maybe half an hour or so - so that it’s not frozen solid.

Frozen Lemon Cheesecake with berries & caramelized pistachios

Crust:
about 220 g graham crackers
3/4 stick butter, melted (about 85 g

Process crackers into crumbs. Add butter. Press hot crumbs into a springform pan. Place in freezer while you make the filling.

Filling:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 small package cream cheese (about 8 oz)
Whipping cream, about 450 ml
Zest from 1 lemon
Dash of vanilla

Stir together cream cheese, vanilla and lemon zest and stir until smooth. Add condensed milk and stir again.

Whip the cream and fold it all together. Pour the filling on top of the crust, freeze overnight or at least for a few hours.

Thaw for a little while before serving and top with whatever berries you’d like.

Easy homemade kulfi

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 18:09:00 +0000

I LOVE kulfi - Indian ice cream with saffron, cardamom and pistachios. The traditional method is not that easy or quick - but my way is! Super easy! Prep takes all of five minutes but then you have to wait patiently for six hours or until fully frozen.

I like to use small silicone cups for this, perfect size for single servings

Easy kulfi

Serves 6

1 can (400 g) sweetened condensed milk

200 ml heavy cream

100 ml milk

1/2 g saffron (1 sachet)

1 tsp cardamom

Handful roasted but unsalted pistachios

Pinch of salt

Open the can of condensed milk. Stir in a bowl with cream, milk and the spices. Crush or finely chop the pistachios and add those.

Divide between cups and freeze.

Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread, my way

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 08:59:00 +0000

So, apparently this recipe broke the Internet. Not by my hand, mind you. I first came across it on Smitten Kitchen, but the original is made by Alison Roman, from her book Dining In. I could totally have followed the instructions - they're easy - but as it was I decided that a shortcut was fine and I skipped the last step of eggwashing and sugaring the outside of the cookie. For the original recipe please follow the links above. This is just my way.

I really like how fast this is to make. I really appreciate when you can make the dough in advance and keep it in the fridge - or even freezer - until you're ready to bake. And this is definitely one of those. I made my rolls a little smaller than the original I think, since I got over 40 cookies where the recipe said 24. But this is a good size. (And as the famous saying goes, if they're small you can have two!)

The cookie itself is crumbly and a little sandy, like the very best shortbread. I used a few different types of chocolate and found that to be a good way, but whatever you use make sure you really like it. The flavor of the chocolate makes a big impact.

Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread, my way
about 40 cookies

255 salted butter, directly from the fridge, in small pieces
100 g granulated sugar
50 g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
295 g all-purpose flour
170 g chocolate, mostly dark (I used about 30 g milk, and two different kinds of dark), cut into chunks
for sprinkling: sugar and flaky sea salt

Beat butter and both sugars together, I use my Kitchen-Aid for this. Add vanilla. Add flour and mix until just mixed in, and then finally the chocolate.

Shape into logs, about 5 cm in diameter, and wrap in plastic. Let them rest in the fridge for at least a few hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 175°C.

Slice the cookies onto a lined baking sheet, sprinkle with a little bit of granulated sugar and flaky sea salt if you so wish. (My six-year old was very into this)

Bake until the edges are lightly golden - about ten minutes in my oven.

Instant Pot Tomato Bulgur

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 08:28:00 +0000

Here's a real favorite for my family. We've been making various versions of tomato bulgur for years. but when we got the Instant Pot we worked out a version to take advantage of that.

This is a versatile side dish, but one of my favorite ways to serve it is with chicken - either sweet chili chicken legs, or magically crispy chicken - a pico de gallo and a creamy cold sauce of some kind, maybe a ranch dip.

Instant Pot Tomato Bulgur
Serves 4 generously (we always have leftovers and they're very good cold in a salad)

1 small onion, finely chopped
olive oil
400 ml bulgur wheat, the coarse kind
1 tin (400 g) crushed tomatoes
400 ml water (just use the tin above)
1 tsp Vegeta (optional but gives a little extra oomph)

Set the IP to Sauté and heat the oil. Fry the onion for a few minutes, Add the bulgur wheat. Press cancel, and add tomatoes, water and vegeta (if using).

Place the IP on high pressure for 12 minutes (I use the rice setting) and then do an instant release. Season with salt and pepper as you see fit.

Baked Polenta Fries

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sun, 10 Feb 2019 09:00:00 +0000

Dante, my 6-year old, likes to look in cookbooks. He'll frequently use post-its to mark recipes he wants us to try, and recently he picked a recipe for Polenta Fries. It was a fairly complicated one that included deep frying and as delicious as that probably is, I just wasn't up to it. So I decided to use a simpler method, and it turned out really well. Dante and I loved it. (The older kid - not so much.)

You have to plan ahead a little bit here, as the polenta needs to cool down.

Baked Polenta Fries

375 ml polenta (I use a quick version)

125 ml milk

250 ml water

1/2 tsp Vegeta (this is an all-round spice/flavor enhancer that you can totally leave out, I just happen to like it)

1 tbsp butter

large handful grated parmesan

cooking oil

Bring water and milk to a boil. Add polenta and vegeta if using. Stirring all the time, cook until thickened. it will go fast - just a few minutes - and it will be a little dangerous because of a tendency to sputter so be careful and don't let the kids do this.

Remove from heat, and stir in butter and parmesan.

Pour onto an oiled cookie sheet (or a smaller baking pan if you wish a thicker polenta). Shape a little, so it's roughly a thick rectangle. Cool completely, ideally for a few hours on the fridge.

When ready to cook, heat the oven to about 200°C.

Cut the polenta into fry-shaped rectangles. Oil them on all sides and place on a lined baking sheet. Cook for about ten minutes on the first side, flip and then for maybe five more minutes. Your goal is to get them slightly golden brown, but don't over do it because they will burn easily.

Eat straight away. The unbaked polenta keeps well in the fridge for several days but the baked ones are best freshly cooked.

Eggless pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 09 Feb 2019 08:40:00 +0000

So. One of the kids needed to be egg-free for a while. Swedish pancakes are a necessity though so we had to figure out how to make a good version. These are just as good as "regular pancakes", but can be a little harder to flip. I'm sorry - no great pic - but the recipe is worth saving.

Eggless pancakes
serves 2-3

200 ml flour

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

1 tbsp corn starch

3 tbsp oil

375 ml milk

Stir together all the dry ingredients, add oil and milk. Fry in butter until starting to turn golden at the edges, flip and cook through.

Instant Pot Taco Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 15:34:00 +0000

I made this super simple taco soup with the kids. There's barely any work to it at all. I browned my meat separately but will not do that next time - I use a fairly lean meat so I might as well do it all the Instant Pot since it's so much easier. (But if you have a fattier meat you might want to strain off some of the fat.)

Feel free to add beans, chickpeas, whatever stuff you'd like - but my kids don't like it, won't eat it and thus we made this bare bones. For toppings, the kids used cheese and tortilla chips, but sour cream, tomatoes, cilantro, and avocado are also good options.

Instant Pot Taco Soup
serves 4-6

cooking oil
500 g minced beef
1 chopped onion
taco spice mix - you can use a ready-made one, or just add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, a little chili, cayenne, cumin and coriander.
1 small can (about 200 g) corn
1 can - 400 g - crushed tomatoes
water - use your judgement to get this as soupy as you want. I used about 600 ml.

Put your IP on the sauté setting and add a little cooking oil. Brown the minced meet. Add the onion and fry for a few minutes. Press cancel.

Add the taco spice, corn, tomatoes and water. Seal and turn your IP to high pressure for 15 minutes. Do a manual release of the steam, and turn off the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Linguini with Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 14:13:00 +0000

I haven't written so much about my InstantPot, mostly because I'm busy loving and using it. I've been really wanting to get my recipes in order, before posting about them, since it's a fairly exact science.

So, this pasta recipe is one of my kids favorites and often requested. Not all pasta works well in the IP, as it's easily overcooked and mushy, but linguini works very well. I'll give two different measurements here, depending on how many you are, but it's really only a variation in garlic, pasta and water, I use the same amounts of everything else.

As you can tell from the photos, I like to eat this with sautéed broccoli (not made in the IP). The kids prefer it plain.

Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Linguini with Chicken
Serves 3-5 (larger amounts in parenthesis below)

to cook:
pat of butter
1 (2) garlic cloves, finely minced
350 (500) g linguini, broken in half
700 (1000) ml water + 1 cube vegetable stock (or just the same amount of stock, depending on how you like to cook)
dash of Vegeta, my favorite little crutch in the kitchen these days
350 g chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
salt, pepper

to finish:
handful of grated parmesan
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
100 ml cream

Place your InstantPot on sauté and melt the butter. Let the garlic fry until fragrant. Press cancel on the IP and add linguini, water, stock cube and vegeta. Place the chicken on top, add salt and pepper. Seal your Instant Pot and cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Let the IP natural release for 5 minutes, then manually release remaining pressure.

Stir in parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice and cream. Either serve right away, or if it looks a little runny, sauté for a few minutes.