Author Archives: EvaH

Cod Cake with Yuzu Veggies

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160815 Yuzu Veggies-1459

If you haven’t tried Yuzu yet you’re missing out on something! Yuzu is a wonderful citrus fruit from Japan. Can usually be found as a bottled juice in Asian food markets. Or, a possible substitute could be an equal mix of fresh orange-, lime- and lemon juice.

Serves 4

Cod Cake:
600 g cod fillets
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 large red chili, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp dried coriander
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 lime, zest

Japanese soy sauce

Veggies:
12 Sugar snaps
1 Orange bell pepper
1 Yellow bell pepper
6 Cherry tomatoes
1 Avocado
1 Red onion

Dressing:
6 tbsp Yuzu juice
3 tbsp Olive oil

1. Mix the fish, juice, chili, garlic, coriander, egg, salt and lime zest in a food processor.
2. Spoon into hot, oiled frying pan and fry 5-6 minutes on each side. Take care when turning so they don’t fall apart. Serve with soy sauce.
3. Cut all veggies in small pieces. Mix the dressing and drizzle over the vegetables.

Marinated Haricots Verts in a Salad

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160810 Marinated Haricots Verts-1580

Sometimes cooking is all about letting the ingredients speak for itself without too many alterations. Pure, simple and delicious! This is a classic green bean salad.

350 g haricots verts
80 g parmesan shavings
Chopped walnuts
1 small pear, sliced
Rocket salad (or fresh baby spinach leaves)

Vinaigrette:
3 tbsp olive oil
1,5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Dash of salt
Black pepper

1. Whisk/shake the vinaigrette.
2. Blanch the haricot verts 1-2 minutes in boiling water (with some salt added to it).
3. Marinate the beans in the vinaigrette for 20 minutes.
4. Distribute the salad items on a large plate. Add the haricots verts and drizzle any remaining vinaigrette on top.

Aubergine Bites

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160803 Aubergine Bites-1330

This dish can be made into small appetizer bites, or, served as a large “pizza”. If you want to make it vegetarian, substitute the anchovies with sliced shiitake mushroom marinated in 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp tamari soy sauce, 1 tsp olive oil, dash of salt.

Either you buy a ready-made puff pastry (Schaer sells frozen “Millefoglie”) or you use this recipe to make your own, simplified version:

350 g gluten free, non self-rising flour (about 600 ml)
150 g butter
½ tsp salt
150 ml sour cream
1 tbsp cold water
Process flour, salt and butter in mixer until crumbly dough. Add the sour cream and mix, then add the water. Refrigerate 30 minutes for easier handling.

100 g parmesan cheese, grated

2 aubergines
Olive oil

5 onions, sliced
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
100 g canned fillets of anchovies, cut into slivers (or your own, marinated shiitake mushrooms)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
50 g chopped black olives
50 g chopped marinated, sundried tomatoes

1. Make (or buy) the puff pastry.
2. Slice the aubergine, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 215 C for 25 minutes, turning once. When done, cut each slice into slivers
3. Slice the onion thinly, sauté with the garlic in some olive oil until soft. Add the salt, sugar and thyme and gently fry the onion another 10 minutes.
4. Roll the dough out to about 1 cm thickness. With a cookie cutter, make small rounds of the dough. On each round, sprinkle some parmesan, add some caramelized onion and aubergines. Finish by topping with a small sliver of anchovy. Lightly drizzle with red wine vinegar. OR, just cover an oven tray with the dough (on baking parchment) and spread the toppings over the dough base. After it is baked, cut into squares.
5. Bake in oven at 225C for 20 minutes.
6. When baked, decorate with olives and tomatoes.

Glutenfree, fresh Tabbouleh

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1606 Quinoa Taboule-1364Can be (should be) made in advance and kept in the fridge. Cool, fresh, delicious. Perfect as a side dish or as a main. Goes with anything. Can it get any better? Oh yes, also quick and easy to make! The perfect dish when serving guests on a hot day or to just keep handy in the fridge for a quick lunch!

 

Quinoa Tabbouleh

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1606 Quinoa Taboule-1364

A quick and refreshing addition to the summer buffet.

Serves 6

400 ml red quinoa
1 cube vegetable stock
4 medium tomatoes, seeds removed, finely diced
2 green bell peppers, finely diced
1 cucumber, seeds removed, finely diced
1 red onion, finely diced
100 ml chopped parsley
25 g chopped fresh mint leaves
Juice from 2 lemons
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

1. Boil the quinoa with a stock cube according to the instructions on the package.
2. Combine all ingredients.
3. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.
4. Enjoy!

Jerked Salmon with Tomato Quinoa and Apple Lemon Sauce

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160720 Jerked Salmon w Tomatoe Quinoa and Apple Sauce-1542

This dish can also be served as a finger food in small pieces on top of spinach leaves with small dots of sauce on top. Here I’m serving the dish as a main course with a Tomato Quinoa. Smoked salmon is very rich which is why I’m suggesting quite small servings. The allspice and the cayenne pepper is what gives the dominating taste of jerk spice rub but, for the rest, feel free to experiment.

Serves 4

300-400 g smoked salmon. In one thick piece, not sliced.

Jerk spices:
½ tsp dried cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ginger
¼ ground cloves
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Dash of salt

1 tsp honey
2 tsp lime zest
(optional – 1 garlic clove, crushed)

Tomato Quinoa:
200 ml quinoa
1 vegetable stock cube
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Olive oil
6 tbsp tomato puree

Sauce:
1 small apple
1 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 tbsp Greek yoghurt

Black pepper or chili flakes, to decorate
Spinach

1. Boil the quinoa, with the stock cube, according to manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Sautee the onion and garlic in some olive oil for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree and, while stirring, fry for another minute.
3. Add the cooked quinoa and stir, still over heat, another few minutes.
4. Combine the dry jerk ingredients. Add the honey and lime. Mix well.
5. Cut the salmon into serving portions. With your fingers, rub the spice onto the salmon, all over. Fry briefly over high heat, 45 seconds each side.
6. Mix the apple and lemon juice with a stick blender. Strain to remove some of the liquid. Add the yoghurt and stir.
7. Place some spinach leaves on the plate together with the salmon, quinoa and sauce. Decorate with some chili flakes or black pepper.

Easy fun party food

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1606 Veggie Bake w Mango Dip-1314This Veggie Bake with its cool Mango Sauce is a fun, different and easy party food. Prepare everything the day before, drip on an oven tray an hour before the guests arrive and then pop them in the oven just before the party. Place the sauce in a bowl on the side. Serve the wonderful, tasty little veggie bakes as warm appetisers. Or, just enjoy them as part of any meal.

Veggie Bake with Mango Dip

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1606 Veggie Bake w Mango Dip-1314

I love the indian veggie bakes. These are often made with just onions but, inspired by a recipe I found in a newspaper, here I also include cauliflower and turned out absolutely delicious! Also, they are baked, not deep fried, which I think is a lot tastier for this recipe. The sweet dip is the perfect match for the veggie bake with all its spices/flavours. Serve as a pre-dinner snack with a bowl of the sauce to dip in, as a starter or as part of a main course.

400 g cauliflower, finely chopped (no large chunks)
2 medium leeks, finely chopped
Olive oil

Coating:
200 ml quinoa- or buckwheat flour
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground turmeric
Pinch of salt
150 ml water
2 tbsp hot mango chutney
1,5 tbsp tomato puree
olive oil

Sauce:
150 g Greek yoghurt
½ large ripe mango
1,5 tbsp mango chutney, hot
6-8 fresh mint leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
Dash of salt

Oven at 200 C
1. Sauce: Mix the ingredients together with a hand held blender. Chill in refrigerator.
2. Chop and fry the cauliflower and leeks until soft.
3. Mix the coating until smooth.
4. Combine the coating and veggies well.
5. Drizzle oil on baking tray. Drop the mix from a spoon and flatten each pile slightly. Drizzle some more oil on top.
6. Bake for 25 minutes turning once. Please note that if the veggie piles are difficult to turn you need to leave them a bit longer.

Crushed Potatoes with Greens and Beans

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160706 Crushed Potatoes w Greens and Beans-1527

A delicious way of preparing potato. Use yellow tomatoes for the dressing, the taste will be the same with red tomatoes but the colour so much more beautiful when it is all just yellow.

Serves 4

12 boiled new potatoes
Fresh thyme
Coarse salt
Olive oil

100 g fresh spinach
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced (best to use a mandolin)
Mixed beans (kidney-, butter-, chickpeas…)

Dressing:
2 large, yellow tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
A dash of salt

1. Set the oven at 215C
2. Take each boiled potato and, with a spoon, slightly press down the middle crushing the potato slightly. Put some thyme and salt on top.
3. Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil and place the potatoes on top. Pour some additional oil over the potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes.
4. Cut up the avocado and fennel and place in a bowl together with the beans and the spinach.
5. Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a blender. Save some dressing for decorating the plate with and toss the rest with the greens in the bowl.

Spiced Dried Fruit

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160629 Spiced Dried Fruit-1391

Chili and lime, can’t do without them. Dried fruit is a wonderful, healthy snack. The intense flavor that develops while drying is delicious. Sometimes, though, I find that the sweetness of the fruit gets a bit overpowering but some added spices balances this out nicely.

If you have a food dehydrator, use it! If not, use your oven at its lowest setting, about 45 C.

Chili flakes
Salt
Lime zest

Banana
Apple
Kiwis

1. Slice the banana thinly and sprinkle the slices with lime zest and salt. Place them on the drying rack. Do not let any two pieces touch.
2. Rub the kiwis with a towel to remove some of the hair. Then slice the kiwis thinly and place on the drying rack.
3. Slice the apple. Sprinkle with chili flakes and place on rack.
4. Dry for 10-12 hours at 45 C.