NEW AMSTERDAM MARKET

This last Sunday Lars and I set out for the New Amsterdam Market it was Smørrebrød Day.

I have wanted to visit the market for some time but never seemed to be able to make it.

But we bought tickets online and it turned out to be a great day food and weather wise.

I was thrilled that representing Denmark was Trina Hahneman who's cook books and recipes I love.

I really liked that many local chefs were there to make their version of the famous "open faced sandwich". Which is a great treat to see and eat- something I grew to love while living in Denmark.

For $20.00 we got to choose three sandwiches and a beer.

I chose two by Trina a classic shrimp with dill but not the usual greenland shrimp these were just as sweet but a bit bigger. Than I had what I think was brisket or pot roast with red cabbage and pickles and broccoli florets that were used as a garnish like parsley..I also had a chicken liver with crispy pork shoulder,fennel jam and parsley.. All three were excellent.

Lars had a traditional Danish Russian Salad made with beets and capers and potato,as well as one from Northern Spy Restaurant in the East Village a Scrod with ricotta, and lastly from Saltie a egg butter ,pickled beets, arugula, herbs, capers and fennel. We each sampled each others and agreed it was a great taste treat.

We then toured the rest of the market ,we got a apple stuffed monkey bread from Shandaken Bakery I have never had monkey bread before, it is like a scone but not as dry a dough more buttery and really good.

I have since looked up many recipes for the bread and it seems that they made a very couture version and it was delicious.

Speaking of bread all the bread for the smørrebrød was made by Nordic Breads in Long Island City. They had a stand as well and had small loaves and the traditional round bread with the whole in the center.. They have a limited baking schedule but you can order online. Nordicbreads.com.

In the coming weeks the market will be doing flapjacks, coffee, wine and a winter solstice market before they close for the season. I will try to make the coffee market and look forward to returning in the spring.

A HOT NIGHT AND THREE SALADS

IT HAS BEEN VERY HOT AGAIN HENCE I WAS VERY RELUCTANT TO TURN ON THE OVEN.
SO ARMED WITH SOME LEFTOVER ROAST CHICKEN ,CUCUMBERS, POTATOES, FETA,YOGURT AND HERBS.
I MADE THREE DIFFERENT SALADS.
ALL CAME OUT SURPRISING YUMMY!

FOR THE CHICKEN SALAD I HAD LEFT OVER ROAST CHICKEN I REMOVED ALL THE SKIN AND TOOK ALL THE CHICKEN OFF THE BONES. I ADDED SOME DRIED CRANBERRIES AND MADE A SAUCE OF MAYO AND THIS REALLY GOOD PEAR AND RED CURRANT RELISH GIVEN TO ME AS A GIFT FROM DENMARK AND SOME CURRY POWDER. ALL THIS IS MIXED TO TASTE-HOMEMADE OR STORE BOUGHT CHUTNEY WOULD DO AS WELL.

THEN I WENT THROUGH MY GO TO BLOGS FOR INSPIRATION-A FAIRLY NEW ONE (FOR ME AT LEAST) IS 'EVERYBODY LIKES SANDWICHES"
I FOUND TWO RECIPES THAT I COULD USE WITHOUT HAVING TO STEP OUT INTO THE HEAT .
I CHANGED THEM TO SUIT MY TASTE AND ALSO TO USE WHAT I HAD ON HAND.

incredible lemony potato salad
6 small yukon gold potatoes in their skins
2 stalks of celery with leaves, diced and leaves roughly chopped
1 large lemon, juiced and zested
1/4 c olive oil
1 t honey (or white sugar, if vegan)
1 t dijon mustard
1 small bunch of basil, torn
1 T capers
pepper and rock salt

1. Boil potatoes whole in their skins until done. Cool slightly and cut into large cubes. Place in bowl. Add chopped celery.

2. Mix together lemon juice, olive oil, honey and dijon into a dressing and pour over potatoes.

3. Tear basil leaves over top of salad. Add capers, lemon zest, freshly ground pepper and rock salt. Mix. Cool in fridge until ready to serve.

THE ONLY THING I CHANGED HERE WAS THE KIND OF POTATOES I HAD THESE LITTLE BABY YUKONS SO THE CHUNKS WERE MUCH SMALLER. I ALWAYS WASH MY CAPERS OTHERWISE I THINK THINGS GET TOO SALTY.

creamy cucumber dill salad
1 english cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 T kosher salt
4 T plain yogurt
1 T mayonnaise
juice of 1 small lemon
freshly ground pepper
a few large springs of dill, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 T crumbled feta

Thinly slice the cucumber with a knife or a mandoline (I just went knife-style) and place slices in a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle with salt, toss and refrigerate for 30 minutes. The salt draws water from the cucumber so when you remove the cukes from the fridge, drain all the liquid.

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, pepper, dill, onion and feta together and then drizzle over the drained cucumbers. Toss well and serve.

I LEFT OUT THE ONIONS SINCE I HAVE A THING ABOUT RAW ONIONS AND I USED GREEK YOGURT WHICH IS THICKER AND LEFT OUT THE MAYO. THE DRAINING OF THE CUKES IS A MUST OTHERWISE IT IS TOO WATERY.

NO PICS THIS TIME WE WERE TOO HUNGRY .

I WILL BE MAKING ALL THESE SALADS AGAIN-I THINK MY FAVORITE IF I HAD TO PICK WAS THE POTATO SALAD!

Rack of Lamb and Couscous w/turmeric and cilantro

I was in the mood for lamb one night a few weeks ago and my favorite way to prepare it is the BBQ. I went to Trader Joes and bought a Frenched Lamb Rack from New Zealand.
I did nothing out of the ordinary-salt, pepper, fresh rosemary and some garlic.
Lars popped on the grill and it was excellent. It came out perfect and pink on the inside, crunchy and "Herby" on the outside.

I also made a new side dish with Israeli Couscous.
I found this recipe in Bon Appetit and changed it a bit.

COUSCOUS WITH FRESH CILANTRO AND LEMON JUICE
6 servings

2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 2/3 cups water
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 cups plain couscous (I used Israeli couscous)
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
Add turmeric and garlic and stir for one minute
Add water, lemon peel, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt; bring to a boil.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in the couscous .
Cover; let stand until liquid is absorbed about 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork mix in cilantro and lemon juice.
Add additional salt if desired.

My only changes were I used Israeli couscous which I put in at the same time as the turmeric and garlic to toast it first. I like the bigger grains it is similar to Orzo and I love the "toastieness." Then followed the recipe as is.I also cut the recipe in half since there is only the two of us.

Dish passed all my tests-it looked good-tasted terrific and was sooo easy to make-perfect for a week night.

ALMOND BLUEBERRY COOKIES

What to do with a over abundance of Blueberries. I went a bit over the top at the Green Market and after days of yogurt and blueberries for breakfast, and a very yummy Blueberry and nectarine Jam I still had a lot left.
So I looked around and found a great recipe for Almond Blueberry Cookies. They turned out to be easy and delicious.
They should actually be called "cakeys" rather than cookies the blueberries keep them very moist.
Lucky for my waistline, Lars was driving his Mom up to Rhode Island to her summer rental and I shipped most of the cookies with them.My Mother-in-law loved them and she has a very discerning taste.
So the recipe is to follow it is by Giada De Laurentis, I have two of her cook books and she has never failed to provide a really great meal!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/almond-blueberry-cookies-recipe/index.htm

KOLDSKÅL AND KAMMERJUNKERE

I don't know about the rest of you but the heat is getting to me after dragging my dogs around and trying to find the shade-I am too exhausted and not all that hungry to cook-so I am seeking inspiration and a break from veggie sushi(going through a bit of an addiction)-and it has appeared from Baltimore by way of Denmark.
This sounds like the perfect summer comfort food and in fact it is.

KOLDSKÅL

half gallon buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup sugar (2/3 cup probably just as good)
juice from 1.5 limes
150g butter
teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip (we used electric mixer) together eggs and sugar until you get a homogeneous very light and rather thick liquid. Pour in the rest (butter being soft/partially melted) and whip until homogeneous. Done!

KAMMERJUNKERE

250g flour
75g butter
75g sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
Dash of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Mix everything and knead until homogeneous and shiny. Roll into one or more sausages, about 2 inches thick. Cut into slices of about an inch or a tad more, put on parchment paper on baking tray, and into the oven. Give it about 10 minutes, or until they start going golden and browning slightly. Then take them out, cut in half (top/bottom) in order to make for crisper thinner slices and back in for 10-15 minutes (until the color in the pic), and done! If possible use hot air to get crispier( for those of you lucky to have a convection oven quite common in Europe). Let cool, then add say 10-15 to a bowl of koldskål. Degree of crushing when added is personal preference.

Now I know many of you are a bit gun-shy of raw eggs so read below:

With respect to Salmonella poisoning. Again, it is true that the possibility exists for the infection to occur if you eat raw eggs. But here are the facts. Of the 69 billion eggs that are produced per year, Salmonella is only present in 2.3 million of those eggs. That translates to 1 out of every 30,000 eggs or 0.0003% of all produced eggs. Furthermore, buying cage-free, organically-fed and organically-certified chicken eggs significantly reduces any potential of Salmonella infection.

I am also providing a link to a blog I have just found called "My Danish Kitchen" that has an alternate recipe without eggs.

http://mydanishkitchen.com/2010/06/25/koldskal/

I am going to try it both ways!

With respect to Salmonella poisoning. Again, it is true that the possibility exists for the infection to occur if you eat raw eggs. But here are the facts. Of the 69 billion eggs that are produced per year, Salmonella is only present in 2.3 million of those eggs. That translates to 1 out of every 30,000 eggs or 0.0003% of all produced eggs. Furthermore, buying cage-free, organically-fed and organically-certified chicken eggs significantly reduces any potential of Salmonella infection.

BLUEBERRY NECTARINE JAM ADDITION

SORRY! I left out 2 tablespoons of lemon juice !

HAYMANN'S CARROT FRITTERS

My dear friend Haymann in Hong Kong has sent me a really great recipe complete with pictures of these very delicious looking Carrot Fritters.
I will admit that I attempted to make them and failed , but I will go on record as saying that even though they looked terrible and were too soupy they tasted great!
I wrote to her and she had some suggestions which I will try.I think the big difference may be in the condensed milk it may be thicker, also I grated the carrots by hand (what was I thinking I have a food processor) and they may have been grated too fine. Lastly I used Jarlsberg which is what I had on hand next time I will use cheddar. Even with all that they still tasted fantastic.
So think how good it will be if you follow the recipe!

Healthy Carrot Fritters

These veggie fritters can be served with a watercress salad with olive oil and lemon juice dressing.

The following recipe makes: 6-8, or enough for 2-3 people

325g carrots
A medium onion
A clove of garlic, crushed
150ml double cream or condensed milk (I used the latter cos it's less fattening)
An egg, beaten
3 heaped tbsp of grated cheese, like a strong Cheddar
A handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped (no dried herbs pls!)
3 heaped tbsp plain flour
Olive oil for shallow-frying
Salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Scrub the carrots and push them through a food processor fitted with a grater attachment. Alternatively, grate them by hand using the coarse side of the grater. Either way, you are after long, thin shreds rather than mush.

2. Peel the onion, finely slice or grate it and stir it into the carrots along with the garlic and a seasoning of salt and black pepper. Stir in the double cream or condensed milk, beaten egg, grated cheese, roughly chopped coriander and the flour.

3. Warm a shallow layer of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Drop large dollops of the mixture into the pan, a couple at a time, and fry till lightly cooked on the underside. Turn with a fish slice and allow the other side to colour. They should take three or four mins per side, until they are dark gold. Lift out on to a warm plate and remove extra oil with a sheet of kitchen roll. Eat immediately.

Ok once again I tried and failed-they again tasted terrific but looked less than appetizing and were too soupy but I will not give up-I will add more flour and less liquid. I will also work on the grating process.

I think it is important to post failures as well as triumphs and hopefully try again until you get things right.

If all else fails I guess I just have to get on a plane and pay her a long overdue visit!

RHUBARB BUTTER

A few days ago at the Green Market I noticed that "Wicklow Farms" still had Rhubarb really red Rhubarb so I had to buy it.
I have made quite a few jams and chutneys so I wanted something a bit different I came upon a recipe that is sooo easy it is ridiculous called Rhubarb Butter.
All you do is chop up 4 cups of Rhubarb-add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup orange juice .
Cook over medium heat and that is it.
I tried this plate placed in the freezer test-which I have been seeing on a lot of the blogs basically you put a plate in the freezer when you think your jam or butter or preserves are done take a small sample and place it on the plate return it to the freezer for 2 minutes then if it crinkly when you touch it-you have jam.
I got one small and one medium size jam jar out of this.
I of course sterilized the jars and lids before hand and this time I put the filled jars into boiling water for 15 minutes-I think it was probably not necessary since I keep them in the frig as opposed to a dark cupboard.

The jam in the middle of the picture is blueberry nectarine jam something I made up as I went along-I had a large amount of blueberries from Trader Joes that Lars wanted to buy totally forgetting that he was leaving for Rhode Island for a week. I also had on hand 2 white nectarines, two regular nectarines and one small peach that needed to be eaten or else. So I peeled the stone fruit (weighed in at just over a pound) and chopped it up into 1 inch pieces placed it in a pot with a scant 1 cup sugar and chopped crystallized ginger set it on stove for about 15 minutes-when the fruit started to cook down I added the blueberries (12 or 13 ounces) for another 15 minutes. Performed the freezer plate test, sterilized and got one medium size jar of a excellent tasting jam.I am very glad I only added 1 cup of sugar the white nectarines are like candy

STUFF ON HAND

Sometimes you buy to much fresh produce or forget what you have on hand-or just get stumped on what to make.
I occasionally start with a recipe and substitute with what I have in the veggie bin.
Often it is just ok but every once and awhile you have a winner.

Tonight I made Quinoa Stir fry with Vegetables and Chicken I got the recipe from Self Magazine which has come up with quite a few winners in the past.

http://www.self.com/fooddiet/recipes/2010/02/quinoa-stir-fry-with-vegetables-and-chicken

I had the quinoa, carrots, bell pepper, ginger and garlic in the house. I left out the chili pepper and no snow peas but I had some green beans (half green half purple)from the farmers market that needed to be eaten and I also had chicken from a bbq the night before-I grow cilantro and always have soy sauce in house. I don't like raw onions so instead of the scallions I had a shallot that I stir fried with the garlic and ginger.
I will certainly make this again I think I will add more cilantro maybe the chili pepper the next time. Lars likes a bit more kick so he added sweet chili sauce.

I am not the only person who uses what they have on hand- here are two examples from MBJ in Baltimore.

Two super lazy recipes today. The first is barely a recipe really, I like to steam frozen mixed vegetables in the microwave when I realize that I haven't had any veggies for a day or more. Today I added some black eye peas for a little more substance, and then spontaneously decided to put in some sour cream and hot chunky salsa. That's it, so it's not really a recipe, but it was so surprisingly tasty.

Second is for pizza Bianca with potatoes. Again very simple, though you need to either boil potatoes or have some already. You could make your own dough, but in my case I just used whole wheat flour tortillas. Put slices of potato and mozzarella on top, grate Parmesan and add salt (not too much, Parmesan is salty), pepper, fresh basil and rosemary (dried is fine too). Put in oven about 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, until it's golden. I use one good sized potato and around 50g of mozzarella per pizza. Again, not much of a recipe, but tasty. You can obviously use the same tactic for regular "instant pizzas", just adding tomato paste, mozzarella and toppings.

Sometimes the best tasting things come out of creative ways to use what ya got on hand.

GRANOLA ALA MBJ

Here is a recipe for granola-again from MBJ in Baltimore-it looks healthy and delicious a win-win combo!
Lots of ways to change and add whatever you like to this recipe-which is good if you have things on hand.






Basically I took the recipe from here: http://www.chow.com/stories/11878, with a few modifications.




You mix together the dry stuff in one bowl: 3 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats, three tablespoons brown sugar, a quarter teaspoon salt, and a teaspoon cinnamon.


Then the liquids in another: one-third cup honey (real honey,not US honey/corn syrup mix), a quarter cup coconut oil, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.


Mix it together with your hand, and savor licking off all the stuff that sticks. Then put it all on baking paper in a pan, and into the oven at 300 F.


I gave mine something like 20 minutes, then stir followed by another 15. That was just on the limit, any longer and it would have tasted burnt. As it was it made it extra sweet and crispy.


Once it was a little cooled I added dried cranberries, raisins, and crushed walnuts. The first two are great, walnuts didn't add much. Not bad though.


It didn't really form clumps, a couple of oats sticking together at most. Maybe using butter instead of oil would help. The mix of honey, cinnamon and vanilla really gives it a delicious taste, though definitely very sweet. Suitable for plain/Greek yogurt, not sweetened.

I am going to give this a try now that the heat spell has broken-I will probably use canola oil because it has less calories-will get back with the results!

FINNISH RYE PIES

LAST WEEK I WAS READING THE BLOG "DAILY CANDY" AND THEY MENTIONED THESE TWO FINNISH GIRLS WHO MISSED HOME COOKING AND WERE MAKING FINNISH STYLE PIEROGIES CALLED "PIIRAKKA".
I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF EATING THESE ON MY TWO LUCKY TRIPS TO FINLAND AND THEY ARE SOOOO GOOD.
SO LARS AND I GOT ON OUR BIKES LAST SUNDAY AND HEADED FOR THE COMMUNITY MARKET IN PARK SLOPE-TO DIGRESS A MOMENT IT' S A VERY NICE MARKET WITH QUITE A FEW SPECIAL VENDORS AND TWO NEW YORK STATE WINE SELLERS.
IT WAS WELL WORTH THE TRIP IN THE 90 DEGREE HEAT, THEY WERE DELICIOUS. BESIDES THE TRADITIONAL RICE FILLED VERSION , THEY HAVE A BEET-FETA COMBO, SPINACH-GARLIC COMBO AND SWEET POTATO. MY FAVORITE IS STILL THE TRADITIONAL RICE HEATED UP WITH A PAT OF MELTING BUTTER. I WOULD RECOMMEND HEATING THEM UP IN THE OVEN AS OPPOSED TO THE MICROWAVE BECAUSE OF THE SOGGINESS FACTOR. I HAVE COME TO REALLY APPRECIATE RYE AND NOT THE TYPICAL DELI STYLE RYE BREAD. I HAVE BEEN TRYING AS I MAY HAVE MENTIONED TO MAKE A REALLY GOOD DANISH STYLE RYE BREAD. I HAVE MADE ONE AND IT TASTED GREAT BUT MISSED OUT ON PRESENTATION (NO POINTS IN THE LOOKS DEPARTMENT). WHEN THE HEAT BREAKS HERE IN NYC-I WILL TRY AGAIN RIGHT NOW IS THE NOT THE BEST TIME TO HAVE THE OVEN ON.
I TOOK A SHOT OF FINNISH RYES BUSINESS CARD BUT IT DID NOT COME OUT VERY WELL SO HERE IS THE BLOG ENTRY FROM DAILY CANDY. http://www.dailycandy.com/new-york/article/84467/Northern-Rye-Savory-Pies-and-Treats.
GIVE THEM A TRY, THEY ARE VERY SPECIAL, AND ALSO TRY THE RYE SHORTBREAD COOKIES.

BRUNSVIGER ALA MARTIN BORCH JENSEN

Brunsviger
A traditional Danish cake, roughly pronounced “brun-SPHERE”. Simple but delicious.
Ingredients, dough:
• 40g butter or margarine (butter is tastier, margarine healthier).
• 2 dl whole milk
• 20g sugar
• 1 cake of live yeast, or ½ pack dry yeast
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ~400g wheat flour
Ingredients, topping:
• 250g dark brown sugar
• 225g butter or margarine
Procedure:
Warm the milk and butter for the dough, until the latter is melted. Add yeast, directly if live cake, in warm water with a bit of sugar if dry (I’ve had best results with live cakes, but hard to find in America). Add cardamom, salt, sugar, flour in a bowl, knead thoroughly and let rise until doubled or tripled in size (~45 minutes if placed warm. Always cover with damp cloth).
Transfer dough to a flat, greased pan, spread it out and pull the edges up along the sides of the pan. Let it rise for ~20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the topping: simply heat the butter and brown sugar until it blends together and forms a homogenous caramel-y mass. You need sufficiently high heat for this, and constant stirring, but it’s critical for a good cake. I use setting 5 of 10 on my electrical stove. Let this cool before pouring on the cake. Turn oven on at 200 degrees Celsius (400-450 degrees Fahrenheit).
When the dough has risen, pull the sides back up on the pan if needed, then make deep indentations all over the surface (this is to get a heterogenous distribution of topping; the deeper the better, and you can even make holes through the dough if you want, letting the topping seep through). When the topping starts to solidify, pour it on the dough, spreading everywhere. Make sure to get some on the bumps as well as in the holes, and on top of the sides. Everywhere basically.
Stick it in the oven for about half an hour. The topping should start to bubble, and the dough get a little brown. Like a loaf of bread really. Do not insert into mouth immediately after removing from oven, or you will get burned.
Et voilá, the greatest cake that will never win an award.

I have nothing to add except YUMMMM!

A COOKING CHALLENGE

I have gone back on Weight Watchers to lose between 5 and 10 pounds whatever feels better.
The dilemma I face is coming up with healthy and pleasing to the palate dishes.
About four years ago I lost 37 pounds on Weight Watchers the pounds had slowly crept up on me and I was accustomed to eating what I wanted for years. So in fact it was the first diet I had ever been on. I did it online and ended up paying for the whole thing when I was asked to do a focus group on the Weight Watcher website. But in hind site I lost a lot of it eating way too eating many Lean Cuisines which
are great point value but quite high in sodium. I did learn to really love vegetables, yogurt, fruits, veggie burgers, but will always have a battle with late night snacking-I just can not have cookies etc. in the house I can not just eat one cookie I always end up eating at least half a box.
This time I am determined to find new and interesting recipes and just in time I received a email the other day telling me about this new website YUMMELY,I love this site it culls together other web recipes like Epicurious and Recipezaar which is a plus but what is truly terrific it they list calories, fat and fiber content(which is all important in the Weight Watcher diet). They also list by cuisine, time and money. Another truly nifty thing is you can change the serving sizes and presto they change the proportions for you-and you can add or leave out whatever you want from the recipe and save it and place it in your favorites. I made this Cod Dish and it was very good. . I also made a excellent Pasta Dish
Tonight I also made a really delicious and really good looking salad-the recipe is from Self Magazine it is called Vegetable Spaghetti
So all in all I have not been suffering it is actually fun to rise to the challenge of making food healthy, low calorie, and most important tasting good, because If it is not tasty there are a lot of fattening alternatives out there.
I have lost about 5 pounds and will continue on for about 4 more until all my clothes fit like they are suppose to.
I have been also going to the gym but recently my back has been hurting I think I may have pulled something on the rowing machine and pairing that with two very "pully" dogs I have been laying low and just stretching daily, but I am headed back next week.

BIRTHDAY DINNER

Last week I had a birthday and for the last few years Lars and I have a tradition of going out for our Birthdays to a restaurant we have not yet tried.
So this year I chose Chestnut on Smith Street right in the neighborhood I have heard very good things about it and they were all true.
I started out with a Buckwheat Crepe that was filled with farro and had a little pillbox of gravlox with a creme fraiche sauce. Lars had the sardines grilled on a bed of pickled veggies.
For my main course I chose Smoked Porkchop with a rhubarb sauce/salsa on a bed of bok choy
Lars had the Hangar Steak, with fingerlings, Valdeon and Red Wine.
For desert we shared lemon cheesecake served on a pink peppercorn shortbread w rhubarb sorbet,and Goat cheese caramel ice cream and a scoop of strawberry(I think they ran out of caramel)with a side of shortbread.
It was all delicious,and we did not leave stuffed but hoping to return soon.
I got some really cool things for my birthday but in regards to coking I received a new Mandoline, so I looking forward to new adventures with very thin veggies!!!

MORE RHUBARB

Still experimenting with Rhubarb and since our last batch of jam is gone decided to make a Rhubarb-Ginger Jam which both Lars and I agree is better than the first.
We very much enjoyed the Vanilla Rhubarb-but the vanilla was a bit overpowering
This jam allows for a more Rhubarb taste and though it is sweet (3 cups of sugar) the candied ginger cuts though most of that.
It tasted terrific on "Loretta's"(our new fave cafe across the street) croissants which are fresh out of the oven. I used no red food coloring it comes out a reddish color from the rhubarb. I also did not do the traditional hot bath-I boiled water and put the two jars I was using as well as their lids into the large pot and let them float in the boiling water for 5 minuets. I then poured in the finished somewhat cooled jam, let it cool some more in the jars, I then put the lids on and when I saw that the lids had created a dip (this info comes with canning jars) I put them in the frig. I used Bormioli Rocco canning glass jars. I got a medium size and a small size jar out of this recipe.

An old recipe for rhubarb jam with no added pectin.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups diced fresh rhubarb
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• red food coloring, if desired, for color

Preparation:

Combine rhubarb, sugar, ginger, and lemon juice in a large saucepan; let stand until sugar is moistened by juices, about 20 minutes. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until thick and clear, about 15 minutes.

Skim off foam and add red food coloring if using. Ladle into hot sterilized canning jars and seal immediately. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes; adjust seals.
Makes about 3 half-pints of rhubarb jam.

UGLY BREAD

I made a very ugly but oh so delicious rye caraway bread.
I got the recipe from "The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger.
I have had the bread machine for quite a few years it was handed down to us by our family, and we have made bread from time to time, but it always the same shape and not always a success.
I saw a recipe that looked great after trying and failing to make another bread with just the dough cycle-I am going to give this recipe another try with just the dough cycle and see if I can bake it in the oven-and just let the bread machine do the time consuming part.
I am posting a pic of "Mr Ugly" but it tasted terrific so I will report back after I have done more experimenting with the dough cycle.

RHUBARB SEASON

Rhubarb season has just started here in the Northeast, I am trying to make a assortment of things using the very pretty deep pink stalks.
Last week I made Rhubarb and Strawberry jam a old standby. This week I made a very nice Rhubarb and Ginger Chutney. Both recipes I got from "The Nordic Diet"
by Trina Hahnemann

Both recipes are very simple and both came out really well. The jam has a surprise of vanilla that at first was a little bit jolting but I am now quite pleased with the taste,but I think for my next batch I will experiment with using 1/2 of a vanilla bean.
Doing some digging around I found out that you can freeze rhubarb just wash chop into smallish pieces and freeze in a container or freezer bag, and you can also freeze it already cooked down, that way you will have it all year round. You can buy rhubarb at local grocery stores-but thinking of your "footprint" getting it at the Greenmarket and freezing it seems like a good idea.

Here are the two recipes:

RHUBARB AND STRAWBERRY JAM

1 whole vanilla bean
300g fresh or frozen organic strawberries
300g rhubarb, cut into small pieces
100g raw organic sugar

I have a small scale so I just weigh in grams but 300 grams is approx 10.58 ounces.
100 grams equals approx 3.52 ounces.

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and place in a pan with the strawberries, rhubarb and sugar. Bring to a boil and let boil for 15 minutes. if it dries out a bit add a little water. Pour the hot jam into sterilized jars and seal tightly. Store in the refrigerator.
I boil water in a big pot and put in my jars and tops-it is easy. I have read recently that you can also take them out of a just finished batch from your dishwasher and you will be ok. I like to do it the old fashioned way. I use tongs to remove the jars.


RHUBARB-GINGER CHUTNEY

300g rhubarb cut into small pieces
100g grated ginger (I used 50g and it was very "gingeree")
1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
100g sugar
1 tbsp while wine vinegar

The conversions can be found in the recipe above.
Place all ingredients for the chutney in a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Season and add more sugar to taste, if necessary(I did not). Let it cool down and place in sterilized jars.

I served the chutney with a pork loin roast that had a fennel seed, garlic and rosemary paste that I placed into small slits in the meat. I also made roasted potatoes. It was a great meal!

NOT MUCH COOKING

Not that much to report on the cooking front-but i have been doing a bit of eating out:
Went to Robertas in Bushwick a few weekends ago the "highlights" were the company I came with and a very cute but rather untrained dog named Meatball.
I know this place gets a lot of hype but maybe dinner is a better example of their prowess because brunch was no big deal-I had eggs with taleggio and hen of the wood mushrooms (which I have never had and were very good). The eggs arrived in a rather deep bowl which made the portion look even smaller, there were two small slices of grilled bread(no butter offered) no garnish. My friend Jannese had ricotta pancakes with apple slices( which since she is allergic to apples asked
if they could be left off) the waitress had to check with the kitchen since no substitutions are allowed. These two rather flat and lonely pancakes came on the plate, maybe with the aples it would have seemed not quite so lonely, but garnish people, it can go a long way. My friend Debora had pizza which they are known for and maybe that is the way to go.

Was lucky to have tried two delicious pastry's from Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Building-I got this cookie/whoopie pie type thingie that had cream between two chocolate scalloped cookies that was fabulous and a little chocolate cake with chocolate chips inside I think it was flourless and just perfect. That place is so lovely and I will try to stay away for the sake of my waistline-but I recommend it to anyone to try when they are in that neighborhood. We went after the Museum of Art and Design who's restaurant we were going to try but it got a really bad review-so.......

I should report back on my dead mussel problem it turns out that the mussels were in fact not dead,they were New Zealand green mussels and hence are different and being open and not closing does mean death-but I still think that my guys at Fish Tales should have mentioned that fact!!!!!

My re-pickleing of the McClure pickleing liquid worked out very well-next time I think I would use Kirby cukes instead of Persian-but actually I will not re-pickle a second time I will probably use my brother-in-laws pickle recipe when I do I will post the recipe and results.

One of the reasons I have not been cooking much is Lars(my husband) has as of late a more manic than usual schedule so we never know when we will eat so I have been preparing lots of quite pasta dishes and ordering in.

But since I just joined the Y to hopefully get some exercise and be healthier I will again start to cook and hopefully not find 5 million excuses not to show up and exercise the one bright hope is I love the sauna!!!

I am going to try again for a sour dough starter-maybe I will be three times lucky!

NOT A GOOD FOOD WEEK

So this week has had it's up and downs-take tonight I had planned on making Orange-Fennel Mussels a Mario Batali recipe-but when I went to take out my mussels and debeard and clean them they were all dead -I bought them this afternoon at Fish Tales my go to fish store-I wanted Prince Edward but they were all out-so I bought these New Zealand mussels-fish man said to open bag and leave in frig-just what I did-but they would not close-so after a frantic call to my brother-in-law who turns out was out of town-I googled and it said the following:

1. Choose your mussels with care, buying them only from reputable supermarkets and fishmongers.
2. Raw mussels are always sold live: they should be shiny, mostly unbroken and closed, and generally smell of nothing other than the sea.
3. Get them home straight away and cover them with plenty of cold fresh water (mussels don't like tap water, so they shut up and wait for the real tide to come in!).
4. Scrub them well and remove any barnacles and the tough fibrous 'beard'. Throw away any with broken shells.
5. Raw mussels that refuse to close when rapped on the side of the sink are dead: throw them away.
6. Mussels that remain closed having just been through the cooking process were dead before you bought them and should also be chucked out.

So I chucked them out and am now awaiting Japanese Take Away.

Also my Rye Sour Dough Starter failed again-It again grew mold!
So I have done some research and my recipe sez I should use Buttermilk-but according to alot of bread blogs most people said just rye flour and water and gave much more information on the whole process-I will start again tomorrow.

For now I am going to enjoy some sushi and watch a movie!

RED BEETS

On Saturday I tasted my pickled Red Beets that I had put up the week before and they were great. The Star anise was a great touch.
I had originally prepared them to go with Biff Lindström but am holding off on that due to a great overdose of meat! Brought on by eating a "Jackson Hole" Hamburger on Saturday night, I think there was over a pound of meat in that thing.
It is veggies and fish and chicken for awhile



.

Pickled Beets with Star Anise
makes 4 cups

2lbs of small beets (I think in the summer I will try it with different colored beets)
salt

Brine:
3 cups distilled vinegar
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 star anise
1 tablespoon peppercorns

Peel the beets and boil them in salted water for about 20 minutemayber a little less they should have some bite not too soft.

While the beets are boiling, make the brine. Bring the vinegar, sugar, star anise, and peppercorns to a boil in a pot, whisking until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat off and let cool.

Drain the cooked beets and when cool enough to handle, cut into 1/4 inch slices. Pack them in a sterilized jar, pressing them together. Pour over the brine and seal tightly. Let rest for 1 week before serving.

This recipe is from The Scandinavian Cookbook by Trina Hahnemann.



Now what I did ( and they came out great) was since I found that baby beets were not that plentiful this time of year I bought baby beets from Trader Joe's which are already cooked.

I also had some trouble locating the sugar The definition which is below.

"Superfine Sugar"

Other names: bar sugar, castor sugar, or ultrafine sugar, caster

Spanish name: azúcar blanca de granulado muy fino

Also referred to as bar or castor sugar -- superfine sugar is granulated sugar ground very fine. It dissolves very quickly which is why it is preferred for drinks and some confectionery tasks.




So I just took regular sugar, a mortar and pestle and made my own superfine sugar.

I have made jam before so knew how to sterilize the jars, just place them in boiling water for half a minute don't forget to include the lids. After a week I opened up my jar tasted it-loved them- and now it lives in the refrigerator.

MUSSEL AND COD STEW WITH VEGGIES AND WHITE WINE

I can not take credit for this dish since my husband Lars cooked it, and it came out sooo good.
He in some ways is a better cook since he has more patience and and follows directions and never gets flustered.
I will take credit for hiking down to Fish Tales on Court Street where they are always very nice and helpful to buy the mussels,the Cod I got from Trader Joes it was frozen and line caught. Wine wise we used Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu.
The recipe is from "The Nordic Diet."
It serves 4

500g mussels (equals a little over a lb or 17.6 ounces)
2 celery stalks-cut into slices
2 carrots, cut into chunks
2 leeks, well rinsed and cut across into slices
200ml white wine (equals 1 cup)
500g skinless cod filet, broken into small pieces (equals a little over a lb or 17.6 ounces)
salt and freshly ground pepper

Rinse the mussels in cold water a couple of times.

In a large saute pan. place the celery,carrot and leeks, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the mussels in between and on top of the veggies.
Pour white wine over the fish and veggies. Cover with a lid and brong to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and place the cod in between the mussels, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let it simmer again for 5 minutes.

Make sure all the mussels have opened the ones that have not toss.
Also if you do not like mussels just add more cod.

WAITING

I am in waiting mode this week:

I am attempting to Pickle Beets-we will know how they turned out on Saturday.

A few month ago I bought "McClure's Pickles" the garlic and dill spears-so I was thinking maybe I could re pickle and I went to their website "mcclurespickles.com" and they gave very easy re pickling instructions-just wash and cut up cucumbers and place in same jar make sure the cukes are covered by the brine-wait two weeks and hopefully new pickles. I used persian cucumbers let's wait and see.

I am going to begin a "starter" today for traditional rye bread-I tried it once before and grew some really interesting mold.
Hopefully this time it will work-so that will take two days...........
Hopefully success and pics to follow

FISHCAKES

SALMON BURGERS

So once again I was browsing though "The Nordic Diet" and I found this recipe for Salmon Burgers-accompanied by Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus.

I have tried different Salmon Burgers as a kid. My Mom made "Salmon Croquettes" - she just reminded me that in fact she used canned Salmon. I have purchased already prepared burgers from the fish store-but they all lacked something or had too many onions-or were just plain too fishy tasting.

These are really good! No onions and no overpowering fishy taste. Now if you can not find Salmon or think it is a bit pricey Cod is a great substitute.

SALMON BURGERS (serves 4)
1 lb skinless, boneless fresh salmon (I used frozen Silver Coho Wild Caught From Trader Joes)
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp old-fashioned oats (not instant)
2 tbsp flour (all purpose is fine)
two egg whites
4 tbsp finely grated carrot
4 tbsp coarsely grated squash
1 tbsp finely chopped lemon thyme
1 tbsp canola oil
smallest lump of butter

Ahead of time, blend the salmon in a food processor. Place in a bowl and add the sea salt and stir well, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Place in the frig to chill for an hour.

Using a spoon and your free hand shape into balls then gently pat into flattish rounds.
Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and cook over medium heat about 5 or 6 minutes per side.

For my side dishes I made roasted potatoes that I just added olive oil and salt and freshly ground pepper-Put them in the oven preheated to 400 and baked for 30-40 minutes.

I also made asparagus that I placed in an ovenproof dish with cut-up lemon and put in the oven for the last 15 minutes with the potatoes.

I made a sauce of greek yogurt (non-fat) and coriander which was fine but the original recipe called for parsley and mint. Now for some reason I do not like parsley - and I could not find fresh mint - but I admit it would have been better with the mint!

It was a really nice meal.

Next up I am going to be making pickled beets. They are going to be served along
side Biff Lindström which is a cooked variation on beef tartar. They take a week to pickle but I will back before then.

RYE BUNS

Tak for Mad is Danish for Thanks for the Meal and is usually expressed at the end of the meal. Like "can I be excused" but nicer to my way of thinking.
I decided to start this blog to keep track of new dishes I am cooking but also to share them and I hope have friends and family send in their experiences in the kitchen.
Recently my nephew Martin gave my husband Lars a new cookbook for his birthday called the 'The Nordic Diet" by Trina Hahnemann a Danish Chef.So as my first experience I decided to try Rye Buns which was a huge success.
The recipe follows as well a some pics.


RYE BUNS
Makes 20(more like 25 if made smaller)

50g fresh yeast (first problem: it is very hard to find cube yeast here so I used packets of dry yeast. I Googled around and found a formula for yeast that works out as 5% of the flour amountt. In this case 800g x 5% = 40g, then half of that for dry yeast which = 20. In truth I used 3 packets of dry which = 21g. (at 7g per packet and they came out fine and not too yeasty)

400ml yogurt (I used low fat)
4 tbsp honey
100g spelt flour
500g rye flour
200g plain flour
1tbsp salt
1 egg beaten
poppy seeds to sprinkle

Dissolve the yeast in warm water and then add the yogurt and honey.

Mix the spelt, rye and plain flours and salt and then stir into the yeast mixture for 5 minutes.

On a floured work surface knead the dough well (ok, for me this was the first time I have really kneaded anything. I have experience with the bread machine and of course the famous "Niels bread" which will be coming up soon. But this was the stickiest dough and I kneaded what I thought was an eternity which was of course was only 10 minutes or so. It never really reached a "dough ball" phase. But it rose fine.)

Place the dough back in the bowl cover, with kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 200C or 400F and line some baking trays with baking paper.

As the dough is a bit sticky ( an understatement!) make sure you have a small bowl with flour that you can keep dipping your hands in. Form twenty buns and place on trays.

Take your beaten egg and brush onto buns then sprinkle liberally with poppy seeds.

Bake for 30 minutes (I think you can go five minutes more)

Take out and let them cool on a wire rack.

They will last for 4 or five days stored in a breadbox or bowl with kitchen towel.
For us they lasted two days and I took half and froze them after they were cooled off.