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.