POTATO PANCAKES & CRANBERRY SAUCE

It's so nordic, so delicious. Potato pancakes with cranberry sauce. They call them raggmunkar in swedish. Don't use new potatoes because they do not contain enough starch to hold the pancake together. Serve it with fried bacon or smoked salmon.
And nothing else matters :).

SOULFOOD:
METALLICA
"Nothing else matters"

Potato pancakes
500g cooked potatoes
2dl milk
10g butter
salt
pepper
4 eggs

fried bacon

Cranberry sauce
225g cranberries
1 dl sugar



Mash cooked potatoes and add hot milk, butter, salt&pepper. I am usually adding some harissa aswell but this is optional and not very swedish :). Add eggs. Mix it well.
Fry little pancakes on the medium heat until light brown on the both sides.

For cranberry sauce just mash raw cranberries with sugar. It doesn't have to be more complicated than that.

Serve with bacon, cranberry sauce or smoked salmon.

Smaklig maltid!

SWEDISH CINNAMON BUNS & KANELBULLAR

I had a great idea.
Yesterday I had the last german class day with my dear classmates and I had a wonderful idea of baking yummy cinnamon buns for the occasion.
It was a good idea until I took them out from the owen and tried one..and then another one...and then onother one. Mmmm I was in cinnamon bun heaven :). And then my husband tried one and asked if he can try one more...until there were only couple of them left.
Next time I will bake something else for my dear classmates :).

SOULFOOD:
One artist Sweden should be so proud of: ROBYN
"Dancing of my own"

For the buns you need the dough from Braided white loaf.
For the filling mix:
200g butter
80g sugar
2 tbs cinnamon

Divide the dough in 2 parts. Roll into 2 squares. Add the cinnamon mix on one of the squares and put the second square on the top. Cut into stripes and tie each stripe into knot. Let rise 45 minutes.
Brush the buns with beated cold egg. Bake at 200C ca 10-15min.

LEMON BALM ICE CUBES

Summer is here and it's hot, hot, hot. For a cool and pretty summer drink: Freeze leaves of lemon balm in ice cubes for a wonderful addition to your glass of tea or water. The cubes are quite attractive floating around until they melt.

PATACONES CHIPS

Are you like me tired of buying chips(crisps) for partys and weekends. "Pataconas" from Colombia are a wonderful alternative to those boring chips or french fries. It is made of plantain (cooking banana). I promise, it will be much tastier than usual chips. So get the party started :).

MUSIC FOR PARTY CHEF:
SHAKIRA
WAKA WAKA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ssflEr3s44&feature=related

SHOPPING LIST:
2 plantains
1/4 l olive oil
sea salt

Peel the plantains.
Cut the plantains into 3cm slices.
Fry the plantains in oil until light brown.
Remove the plantains from the frying pan and put them on the plate.
Grab a glass and flatten them into little pancakes. Be careful not to break them. Return them to oil, fry again and remove when nicely brown-yellow. Add some sea salt.

RHUBARB CAKE - SMELLS FROM CHILDHOOD

It is amazing how a sence of smell can bring back so many memories. Why does the hint of certain smells instantly transport you back to childhood? It may be because the first smell you associate with an object is given privileged status in the brain.

The certain smells that bring me directly back to childhood are:

• Tomatoes in greenhouse
• Warm rhubarb cake
• Cloudberry jam
• Black rye bread
• Wild strawberries
• Ginger bread

Are there any particular smells that remind you of your childhood?

GOOD MUSIC TO LISTEN WHILE BAKING:

NELLY FURTADO
"CHILDHOOD DREAMS"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGtI8m8hW3A

GOOD TO HAVE:

SHORT PASTRY:
240g wheat flour
30g powdered sugar
150g butter
1 egg

SPONGE CAKE:
3 eggs
200g sugar
1ts vanilla sugar
50g butter
100ml milk
200g wheat flour
2 ts baking powder
pinch of salt

600g rhubarb, diced
50g sugar

Make first the sweet short pastry. Mix flour and powdered sugar. Add diced butter and work with your fingertips until completely softened. Add egg and knead the dough quickly together. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and leave to stay in the fridge at least 30min.

The most important thing in sponge cake is AIR.
Eggs, vanilla sugar and sugar are beaten together until pale. Mix flour, salt & baking powder and gently fold in the dry ingredients to keep air in the mixture. Fold in melted butter&milk.

Roll out the short pastry and fit it into the baking tin. Prick the bottom. Bake in 200C for 10 min. Spread the rhubarb on the short pastry and sprinkle sugar on the top. Add the sponge cake mix. Bake for 30-40 min in 180C.

SPRING SUSHI

The word sushi comes from the Japanese word su and (me)shi. Su means vinegar, and shi is from meshi, the Japanese word for rice, hence sushi is 'vinegared rice'. It doesn't have to include fish at all. Why not use the lovely and tasty seasonal asparagus instead of fish :). It lookes and tastes wonderful.

WHITE ASPARAGUS WITH VINCENT KLINK

Couple of weeks ago I visited Vincent Klinks famous restaurant in Stuttgart, called Wielandshoehe. He is a well known chef in Germany who likes to cook from seasonal and local products. 98% of his products are bio. It was extremly yummy. Specially I remember his white asparagus with smoked salmon. I definitely have to say this is the best asparagus I have ever eaten :).

So of course after coming home the first thing I did was to buy a lot of asparagus and trying all kind of different recipes. Nami nam nam.

Here is one of my favorite ones. Asparagus sallad with rhubarb dressing. Very fresh and springy. And easy to make. The marinad is wonderful mix of chervil, parsley and chives in orange juice.

GOOD MUSIC WHILE COOKING:
Lena
"Satellite"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esTVVjpTzIY

WHAT YOU NEED:

Serves 2

1 little diced red rhubarb
handful of chervil, chopped
handful of parsley, chopped
handful of chives, chopped
1 tbs almond oil
2 tbs orange juice
1-2 ts orange zest
1 1/2 tbs sugar
salt, pepper
700g white asparagus
1 tsp butter

Mix chervil, parsley, chives with almond oil, orange juice, orange zest, 1 tbs sugar, salt and pepper. Marinade rhubarb at least 2 hours in the mix.

To prepare the asparagus, snap of the woody ends before cooking and peel it. Cook the asparagus with rest of the sugar, salt and butter ca 10 min.

Cut the asparagus in little pieces and mix with the rhubarb marinade.

Guten Appetit!


Here is his restaurant website:
http://www.wielandshoehe.de/html/speisekarte.html

LAZY DAY RHUBARB MUFFIN

Today is one of those lazzzzzzy days. The sky is gray and rainy. Perfect day for a cup of hot tea and a lazy day rhubarb muffin.











PERFECT SONG WHILE BAKING:
"Suede"
Lazy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP2enk5w5fk







GOOD TO HAVE:

2 eggs
150 ml sugar
50 grams melted butter
250 ml plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
150 grams quark or ricotta
300 grams rhubarb, chopped

Beat eggs with sugar. Mix flour with baking powder, vanilla sugar and cinnamon. Add it to the eggs mix together with quark and melted and cooled butter. Mix everything and add chopped rhubarb. Fill the muffin tray and bake at 220 for 20 minutes.

Based on the recipe from http://nami-nami.blogspot.com.

اتاي ATAI & MOROCCAN HOT TEA

"The first glass is as bitter as life,

the second glass is as strong as love,
the third glass is as gentle as death"

For me moroccan mint tea means that spring and summer is finally here. I love to drink it on the hot summer evening on the balcony. It is kind of part of summer and sun for me. As quickly as the first mint leaves appear in my herbal garden I am ready for the big pot of yummy green tea.

GOOD MUSIC TO LISTEN TO WHILE COOKING:
OUTLANDISH
"AICHA"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0nFTdKlKLw

WHAT YOU NEED IS:
Green Tea
Sugar
Boiling Water
Fresh Mint

This is my version of easy mint tea.
Pour hot water into tea pot. Put fresh green tea into a tea egg and add it to the hot water. Add handful of fresh mint sprigs to the water. Add 4-5 tsp sugar. Stir the tea. Let it stay couple of minutes.
Voila :)

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE AND BRAIDED WHITE LOAF

For me Braided White Loaf is weekend. Saturday, Sunday morning breakfast with family. The warm bread with some butter and a cup of tea. It's heaven.
And it is so easy to do. You just need some time and love :).

WHAT YOU NEED IS:

Time&Love
250ml Milk
20g fresh yeast
75g sugar
1 Egg
1,5tsp Sea Salt
500g Flour
75g Butter

GOOD MUSIC TO LISTEN TO WHILE COOKING:
Beatles: All you need is love"

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in (finger) warm milk and sugar. Beat the egg and put 3 tbsp in the fridge. Add the rest of the egg, salt and flour to the milk and beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Then on high speed for 5 minutes. On the low speed add butter cubes one after another to the dough.

Cover and let rise 1 hour in a warm place.

Knead for 5 minutes and divide the dough in 3 parts. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes.

Roll the 3 dough parts in 3 ropes. Braid the ropes, cover with kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes.

Brush the loaf with beated cold egg. Bake at 200 degrees for 25 minutes.

Anita from Bookmark this recipe baked my bread and put some comments and a picture on her blog. Check it out.

Enjoy it :)