Ice-breaker (Week 17 - Iceland)

The fish was lovely, we all enjoyed this and it was so simple to make. I would have preferred more breadcrumbs, and will do that next time. I did the simple salad with it, and nearly forgot to add the cooked onions. As a pudding I made the ‘Wedding Bliss’ cake, which we all loved. My husband described it as a cross between flapjack and a crumble! The only alteration I would make it less dough in before the ‘jam’ is spread on – or a bigger tin to thin it out a little more. It wasn’t until I made the ‘boneless birds’ that I realised that we had eaten a variation of this before from Netherlands. Incidentally, the research did conclude that what was native to Iceland is considered traditional, but there were many imported food variations; maybe this was one of them. In any case, this one did not have nutmeg, so would seem to be a bland meal; yet I cooked it with onions and mushrooms and thickened the ‘gravy’ and it was very tasty. But, not for one member of the family, as my son did not like it too much, to the point he didn’t want to eat any more. So, the score for this one has been affected by my sons dislike, whereas my husband loved it. On the other hand he liked the ‘bread’ yet me and husband didn’t. In actual fact I blended it the next day and mixed in some  fruit and gave it to the birds….


Next week we are off to Belgium, somewhere where my husband treated me to a few days away on my own, before children!

Cooked with score (out of 100):
Steiktur fiskur í raspi (Crumbed fish).........................97
Beinlausir fuglar (Boneless Birds)..............................68
Hjónabandssæla (Wedded Bliss Cake).......................97
Hveitibrauð með lyftidufti (Baking-powder bread)….60


All recipes from: www.isholf.is

Steiktur fiskur í raspi - Crumbed fish

Ingredients:

2kg Fish – skin and bones removed (Sole, flounder, cod, haddock or other white fish
¾ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
250g Margarine
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp fish spice mix
Dash pepper
Splash milk


Method:

1. Break the egg and beat to break the yolk, add a splash of milk (if using) and mix well. Mix salt and spice with breadcrumbs. Cut the fish into pieces, across the fillet. Width of pieces can range from 2½ to 5 cm (1-2 inches), depending on taste. (Just make the pieces uniform in size.)
2. Set up your workplace: first, a plate with fish pieces, then a bowl with beaten egg, then a bowl with breadcrumbs, then the heated frying pan on the stove.
3. Melt half the margarine/butter (or use equivalent in cooking oil) on a medium hot frying pan. When the margarine stops frothing, add the onion slices to the pan and fry until it begins to brown. Remove from the pan, and add the rest of the margarine. 
4. Now you can start frying the fish: Coat a piece of fish in egg, roll to cover in breadcrumbs, and put on the pan to fry. Continue until all the fish is on the pan. Turn when the underside of the pieces begins to brown, and fry on other side until golden brown.
5. Arrange the fish pieces on a serving plate, quickly heat the onions through on the pan, and pour onions and the remainder of the frying fat over the fish. If you want the fish to be less greasy, you can serve the onions and fat on the side.
6. Serve with lemon wedges, a fresh salad and cooked potatoes. This salad is also good with crumbed fish: 2 med. Tomatoes, ½ cucumber and 1 tbsp. Mayonnaise. Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into 1/2 cm thick slices, and then cut slices into narrow strips. Put in a bowl with the mayonnaise and stir to coat the vegetables.
    

Beinlausir fuglar - "Boneless Birds"

NB: This was very similar to a dish we had from Netherlands.

Ingredients:

1 ½ kg Lamb, beef or horse meat
100g bacon
50g butter / margarine
30g flour
500ml water
Salt and pepper to taste

 

Method:
Cut the meat into thin slices, and roll each in a mixture of salt and pepper. Put a slice of bacon on each slice of meat, roll up and tie up with twine. Brown them in a hot pan. Add the water and cook until done through. Use the flour to thicken the sauce. Serve with potatoes, rhubarb jam and green peas or Serve with potatoes - boiled or caramelised - and a fresh salad.

 

Hveitibrauð með lyftidufti - Baking-powder bread

Ingredients:

500g Flour (or 400g flour and 100g wholewheat)
6 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp sugar
1 ½ tsp salt3
00-350ml milk (or milk and water)
Milk or egg for brushing


Method:
Sieve together the dry ingredients, and add most of the milk. Knead until smooth, adding milk as needed. Form into a loaf and bake immediately. Make cuts into the loaf and brush it with milk or beaten egg before baking. Bread should be baked on the lowest rung in the oven, at 175°-200°C, for about an hour. It will be crusty and tastes best while warm with butter and cheese.

 

Hjónabandssæla - Wedded Bliss

Ingredients:

200ml Oatmeal
100ml Flour
100ml Whole wheat flour
100ml brown sugar, well packed
100 g butter/mar semi-soft
¼ tsp baking soda (optional)
1 egg
As needed, rhubarb jam or stewed prunes


Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter/margarine and mix well with your hands. Add the egg and mix well.
2. Press the dough into a round baking tin, saving some for the topping. Spread with the jam and crumble the rest of the dough over the cake. You can also use the leftover dough to make a pie lattice for the cake.
3. Bake at 200°C for approx. 20 min. or until the cake takes on a dark, golden colour. Can be eaten hot or cold.

Country

Iceland has strong historic links to Scandinavia. It is a sparsely populated island  - the most westerly in Europe - of bleak moors, mountains, glaciers and snow fields, volcanoes, warm springs and geysers. Many Icelanders live by fishing, farming and tourism. The same energy which heats the islands hot springs provides power to heat homes and greenhouses, where vegetables and flowers are grown. No one pays for hot water on Iceland, but everyone pays a premium for cold.

CUISINE

According to various websites Iceland eats what is can lay its hands on and in simple fashion, often using leftovers to create other dishes. Some of the things I will not be trying are fermented shark, or puffin in milk (Mjólkursoðinn lundi). The climate in Iceland is too cold for growing fruit, and those vegetables that do grow are all originally imports. Bilberries and crowberries are the only native species of berries worth mentioning. Vegetables, such as tomatoes (really a fruit), cucumbers and peppers are grown in hothouses, and potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, cabbages and rhubarb grow readily if provided with the right soil. Some hothouse farmers grow tropical fruit for family consumption, such as figs and bananas, but otherwise all fruit is imported.  Therefore there are not really any traditional recipes for fruit, and few for vegetables.  The most widely consumed meat in Iceland is lamb and mutton, but consumption of poultry (mostly chicken), pork and beef is on the rise. Horse-meat is also eaten.  Eating whale meat is a highly sensitive issue, but many will buy it whenever possible. Some people also eat seal. Game is also popular, such as reindeer, goose, ptarmigan and some types of sea-birds, especially puffin. 

Traditionally, fish is either cooked and eaten fresh, or preserved by salting (söltun), drying (þurrkun), smoking (reyking), or partly drying (siginn fiskur). Skate (skata and tindabykkja) and shark (hákarl) are allowed to ferment  (kæsing).  The most common fish caught off Iceland's shores is cod (þorskur), which is mostly exported. The majority of Icelanders prefer to eat haddock (ýsa).  The traditional way of serving fish, whether fresh or preserved, is as "soðning": plain, boiled fish, served with potatoes and sometimes with melted sheep's tallow.

Mid-night Sun (Week 16 - Norway)

OUR EXPERIENCE

It was simple hearty food, and surprised us with its tastiness, in particular the cookies. The subtle flavour of the cardamom and lemon was well balanced (although I did reduce the amount of spice a little – but not enough for my son!) We had waffles, which I didn’t make as I don’t have a waffle iron. The Lapskaus (stew) was an old recipe from my mother’s book from the sixties, and I felt it missed a bit of flavour. On conducting some more research, it seemed that the more modern version used beef stock, or gravy to lift it; and more vegetables were added including one version which had mushrooms in it. There seemed to be many versions of Lapskaus, so I stuck to the cooking method and added in mainly root vegetables, in keeping with Norwegian fare. I feel certain, that it matched its ‘hype’ with that alteration! I also cooked some salmon, with salad and a parsley sauce as well as fish balls, which we thought were a bit mousse like; I think it was the cooking method, next time I might fry them instead. Kjottkater or meatballs, had to be on the menu and these I did with gravy and peas and sweet potato (as I had some). I think by the end of the week my husband had had enough of fish (as I did a mackerel and orange salad too), so he was pretty down cast when the next country out of the hat was Iceland!

Cooked with score (out of 100):

Cardamom and lemon stamped cookies………………………70

Lapskaus (Stew)...............................................................85

Fiskeballer (Fish balls)......................................................70

Kjottkater med brunsaus (meatballs and gravy)…………...80

  

Lapskaus – Stew

Source: Woman’s Own Cook Book (1963 edition)

Serves 4-5

¾ lb diced raw beef

½ lb diced fresh pork

2 lb raw potatoes

1 onion

salt

½ tsp pepper

Method:

1. Cover raw beef and fresh pork with water and boil slowly for ½ hour.
2. Peel and cut the potatoes in pieces, add to the meat together with the sliced onion and pepper. Simmer for another ½ hour, or until tender. (Add salt if desired)
3. Serve with crisp salad, boiled carrots or mashed turnips.
   NB: I used beef stock and added some cornflour; I also added some herbs and carrots, sweet potato and parsnip as well as a leek.

Cardamom and lemon stamped cookies

Makes 24

Source: Hairy Bikers

Cardamom is a really popular spice in Norway, used in many cake and biscuit recipes. Some say the spice was first brought back to the country hundreds of years ago by Vikings who worked as mercenaries in what was then Constantinople (now Istanbul). 

Ingredients

225g/8 oz butter, softened

150g/5½ oz caster sugar

1 lemon, zest only

250g/9 oz plain flour

100g/3½ oz ground almonds

3 tsp ground cardamom or 1 heaped tsp cardamom seeds, ground in a pestle and mortar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment.
2. Using an electric hand-whisk, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.
3. Beat in the flour, almonds and cardamom until the mixture is well combined and comes together to form a stiff dough.
4. Roll the dough into 24 balls and place 12 on each baking tray – make sure you leave space between each one.
5. Press each cookie with a cookie stamp or the bottom of a glass to flatten and leave decorative indentations in the dough.
6. Bake a tray at a time for 12–14 minutes until the cookies are pale golden brown.
7. Leave them to cool on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. They will crisp up as they cool. Store the cookies in an airtight tin and eat within 7 days

Fiskeballer – Fishballs

Source: Woman’s Own Cook Book (1963 edition)

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

1 lb haddock (boned and filleted) (I blended mine, as I had seen this in other recipes)

1 dessert spoon potato flour (I used flour)

½ gill cream

2 tsp salt

¼ tsp mace (nutmeg)

¾ pint milk

Fish Stock

Method:

1. Mix the fish for about 10 minutes in a basin with the potato flour and mace. Mix in the cream and milk, cold, one tablespoon at a time, doubling the quantity when half the cream and milk has been used, and stirring all the time.
2. Form into small balls, using a spoon dipped in cold water, put into boiling fish stock and cook gently for about 5-10 minutes. Can be served with shrimp sauce
   Shrimp Sauce (serves 3-4): Cook 1 gill of pickled shrimps (in their shells) in ½ pint of milk and water with a blade of mace and a bay leaf. Use this liquid to make a white sauce with the 1oz of flour and 1oz butter. (Melt the butter with the flour and slowing add the liquid and bring to boil, mixing all the time). Season well, then add the pickled shrimps, anchovy essence (if using) and lemon juice, stir thoroughly and reheat.

Kjottkater med brunsaus

Source: http://food52.com/recipes

Serves 5-6

1/3 pound lean ground beef

1/3 pound ground pork

1/3pound ground veal (if veal is unavailable use 1/2 lb each of beef and pork)

1 egg

2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

½ cup whole milk

1teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon allspice

6 tablespoons butter

¼ cup flour

4 cups chicken broth

½ onion, skin removed but left in tact

¼ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons red wine

dashes gravy browning agent (eg. Kitchen Bouquet)

3-4 thin slices of gjetost, Norwegian brown goat cheese (optional, since this is an acquired taste)

salt and pepper to taste 

1. In an electric mixer, mix together the ground meats, the egg until combined. Form a well in the middle and add the breadcrumbs then pour the milk onto the breadcrumbs and allow to sit for a minute or two to soften them. Then add the spices and whip the meats, crumbs, milk, and spices together for several minutes until very well combined and lightened in texture.
2. Form the meat into balls about the size of golf balls. Heat a couple of Tbs. or so of butter in a large Dutch oven and fry the meatballs, carefully turning until they are well browned on all sides, but not cooked through. Do not crowd the meatballs in the pan, you may have to fry them in two batches to make sure they don’t steam each other.
3. Once all of the meatballs have been browned, return them all to the Dutch oven, add the half onion, and pour the broth over them, using enough broth to cover them halfway. Simmer until they are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and remove the onion.
4. To make the gravy, in a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 4 Tbs. of butter. Stir in the flour to make a roux and allow to cook for a minute. Then (this is the slightly tricky part), bit by bit, whisk the broth that the meatballs were cooking in into the roux, whisking vigorously to prevent clumping.
5. If you didn’t use all of the broth to cook the meatballs, add the rest of the broth to the gravy and bring to a simmer. Turn to very low heat. Whisk in the sour cream, wine, gravy browner, and gjetost if desired. Stir in salt and pepper to test. Also adjust the rest of the flavorings to taste.
6. If the gravy is too thick, add in a little hot water from the potatoes that you should be boiling at the same time (you always eat meatballs and gravy with potatoes!).
7. When the gravy is seasoned to your liking, pour it over the meatballs in a serving dish. Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes, sweet-sour red cabbage, and a green vegetable.

Country

Norway is the place where the town with the shortest name is A. The northern part of this long country is within the Arctic Circle, so has practically continuous sunlight during May and July, but darkness during midwinter. Oil, gas and fishing are the basis for this country’s economy, the North Sea production platforms make Norway the largest producer of oil and natural gas in Western Europe. It is also known for its beautiful steep-sided inlets called fjords. Each part of Norway has its own traditional clothes, called ‘bunad’, they are worn for all kinds of celebrations.

CUISINE

Norway, (like many countries, it seems) does not have a reputation as a foodies' destination, we tend to think of aquavit and smoked salmon, its distinct and delicate flavour makes it an excellent basis for tasty dishes. But other fish are worth mentioning. Among them are tørrfisk (stockfish), dried cod traditionally produced in the Lofoten Islands in Northern Norway, where the fish is hung to dry in the winter months, and rakfisk, fermented fish eaten raw (a speciality from Valdres in Eastern Norway). Local ingredients such as king crab from the Barents Sea, excellent fish such as cod or halibut, organic Lofoten lamb used for fenalår, a cured and seasoned leg of a lamb; fårikål, a popular autumn dish of lamb simmered with cabbage and whole peppercorns or the tasty cloudberry for example; a vast array of local specialities; and traditional dishes for all seasons. They also have dishes that test you out, such as 'smalahove', salted and smoked head of sheep, a delicacy that foreign tourists rarely dare try.  One dish that is considered a luxury is smoked reindeer tongue. Very seasonal food, in the land of the mid-night sun, in autumn roast ptarmigan is a national delicacy. Vegetables are often imported, although they have plenty of root vegetables, such as potatoes and many berries. Oats and barleys are used, as well as dairy products; lots of cream sauces accompany meals. It is a cold climate, and the Norwegians lead an active life through sustaining plain meals.

Literally translated as “cotter’s fare”, husmannskost is synonymous with traditional Norwegian home cooking. Many of Norway’s popular dishes fall in that category, like for example meat balls (kjøttkaker), invariably served with brown sauce (brun saus) and potatoes, another staple of the Norwegian cuisine, and fish cakes (fiskekaker). Many soups (among them pea soup, or ertesuppe) and stews such as lapskaus also fall in that category.  Porridge (rømmegrøt) made from natural sour cream and served with butter, sugar and cinnamon, and rice pudding (risgrøt) are two other classics.

Baby Head Cake (Week 15 - Chile)

 

OUR EXPERIENCE

We had a lovely fortnight, but I am so behind with my overseas cooking - need to do some major catching up! I was fascinated to discover that Chileans eat ‘pinone’ nuts, which are from the monkey puzzle tree (araucaria); a tree I have loved since childhood and never knew produced edible nuts – not that I am going to seek them out, in case the British variety are the wrong sort. We had ‘Lomo a lo Pobre’, the difference for us was piling everything on top of each other; normally, for us, everything is served separately. I also cooked salmon with the lovely seafood salsa; with a salad. I think we would have enjoyed the empanadas more if we had not been away to Cornwall and experienced Cornish pasties! They were very nice though, but I didn’t make them with the correct dough, instead I used short-crust pastry.  The most amusing part of the Chilean experience was their celebration cake. I got the recipe from a website, and I didn’t read it properly. One thing I overlooked is that sometimes the translations are not quite right, and I need to read it properly, rather than take it literally. So, in the end we ended up with the largest, most solid cake ever. My son referred to it as ‘Chilean baby head cake’, as it was so big. Inside the hard exterior it was very nice, so I will be making this again, but making slight alterations.

Post script: I have made this twice since. The second time with revisions to the amounts and it turned out to be rather yummy – although I didn’t add the brandy, the third time was completely different I put the ‘dough’ in a tin and cooked it, and although it tasted as before, something was significantly different; the previous version were more of a bread/scone consistency, yet the final version was more cake like.

 

Cooked with score (out of 100):

Pan de Pascua (Christmas Cake)………………………………….73

Salsa...................…………………………………………………………83

Empanadas de Pino........................................................80

Wanted to cook:

Butternut Squash Casserole

 

 

Pan de Pascua (Christmas Cake)

or to be forever to be known to us as “Chilean Baby Head Cake”

Source: Secret recipes” by Cecilia Young

 

Ingredients

125g butter

1 ½ cups sugar

6 eggs

4 cups plain flour

4 tsp baking powder

½ tsp fresh grated ginger

½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg

8 tbsp brandy (I used milk)

2 cups of mixture of sultanas, raisins, walnuts and a variety of dried fruits i.e. apricots, pears, figs.

 

Method:

1. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl, add eggs one by one.
2. Sift all dry ingredients into mixture alternating with the brandy.
3. Mix in equal parts of sultanas, raisins, walnuts and dried fruits.
4. Pour into a greased tin and bake in a moderate oven for about 1 hour.
5. Turn out and sprinkle with icing sugar.
   NB: This made a very big cake, we reduced the quantity by half, used milk instead of brandy and put on a tin rather than in a tin.
    

Seafood salsa 

This recipe serves 6 and uses 450g / 1lb king prawns, 12 clams, 12 mussels, 6 scallops, 6 oysters and 12 razor clams. But it is the sauce that I was after...

60ml / 4tbs chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

15ml / 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 fresh green chilli, seeded and finely chopped

Juice of 2 limes

30ml / 2 tbsp olive oil

 

Combine the salsa ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. Make the salsa a few hours in advance, if possible, so the delicate flavours have time to develop. Cook the seafood, either by steaming or boiling and arrange on a plate, drizzle the salsa over and serve.

Source: “The Illustrated Food and Cooking of the Caribbean, Central and South America” by Jenni Fleetwood and Marina Filippelli.

 

Empanadas de Pino

In Chile the most traditional filling is called ‘pino’. Source: southamericanfood.about.com

Prep Time: 35 minutes, Cook Time: 30 minutes

 

Empanada dough (I used short crust)

3 large onions, chopped

1 pound ground beef

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 beef bouillon cube, dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped olives

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk

 

1. Prepare empanada dough (pastry) and chill.
2. Cook the onions and garlic in the vegetable oil and butter until softened. Add the ground beef, cumin, chilli powder, paprika, beef stock, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook the beef, stirring and crumbling the meat, until browned. Add the flour and continue to cook for 5 or 10 minutes more. 
4. Remove the meat mixture and let cool. The beef mixture will keep up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
5. Shape the empanadas: Separate the dough into golf ball size pieces, and roll into smooth balls. Let rest for 5 minutes. On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a 6 inch diameter circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Add 1 tablespoon of the beef filing, a few raisins and some chopped olives, and a slice of hard-boiled egg to the middle of the circle.
6. Brush the edges with water and fold the pastry in half over the filling, to make a semi-circle.
7. Seal the edges by pressing down with your fingers. Brush the sealed edge lightly with water, then turn the edge toward the middle and press with your fingers to seal.
8. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons milk, and brush the empanadas with the mixture.
9. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
    
    

Butternut Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash

1 cup chopped onion

2-3 gloves garlic, crushed

1 -2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 -2 dash cayenne pepper

1 cup red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 tsp salt

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups corn kernels (fresh / frozen)

2 cups grated sharp cheese

 

Method

1. Cut squash in half, length ways and scoop out seeds.
2. Bake cut sides down at 425F for 45-50 minutes until very soft at thick end.
3. Let squash cool and scrape out of the shell; mash as smoothly as you can.
4. Meanwhile, sauté the onion, garlic and spices in olive oil until onion are translucent.
5. Add peppers and salt, stir and cover and leave on low heat for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350
6. Stir the beaten eggs into mashed squash and add corn, sautéed vegetables and grated cheese. Stir to mix well.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, covered and then uncover and bake for 20-3 minutes more.

Country

Chile is famous for its copper reserves, the largest in the world and its wine, which it produces over 700m litres of wine a year which is exported around the world. The biggest flying bird, the condor is found in the mountain range. It is a very long, thin country – the longest in the world (3,400km long), and rarely more than 200km wide.  There are mountains, valleys and in the north of the country the driest place in the world – some parts have had no recorded history. 

 

 

CUISINE

Chile’s best offering are its raw ingredients, those found in the markets and its fantastic array of seafood.  The food does lack in spices and variety, but more than makes up for in its abundance and wine is always served. I have read, in more than one publication, that coastal Chileans eat anything that ‘swims, crawls or slithers’ and a common way to serve it is in soups. Meat is eaten and served very simply, despite the country’s long coast line it is meat that Chileans love. The most common dish is “Lomo a lo Pobre” or “poor man’s steak”, which is a slab of beef, topped with fried eggs and buried in salty fries. An accompaniment to meat is “chancho en piedra” which is their version of tomato salsa, with vinegar and coriander (cilantro).