Spaghetti Puttanesca

The original recipe called for anchovies - I do NOT like anchovies, so I left it out. Came out fine without it.

Serves 3

Pasta
250-300gr spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
150gr bacon
2 ripe tomatoes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
12 large leaves of fresh spinach or 30 small ones
2 tbsp fresh basil (I just guestimated this - I love basil and probably took more than needed ;) )
250gr ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese if you can't find ricotta)
Salt and pepper

Tomato Sauce
1 can (14oz) chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée (can be omitted)
1 tsp sugar (can be omitted)
Chili according to taste

Boil the pasta according to the package but take it off one minute before time. Drain and set aside.

Cut crosses over the stem of the tomatoes and pour boiling water over them. Let them sit in boiling water for a couple of minutes. This will allow the skin to loosen, and you should be able to peel them without problems.

Finely chop bacon, onion and garlic. Cook in olive oil until the onions are done. This will take 3-5 minutes depending on how much bite you like in your onions.
Chop peeled tomatoes and spinach. Add to the pan and cook until done. That will take another 2-3 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and add ricotta cheese, basil and salt and pepper according to taste.

Mix spaghetti into the pan and transfer it to an ovenproof dish. Bake at 180*C for 10 minutes or until it's heated through.

While the pasta is in the oven, make the tomato sauce. This is really easy :) Just dump everything together in a small casserole, bring it to a boil and leave it to simmer until the pasta is done.

Enjoy! :-)

Burning Love

One of my favourite comfort meals :)

The Recipe
3/4-1kg potatoes, peeled
1-2 onions - red or white, sliced
150g bacon
1 cup milk or reserved potato water
30g butter (~2 tbsp)
Salt, pepper

Boil the potatoes in a large pot - cutting them into slices first will make this part go faster :)

Meanwhile, cook the bacon and onion in a skillet until the onion is tender. Put aside until the mashed potatoes are done.

Drain the potatoes, reserving some of the water if you use that instead of milk. Add the butter and leave to melt. Mash the potatoes, adding milk/water until the consistency is right.

Add bacon and onions to the mashed potatoes.

Serve with shredded cheese and ketchup on top.

Colourful Autumn Stew

(serves 3)
500g minced beef
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (16oz) tomatoes
1 cup rice
2 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp paprika
2-3 cups of chopped, assorted vegetables - e.g. bell pepper, corn, mushrooms, carrots.
Salt, pepper to taste.
Shredded cheese, chili sauce (garnishes)

Brown onions and garlic in a pot until fragrant. Add minced beef and cook until no longer pink. Add rice and paprika and stir until combined. Add tomatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

Add assorted chopped vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with shredded cheese and sweet chili sauce.

Christmas Recipes

The following are all musts for a traditional Danish Christmas

Roast Pork (serves 6)
1.75-2kg pork roast with the rind still on it (chuck steak or shoulder works well)
Coarse grounded salt
Pepper
3 bay leaves

Preheat the oven to 250C. Cut slices in the rind all the way down to the meat, but don't cut the meat itself. Put the roast with the rind down in a roasting dish and cover with enough water to *just* cover the rind. Put it at the very bottom of the hot oven and "boil" the rind for 20 minutes.

Take out the roast and discard the water. If you have a small grate for the roasting dish, use this, otherwise just put the roast back into the roasting dish, this time rind side up. Rub the rind with salt and pepper (the salt helps the rind get crispy) and add a few bay leaves between the cuts in the rind here and there. Pour 1/2 cup of water over.

Turn down the heat to 180C and cook the roast for about an hour or until a roast thermometer reads 70-75C. Add extra water if necessary.

Pour out the water remaining (saving it, if you want to use it for a gravy), and cook the roast for another 15 minutes at 250C - keep careful watch! You want the rind to be crisp, not burnt!

Let the roast rest for 10 minutes uncovered. Carve and serve.



Caramelized Potatoes (serves 6)
125g sugar (about 1.5dl)
40g butter
1.5kg peeled small cold boiled potatoes

Pour the sugar evenly on a cold pan. Let the sugar melt without stirring - first 2 minutes at high heat, then at medium heat. Add butter and turn up the heat. Rinse the potatoes and shake off most of the water (they should still be damp, but not dripping). Add the potatoes to the pan and brown them at high heat for 6 minutes, stirring carefully. Add a bit of water if the potatoes start to get too dry.



Stewed red cabbage (serves 6)
(DISCLAIMER: never made this from scratch - we always buy the cabbage pre-stewed).

40g butter
6tbsp red currant jelly
3tsp balsamico vinegar
1.5tsp salt
750g finely chopped red cabbage

Bring butter, jelly, vinegar and salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the red cabbage and let it boil at medium heat under lid for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and boil at high heat and while stirring for about 3 minutes. Season to taste.



Dessert: Ris a la Mande (serves 6)
3dl water
2.5dl jasmin or basnati rice (about 180g)
1 liter milk

100g almonds*
Vanilla from 2 vanilla pods (stay far away from vanilla sugar - it's a wrong taste for this)
4 tbsp sugar
2.5dl whipping cream (you'll want to use the real stuff and NOT whipped cream from a can!)

Bring water and rice to a boil in a fat-bottomed pot. Boil the rice for 2 minutes while stirring regularly. Add milk and bring down to a low simmer, still stirring for another 10 minutes. Put a lid on and let it simmer for another 30 minutes or so - stirring occasionally.

Leave the porridge in the fridge until next day or until it's cold.

Pour boiling water over the almonds and let them stand for a bit, so you can get the skin off (of course you can skip this step if your almonds are already de-skinned). Put one aside and chop the rest coarsly. Mix the porridge with the vanilla, sugar and the chopped almonds. Whip the cream and carefully turn it into the porridge together with the one whole almond**. Put it back in the fridge for another 2 hours. Season to taste with extra vanilla and sugar.

Serve with warm red berry sauce - we typically use cherry sauce.


* I like my Ris a la Mande to be very ala Mande'ish, so I typically prefer those with more almonds than the recipe calls for, but try it out, and see what you prefer.

** This is a Danish tradition - the one complete almond is hidden in the dessert, and whoever gets it wins a small prize :)



Cherry Sauce (serves 6)
(DISCLAIMER: I've never actually made this. In Denmark you can buy this in stores around Christmas time, but I wasn't sure if the same would be the case in the US, so I figured I'd include it. The recipe is for cherries, but you can use any form of sweet red berries).

1dl cherry juice
1tbsp potato or corn flour
700g sweet cherry preserves
2tbsp sugar

Make a thickening of the juice and flour.

Put berries, the rest of the juice and sugar into a pot and bring it to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and add the thickening while stirring. Heat the sauce through again before serving, being careful not tolet it boil!

Crunchy Apple Pie

(Serves 4)
The Recipe
5-6 apples
1tsp vanilla
100g soft butter
1dl brown sugar
3dl oatmeal

Peel the apples and deseed them. Cut them into thin slices and spread them out in a pie form. Drizzle vanilla over
Mix butter, sugar and oatmeal thoroughly to a crumbly mess. Spread it over the apple slices.
Bake for 25 minutes at 225C

Serve with sour cream, whipped cream or ice cream.

The Verdict
So easy to make and SO delicious! My new favourite thing to make

Mexican Soup

(serves 3)

150gr bacon
4 medium sized potatoes
3 carrots
5-6 spring onions or 1 "ordinary" onion
8.75dl chicken stock (that's about 3.5 cups)
1 can diced tomatoes (about 14 oz)
2 tomatoes
1 tsp chilli powder
2.5 dl cream (1 cup) OR 1 can (~14oz) coconut milk
1/2 squash/zucchini
1 bell pepper, cubed

Cut the bacon into thin slices and cook in a large pot.

Cut potatoes, onions and carrots into small pieces (about 1x1cm) and cook them in the bacon fat for about 5 minutes, adding chilli and salt and pepper to taste. Stir frequently or they will burn. Add chicken stock and the can of tomatoes.

Cut the tomatoes and squash into small pieces (about 1x1cm) and cut the bell pepper into "stripes" and add them to the soup when it starts to boil. If you're using coconut milk, add that now too. Reduce to a simmer and let it cook under lid for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are done.

If you're using cream instead of coconut milk, add that now, and bring back to a quick boil.

Serve with bread rolls or crush nachos on top of the soup.


It's a great "empty the fridge" recipe as you can add all sort of vegetables, and it's absolutely delicious. Fortunately we have leftovers :-D

Indonesian Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and sour pork

This is one of my absolute favourite dishes. Soooo tasty!
The pork can easily be substituted with turkey.

(serves 4)

600gr pork (little over 1lb) in bit-sized cubes
1oz butter
1tbs honey
1 clove of garlic
paprika
2 cups chicken stock
3 tbs soy sauce

Melt butter and honey in a cooking pot. When it is very dark brown add the meat and brown it. Add chopped garlic, paprika, soy and chicken stock. Leave to simmer for approx. 30 minutes.
Serve with rice and rice taffel accompaniments. E.g. coconut flour, rasins, peanuts, apple, cucumber, banana, pineapple and whatever else floats your boat.