Family Friday: Aunt Carina and her apricot sauce

Carina is my mother’s cousin but since they’re very close, she’s definitely like an aunt to me. Although our political ideas differ a lot, we’ve always had a good relationship. Besides being a strong independent woman who will listen to no one who tells her what to do, she’s also a fantastic host for dinner parties. I love the relaxed atmosphere she manages to create. When you arrive, she might or might not be dressed, the food will certainly not be ready and you will definitely be offered something to drink. Then, the food will be cooked together and eaten in the kitchen at the sometimes too small kitchen table. The food always tastes amazing and I’m impressed by how she always comes up with a new and interesting menu.

One time, she served me this apricot sauce. 

 Carina's apricot sauce

10 dried apricots
300 ml water

50 g finely chopped onion
1 tbs non-dairy margarine
100 ml white wine
1/2 tbs broth powder
tiny bit of cayenne pepper
2 tbs non-dairy margarine

Bring the water to a boil and pour over the apricots Let soak for at least 8 hours.

Chop the onion and sautée it in 1 tbs margarine until soft. Add apricots and the soaking water, wine and broth powder. Cover and let simmer until the apricots are completely soft.

Using a immersion blender or a regular one, blend the sauce until smooth. Add cayenne pepper and 2 tbs margarine and stir until dissolved. Eat, preferably with some kind of oven roasted potatoes.

Lingonberry jam

Lingonberries, the red gold of the Swedish forests. A tart firm berry that is easily cooked down to a jam that can be eaten with a wide variety of foods, sweet or savory doesn't matter. Myself, I prefer it with savory foods such as potatoes. Martin on the other hand, eats if with his morning cereal every morning.

Lingonberry jam
Ridicolously easy, this jam will gel easily since lingonberries contains so much pectin. Use sugar to your liking, more sugar, the more the jam will set. I use about 3 part berries to 2 parts sugar, but I like it kind of sweet. You could easily cut down to 1 part sugar or even less.

what you'll need
fresh or frozen lingonberries
granulated sugar
water

How to
Add the lingonberries to a heavy bottomed pot and add a little bit of water. Add sugar and heat on medium heat, stirring frequently until the berries has released their water and mixed with the sugar. Turn heat up and bring to a heavy boil, then turn off the heat and take the pot away. Stir and can.

Raw lingonberry jam
Another way to enjoy these berries is to stir fresh (or thawed frozen) berries with sugar according to taste, until the berries have softened and the sugar has dissolved. Brings out the flavour in an almost unreal way.

Recipes on the blog that goes great with lingonberry jam:
- Vegan Swedish Christmassy Meatballs
- Fishy wheat germ patties
- Creamy chantarelle sauce
- Autumn stew with juniper berries
- Pitepalt

And be sure, there will be a lot of suggestions for how to use this glorious jam during this month and onwards!

Have you ever eaten lingonberries in some form?

 

Family Friday: Grandmother Inger

I’ve mentioned it before, but I am really happy that I’ve gotten to grow up with both my grandmothers. This post is about my father’s mother, Inger. She grew up in a tiny place called Bäckefors, in a region called Dalsland. She moved away from there, to Gothenburg, when she was young, and sometimes talks about how she rented rooms from angry old ladies and went out dancing on the weekends. When I grew up, she lived on the same side of the city as us, and since my mother’s parents lived 4 hours away, we spend a lot of time with her and my grandfather. The number of nights I’ve spent there are uncountable, it was like a second home and my memories are only fond from my childhood when it comes to her.

Me and my grandmother when I was 16. And the food of course.

There’s one dish in particular that I remember eating there for dinner. I’ve never seen it or had it anywhere else, so I’ll call it Inger’s casserole.

Grandma Inger's casserole 

What you'll need
Boiled rice
Canned pineapple, circles or in chunks
Slices of seitan or your favorite non-meat, pre-fried in a pan until lightly browned
Vegan Bearnaise-style sauce (I make a simple white sauce (flour+oil+milk) and add ground turmeric, some garlic, loads of tarragon and apple cider vinegar). However, I'm sure a curry sauce would also be amazing. 

To assemble
Add the rice to a pan, layer with seitan, put the pineapple on top of that and spread the sauce on top. Bake for about 20 minutes. 

Isabella's sausage stew

In a week from today, my baby sister is graduating from school. She is 19, and about to go out and explore the world. Isabella usually goes by "Bella", which my grandmother detests since she think it is a name suiting a cow. However, my sister couldn't be more different from a cow, so don't worry. She has many great qualities, but maybe what's most deeply rooted in her is her kindness and how she care´s for her friends. It's a care and kindness that will sometimes get her into trouble, but most of all it's an amazing characteristic. And hey, if she gets into trouble, I'll be there and fight for her. Always. 
























Isabella's sausage stew
A variation of a common Swedish dish, she has self proclaimed it to be the best sausage stew in the world. 

1/2 yellow onion
veggie sausages (as much as you want)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tbs non-dairy cooking creamer or milk
ketchup, to taste
1 tbs tomato paste
salt, pepper, paprika, basil and red chili, to taste

Finely chop the onion and sauté in a pan until translucent. Cut the sausage into bite size pieces and add to the pan. Sauté until a bit browned. Add garlic, tomatoes, cream, ketchup, tomato paste and spices. Let cook for a couple of minutes. Serve with pasta or rice.

Cold brewed coffee

I was reading old posts on Kim Miller's blog, and found a post on cold brewed coffee. I have been reading about this for quite some time, but now when summer is soon to come, it felt like the perfect time to try it. I really like cold coffee, but have never really managed to get it perfect. The taste was always bit off and the time it took to cool was just not pleasant. This is perfect. It's already cold when you need it, and the taste is not as acid-y. I drank it with a splash of coffee creamer, soy milk and some homemade mint syrup (1 part sugar, 1 part water, few drops of peppermint extract and boil until dissolved). It was so good I had to have another one. Since the cold brew becomes a coffee extract, you bet it left me shaky the whole day. So worth it.

Cold brewed coffee
1/3 cup coffee grounds
1 1/2 cup cold water

Mix and let steep in the fridge over night or at least 8 hours. Strain. I used a French press, which made the process super easy, but you could use a fine mesh strainer and some cheese cloth if you don't have one.

After getting high on the coffee I went driving. I'm practicing for my license and I don't know if it was the coffee but it went awesome. We drove to Örebro where I met up with my friend Mikael and he served me some mushroom-artichoke-olive quesadillas. That calmed down my heart that was heavily beating from the strong coffee and adrenaline from driving. 

The day kept on being great, but hey, what day isn't when you're wearing all denim?

Family Friday: My mother and peanut sauce

What can I say to make this woman justice? She gave birth to me, raised me and now she’s my great friend who’s always there for me. She’s my mother. She is also a very strong, caring and capable woman in many more ways than I think she realizes herself.

To choose a recipe for this post was nearly impossible, as her influence on me when it comes to food is endless. She taught me to like appreciate food, and the taught me how to cook it. She can master most kitchens and techniques, but her bread baking skills could use some perfection. However, I had to choose, so I settled with a recipe that has been eaten in my family for as long as I can remember. It’s a peanut sauce. Don’t yawn, it’s not your average peanut sauce. It’s thick, creamy, chunky and bursting with flavor. It goes great with noodles, rice or maybe best of all, barbecued veggies. I remember being sent out in the garden to pick as much cilantro as I could carry and bringing it inside for this sauce. Try it, you won’t regret it. 

Peanut sauce

1 tbs oil

5 g minced fresh ginger

1 small finely diced yellow onion
150 g peanuts

4 tbs finely chopped lemon balm leaves

1 tsp mild yellow curry powder

2 tbs sugar

salt, to taste

250 ml coconut milk

Fry the ginger and onion in a sauce pan in the oil until soft but now browned. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend it a little bit until desired consistency. I like it chunky. 

This time, I had it with some basmati rice, tomato, mushroom tibs from Appetite for Reduction) (loved them) and sautéed chard with garlic. 

 

Billberry ice cream and magnolias

Tomorrow is exactly one year ago I landed in Portland and was taken to Hoyt Arboretum by Amanda. It was a warm and sunny day and we walked around looking at the blooming Magnolia trees.  It was the perfect start to our travels in Oregon and Washington.

Now, one year later, I went to see the blooming Magnolias in Örebro's city park. There are several varieties and all of them are unique and really beautiful. This is my first summer season in this area and I can't wait to explore the park throughout the year and see how it changes and develops.

 The last days have felt like summer, with bright sunshine and temperatures allowing you to walk around in just a t-shirt. There have been BBQ's, walking, roadtrips and of course, ice cream and a picnic.

 The picnic food of picnic foods, potato salad! This one had potatoes, zucchini, onions, olives, carrots, green beans and a dressing made out of mustard, vinegar, dill and radish greens. On the side was a still warm baguette. Having this for dinner on an otherwise pretty boring Wednesday night was great.

 And then, there was ice cream.

Billberry ice cream: 
6 servings


150 ml non-dairy milk
100 ml granulated sugar
250 ml frozen billberries or blueberries
250 ml non-dairy whipping cream (not whipped)
1 tsp vanilla bean powder

Heat the milk and sugar over low heat, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the blueberries and blend until smooth. Add cream and vanilla and mix. Freeze using an ice cream machine.

Coffee banana chocolate shake

This really isn't as bad for you as it might look like (Well, apart from the sprinkles that are very optional. I added them for looks but they were mostly inconvenient since they just got stuck in the end of the straw. What did I think!?), so go ahead and make some for your afternoon coffee break.

Coffee banana chocolate shake

1 small frozen banana
1 tbs dried shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tsp cocoa powder
non-dairy milk (I use oat)
cold strong coffee

Mix everything together, adding as much coffee and milk as you see fit. I like mine with a strong coffee taste and not to runny. Serve immediately!

Falukorv / Falu sausage

To me, Falukorv is in the top five when I think about common easy Swedish meals. It's a thick sausage originated in the town Falun in about 1890, and can be served in many ways, most commonly sliced and fried and served with elbow macaronis, or oven baked and served with mashed potatoes. That's how we ate it today.

I'm not going to write this as a recipe, since I wouldn't think a sausage like this is avaliable in vegan versions anywhere else, but the concept is easy: slice it (but not all the way down), squirt some mustard in between the slices, add some thinly cut apple in there as well, and top it off with some vegan cheese. Bake it in 225 C for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sausage is browned. Serve with mashed potatoes and ketchup!

Vegan Bacon Pancakes

Vegan Bacon Pancakes
makes 4 pancakes
Eating vegan often means eating loads of vegetables, which is great, but sometimes you just want to wake up to a batch of bacon pancakes.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 tbs oil
1/2 cup water
veggie bacon, a suitable piece for each pancake

Mix the dry ingredients first, then add the oil before stirring in the water.


















Heat up a small amount of oil in a pan and fry the "bacon" until browned on one side, then flip over. Now add 1/4 of the pancake batter on top of it, and let cook until the edges are dry. The center of the pancake wont bake properly, since the bacon is beneath. Flip the pancake and let cook until done. Enjoy with maple or golden syrup. I strongly suggest serving these with a cup of coffee on the side.

Vegan Swedish Christmassy Meatballs

When I was a small kid, I used to sit by our oversized kitchen table and help my mother making meatballs. I got to stir the breadcrumbs into the tomato paste, mustard and liquid, and remember being amazed of how she put it away all runny, then five minutes later it had thickened up! Kitchen wonders. My mother always fried up one test meatball first, to make sure the seasoning was just right, and I can still remember the excitement I felt when she took it out of the pan, put it on the cutting board and cut it in two pieces, one for me, and one for her. Getting half the meatball made me feel important, that my opinion on the seasoning was required to make them taste good, and I always tried to give my best advice. A little bit more salt perhaps, or some pepper. I have no idea how much she actually considered my advice, but this whole process is a fond memory of mine.

Never being very happy with bean balls, I knew this year had to be different. Meatballs is a staple on the Swedish Christmas buffet, and now I finally have an awesome vegan version to indulge. The texture is firm yet soft, and has a to me striking resemblance with my childhood memories. This would be wonderful any time of the year, perhaps with some adjustment of the seasoning to suit the occasion. For the holidays, a gentle taste of fried onions goes great with mustard, allspice, cloves and a hint of tomato. I recommend serving these either with boiled potatoes, gravy and lingonberry jam, or with some beet root salad on bread.


Vegan Swedish Christmassy Meatballs

How to:
- Fry the onion in little bit of oil until soft and lightly browned. Purée it with an immersion blender.
- Mix the onion with everything else except the seitan and let sit for about 5 minutes, to thicken up.
- Using a food processor, ground up the seitan until in very small pieces.
- Mix the seitan with the breadcrumb mixture. It will be gooey but not to wet. If it is, add a bit more breadcrumbs. 
- Optional: let it sit in the fridge for about one hour, for less mess when handling.
- Use your hands to form small balls and fry in a medium-hot pan until browned on all sides and firmed up.

Fishy wheat germ patties

Fishy wheat germ patties
enough for 2 people

60 g wheat germ
40 g frozen green peas
115 ml boiling water
1 tbs frozen dill
1 tbs white wine
1/2 tbs mustard
1 tbs capers
salt and black pepper
1/3 sheet nori, finely chopped

Mix everything except the nori and let sit for about 15 minutes to thicken a bit. Add the nori and stir. The mixture will be very sticky, do not attempt to shape them with your hands. I use a spoon to add balls of it to the frying pan, then a fork to flatten them into desired shape. Fry in a bit of oil over medium heat, until browned and firm. Serve with pretty much anything; rice, potatoes (mashed!), on a bun or as pictured above, kale salad.

Avocado pasta

This dish might feel more suitable in summer time, but who don't need the feeling of summer in late November? The ingredients might sound weird together, but it's an awesome combination, trust me.

Avocado pasta with lemon and seaweed.

spaghetti, enough for one, boiled
1 ripe but not mushy avocado, cubed
2 big cloves of garlic, chopped
1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 nori sheet, cut into stripes
olive oil
salt and pepper
olives, optional

Add the olive oil, garlic and ginger to a pan and heat until fragrant. Add everything else except olives and stir to heat through. Serve with olives.

Knäck

It's less than 4 weeks until Christmas and time to start embracing everything that makes this season special before it's over. To be honest, I like this time before way better than the actual celebrations. It might be all the lights. In trees, in the cities and in every window. It's a really welcome addition this time of year, when it's pitch black outside before 4 PM and the evenings feel soooo long.

It might also be the food and sweets that is only eaten this time of the year. Today I made a batch of a traditional Swedish treat, called knäck. It's super simple, extremely sweet and very tasty!

Knäck

1 part golden syrup
1 part granulated white sugar
1 part non-dairy heavy cream (I used one made of oat with 20% fat)
1/2 part chopped almonds (optional)




















Bring everything except the almonds to a boil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Keep boiling and stirring occasionally until it has reached 120° C (248° F). Mix in the almonds if using. Now you'll have to work pretty fast, since the knäck will harden when cooling. Pour the batter into miniature muffin liners. Let cool and eat!

Ginger potatoes with aubergine

 

















I spent two weeks this summer working on an organic blueberry farm in England (read the interview with the farmer here!), and that's where I first had this dish. Wei Wei, the woman of the house, did not only bake some mean blueberry muffins, she was a queen of the kitchen! She cooked great food most everyday, but this dish is probably my very favourite of the things we got to eat there. I don't make it exactly the same way as she did, but it's still yummy and perfect on a dark and cold autumn evening (as it is here today).

Ginger potatoes with aubergine
 serves 2

250 g potatoes (4 small-medium ones), cut into chunks
150 g aubergine (I used one half), cut into cubes
2 cloves of garlic, finely shopped
a chunk of ginger (see the picture below), finely chopped
a splash of soy sauce



















- Boil the potatoes until almost tender.
- Sauté the aubergine in canola oil over medium heat until tender and a bit browned.
- Add the garlic, ginger and potatoes and a splash or two of soy sauce. Cook until it comes together a bit and the garlic and ginger is fragrant.
- Serve with bread or some fresh greens such as baby spinach or lettuce.

Creamy lemon pasta bake

Creamy lemon pasta bake
adapted from the Pioneer Woman
serves 3

220 g/7,7 oz spaghetti
3 gloves of garlic, finely shopped
2 tbs olive oil
peel from one lemon, grated
100 g/3,5 oz vegan cream cheese (I use a garlic and parsley flavoured one)
½ tsp dried oregano
pinch of black pepper
pinch of salt
juice from half a lemon
3 tbs soy milk
fresh parsley

- Boil the spaghetti and drain it.
-  Heat the olive oil over low heat and add the garlic. Sauté until golden and fragrant, then add the lemon peel and turn the heat off. (I do this step in the pan I will later use for the oven, since it works both on the stove and in the oven. That makes it easy, but you could also use a sauce pan and put it in the oven safe dish before next step)
- Mix in the cream cheese, oregano, pepper, salt, lemon juice and soy milk, and stir. Depending on the consistency of your cream cheese, you might have to use a little bit more or less soy milk. You want it to be about the same thickness as a blended tomato sauce, if that makes sense.
- Add the spaghetti to the creamy mixture and mix until the spaghetti is coated.
- Bake for about 10 minutes at 200 C/395 F or until golden on top.
- Mix in some chopped parsley and serve! This is awesome with a green salad or garlic bread.