Rhubarb porridge

Rhubarb porridge is a great dessert, sour, sweet and quite delicious. Eirik's mom recenty taught me how to make it, and here is the outline for you.



Ingredients

1kg Rhubarb
Approx. 250g Sugar
6dl Water
30g or 3 tbsp Potato flour.

• Wash and clean the skin of the rhubarb and chop as shown in the picture.
• Add the water, rhubarb and 250g of sugar to a large pot, and bring to a boil until the rhubarb pieces become soft, falling apart. You can now taste a little to see if you would like to add more sugar.
• Mix the potato flour with a little cool water to dissolve.
• Remove the pot from the heat and slowly mix in the potato flour mix.
• Straight away, place to pot back onto a high heat and bring to a boil quickly. as soon as it boils/ bubbles up (this should only take a few seconds) remove from heat and pour into a serving bowl.
• Sprinkle the top lightly with sugar to avoid a skin forming, and let it cool at room temperature.
• Serve at room temperature with cream and an optional sprinkle of sugar.

If you like a combination of sour and sweet, you'll really enjoy this dish! It may not be the most appealing dessert to the eyes, but it's pretty easy to make, really quick to cook up and the taste sure makes up for the appearance. It takes a while to cool down, so you should probably cook it about two hours before you expect to serve it. It keeps well in the fridge, and the raw rhubarb can be kept in the freezer if you buy more than you need.

I hope you enjoy it!!!

Relaxing holiday - Norwegian breakfast

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted in ages, the holiday has been so relaxing, but I've accumulated several posts to share with you. A quick, easy and absolutely delicious Norwegian dessert, a few other scrumptious recipes, ice cream and bacon wrapped hotdogs in Oslo, two mountain climbs, a walk over a famous bridge, a trip to the Norwegian folk museum, and a trip to Copenhagen which I just got back from.

Below is a picture of the usual breakfast table on the weekend since we've been in Norway. A variaty of topping for an open sandwich. One of my favourites, is scrambled eggs with chives, topped with smoked salmon. There is always orange juice on the table and coffee brewing in the kitchen. My boyfriend, Eirik's favourite toppings are usually lever postei (liver paté) or Norvega, a mild Norwegian cheese with a beautiful soft texture that melts in your mouth. The bread is always dark, full of grains, and freshly cut. There is usually a little plate with a few slices of capsicum and sometimes cucumber and tomato aswell. The brie is not a usual guest to the table, but was brought back from a recent drive to Sweden for grocery shopping.

Many Norwegians drive to the border of Norway and Sweden for cheap grocery shopping. The border is loaded with stores just for these customers. The few hours drive from Oslo is worth it for a carload of cheap groceries, candy or alcohol.

This afternoon I will be driving to Sweden with a few friends, not for the groceries but to stay in cabins on a camping site by a lake, until Sunday. And organised camping trip with a church we went to during the year I spent studying in Oslo. It's a great church, especially if you're in your twenties, as the majority of it's members are between 20 and 30. I've been told that it's a great trip with lots of activities, relaxing in the sun, and great food! So I'll give you an update when I get back :o)

Chicken pot pie

For some reason, pies are not very common in Norway. You would think that a warm pie would be so cosy in a cold climate, but apparently they are very rarely found/eaten here. So yesterday I decided to cook chicken pot pies for my boyfriends family, and they turned out quite well.

Ingredients

2 Chicken fillets
Salt, pepper, herbs (I used Provence herb mix: thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, oregano, parsley)
1 Sweet paprika/red bell pepper
1 Leek
3 Mushrooms
1 Can of peas
1/2 Onion
3 Cloves of garlic
1 Cube of vegetable stock (can be replaced with a sachet of mushroom soup)
1tbsp Flour
Puff pastry or pie pastry, enough to cover the top of 4 bowls

(makes 4 pot pies)

• Fry the chicken in a little olive oil. Sprinkle the herbs, salt and pepper on each side as soon as you place the chicken in the pan.
• When cooked through, remove from pan and cut into small squares.
• Halve, then slice the mushrooms, onion,and leek, chop the papprika and crush the garlic.
• Fry the mushrooms and onion in the left over oil from the chicken.
• When the mushrooms start to brown, add the garlic, and a few minutes later add the leeks and paprika.
• Place the vegetable stock cube and tbsp of flour in a mug, crush the cube and slowly add boiling water while stirring. When the cup is full, add the mixture to the pan of veggies. Stir well and add another cup of boiling water.
• Add the peas and chicken, and stir occasionally until the mixture thickens.
• Share the pie mixture between 4 pie pots/bowls.
• Cover the bowls with pastry as shown, and press the sides into the pots to keep in place. I used a spoon to slice the excess pastry off the side of the bowls, and used the left over pastry to decorate the top of the pie.
• For a shiny finish, brush egg yoke over the pastry, and follow the instructions that come with the pastry (usually approx. 200C for 10-20 minutes depending on the type of pastry used, puff pastry usually takes less time to cook).

Beware of the heat! And bonne appétit!

Salmon a la Stein

Mango and salmon are a combination that I never though of before tasting it at my boyfriend's parents for dinner. The first time we had rocket leaves and fresh slices of mango with smoked salmon, and a few days ago we had it with fried salmon fillet. It really is absolutely delicious! Just cook the salmon fillet however you enjoy it best, with light seasoning (maybe just salt and pepper), base a plate with rocket leaves, place a layer of fresh mango slices over the rocket, and top with the salmon fillet. I would image that squeezing fresh lemon juice over the mango before placing the salmon on top would bring a great lemony twist to this dish. Serve with boiled potatoes rink led with dill. For a fresh starter, top with smoked same on instead of the fillet, and perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice to top it off.

The combination of juicy mango and salmon are a match made in heaven, a dish made to impress! I highly recommend it.

After dinner I was spoilt with home made belated birthday cake! Funnily, with similar ingredients to those used for my birthday brunch: chocolate and raspberries. Raspberry and walnut brownie cake, topped with fresh berries and a side of vanilla pod ice cream. The walnuts really added to the flavor and brought a beautiful crush to the cake. On a slightly different note, one of my favourite muffins are walnut and honey muffins, mmmmm I tried to make them the last time I was in Norway and they turned out very well! If the next batch I make is as fabulous, I'll be sure to share the recipe!

Scones

A special post for Manon and Laura who have specifically requested this recipe. It's a slight twist to a recipe from my mom's old Blue Ribbon recipe book. After making them on my birthday, I actually only tried them the next day. I put it in the fridge over night and heated it up in the oven... I must say it was probably the most delightful scone that has ever hit my tastebuds! The crunchy outer layer and soft interior is even more mouth watering when topped with strawberry jam and whipped cream. Mmmmm Enjoy!!


Ingredients

500ml/ 2 cups Flour
20ml/ 4tsp baking powder
2ml/ 1/4tsp salt
1tbsp sugar
62.5ml/ 1/4 cup Melted margarine (or oil)

In a measuring cup (250ml), add 1 egg, the melted margarine, and fill with milk over the dry ingredients until it just overflows.

• Sift the dry ingredients together (or if you don't own a sift, like me in Perth, just mix them together).
• Make a well in the centre and mix in the margarine, egg and milk gradually with a whisk.
• Place the mixture in a greased muffin tray or in whatever shape you desire on a greased sheet of baking paper. I used those floppy plastic muffin moulds, without greasing them and the scones turned out great.
• If desired, brush the tops with beaten egg or milk.
• Bake at 220 C (425 F) for 10-15 minutes, or until scones are golden.

Tip: Never cut scone in half. Break open at a side crack, or begin to slice and continue by breaking open.

I hope that they turn out as amazing as they did when I made them two weeks ago, cause I'm really looking forward to making them again. Let me know how they turn out for you :o)

Bonne appetit!

Norge

Hello to all!
After 26 hours of travelling halfway across the world, I have finally arrived in the beautiful capital of Norway. It's so relaxing and freeing to be away from Perth, away from university, and even though I have to carry on working on my dissertation, it really feels like I am on holiday. My boyfriend and I are staying with his parents in a suburb just outside of Oslo, about 20 minutes drive or on the subway to the city centre.






Hosle is such a beautiful and peaceful suburb. When we arrived on Thursday, we took a stroll through a nearby stable and field. Spring in Norway is so beautiful and full of life. Flowers and trees are shooting all over, from bright yellow buttercups to beautiful deep purple colours and puffs of white. There used to be cows roaming around the field, and there may still be sheep there from time to time, but we did not see any on Thursday, it'll be great see them next time if they are there. We did see a few horses though, which I have a very soft spot for, as I used to horse ride nearly every day during most of high school.

Later on in the afternoon, I made a spaghetti dish that my dad used to make, and added an extra veggie.

Ingredients

Grated cheese (preferably parmesan)

1 Red bell pepper or sweet paprika

3 Mushrooms

1/2 Onion

3 Cloves garlic

180g Bacon

2 Tins tomato

Big green pitted olives in a jar (juice in jar will be used aswell)

Spaghetti for 4 - 5 portions

Rocket salad (or baby leaf mix with rocket)

• Fry the bacon and slice into about 1 by 1 cm peices.
• Slice the onion and mushrooms as shown: in half then sliced. Slice the paprika, crush the garlic, slice the olives and cut the chilli into four pieces.
• Fry the onion and mushrooms until colour beings to appear, as in the photo on the right, then add the garlic and paprika and fry for another few minutes.
• Add the tinned tomato and stir every so often. Add the bacon, olives and 5 tablespoons of the juice in the jar, stir, place the chilli pieces pips down on top of the sauce and let simmer. The longer the sauce cooks for, the better the flavour.
• Grate the cheese and make the spaghetti
• Serve with a green salad of mainly rocket leaves.

Yesterday evening we had an absolutely beautiful and elegant salmon dish which is a speciality of my boyfriend's dad. I'll be sure to share it soon.