Month: February 2013

Barbecue Lamb Roast

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

This way to cook lamb roast is a great in more than one way. If you are one of those lamb ‘haters’ that have had an unfortunate experience, you should not be afraid to try this.

Most people have tried to eat lamb, thinking that they eat a hundred year old sheep – it tastes like wet wool, growth in your mouth and has a horrible aftertaste. Such an experience can ruin everything, but we promise that this time you will experience the true glory of lamb meat (and hopefully forget all about the bad experiences).

 

Ingredients (6 servings)

1 lamb shoulder

2 shallots

1 whole garlic

1/2 stick butter

1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup almonds, roasted

Olive oil

4 tbsp.Ā Italian seasoning

1 cup red wine

 

Begin by making the breadcrumbs. Take what correspond to 1 1/2 cup of leftover bread (we alway have some in the freezer) and cut it into small cubes. Bake in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Set a side.

Chop the shallots, almonds and half of the garlic cloves finely – keep separate.

Remove the bone from the lamb shoulder (if you buy it at your local butcher, you can ask him to do it). Spread out some olive oil on the inside of the lamb shoulder and sprinkle it with 2 tbsp. of Italian seasoning and the chopped garlic.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the chopped shallots and almonds, grated parmesan cheese and put on top of the all the other ingredients. Top it of with thin slices of butter (make sure that you can close the meat completely – if not, you have used t much stuffing).

Tie up the lamb shoulder together and make sure that the stuffing can’t fall out. Take a small kitchen knife and cut small incisions on the outside of the tied meat. Stuff the incisions with the rest of the garlic cloves. Top it of with olive oil and the remaining 2 tbsp. Italian seasoning.

Place the stuffed lamb shoulder in a cast iron pan or an ovenproof tray. Pour in the red wine and 2 tbsp. butter. Let rest in the fridge while prepping the (kettle) grill.

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Set the grill for indirect heating (coal in one side). The temperature should be around 320F. The meat should cook approximately 30 minutes per pound or until it the internal temperature reaches 158F.

Set the cast iron pan with the meat in the middle of the grill and put on the lit. Turn the pan halfway through the cooking process, so it gets cook evenly on both sides. Remove from the grill when it has reached the target temperature and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

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Remove the tie and cut the meat into thick slices and serve as part of a greek barbecue lamb sandwich šŸ™‚

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Bon AppƩtit!

Ingredients (6 servings)

1 lamb shoulder

2 shallots

1 whole garlic

56 g butter

3.75 dl breadcrumbs

0.6 dl parmesan cheese, grated

0.6 dl almonds, roasted

Olive oil

4 tbsp.Ā Italian seasoning

2.5 dl red wine

 

Italian Seasoning

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

This Italian seasoning is a favorite of ours, when we cook lamb. It is also good for chicken and pork meat.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. dried oregano

2 tbsp. dried basil

2 tbsp. dried rosemary

2 tbsp. dried thyme

2 tbsp. coarse salt

2 tbsp. steak pepper

2 tbsp. chili flakes

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight contain at room temperature.

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Bon AppƩtit!

Spaghetti with Tiger Prawns and Tomato Sauce

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

I really had trouble deciding on tonights dinner. First I didn’t want to cook at all, then I wanted to make steaks – again (I am a true meat lover, and gets large steaks instead of flowers on Valentines day :-)), then I wanted pork cheeks and finally when I opened the freezer and saw the tiger prawns I decided on this fabulous recipe.

Prawns and spaghetti is the perfect combination – just change the sauce and your have can make hundreds of different dishes. This one is definitely in our top 10 when it comes to dishes containing spaghetti.

How that you and your family will love it as much as we do šŸ™‚

 

Ingredients (4 servings)

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 shallots, chopped

4 scallions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 red chilies, chopped

1 can crushed tomatoes

6 small tomatoes

3/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup cream

1/2 cup basil leafs, chopped

1/2 pound tiger prawns, cleaned

Salt

Pepper

1 pound spaghetti

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

 

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add chopped shallots, scallions, chilies and garlic. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the onions turn golden. Stir occasionally to avoid that the onions get burned.

Add white wine, tomatoes and cream. Cook for approximately 25-30 minutes. While cooking,Ā chop the fresh tomatoes into quarters.

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain when cooked and transfer to a large bowl

When the tomato sauce has thickened, add the tiger prawns and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the fresh tomatoes and 2/3 of the chopped basil leafs and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the sauce to the drained spaghetti and toss to mix.

Arrange on a pretty dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and the remaining 1/3 cup chopped basil leafs.

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Serve with a good Italian baguette and a cold glass of your favorite white wine šŸ™‚

Bon AppƩtit!

Ingredients (4 servings)

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 shallots, chopped

4 scallions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 red chilies, chopped

1 can crushed tomatoes

6 small tomatoes

1.8 dl white wine

0.6 dl cream

1.25 dl basil leafs, chopped

450 g tiger prawns, cleaned

Salt

Pepper

1 pound spaghetti

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

 

Salad with Cauliflowers and Roasted Almonds

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

Are you a fan of cauliflowers too? Not many are and most people associate cauliflowers with a vegetable that is easily over cooked and boring. But that does not have to be the case. Actually, we rarely cook the cauliflower, as we think that the crispiness and fresh taste of the raw version is much better.

Later on we will add other versions of cauliflower salad, so if you have a an idea that you want to see realized, please write it in a comment, and we will take it in to consideration šŸ™‚

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Ingredients (4 servings)

1 cauliflower, bouquets

1 red onion

1 handful basil leafs

1/4 cup almonds

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp. mayo

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. confectioners sugar

 

Begin with whisking together sour cream, mayo, vinegar and confectioners sugar. Whisk until the dressing is smooth and creamy. Set aside while prepping the rest of the ingredients.

Chop the onion and basil leafs and mix with the cauliflower bouquets. Then pour the dressing over the vegetable mix and mix well. Let rest in the fridge for at least 10-15 minutes, preferably 1 hour.

While the salad is resting, you have time to roast the almonds. Heat up a frying pan and add the almonds. Roast at medium heat for 4-6 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid the almonds from burning. Remove from the heat, when the almonds begin to release their nutty and delicious aroma. Chop when cooled.

Add 2/3 of the chopped almonds to the salad just before serving. Mix well and arrange the salad on a beautiful plate and sprinkle the remaining almonds on the top.

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Bon AppƩtit!

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 cauliflower, bouquets

1 red onion

1 handful basil leafs

0.6 dl almonds

1.25 dl sour cream

1 tbsp. mayo

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. confectioners sugar

 

Crispy Broccoli Salad

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

What did you have for sinner last night? We had juicy steaks with oven roasted potatoes and a crispy broccoli salad. It is easy to make, has a crispy texture and tastes delicious.

Broccoli is one of those vegetables that most people like in one way or the other. Our favorite is this broccoli salad with crispy home made bacon and roasted sun flower seeds. Some other good ideas for broccoli recipes is broccoli with melted cheddar cheese and broccoli soup with chunks of creamy blue cheese (recipes will follow soon).

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Ingredients (4 servings)

1 broccoli, bouquets

1 red onion

10 slices bacon

1/8 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tbsp. mayo (we use Hellmann’s)

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. confectioners sugar

 

Parboil the broccoli set a side while prepping the rest of the ingredients or until they reach room temperature.

While waiting for the parboiled broccoli to cool, fry the bacon until crisp and light brown. Transfer to paper towels to soak the remaining fat when finished.

Cut the inions into small cubes and roast the sunflower seeds, until they begin to get a bit of color. Stir to avoid that the seeds get burned.

In a separate bowl whisk together sour cream, mayo, vinegar and confectioners sugar. Whisk until smooth.

Combine broccoli bouquets, onions and dressing in a bowl and combine well. Let rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes (preferably for an hour) in the fridge. Just before serving, add the roasted sun flower seeds and crispy bacon and serve as a side dish for a delicious steak, pork chops or stuffed chicken breast.

IMG_5765Bon AppƩtit!

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 broccoli, bouquets

1 red onion

10 slices bacon

0.3 dl sunflower seeds

0.8 dl sour cream

1 tbsp. mayo (we use Hellmann’s)

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. confectioners sugar

 

Home Smoked Bacon

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

How often do you use bacon when cooking? We use it several times at week for all sort of food and therefore decided to try and make it ourselves. We have tried several different methods before deciding to recommend this one.

It is quite time consuming, so be sure to make enough, so you don’t run out within the first few days.

Before beginning on your on bacon project, it is important to have a few key notes in mind. First of all, you need time and patience. It takes about 8-10 days from start to finish.

Second, don’t smoke it on a hot summer day, as the temperature needs to be below 81 degrees fahrenheit throughout the whole smoking process. If it gets to warm it can begin to deprave and the last weeks work will be lost.

Other than that, you should just give it a try – it is delicious, and you will find that the quality is much better, that what you can buy in the super market šŸ™‚

 

Ingredients (2 pounds)

2 pounds pork belly

1 cup coarse salt

1 tbsp. black pepper

1 tbs. nut meg

10 juniper berries

1 tbs. thyme, dried

 

If you get the pork belly with bone in, remove the bones and use for stock or something else. Also remove the skin, but not the fat.

Mix together all the dry ingredients and rub firmly into the pork belly. Make sure that all sides of the meat has a good layer of rub on it. Wrap it closely in tin foil and put in an airtight bag. Remove all air and seal the bag. Refrigerate for at least 5 days (preferably 7 days) and rotate every day, to make sure that the meat juice don’t stay in the bottom.
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When refrigerated for 5-7 days the pork belly is almost ready to be smoked. Clean the meat for rub by rinsing it thoroughly in cold water for a few minutes. Make sure that all rub is removed and dab it dry with some paper towel and let rest on the kitchen table while preparing the smoker.

To smoke the bacon you will need a smoker or kettle grill, some tin foil and 1/2 a pound sawdust, a tbs. household alcohol, a small grid and a lighter. We own both a smoker and a kettle grill and this time we decided to use the kettle grill, but it makes no difference whether you use one or the other when smoking bacon.

Cover the bottom gridiron of the grill with tin foil. Place the saw dust in an unclosed circle around the edge of the grill. Make sure that the circle does not close, as this will shorten the the smoking time (in a closed circle the smouldering will burn both ways from the starting point, and thereby burn faster). Pour the household alcohol over one end of the sawdust and light it. Ā Wait till there is a good smould, and then blow out the fire – this takes approximately 5 minutes. Make sure that the glow continues before adding on the pork belly.

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When you are sure that there is a good glow in the sawdust, add the pork belly on a grid. If you use the grid from the grill, make sure that it is clean, as the temperature is low and therefor not able to kill any bacterias. For that particular reason we use a small grid which we can clean completely before and after using it. Place the meat in the middle of the kettle grill/smoker and put the lid on.

The bottom valve should be full open while the top valve should be a little below half. This bring oxygen to the smoking process, while keeping the smoke inside. This method keeps the sawdust smoldering for approximately 12-15 hours.

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After 12-15 hour the sawdust has burned out and you are ready to take the next step in the Ā ‘home-made bacon’ process. If you prefer the bacon taste more smoky you can double the smoking time.

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Remove the smoked pork belly from the smoker, and lay it uncovered on a plate in the fridge for approximately 24 hours.

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The pork belly has now transformed into a delicious piece of bacon šŸ™‚

Cut it into cubes or thin slices and prepare it for your favorite bacon meal.Ā We use it among other things in the morning, making eggs and bacon, for lunch making bacon sandwiches and for dinner making cheese burgers, broccoli salad or bacon explosion.

If you have never tasted home smoked bacon, you are missing something out of our life! It cannot be compared to super market bacon, which is less tasteful.

Hope that you will consider trying the recipe as we believe it bring the most exceptional and delicious result.

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Bon AppƩtit!

Ingredients (900 g)

900 g pork belly

2.5 dl coarse salt

1 tbsp. black pepper

1 tbs. nut meg

10 juniper berries

1 tbs. thyme, dried

 

Spicy Drumsticks

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

Who don’t love drumsticks? Most people like drumstick in one way or the other. As we are chili ‘freaks’ we both love these spicy drumstick and the delicious marinade which we use as a dipping sauce.

If you are not used to eating chili every day, you might add less chili sauce and more honey. You can alway add more chili if you find it to mild, but it is more difficult to go the other way.

 

Ingredients (4 servings)

12 drumsticks

3 tbsp. hot chili sauce (today we’ve used Sriracha)

3 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. good olive oil

4-6 garlic cloves, chopped

Juice from 1 lime

Salt

Pepper

 

Mix together chili sauce, honey, olive oil, chopped garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Ā Add the drumsticks and mix well. Make sure that all drumsticks has been marinaded before covering the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rest in the fridge for at least an hour.

Cover a roasting pan with baking paper and put in the marinated drumsticks. Pour the remaining marinade over the drumsticks and bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit. Turn the legs halfway to avoid the marinade from getting burned.

Pour the remaining marinade in a bowl and serve with the drumsticks as a dipping sauce.

Serve with your favorite side dishes like black bean salad, smoked beans or with celery and blue cheese dressing.

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Bon AppƩtit!

Black Bean Salad

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

What are you serving for your family tonight? We are having delicious spicy drumsticks and this colorful, fresh and tasty black bean salad.

 

Ingredients (2 servings)

1 cup black beans, soaked and cooked

1/2 cup sweet corn

10 small tomatoes

2 avocados

1 red onion

1 jalapeƱo (optional)

1 handful basil leafs

1/2 handful cilantro

1 lime, juice and zest

1 tbs. good olive oil

Salt

Pepper

 

Chop tomatoes, jalapeƱos and onion in to small pieces (same size as corn and beans) and combine beans, corn, tomatoes and onions in a mixing bowl. Chop basil and cilantro leafs finely and add to the bean mix together with juice and zest from the lime, olive olie and salt and pepper.

Cover with plastic wrap and and let rest in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Just before serving chop the avocado and combine it with the rest of the salad.

Try serving it with spicy drumsticks – a fabulous combination!

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Bon AppƩtit!

Ingredients (2 servings)

2.5 dl black beans, soaked and cooked

1.25 dl sweet corn

10 small tomatoes

2 avocados

1 red onion

1 jalapeƱo (optional)

1 handful basil leafs

1/2 handful cilantro

1 lime, juice and zest

1 tbs. good olive oil

Salt

Pepper

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

Cookies cookies cookies… we could eat cookies every day all year around. Therefor we try to experiment with different recipes – not to find the best, but to develop excellent cookie skills šŸ™‚

The inspiration for this version came from our favorite Danish chocolate blog, and consists of the same ingredients, we just changed 1/3 of the bittersweet chocolate to white chocolate chips. The combination of the cookie made with dark chocolate and the small white chocolate chips is delicious and worth a try. If you don’t like white chocolate, just use dark chocolate chips, which is delicious too.

Before you begin, we would like to say a word or two about the choice of chocolate. You can use any kind of chocolate, but the best result will definitely be obtained if using a good quality chocolate. We primarily use chocolate from Amedei, as it is without any sort of additives (but also due to its delicious taste and creamy consistency). So find you favorite chocolate and make these cookies for your loved once.

 

Ingredients (30 small cookies)

1 cup bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

2 tbsp. butter

2 eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tbsp. vanilla sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tbsp. salt

 

Melt chocolate and butter together slowly in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Be careful not to get any water into the bowl, as it will ruin the chocolate.

In another bowl whisk together egg, sugar and vanilla sugar. Whisk until combined and add the melted chocolate (before adding the chocolate, make sure that it is not warmer than room temperature, otherwise it will ruin the batter).

Combine until smooth before shifting in flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk again until combined and then add the chocolate chips (if your chocolate chips are large, it is good idea to chop them roughly, before adding them to the batter).

Put teaspoonfuls on a pan, and bake at 350F for 12-13 minutes.

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Bon AppƩtit!

Ingredients (30 small cookies)

2.5 dl bittersweet chocolate

1.25 dl white chocolate chips

2 tbsp. butter

2 eggs

1.8 dl granulated sugar

1/2 tbsp. vanilla sugar

1.25 dl flour

1/4 tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tbsp. salt

Pork Chops with Sweet & Sour Peppers

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ 4 Comments

Once again we forgot al about time and suddenly it was dinnertime. We are not that good at eating at the same time every night, and most often we use several hours in the kitchen, experimenting and having fun cooking.

Today has been nothing like that. Chris has been working late followed by an hour or two on his other hobby (designing and producing furnitures in metal and old wood), while I (Ann) has been in bed due to neck pains from an old whiplash.

As we had forgotten al about time, we decided to make something easy and quick but still delicious. It took less than 25 minutes (including prepping) and tasted fabulous šŸ™‚

 

Ingredients (4 servings)

Pork chops

4 pork chops

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 handful thyme stems

1 tbsp. butter

Salt

Pepper

 

Sweet & Sour Peppers

1 tbsp. olive olie

2 red peppers

2 yellow peppers

2 red onions

1 jalapeƱos

1 cup edamamme beans

1 lime, juice and zest

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Salt

Pepper

 

Begin with prepping the vegetables. Remove the seeds from the peppers and cut them lengthwise. Then cut the onions and the jalapeƱo into thin slices. We are both chili lovers so we rarely remove the seeds and stems from the chilies, but if you like it more mild, you can remove it (or leave out the jalapeƱo).

Add olive olie to a frying pan and heat. Then add the peppers, onions, jalapeƱos and edamamme beans and sautƩ for 2-3 minutes. Add sugar and sir to combine. When the peppers get a glazed surface add the red wine vinegar and juice and zest from the lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until all the fluid had thickened.

While the sweet and sour peppers are simmering you can make the pork chops. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan and add butter, garlic and thyme. When the butter begins get brown and smell like nuts, add the pork chops and fry for about 4 minutes before turning it. Fry 4 minutes on the other side too, while pouring some of butter over the top. This will give the meat a love nutty taste on the surface and prevent it from drying out in the frying process.

Arrange the sweet and sour pepper mix on a plate and top with a delicious and juicy pork chop and serve with bread or rice.

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Bon AppƩtit!

Ā 

Ingredients (4 servings)

Pork chops

4 pork chops

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 handful thyme stems

1 tbsp. butter

Salt

Pepper

 

Sweet & Sour Peppers

1 tbsp. olive olie

2 red peppers

2 yellow peppers

2 red onions

1 jalapeƱos

1 cup edamamme beans

1 lime, juice and zest

2 tbsp. sugar

1.25 dl red wine vinegar

Salt

Pepper