Chocolate Salami

Neighbours can be a pain in your life, but if you got the right ones they can be like a second family. There are different kinds of neighbours: the ones to whom you go to when your are missing a cup of flower or an egg, the ones you avoid in the supermarket aisles, the ones you wish nice day to and that's it, and the ones you go to when you need a friend.

As we have been moving a lot, we have also met all kinds of neighbours. That is ok, because for me the real neighbours are back in my hometown are I know they are the best! 

I remember eating this chocolate salami at my neighbours house all the time and now I got the recipe from them. It is an easy and delicious recipe, perfect for all the chocolate lovers. Kids love it too!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
125g butter
200g sugar
150g powdered cocoa
400g Marie cookies
Splash of Port wine

Heat up the butter until melted and cool down for a couple of minutes.

Use an electric beater to beat the sugar and the eggs, until it's creamy. Reduce the speed and incorporate the butter and then the cocoa powder. Add a splash of Port wine and mix well. 

Lay some of the cookies on a kitchen clothe and break them using a rolling pin or a wooden spoon. Add the pieces to the chocolate mixture and mix using a spoon, so that the cookies get a little bit wet. Keep adding the cooking pieces until the mixture is solid enough to be molded.

Lay a piece of alumina foil on the kitchen bench and transfer the mixture onto it. Roll the foil to make a sausage like shape and close the ends like in a candy bar.

Refrigerate for at least 2h. Slice and serve.

Notes:

The cocoa powder can be replaced by a mixture of cocoa and chocolate powder (for drinks). 

Other kinds of alcohol can be used as well.

Tuna Salad

Does some food speak to you? Some does to me. This salad speaks summer to me. Wherever I eat this, I feel I'm in my hometown, in my parents backyard, enjoying a summer meal, under the dawn light. I don't know how to explain it... it just speaks to me...

Ingredients:

5 tomatoes

1/2 onion

2 eggs, hard boiled

1 can of tuna (in natura)

Olive oil

Salt

Slice the tomatos and the eggs, and transfer into a bowl. Add the tuna and the onion in thin slices. Season with a drizzle of olive oil and salt. Mix all the ingredients and set aside for at least 10 minutes, to develop the flavours. 

This salad is best served with fresh baked bread. 

Light Chicken Fusilli with Yoghurt Sauce

Recently, I came across a story of determination and courage that inspired me. 

Once upon a time, a girl got tired of being overweight and started thinking thin*. More than thin she wanted to be healthy, and to be able to move more and better, and as everybody else, she wanted to be happy! Her determination was so great that she did it, rather fast I would say, by exercising a lot and eating healthy. A lot of people think that healthy food has no flavour and it's boring but I strongly disagree. 

With this story in my mind I was also determined to create something different, tasty and healthy, just by using simple ingredients I had in the fridge. The result was approved by both here. What about you? Are you thinking thin?

Ingredients (serves 2):
250g integral fusilli
150g chicken breast
1 carrot
50g peas, cooked or frozen
1 low-fat yoghurt
1/2 orange, juiced
2 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Salt

Chop the chicken breast in cubes and put in a plastic container. Chop the garlic finely and add to the chicken. Add the orange juice and a pinch of salt as well. Mix everything with your hands, cover the container and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, to marinate.

For the yoghurt sauce, chop a clove of garlic finely and add to the yoghurt. Season with salt and drizzle with olive oil to taste. Mix well and taste. Correct seasoning if needed. Set aside for at least 10 minutes, to develop the flavour of the garlic in the yoghurt.

When the marinate is ready, peel off the carrot and slice it in thin slices using a mandolin. 

Cook the fusilli in salted water until it is al dente. 

Heat up a drizzle of olive oil in a non-sticky frying pan, and add the chicken. Cook for about 8 minutes, tossing now and then, until the chicken is almost cooked through. Add in the carrots and the peas and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the yoghurt sauce. Serve on top of the pasta.

Notes: If you are a garlic lover add some extra to the sauce. 

If you don't have a mandolin just slice the carrot as thin as you can. If it's a bit thicker it might take longer too cook, so add it to the chicken a couple of minutes before. 

*You can read the full story here, written by the brave girl herself. It is in Portuguese though...

Banana Ice Cream - the easy way

Did you know that bananas contain a bunch of good nutrients for our body? Yes, of course, who doesn't!

But did you also know that ripe bananas can act as anti-cancer agents? 

Japanese scientists found that the black spots formed on the bananas, as they mature, contain a substance called TNF (tumour necrosis factor), that can combat abnormal cells. The degree of anticancer effect depends on the ripeness level of the bananas, so the more dark patches the banana contains the higher its immunity enhancement quality. (source here)

Should we then start eating black bananas? No, there is an easier way. Let's make ice cream out of them!

Besides all that, as the bananas ripen, their starch is broken down into sugar, meaning they taste sweeter at this stage and you don't even need to add extra sugar to the ice cream. Therefore, not only are we using those bananas that don't look so good anymore, but we are also eating a healthy delicious ice cream that protects us against cancer. It can't get any better, can it?

Ingredients (4 portions):

6 ripe bananas
20ml of cinnamon liqueur
2 tbsp of powdered cinnamon
10 Maria cookies

Peel off and roughly slice the bananas. Put the pieces in a container and freeze for 2-3h. 

When frozen, transfer the banana into a food processor and mix until it's soft and creamy. Add the liqueur, the cinnamon and the cookies and process for a few more seconds. 

Transfer to a container and freeze again, for about 4-5h. If you freeze for longer stir it now and then, to avoid the formation of ice crystals.

Serve cold with a drizzle of liqueur and a cinnamon stick as decoration.

Notes:

Depending on how mature the bananas are the ice cream colour will change. If your ice cream became less dark than desired, just leave it for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator before freezing. The oxidation will be faster and you will get a darker colour.

This recipe was inspired by Sami, from the blog Sami's Colourfulworld. Find her recipe here!

Spanish Omelette with Salted Cod

Easter is a holiday full of different traditions. 

There is the Easter bunny that brings chocolate eggs. Sometimes it hides them in the backyard and children have to find them (Sweden). 

There is the dyed eggs by grandparents that use specific flowers, herbs and onion peels as dye, and offer the colourful eggs to their grand children (Portugal). 

There is the godparents cake offered to their godsons, that in return cook/buy the Easter lunch for everybody (also Portugal). 

There is also the tradition of the family meal full of recipes using salted codfish (Brazil).

Salted codfish is a portuguese must (and påskmust is a Swedish must :) ), present in so many recipes and cooked in 1001 ways, as it's traditionally said. For Portuguese, salted codfish is a Christmas item, however, in Brazil it is most popular for Easter. Today, far from being in a big family Easter lunch (it was just the Swedish and the Chef), we wanted to create something less traditional but still using ingredients that are common in this season. We came up with a combination of eggs and salted cod. The recipe might be Spanish, but the style is totally Portuguese!

Happy Easter everyone!

Ingredients (for 1 omelette):
300g potatoes
200g salted cod fish fillets
300ml olive oil
4 eggs
1 small onion
Salt

Desalt the cod fish in water for about 24h, changing the water 2 or 3 times.

Peel off the potatoes and cut them in 2 mm thick pieces, using a mandolin.

Heat up the olive oil in a frying pan, and add the potato pieces. Cook at very low heat, so the olive oil is just boiling gently. When the potatoes start to soften, use a chasseur turner to gently cut the potato slices into smaller pieces (see picture on the left). Add the onion and the cod fish, chopped finely, and cook until everything has softened (~20 min.), using the turner now and then to keep breaking the ingredients. 

In the meantime, beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt. When the potato/egg/cod mixture is ready, scoop it out from the frying pan and add to the eggs mixture. Stir everything and have a taste. Add more salt if needed. 

Grease a narrow-deep frying pan (we used 20cm diameter, 5cm deep pan), with some olive oil, and heat it up. Pour in the omelette mixture and reduce the fire for a slow cook, for about 5 minutes. Dip a turner in the center and check how far it has cooked (cooked part will be hard). When you think it has cooked half way through, it is almost time to turn it. Before turning, loose the edges as much as you can, using a spatula or fork. Remove the pan from the fire, cover it with a flat dish slightly bigger than the pan and turn the omelette onto the plate. Immediately after, slide the contents of the plate back in the pan and put back on the stove. Cook for another 2-5 minutes, depending on how raw you want the center of the omelette (see picture on the right).

Serve warm.

Notes:

The cooking times totally depend on how low you can bring your heat, the size of the pan, and even on the quality of the olive oil (different olive oils have different boiling points). However, this recipe is a lot easier than it looks, just trust your instincts. 

For the TRADITIONAL recipe of Spanish Omelette use 500g of potatoes and eliminate the codfish.

This recipe was inspired by the Tortilla de Patata of Elena Del Corro, spanish herself.  

Grandma's Sweet Rice

The Chef's family is from Portugal, where sweet rice is a very popular recipe. There are hundred's of ways to make this dessert and in our opinion the simpler the better. The best recipes often belong to our grandmothers, but in this case it was the great-grandmother that used to make the best sweet rice. She passed away when she was 100 years old, but her recipe is frequently used in the family. The taste might not be exactly the same, but the memories get better and better every time we cook this sweet treat and think of her around the stove making it for us. This one is for you Grandma!

Ingredients:

2L of milk

200g of short-grain rice

100g of sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 orange peel

Cinnamon stick

Cinnamon powder, for serving

In a large pot combine milk, salt, orange peel (very thin to avoid the white part) and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and add the rice. Turn down the heat and leave it on a gentle simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the rice is cooked through, stirring occasionally. When it's done transfer onto serving bowls and cool down at room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 2h. 

Sprinkle cinnamon powder on top, before serving.

Notes:

Grandma always used milk with 3% of fat, resulting in a more creamy dessert. It is possible to use low-fat milk. The result is less creamy and more liquid, but equally delicious. 

If you have troubles in finding short-grain rice, risotto rice will do.

Instead of just sprinkling some cinnamon on top, you can make draws and turn your dessert into something fun!

Liquid Nitrogen Mango Ice Cream

The use of liquid nitrogen in the kitchen has recently become more common. This freezing liquid, is actually nitrogen gas so cold that it becomes liquid (at about -196 ºC). Such low temperatures allow us to make delicious ice cream in seconds, and since it is so fast, it also avoids the small crystals formed when ice cream is made in a regular freezer, giving the ice cream a creamy texture. At work, we use liquid nitrogen daily, to cool down machines. One day, we brought some home and set up an afternoon of fun in the kitchen. Here is the result!

Ingredients:
2 mangos
300ml of milk
300ml of cream
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup of sugar
90g chocolate, finely chopped
80g cream
20g butter
Strawberries

In a sauce pan, combine milk and cream and bring to a simmer without boiling.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the sugar, for a few minutes until the mixture is light and creamy.

Remove the milk pot from the heat and pour half of the mixture into the eggs. Whisk until well incorporated. Return the mixture to the pot and back on the heat. Cook at low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

Transfer the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled.

In the meantime, blend the flesh of the mango and sieve twice to remove the fibers.

When the custard is cold, stir in the mango puree.

Transfer the mixture to a metallic bowl and pour in small amounts of liquid nitrogen, stirring gently, until the mixture is thick and creamy.

To make a chocolate ganache, melt the butter in a sauce pan together with the cream (80g). Pour the mixture (still hot) on top of the chocolate and stir until its melted and the mixture is creamy.

In a different bowl, pour some liquid nitrogen. Add some strawberries, let them boil for 5-10 seconds and skim them out. Afterwards, pour in some drops of the chocolate ganache, allowing the drops to fall in the freezing liquid separately. Let them boil for 5-10 seconds and skim out.

Serve the ice cream with some chocolate ganache, chocolate frozen droplets and frozen strawberries.

Notes:

Liquid nitrogen should be handled carefully. If you are going to make this experiment use thick gloves, and googles. 

Apple-Banana Crumble

Crumble is a dish mostly known by its combination of textures. Its soft fruity bottom battles in your mouth against its crunchy surface. Besides that, the crumble is served warm, with some cool creamy custard. This combination seems to be a big winner as it has been served for decades. The Swedish and the Chef version invested in a more healthy but equally delicious version. We hope you like it! 

Ingredients:

Custard
2 cups of milk
2 tbsp of cornstarch
2 tbsp of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Beat the eggs lightly, add half of the sugar, beat some more and set aside. 

In a medium sauce pan, combine milk, sugar and cornstarch, whisking. Heat the pan at medium heat and let the milk scald (when it starts forming small bubbles around the edges), whisking now and then to avoid lumps from the cornstarch. Remove the milk from the heat and pour half of it on the eggs mixture, whisking constantly. Slowly pour into the sauce pan and return the pan to low heat. Whisk gently until the custard thickens and the eggs cook gently (do not let it boil, or the eggs will scramble). 

When ready remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and cool down. Serve cold.

Crumble
2 apples
2 bananas
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 cup of dried plums, pitted
1/4 cup of almonds, chopped
1/4 cup of peanuts, chopped
1 tbsp of cinnamon

Pre-heat the oven to 180 ºC.

Peel off the bananas and the apples, and remove seeds. Chop the fruit in smaller pieces and place half in a food processor, with the lime juice. Blend until it forms a smooth puree. Add the remaining fruit and blend just a few seconds, to keep some bigger pieces in the puree. Transfer the mix into a small flat oven tray. Set aside.

Place the plums, almonds, peanuts and cinnamon in the food processor and blend until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Put this mixture on top of the fruit puree, pressing gently.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the toping is golden.

Serve warm with custard. 

Breakfast on toast

We love our weekend breakfasts! They are slow, relaxed and always delicious. One of the favourite items is toast. You can put almost anything on a toast and make it work. It is fast and gives you space to be creative. Make a few different ones, squeeze some oranges and serve it on bed.

Enjoy your weekend!

Ham on toast

1 baguette slice

1 slice of poultry ham

1 cherry tomato

2 coriander leaves

Toast bread and top it with ham, coriander and the tomato. 

Egg on toast

1 baguette slice

1 quail egg

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Toast bread. Heat some butter in a small frying pan and fry the quail egg. Season with salt and freshly grounded pepper. Spread some butter on the toast, if needed, and top with the fried egg.

Cheese on toast

1 baguette slice

1 small slice of white cheese

2 small pieces of capsicum

Olive oil

Toast bread. Sprinkle some olive oil on the surface, top with cheese and slices of capsicum.

Notes: The quantities above are given by item. Make as many as you wish!

Grilled Fig Salad

Jamie Oliver called his Fig Salad "the easiest and sexiest salad in the world", and the Swedish and the Chef completly agrees with him. A Fig Salad is as easy as a salad can be and it is so tasty and good looking that is worth being named the sexiest of salads. Besides that, figs can go with so many different ingredients that you can make your own personal version of this salad, as long as you keep the balance of the flavours. In our version, the sweetness of the figs was combined with a salted white cheese and balsamic vinegar. The result is a great explosion of flavours in your mouth. And all this, with a salad...

Ingredients (serves 2):

4 figs
4 slices of salted white cheese
2 tbsp of almonds
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp of honey
1 tbsp of rosemary, finely chopped
Mixture of green leaves
Chives for decoration
Salt
Pepper

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, honey and rosemary. Whisk until emulsified (almost homogeneous mixture). Cut the stem of the figs and cut them in half, lengthwise. Transfer to the bowl and toss until the figs are coated in the vinaigrette. Place the halves of the figs, cut side down, onto a pre-heated skillet and grill for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the surface is golden. 

Season the remaining vinaigrette with salt and pepper. 

Place greens in a salad bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Plate the leaves with the grilled figs, big chunks of white cheese, almonds, and sprinkle some sesame seeds and chopped chives on top.

Note:

Do not overcook the figs or they will become mushy.