Cabbage Pudding

Yes, cabbage pudding.

I didn't name the dish, and I don't fancy the name. But, I have known it as cabbage pudding all my life.
It is actually a quicker and easier version (and better I think) of the stuffed cabbage leaf, where you put the meat inside a blanched whole cabbage leaf before you boil it, and you eat it as small packages.
Stuffed cabbage leaf is made all over Europe, or anyway, in the Northern and Eastern part of Europe.

But, this is much easier.
You start by making your normal frikadelle fars, or meat ball mixture in english :-)
Every danish home have it's own recipe, here is mine.

500 g minced pork
1/2 onion grated
1/2 onion chopped
1 egg
2 tbsp flour
1 - 1,5 dl milk (maybe more, it should be spreadable)
a handfull of breadcrumbs
pepper & salt

Careful with the salt. I always fry a little ball and taste it. It is so boring with too little and uneatable with too much.
Put it in the fridge to chill.

Chop 1/4 cabbage head in large chunks. Blanch it for about 4 min. I like it when it still is crisp.

Put it in a oven proof dish, and let it steam off for a minute or two. Smear the meat ball mixture over it.
Sprinkle breadcrumbs over, and small slices of butter or margarine. Put it in a preheated 200C oven for 20-25 minutes, or till the top is deliciously golden.

This is a healthy dish, anything with cabbage is I think :-)
It contains vitamin K and C, fiber and calcium. And have lots of others benefits.

I know a couple of people who doesn't LOVE ;-) cabbage, and still can eat this. Try this one, but make sure not to blanch it too long. Only al dente and not till it is soft and flappy.


Oh, and the day after, it is good with some rye bread and strong mustard, yum.
Let me hear :-)

Cabbage Week.

Back home we always used to have food-theme-weeks. Time to start again.
Hardest part is to think of a theme, funniest part is to search for the recipes and make the food.
Ideas for a theme?
The theme this week was CABBAGE :-)
We both love it, and often make cabbage pudding. Does not sound delicious, but it is. Also likes cabbage in white sauce.
Both recipes to follow.

First cabbage recipe is an Italian inspired Cabbage Soup:

It's easy, fast & healthy.

1/4 head of cabbage finely shred
1 can chopped tomatoes, not too sweet
1 vegetable stock cube
1 capsicum sliced, I prefer green but it can be any
1/2 leek sliced
2-3 carrots sliced
3 garlic cloves very finely chopped
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Put all the cabbage in a pot, add water till it is covered, then add the cube and bring to the boil.
Add the tomatoes, garlic and the spices and let it simmer.
After 15 minutes add the carrots.
After another 15 minutes add the leek and the capsicum, then keep simmer for another 15 minutes, or untill the vegetables are tender.
Add salt & pepper to taste.

Easy, and also super healthy. It is a big portion, but it is delicious the day after as well.



I will take another picture the next time I make it.



Delicious Italian Parmesan Meatballs!

I think of meatballs as a little boring, but always love it!
This recipe is certainly not boring, but creamy and full of flavour. I am sure it will be a succes with everybody in the family.

Start with the Tomato Sauce:
Olive Oil
200g chopped onions
3 chopped garlic cloves
2 cans of peeled tomatos
1 tbsp tomato pure
8-10 fresh basil leaves

Saute the onions and garlic in the oil. For about 4-5 min.

Add one can of tomato, and only the tomatoes from the other one, chopped. Save the juice. Add also the tomato pure and the basil leaves.

You can put more or less of the garlic and basil in, after taste. I like when there is only a hint of basil, and not too much.

Let it simmer for about 20 min. If it is too wet, remove the lid the last minuts, if it's too dry, add a little of the tomato juice.
Add salt & pepper, and more basil if you like.

For the meat:
500g minced beef meat
2-3 tbsp bread crumbs
4 tbsp milk
1 egg
3-4 tbsp grated parmesan
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp lightly chopped capers
salt & pepper
a little butter and oil

Mix all the ingredients. Careful with the salt, the parmesan is salty. You can fry a little taster, to check the salt and pepper.
Again, here you can put more or less of the taste you like. Careful with the capers though. They can get too overpowering.

Form small meatballs, and fry them golden on all sides in the butter and oil. When they are done, put them in the sauce.

If you make the meat before the sauce, cover it and put it in the fridge.
If you fry them in advance, they just need longer time in the sauce to get hot.

Stir carefully so they don't break, and let it simmer for a couple of minuts.

Serve with spagetti and parmesan on top. Enjoy!

Homemade Ratatouille!

Love ratatouille, and I feel so healthy afterwards.
It must be vegetarians favourite dish :-)
This is the homemade version. I will try to make Remy's later, you know, the one from the movie :-)
Start by going to the local farmers market, grocery store, or where they have lots of different good and fresh vegetables.

This is what I came home with.

Wash all of it thoroughly, and it is ready to be cut in to bite-size pieces. Around 2 x 2 cm.
You can choose to put more, less or nothing of each ingredient, after you own taste.

Saute onions and garlic in butter (or you can choose olive oil) a few minuts in a heavy bottomed casserole. I love garlic, so I used a lot. Add celery, and saute a few minutes more.

Add the rest of the vegetables.
I added 1/2 a large green zucchini,
2 small indian zucchini,
1 thin local aubergine,
1 small red pepper,
1 large green pepper,
1 medium pepper &
1 carrot

Let it saute about 15 minuts at good heat, and stir often so it doesn't brown.
I like the red pepper, but only added a small, because I didn't want it to be too sweet. And the carrot and yellow pepper gives sweetness as well.

I choose the 2 different kinds of zucchini because of the texture. The big one I slices and then quartered, and they get very soft. The small one I just sliced, it stays more firm.

Next time I think I will try to add mushrooms. But really, add the vegetables you like.

After 15 minutes, add 2 cans of peeled and chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Stir, and add fresh whole pricked chillies, (after taste, I don't like this to be too hot) 2 bay leaves, and fresh or dried rosemary.
Let it simmer until very soft, around 1 hour. Remember to stir once in a while so it doesn't burn.

Remove the lid at the end, so it reduces.
Add salt, pepper and dried chilli to taste. Mums.

Serve it with delicious bread. I used my carrot breads, my earlier recipe. 

Added the day after:
I had a small portion leftovers. The day after I made a steak with rice, sauted green beans and ratatouille. It was just as delicious as the evening before.
So if you have a something left, keep is as an accompaniment to what ever you are having tomorrow. :-)

Carrot Breads.

This recipe is from my 6th grade, when I was 12-13 years old, so it's...... old :-)
I have made them soo many times since, and they are light and healthy.

Normally I make a double portion, so I have lots to put in the freezer. And they always disappear fast.

50g margarine or butter, melted
4 dl milk
1 dl youghurt
1 packet of instant yeast (11g)
2 tsp coarse salt
2tsp sugar
2 carrots, grated (around 150g)
2 dl wheat bran
13-14 dl flour

1 egg and a little wheat bran to put on top.
20 min at 200C.

Mix all the wet ingredients, add salt, sugar, carrots, wheat bran and yeast. Add the yeast to the first 5 dl of flour you put in, and hold some of the flour back, sometimes I only uses 10-11 dl, it's different, because of the carrots.

Knead the dough well. (gives nice arms)

Cover and let it prove for 1 hour.

Give it a good kneading on a floured table until smooth and elastic (5-6 min minimum), maybe you need to add more flour.

Divide the dough. I make 20 breads, it's a good size, I think.
Shape them into breads, 10cm long. And then let them prove again for 20 min under a wet cloth.

Brush the breads with the egg, and cut 3-4 times on the top in each bread.
Sprinkle with Wheat bran, and bake for around 20 min at 200C.

 

 

If you are using fresh yeast:
Add the milk to the melted butter. Crumble the yeast in a bowl, and add a little of the milk/butter mixture, enough to dissolve the yeast, add the rest of the mixture, and add all the rest of the wet ingredients.
From now on it's the same as with the instant yeast.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away!

One way of eating an apple a day is, Apple Crumble :-)
A classic, easy, everybody likes it.

 

 

Start with the apples. One apple pr. person. Peel the apples, chop, and make a stew out of them. it takes around 10 min. over low fire.
4 apples
40g sugar
20g butter
a little cinnamon. Careful, too much, and that's all you can taste.
Note, you can't just halve this part of the recipe. It will need more butter, but careful not to make it too sweet.

I had trouble with my crumble. It was so hot in the kitchen, so eventhough I put it in the fridge a couple of times, the butter almost melted for me.
I had the a/c on, but with 45C outside and the oven on.........it gets hot in my kitchen :-)

25g flour
15g butter
10g sugar
Rub it together and do not knead it. Like when you make a pie crust.

Put it in a mould, and cover with the crumble. Bake in the oven for 7-8 min. at 180C.

Serve it with Cream Anglaise, also called English Cream.
I made mine without vanilla, the apples taste of so much. But you can add it if you want, it is good.
My Cream was a little thick, but tasted wonderful :-) good I made a big portion. Actually way too much.

Everyday Risotto!

Everyday, because there is no double cream in and only a little parmesan & butter :-)
It doesn't make it slimming, if that's what you want. But if you love risotto like me, you will enjoy this one as well. And who doesn't love it :-)

2 tbsp butter
2 small onions chopped finely
2 gloves of garlic, chopped
200g arborio rice
1 dl white wine (I didn't use this, this time)
7-800 ml vegetable stock (homemade if you have)
150g asparagus
100g peas
parmesan, salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter and saute onions and garlic for 1 min. Add the arborio rice, saute for 1 more minute.
Now add the white wine if you use that, and let it be absorbed while stirring.
Add the stock 1 dl at a time.
Keep doing this till the rice is almost done, or as you like them. I like mine al dente.
Add the asparagus, peas, a little parmesan, and let it all get warm for 1 minute or 2.
Sprinkle with parmesan on top, and serve right away.