Scrambled Eggs with Tomatillos
Friday, February 28, 2014
We tried to grow tomatillos last year but we failed. A shocking statement, I know. Tomatillos are essentially weeds. However, I am sure that the virus we had in our pepper bed right next to them affected them badly, even though they didnt show the characteristic twisted leaves of the peppers. They just completely failed to thrive.
Its a completely different story this year. We planted 4 tomatillo plants, and they are currently loaded with fruit and we are up to our eyeballs in tomatillos. Good thing they keep quite well, as I will need some time to figure out what to do with them all.
In the meantime, this was a quick, easy and tasty thing to make with them. I didnt actually cook the eggs and vegetables separately, but next time I will take the few moments needed to do that. The eggs come out much more attractive that way.
2 to 3 servings
20 minutes prep time
6 extra-large eggs
salt & pepper
1/4 red pepper
2 cups chopped tomatillos (8 to 16)
1 or 2 green onions
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil, or a bit more
Break the eggs into a bowl, and beat with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Wash, destem and deseed the pepper, and chop it into smallish pieces. Remove the husks from the tomatillos, and cut out the stem. Cut them into slices, then chop the slices slightly. Wash, trim and chop the green onion. Peel and mince the garlic.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the tomatillos and red pepper, and sauté for 4 or minutes, until noticeably softened. Add the onion, and cook for a minute or so more. Add the garlic, and cook for just another minute. Remove the vegetables from the pan, making sure it is fairly clean.
It may be necessary to add a little more oil. Reduce the heat to medium and pour in the beaten eggs. Cook until just set, stirring to break them up and prevent them from browning. When they are almost done, add the vegetables back in, and mix gently. Serve as soon as the vegetables are heated through.
Last year at this time I made Cabbage & Cheese Curds with Tomato & Tamari and also a Bacon-Cilantro -Tomato Sandwich.
Read More..
Its a completely different story this year. We planted 4 tomatillo plants, and they are currently loaded with fruit and we are up to our eyeballs in tomatillos. Good thing they keep quite well, as I will need some time to figure out what to do with them all.
In the meantime, this was a quick, easy and tasty thing to make with them. I didnt actually cook the eggs and vegetables separately, but next time I will take the few moments needed to do that. The eggs come out much more attractive that way.
2 to 3 servings
20 minutes prep time
6 extra-large eggs
salt & pepper
1/4 red pepper
2 cups chopped tomatillos (8 to 16)
1 or 2 green onions
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil, or a bit more
Break the eggs into a bowl, and beat with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Wash, destem and deseed the pepper, and chop it into smallish pieces. Remove the husks from the tomatillos, and cut out the stem. Cut them into slices, then chop the slices slightly. Wash, trim and chop the green onion. Peel and mince the garlic.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the tomatillos and red pepper, and sauté for 4 or minutes, until noticeably softened. Add the onion, and cook for a minute or so more. Add the garlic, and cook for just another minute. Remove the vegetables from the pan, making sure it is fairly clean.
It may be necessary to add a little more oil. Reduce the heat to medium and pour in the beaten eggs. Cook until just set, stirring to break them up and prevent them from browning. When they are almost done, add the vegetables back in, and mix gently. Serve as soon as the vegetables are heated through.
Last year at this time I made Cabbage & Cheese Curds with Tomato & Tamari and also a Bacon-Cilantro -Tomato Sandwich.
SANDRAS GRILLED WHOLE SECTIONED DUNGENESS CRAB
 |
| The absolute perfect method in which to enjoy grilling the tastiest Dungeness Crab ever... |
Prep: 20 Mins. |
Grill on BBQ: 15 to17 Mins.
INGREDIENTS:
1 whole, fresh uncooked Dungeness crab, cleaned and sectioned
--(See instructions below***)
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
--(Reserved juices of crab)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon old bay seasoning
½ fresh lemon, cut lengthwise,
--(Set aside one half; cut other into 4 wedges for serving)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon flat-leaf italian parsley, chopped
---Garnish:
4 reserved fresh lemon wedges
METHOD
Pre-heat BBQ grill to medium-high heat (we prefer to use a charcoal.)
***Clean and section the fresh uncooked crab (see below).
Melt butter with olive oil over medium heat, add the chopped garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the reserved juices of the crab (see below) and old bay seasoning; cooking just until warmed through.
Place cracked crab in a medium cast iron dutch oven. Pour the garlic/butter/oil mixture over the crab sections, and add salt and pepper, to taste, while gently turning crab sections to coat. Place dutch oven (without lid) with crab onto BBQ grill over direct medium-high heat, close lid on grill, and cook for 15 to 17 minutes (depending on size of crab), shells should be pink and flesh opaque when done. Remove from grill, and squeeze 1⁄2-fresh lemon over crab; itll steam as you do so.
Using tongs, place grilled Dungeness crab sections onto a large, deep platter, and drizzle juices in dutch oven over top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and place 4 reserved lemon wedges along side. Provide crab crackers and pickers, including an abundance of napkins ~ Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip: You can alternatively roast the crab in a 425-degree oven, using the same method for the same amount of cooking time.
***HOW TO SECTION A LIVE DUNGENESS CRAB
(For sauteing, roasting, or grilling):
Place the live crab in the freezer for 15 minutes to put it to rest. Put on rubber gloves, and place a large clean pan in sink with the crab in it. Lift the flap on the underbelly while placing your right thumb into the hole and lifting the flap up up - while pressing down on the back shell with your other hand and the top will pop right open. Be careful not to spill the juices, and reserve the shell liquid and crab butter by setting it aside for above recipe. Clean off the gills and whatever parts you are not going to eat, while leaving body and leg sections intact. Hold the crab in both hands so cleaned outside is facing you. Grab both sides of crab sections, so you can bend it into its own belly to crack it in half. Each has four legs sticking out, so stop here if you choose. Or else you could spread and split each leg and body area if you want to separate it further into eight sections.
Chazaan
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Chazaan
Ingredients
- Glass vermicelli 1 packet
- Onion 1 large blended
- Boneless chicken tiny cubes 1 kg
- Green chilies 8
- Coriander leaves half bunch
- Mint leaves ¼ bunch
- Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
- Coconut milk powder 1 cup heaped
- Oil 1 cup
- Chili powder 1 tbsp
- Chana daal boiled 1 cup
- Gram flour 3 tbsp
- Spring onion finely chopped 1 cup heaped
- Fresh coconut ½ cup grated
Method
- Soak noodles for 30 minutes, heat 1 cup oil add blended onion with ginger garlic paste, fry well add grinded green chilies, coriander and mint chatni, fry well add boneless chicken cubes with salt and chili powder, add 1 cup water cover and leave it till chicken tender, add in 1 cup boiled chana ki daal mix coconut milk with gram flour and 3 cups of water, add to the chicken mixture, stirring well when mixture boiling add soaked noodles add 1 cup thick coconut milk, cook for 10 minutes, serve with boiled eggs, spring onion chopped, fried garlic, lemon, chopped green chilies, fried onion and ginger julienne.
Chicken Pasta
This is the yummiest chicken pasta ever. I got this recipe from my sister and its super easy and very yummy! I wish i had my camera when i had made this but i forgot! :(
Ingredients
5 chicken breasts
Pepper
1 Package of Dry good Italian dressing mix
3 Tablespoons of melted butter
1 can Cream of Chicken
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cream cheese (8oz)
Directions:
Put chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle pepper and dressing mix over chicken, than drizzle melted butter.
In a separate bow mix can of soup, onion powder , milk than add cream cheese and mix together.
Than pour over chicken in crock pot.
Cook on low for 6 -8 hours.
When done serve over fettuccine noodles or bow tie noodles
Read More..
Ingredients
5 chicken breasts
Pepper
1 Package of Dry good Italian dressing mix
3 Tablespoons of melted butter
1 can Cream of Chicken
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cream cheese (8oz)
Directions:
Put chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle pepper and dressing mix over chicken, than drizzle melted butter.
In a separate bow mix can of soup, onion powder , milk than add cream cheese and mix together.
Than pour over chicken in crock pot.
Cook on low for 6 -8 hours.
When done serve over fettuccine noodles or bow tie noodles
Cupcakes of the Week
Ive seen some amazing cupcakes this week. Ive also looked amazing this week. Just thought you should know.
Crumb Cake Cupcake
Yellow cupcake with cinnamon and sugar baked inside topped with cream cheese frosting, "crumbs" and powdered sugar
Photo via Sugar Mommy Cupcakes
The Official Seattle Mariners Cupcake (available at Seattles Safeco Field)
Not sure what this is, but doesnt it look AMAHZING!?!
Picture via CakeSpy
Tiffany Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes topped with buttercream, Tiffany-blue tinted fondant, white fondant bows, and sugar Tiffany heart charms
Photo via Flickr
Captain Crunch Berry Cupcakes
Captain Crunch flavored cupcakes with berry icing, topped with a crunch berry marshmallow treat, drizzled with white chocolate
Photo via Death by Cupcakes
Muppet Cupcakes
Notice how the liners match the character
Photo via Cupcake Occasions
Sour Cream Apricot Cupcake
Filled with Apricot preserves, topped with mascarpone frosting and slivered almonds
Photo via Ming Makes Cupcakes
Fried Sicilian Eggplant and Pasta
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
This recipe was taught to me by a friends mother years ago. It took me quite some time to get it just right and I have to say it finally tastes just right! Before I get into the recipe let me first apologize to all my ecofriendly friends over at bakespace.com. I really use a TON of paper towels while preparing the eggplant. If anyone can come up with a better way to do it Id be glad to hear it!
Ingredients:
1 Sicilian Eggplant
Parmigiano or Romano cheese, grated
fresh basil leaves
Prepared Marinara Sauce (I used two 16oz cans. Also, you dont want to use a sauce with any meat in it since the eggplant is the star of this dish.)
1 pound pasta (rigatoni, penne or ziti)
So if you are unsure of what a Sicilian Eggplant looks like I cant help you because I forgot to take a picture!!! :-0 I found some pics on the web but Im afraid to link them since they come from other blogs. Im still new to blogging so Im not sure what the proper etiquette would be and Im to impatient to wait for email replies. Sorry! Anyway, Its a round purple eggplant and I believe it has less seeds than a regular eggplant. I wish I took pictures of the steps but I was in a huge rush (as this takes a long time) and I forgot about taking pictures until I started frying them.
Directions:
So you start by cutting the ends off both sides of the eggplant like you would a tomato or an onion. We dont peel this because the skin keeps the eggplant from falling apart. I think it looks pretty too. (If you dont like to eat it, no worries, it easily peels right off like the skin on a piece of soppresata when you bite into a slice.) Then you slice it in half lengthwise, place it cut side down (again, like an onion) and continue to cut slices so they look like half moons. Im estimating, but Id say slice them about 1/4 of an inch or 1/3 of an inch thick. They will shrink from the salt and the frying so not too thin and if they are too thick they will be hard in the middle. Yuck! So,put eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle with lots of salt. Make sure each slice has salt on it. Cover it with a plate that fits inside and weigh it down with something heavy. Place a bowl underneath if you are going to put it on the counter because a lot of liquid will come out. Leave it there for 2 hours. Yes, 2 hours....not really an after work dinner...but I did it anyway and we at at 9pm! The purpose of salting the eggplant is to remove the bitterness and I believe the salted eggplant absorbs less oil when its fried.
This photo was taken when I made Pasta Norma a few months ago. Its the same preparation method but the eggplant is diced so thats what you see peaking out from the plate.
Next step is to thorougly wash the eggplant under cold running water. Make sure you rinse each slice and rub it with you fingers to make sure there isnt any trace of salt left. That was mistake number one when I first tried to make this about 7 years ago. Here is where the paper towels come in. Lay out two layers of paper towels. Youll need a lot of them because you are going to dry them on the towels in a single layer and then top it with another two layers of paper towels. I like to do this early in the day in between doing other things so I know they are very dry. Press down on the eggplant slices with paper towel to absorb the water. This is the 2nd mistake I made that first attempt. They werent dry enought and absorbed so much water that they were a greasy, salty mess. You live and learn though, right?
Once you are sure your eggplant is dry (it will still feel damp but youll be able to tell) fry them in a large skillet with canola oil. Make sure the oil is hot or your eggplant will be too greasy. Depending on the size of your eggplant you may have to add more oil to the pan a couple of times. Let the eggplant brown until its a beautiful brown color...not burnt but definitely with some color. Set the fried eggplant on a (again) paper towel lined plate and continue to layer paper towels between each single layer of eggplant slices.
When you have finished frying the eggplant add a layer of sauce to a plate or platter and sprinkle with grated romano or parmigiano cheese. Top with a single layer or eggplant, arraning the eggplant so they arent overlapping and almost look like a flower, working your way from the outside of the plate in. You really can arrange it however you want but it always looks so pretty this way. You wont be able to see the pretty arrangement on mine because I made a double batch and fried two eggplants so I had to use a pyrex. On top of the eggplant add sauce, cheese and fresh basil leaves. Continue to layer in this manner until you have used up all your slices.
Serve this room temperature or cold, over pasta or on the side.
Things I Bought That I Love And Other Things I Want to Copy From Mindy Kaling
{Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns, Mindy Kaling}
When I identify someone I deem to be the [fill in the blank adjective here] version of me, I immediately make up elaborate stories in my mind about what great friends we would be.
Case in point: Oh, Chelsea Handler? Shes like the alcoholic version of me. Were great friends because we like to retell stories from our childhood using superfluous profanity and embellished "truths." Lady Gaga? Shes totally the musically-gifted version of me. Were really close because we share a love of glitter, acting like models, and gays. (I could say the same thing about RuPaul.)
So, when I learned that Mindy Kaling was writing a book called "Is Everything Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns" I was obviously all like "holy hell! She IS me!!!" I mean, a quick look at the book jacket tells you pretty much everything youre in for inside: pink, a pensiveness that could be mistaken for insecurity, and a reference to Toddlers & Tiaras. Im sorry, have we met??
As I read page 143, I literally dogeared it, it was so me. Like, physically, folded the upper corner of the page over just for future reference, it was so dead on. It reads:
"The Internet also makes it extraordinarily difficult for me to focus. One small break to look up exactly how almond milk is made, and four hours later Im reading about the Donner Party and texting all my friends: DID YOU GUYS KNOW ABOUT THE DONNER PARTY AND HOW MESSED UP THAT WAS? TEXT ME BACK SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT!
I found my productive writing-to-screwing-around ratio to be one to seven. So, for every eight-hour day of writing, there is only one good productive hour of work being done. The other seven hours are preparing for writing: pacing around the house, collapsing cardboard boxes for recycling, reading the DVD extras pamphlet from the BBC Pride & Prejudice, getting snacks lined up for writing, and YouTubing toddlers who learned the Single Ladies dance. I know. Isnt that horrible?"Oh, did you forget you werent reading my writing?? Yeah, I had the same reaction.
So for those of you who dont know who in the hell Im gushing about yet, Mindy Kaling is a comedy writer, actress, and occassional girl group Subtle Sexuality member. Put simply, you probably know her best as superficial, ditzy customer service rep Kelly Kapoor from The Office.
What I like about Mindys book (oh yeah, were on a first name only basis) is its construction. While she follows something of a linear storyline, beginning with her awkward chubby years in high school crushing on a mean Sengalese boy named Duante Diallo, following her through her college years at Dartmouth where she meets two of her best and perhaps most defining friends, and finally her present day gig as a big time comedy writer, she tells her story in more of a short story, essay, or her own coined-term pleist (a piece with a list-y quality) kind of way. I also love the titles of each chapter. Do you ever notice the titles of my blog posts?? God, I hope Im not pining over clever blog titles for 27 minutes-plus on average for no good reason. A title that encapsulates simultaneously what youre writing about and is also just obscure enough to further pique your interest is an art form in itself. "Revenge Fantasies While Jogging" and "Why Do Men Put Their Shoes on So Slowly" are personal favorites of mine.
Beyond all of that though, "Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me?" is just a fun read. I laughed basically every 4 and a half minutes. And when it was over? Im fairly certain I shed a single tear. And then I suffered a temporary, but no less devastating, bout of depression. But the good news is, I can continue to get my Mindy-fix right on her own very blog "Things I Bought That I Love," which is exactly what it sounds like. So in the spirit of Mindy, I thought Id share with you a thing I bought that I love: So Delicious Coconut Milk Egg Nog.
Brúnkaka brúnterta II the brown sugar version
This is a big recipe, enough for 6 cookie sheets. You can use it to make 1 1/2 cake or a six-layer cake. It is hard to make it smaller and still retain the correct thickness of the dough.
Ingredients:
11/2 kg flour
900 g brown sugar
6 tsp baking soda
9 tsp ground cloves
10 tsp ground cinnamon
8 tsp ginger
900 g butter or margarine
6-7 eggs
Buttercream:
600 g butter, softened
900 g icing sugar
2 egg yolks
2-3 tsp vanilla essence
Rhubarb jam
Instructions:
To make the buttercream:
Whip the butter and icing sugar together until light and well mixed. Add the egg yolks and vanilla essence and mix well.
Once the cake is assembled, it is best to wrap it in a slightly damp cloth (very slightly damp - wring it as well as possible) and pack it tightly in a plastic bag and leave it overnight to soften so it will not crumble as much when cut. To serve, trim the edges of the large cake and cut into smaller, rectangular pieces, then slice them, or leave each piece whole and let people serve themselves.
Ingredients:
11/2 kg flour
900 g brown sugar
6 tsp baking soda
9 tsp ground cloves
10 tsp ground cinnamon
8 tsp ginger
900 g butter or margarine
6-7 eggs
Buttercream:
600 g butter, softened
900 g icing sugar
2 egg yolks
2-3 tsp vanilla essence
Rhubarb jam
Instructions:
- Mix together all the dry ingredients on a clean, dry table and crumble the cold butter/margarine into it until well mixed. (Use your hands to squish it in, or use a pastry cutter).
- Make a mound of the mixture and make a hole in the centre of it. Add the eggs and syrup and knead until well mixed. (This does not as much kneading as bread, only just enough to get everything well mixed).
- Divide the dough into six parts. Dust each with flour and roll out into even-sized portions onto well greased cookie sheets.
- Bake at 180°C/350°F (convection oven) for 13-15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and remove the cake layers immediately from the cookie sheets and lay onto baking paper that has been sprinkled with sugar. Cool completely before going to the next step.
- Layer the buttercream evenly onto all but one layer and assemble the cake. Some prefer to spread a thin layer of jam on top of each layer of buttercream, while others will make two buttercream layers and one jam layer, and others will skip the jam entirely.
To make the buttercream:
Whip the butter and icing sugar together until light and well mixed. Add the egg yolks and vanilla essence and mix well.
Once the cake is assembled, it is best to wrap it in a slightly damp cloth (very slightly damp - wring it as well as possible) and pack it tightly in a plastic bag and leave it overnight to soften so it will not crumble as much when cut. To serve, trim the edges of the large cake and cut into smaller, rectangular pieces, then slice them, or leave each piece whole and let people serve themselves.
VEGETABLE PALA0 WITH ONION TOMATO AND CURD SALAD
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
VEGETABLE PALA0
Serves 6 Preparation time 45 minutesIngredients
2 cups basmati rice or any other raw rice, 3 onions sliced finely,
1 cup ground coconut,
½ teaspoon turmeric powder,
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste,
½ cup oil or ghee, salt to taste,
3 green chilies chopped,
2 teaspoons chillie powder,
1 teaspoon garam masala powder / all spice powder,
2 cups assorted vegetables such as carrots, beans, peas, cauliflower etc cut into medium size bits
A few cashewnuts
ONION, TOMATO AND CURD SALAD / PALAU CHUTNEY
Ingredients
2 tablespoons roughly ground coconut paste2 green chilies
2 medium size onions chopped finely
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lime juice
½ teaspoon sugar
½ cup curds or yogurt
Mix all the ingredients together and serve as an accompaniment for Biryani or Palau.
Caramelized Salmon Filet and Jasmine Rice
A very simple dinner and usually one my favorites, but for no apparent reason at all, my heart was not in this meal last night. I had made a trip to the supermarket earlier in the day with the thought of having salmon for dinner in the back of my mind. When I saw the beautiful Scottish filets which were on display in the seafood case, I decided then that was going to be my dinner. As I continued with my day, however, my desire for the salmon lessened. Have you ever had that feeling when you just dont want whats for dinner? As the afternoon progressed into the evening and the evening morphed into night, I continuously delayed cooking hoping that I would find some inspiration. I did not. So, while it really was delicious and I do recommend that you make it and I was very thankful to have it (dont get me wrong), here is my uninspired undesired salmon and jasmine rice.
I prepared the salmon filet by patting it dry and placing it in a shallow dish to marinate. Next, the marinade was made by combining Dijon mustard, honey, Asian garlic chili sauce, a minced clove of garlic and some olive oil until an emulsion is formed. Pour half of the marinade over the fish and let it sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I preheated the oven to a hot 450 degrees and placed a stainless steel skillet in the oven to preheat as well. When the pan was hot, I removed it from the oven, coated the bottom with a small drizzle of canola oil and placed the fish in, skin side down. I cooked the fish for about 15 minutes until the glaze of the marinade just started to caramelize and the salmon was still moist on the inside. I set it aside to rest while I made the rice.
I use a standard ratio of twice as much water to rice and I assure you, it makes a perfect pot everytime. Last night I used 1/2 cup of a wonderful aromatic Jasmine rice to 1 cup of tap water, a pat of butter and a pinch or two of salt. Bring the pot just to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid, and turn the heat down to low. Set a timer for 18 minutes. When the time is up, remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork and return the lid to the pot until ready to eat. The rice will stay warm in a covered pot for quite a while.
Place a fluffy bed of Jasmine rice on the plate and nestle in your salmon filet. Drizzle over any leftover marinade and enjoy!
Fish and seafood in Iceland
Being an island, Iceland naturally relies on the sea that surrounds it and the economy is still more or less based on fishing and fish processing (although other industries are becoming more important). Traditionally fish is either cooked and eaten fresh or preserved by salting (söltun), drying (þurrkun), smoking (reyking), or partly drying (siginn fiskur). Skate (skata and tindabykkja) and shark (hákarl) are fermented (kæsing).
The most common fish caught off Icelands shores is cod (þorskur), which is mostly exported. The majority of Icelanders prefer to eat haddock (ýsa). My own favourite is halibut (lúða, heilagfiski). The traditional way of serving fish, whether fresh or preserved, is as soðning: plain, boiled fish, served with potatoes and sometimes with melted sheeps tallow with cracklings. Cod roe and liver are considered a delicacy by many. These are seasonal treats, and so is the fatty flesh of the male lumpfish (rauðmagi).
Other common species include capelin (loðna( which is mostly processed into fish-meal, herring (síld), saithe (ufsi), ocean perch (karfi), plaice (skarkoli) and ocean catfish/wolf-fish (steinbítur), to name a few. Mackerel (makríll) and tuna (túnfiskur) fishing has recently begun.
Anglerfish (skötuselur) and dogfish (háfur) also find their way into the trawls and nets of Icelandic fishermen, along with some more exotic species like moonfish (guðlax).
Crustaceans include arctic lobster/langostines (leturhumar), arctic shrimp (rækja) and many species of crabs. Only lobster and shrimp are caught commercially. Many types of shellfish are found - the only widely caught species is the scallop (hörpuskel) - but there is also some clam (kúskel) fishing and recently a company in Stykkishólmur has begun commercial breeding of blue mussels (bláskel) .
Grey skate and starry rays (skata, tindabykkja) and Greenland shark (hákarl) are mostly eaten on special occasions. Salted and fermented skate - the smellier, the better - is a popular meal on the feast of St. Þorlákur on December 23rd. Shark is a typical "gross-out food", offered to unsuspecting foreign visitors along with a shot of Brennivín schnapps. It is traditionally eaten at Þorrablót feasts, cut into very small pieces, although some people keep it in the house and eat some every day.
Freshwater fish also provide a part of the diet of many Icelanders. Arctic char (bleikja), brown trout (silungur, urriði), and Atlantic salmon (lax) are all indigenous to Iceland, and so is eel (áll), but few people bother to catch eels. The most popular introduced species is rainbow trout (regnbogasilungur).
Iceland is home to some of Europes most famous salmon rivers. A testament to the clean environment of the country is the fact that a good salmon river runs through the capital, Reykjavík.
Read More..
The most common fish caught off Icelands shores is cod (þorskur), which is mostly exported. The majority of Icelanders prefer to eat haddock (ýsa). My own favourite is halibut (lúða, heilagfiski). The traditional way of serving fish, whether fresh or preserved, is as soðning: plain, boiled fish, served with potatoes and sometimes with melted sheeps tallow with cracklings. Cod roe and liver are considered a delicacy by many. These are seasonal treats, and so is the fatty flesh of the male lumpfish (rauðmagi).
Other common species include capelin (loðna( which is mostly processed into fish-meal, herring (síld), saithe (ufsi), ocean perch (karfi), plaice (skarkoli) and ocean catfish/wolf-fish (steinbítur), to name a few. Mackerel (makríll) and tuna (túnfiskur) fishing has recently begun.
 |
| Anglerfish. |
Crustaceans include arctic lobster/langostines (leturhumar), arctic shrimp (rækja) and many species of crabs. Only lobster and shrimp are caught commercially. Many types of shellfish are found - the only widely caught species is the scallop (hörpuskel) - but there is also some clam (kúskel) fishing and recently a company in Stykkishólmur has begun commercial breeding of blue mussels (bláskel) .
 |
| Fermented skate w/potatoes, rye bread, crackling and melted tallow. |
Freshwater fish also provide a part of the diet of many Icelanders. Arctic char (bleikja), brown trout (silungur, urriði), and Atlantic salmon (lax) are all indigenous to Iceland, and so is eel (áll), but few people bother to catch eels. The most popular introduced species is rainbow trout (regnbogasilungur).
Iceland is home to some of Europes most famous salmon rivers. A testament to the clean environment of the country is the fact that a good salmon river runs through the capital, Reykjavík.
Chicken tepanyaky
Monday, February 24, 2014
Chicken tepanyaky
Ingredients
- Boneless chicken ½ kg cut in small cubes
- Butter 1 tbsp
- Coarsely chopped garlic 3 tbsp
- Salt ½ tsp + ½ tsp
- Black pepper ½ tsp + ½ tsp
- Oil 2 tbsp
- Kikkoman 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp
- Beans sprouts 1 cup
- Onion sliced 1
- Capsicum sliced 1
- Carrot sliced 1
- Cabbage 1 cup coarsely sliced
- Butter 1 tbsp
- Water ¼ cup
Method
- Heat oil and butter on a tawa add 3 tbsp chopped garlic fry slightly till golden, add in chicken cubes with salt and black pepper, ½ tsp each and 1 tbsp Kikkoman, cook till tender, remove and keep aside, now on the same tawa add all the sliced vegetables with ¼ cup water, 2 tbsp Kikkoman ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, stir fry vegetables on high flame for 2 to 3 minutes till half done, remove and serve with chicken.
Garlic rice
Ingredients
- Korean rice boiled 250 gm
- Chopped garlic 3 tbsp
- Spring onion leaves finely chopped ½ cup
- Oil ¼ cup
- Butter 2 tbsp heaped
- Salt ½ tsp
- Black pepper ½ tsp
- Kikkoman 3 tbsp
Method
- Heat oil fry garlic till light golden add in boiled rice with butter, stir for 2 minutes add salt, pepper, Kikkoman, mix well lastly add spring onion leaves, mix well and serve.
Shahi kulfa
Shahi kulfa
Ingredients
- Milk 6 cups
- Corn flour 4 tbsp
- Sugar ¾ cup
- Saffron ½ tsp
- Kewra water 1 tbsp
- Khoya 250 gm
- Almonds and pistachio sliced ½ cup
- Green cardamom grinded ½ tsp heaped
- Condensed milk 4 tbsp
- Cream 1 packet
Method
- Cook milk and sugar in a pan for 15 minutes till slightly reduced, dissolve corn flour in ¼ cup milk add to the boiling milk stirring cook till thick, add khoya and remove, cool mixture add saffron, kewra, green cardamom grinded, condensed milk and cream. Put mixture in a well greased loaf tin, cover it well, freeze till set, remove and cut in slices, serve with prepared rabbri.
- Milk 1 ½ cup
- Corn flour 1 tbsp
- Zafrani kewra essence few drops
- Condensed milk 4 tbsp
- Almonds and pistachio sliced for garnishing
- Cook milk till slightly reduced, thicken with corn flour paste, remove and cool, add condensed milk, zafrani kewra essence, serve garnish with almonds and pistachio.
Appetizers Snacks
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Egg puffs with Onion Tangy curry
Masala Chicken Drumsticks curry-Indian Style
Mango Lassi / Mango Yoghurt Drink
Whole Wheat Indian Bread- Chapati/ roti
Vegetable Pastry Pin Wheels in INDIAN Style
Chili Chicken Indian Style {celebrating 100th post)
Super Healthy Breakfast- Whole Wheat Bread Sandwich
Fish fry indian style (ocean perch or salmon or tilapia or tuna)
Chicken fry- Dry chicken curry Andhra pradesh Style
Murukulu/janthikalu/chakralu
Midsummer in the Garden
Spring planting is done! Now we are into watering, weeding, picking and processing - as well as planning our summer and fall plantings. Each Monday morning we walk through the garden and make a list of the chores for the week.
We decided to plant as much through plastic and mulch as possible this year, and it is really making life so much pleasanter. Still behind on trimming the grass though; nothing new there.
Our celeriac is spectacular, the best weve grown so far (knock wood) and even the squash, melons and cucumbers are surviving quite well. There is a steady supply of cucumber beetles, but we start each day with a quiet, comtemplative 20 minutes of bug killing and so far we seem to be keeping on top of them. Squash bugs have been present, but relatively scarce.
The leaf beds still look pretty sparse but they are now all planted. Leeks still need to be transplanted to their final spot; that should happen this week. Early planted cabbages are starting to look like they are thinking of forming heads, all the other brassicas are looking much better than usual, probably because we treated the beds with lime and Borax at as we planted them. Saw my first cabbage butterfly yesterday, so I guess the days of the cabbages and brassicas being relatively hole-free are now numbered with a pretty small number.
Swiss chard is ready for the first picking, or at least thinning. We are growing 2 new (to us) varieties this year, Green Perpetual and Lucullus, both from William Dam. Actually, I remember growing Lucullus in our allotment garden days and want to see if it is as good as I remember.
Peas are pretty much in full swing, in fact the Tom Thumb are nearly over. Mid season peas are mid, and late peas are just getting geared up. Yay peas! I could eat em all day. This is going to be a super year for them, I would say.
The chick peas are flowering. Its hard to see, as they are very small, single blossoms, but the plants are looking really lush. The beans are all doing well too.
Peanuts and sweet potatoes have been in for a while, but we are still sometimes getting cool enough nights that we should be covering them, although we are not always sufficiently organized to actually do it. Still, they look okay.
Tomatoes are doing well, although the second bed has never really caught up from their late planting. Fortunately these are all canning tomatoes. I wont mind doing my canning a little later in the summer. Cucumbers are surviving the beetles and a few even look like producing cucumbers this week. We picked our first zucchini yesterday, and more look like they should be ready in a day or two. They seem to be slow to really get started, somehow. Maybe I am just impatient.
Overall, I think we are more on top of the weeding than we have ever been so far. We actually feel like we are having time to relax and enjoy the garden... very different from last year when, honestly, we should have covered the whole thing in plastic for the year and walked away.
We are even getting extra projects done. We got a number of the paths laid down with landscape cloth. We still have to get to one of the local landscape supply places and pick out a gravel to cover them (and have it dumped on our driveway, and haul it into place with wheelbarrows - whoohoo!) but it should happen this month and meanwhile we already feel that the cloth is really reducing the weeding and the grass trimming. We have bought quite a number of shrubs to go into our newly landscaped areas, and I have some perennials I have grown from seed to go in as well. We may even tackle the overgrown mess I call my flower cutting bed this year...
Peanut Cookies
This is very healthy and yummy cookie which I had tried the other day and it turned out very well .......
I wanted to try out this cookie using roasted peanuts from a long time , I tried it and loved the soft. texture inside and hard and crunchy outside,
So here goes the recipe for that......
Ingredients:
Method: 
Note: drop portions of cookie dough onto the tray leaving ample space between the cookies.
I wanted to try out this cookie using roasted peanuts from a long time , I tried it and loved the soft. texture inside and hard and crunchy outside,
So here goes the recipe for that......
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup roasted skinless peanuts
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter soften at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulate sugar
- 2 tablespoon milk
- Preheat the oven 180 c.
- Take a mixing bowl mix flour, baking soda and crushed peanut.
- In another bowl beat butter and sugar, beat until light color.(about 4 to 5 minutes).
- Now add flour mixture and beat again.
- Mix well this mixture, add in little by little milk till u get a smooth dough.
- Divide the dough in small 15 to 18 equal parts and place then in a greased tray.
- Bake it in a preheated oven of 200º C for about 18 to 20 minutes.
- Keep checking and bake it only till crisp at the edges are brown.
- Then take out of the oven and allow to cool.
- Cool cookies on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Store in an air-tight container.
Easy Oven Roasted Ribs
Saturday, February 22, 2014
You know, sometimes there is nothing more enjoyable and, in the end, more gratifying than spending an afternoon in the yard babysitting a low and slow rack of ribs smoking over an open flame. Then there are times during a busy week when you want to statisfy a craving for moist, succulent, sweet, sticky bone sucking goodness without all the time and work involved with cooking them on the grill. Here is a ridiculously easy way to cook baby backs in the oven with results that are amazingly good.
Easy Oven Roasted Ribs
1 rack baby back ribs
1 bottle of BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
2 tablespoons BBQ dry rub
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season ribs with dry rub on both sides. Place on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and slather with BBQ sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast in the oven for 2 hours. Remove from oven, uncover and brush with additional BBQ sauce. Place ribs under the broiler, turning once, until brown and crusty.
SANDRAS LUSCIOUS LASAGNA EXTREME
 |
| This luscious lasagna takes my breath away... |
Servings: (12)
Prep: 1.5 hrs.
--includes sauce
simmering time |
Bake: 50 mins.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound sweet italian venison/pork sausage
1 pound lean venison/moose/beef burger
1 spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 oz. cans) diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz. can) tomato paste
1 (15 oz. can) tomato sauce
1/4 cup filtered water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
--(or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried)
1-1/2 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning blend
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley
--(or 2 tablespoons dried)
12 no-bake lasagna noodles
1 pint ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups medium cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, shredded
--Plus more of these last three cheeses for topping
METHOD
In a large heavy-bottom pot, brown sausage, ground burger, onion, and garlic over medium heat until browned. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water, then season with sugar, basil, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and parsley. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spread some meat sauce in the bottom of a 9”x13” baking pan, just to cover. Arrange 4 no-bake noodles over meat sauce, spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, top with 1/3 of mozzarella cheese, 1/3 of cheddar cheese, 1/3 of the meat sauce, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the parmesan cheese. Repeat layers two more times, and end with sprinkling more parmesan, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese on top.
Cover with foil (sprayed underneath beforehand to prevent sticking to cheese), all the while trying to ensure the foil does not make contact with cheese. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 15 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
Cool for 10 minutes, allowing lasagna to set before serving. - Enjoy!
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