Monday 16 December 2013

Chocolate frosting or sauce



One of the most viewed recipes on the blog is my chocolate tray bake and for quite some time I have been meaning to share a chocolate frosting that I now use when serving the cake. I use the same recipe to make a chocolate sauce that I sometimes serve with the meringue tops that I also posted today. When making the sauce I add a bit more water (you can use the sauce on ice cream as well). Just make sure you prepare the frosting/sauce about one hour before serving.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING OR SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, preferable organic/fair-trade
  • 1½ tablespoons organic raw cane sugar
  • 2½ tablespoons agave nectar
  • 3-3½ tablespoons water (4½-5 tbsp = about 75 ml if making chocolate sauce)
  • a small piece organic dark chocolate or milk chocolate (about 20 g)
  • optional: pinch of sea salt, fine

METHOD

  1. Put all the ingredients into a small pan or saucepan
  2. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring gently. Then remove from heat
  3. Pour the chocolate frosting/sauce into a bowl and let it sit for about one hour before serving

Meringue tops (chocolate)

© Lisa Stefan | Books & Latte
Please find the meringue tops (with chocolate and chocolate sauce) recipe on my blog Books & Latte (follow the link).

Thursday 26 September 2013

Sweet potato soup with toasted pumpkin seeds



This sweet potato soup screams autumn. I found it on the website of Sweet Paul and I only made minor changes: I added the choice of using coconut oil instead of olive oil, I used Greek yoghurt instead of heavy cream, and I added the ginger. I haven't tasted it with thyme twigs yet but I'm sure it adds a wonderful flavour. Happy Autumn!

SWEET POTATO SOUP WITH TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • optional: fresh ginger (about the size of a dice)
  • 4 large sweet potatoes
  • 3 large carrots
  • 1½-2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil (2 in original recipe)
  • 2 organic vegetable stock cubes (or chicken)
  • 1 litre (4 cups) water
  • 190 ml (¾ cup) Greek yoghurt (heavy cream in original recipe)
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground chilli
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds and thyme twigs and Greek yoghurt (or heavy cream)

METHOD

  1. Peel and chop the onion, sweet potatoes, carrots, and ginger
  2. In a large saucepan, sauté them briefly the oil
  3. Add the vegetable stock cubes and water and bring to the boil, then lower the heat to low-medium
  4. Cook for around 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender
  5. Using a hand blender, purée the soup. Then add Greek yoghurt (or cream) to thicken it
  6. Stir the soup and bring to the boil
  7. Season with chilli and pepper. Add salt if required
  8. Toast pumpkin seeds in a pan until lightly toasted
  9. Serve soup in bowls garnished with pumpkin seeds, fresh thyme and a drizzle of Greek yoghurt (heavy cream)

Thursday 8 August 2013

Potato and spring onion quiche (veggie pie)



Maybe this recipe should be called potatoes with quiche on the side! There are a few potato lovers in this family that I had in mind when putting it together. In my quiche, you will not find 5 eggs and double cream in the filling, and there isn't a mountain of butter in the pastry, in fact, there is none. There is also no need to plastic wrap the dough or blind-bake the pastry with baking beads before adding the filling. Sounds good, right? If you have been using store-bought pastry so far it is time to say goodbye to those and make your own. It's way easier and simpler than you think. Not to mention healthier. If you like potatoes I hope you will enjoy this quiche; other versions will appear on the blog later.

POTATO AND SPRING ONION QUICHE (VEGGIE PIE)

INGREDIENTS
FILLING

  • 4 large potatoes (ca. 600 g / 1.3 lbs), precooked for 20 minutes
  • 2 eggs
  • 250 g cottage cheese (about 1 cup)
  • 2 teaspoons (organic) mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley or thyme
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 7 cm (2.7 inches) piece of the green part of a bunch of spring onions (scallions), sliced
  • 2 large handfuls (ca. 60 g) salad blend (e.g. endive, radicchio, lettuce) or spinach
  • Topping: 75-100 g (about ¾ cup) of your favourite cheese, grated, and some freshly grated parmesan

PASTRY

  • 1¼ cup spelt flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2½ tablespoons organic vegetable oil
  • 4 tablespoons water

METHOD

  1. Start with precooking the potatoes maybe one hour before preparing the quiche: Cook them for 20 minutes without a lid. Drain the water and allow the potatoes to cool
  2. In a large bowl combine the eggs (you can lightly beat the eggs first if you prefer), cottage cheese, mustard, herbs, salt and the salad blend/spinach
  3. Take your bunch of spring onions and cut a 7 cm (2.7 inches) piece of the green part. Slice rather finely and add to the bowl. Set the bowl aside while preparing the pastry
  4. For the pastry: Sift the spelt flour and sea salt into another bowl. Add the oil and water and mix gently with a spatula. Use your hands to gently knead the mixture in the bowl to get a feel for the texture. If it crumbles then you need a bit more oil; if it's too oily just add some spelt flour. (If you need to add oil, just put a few drops in the palm of your hands and knead the mixture in your hands until the texture feels right)
  5. On a light spelt-floured surface shape the dough into a ball and then roll it out until you have a circle with about 28 cm diameter (11 inches). Use just a touch of oil to grease a pie dish (24 cm / 9.5 inches) and line it with the pastry. Prick the base with a fork in a few places
  6. Peel the potatoes, dice them and add them to the filling. Then pour the filling into the pastry shell, even out and top with the grated cheese
  7. Bake at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 50-55 minutes until the cheese turns golden brown
  8. Let the quiche sit for about 5 minutes before serving

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Mushroom salad



On Saturday I was in a magazine shop leafing through some issues and in the French food magazine Saveurs I came across a mushroom salad with such an appealing photo. I knew it wouldn't leave me alone so I decided to serve it with dinner that evening. I didn't understand every word in the recipe but I took a mental note of the ingredients and here you have my version of it (the proportion in the magazine was much larger as they used 1 kilo of mushrooms). Making the salad couldn't be simpler but keep in mind that the mushrooms need to marinate for two hours. I served the salad with grilled chicken and couscous for dinner and, as my husband phrased it, it was surprisingly delicious in its simplicity. I totally agree.

MUSHROOM SALAD

INGREDIENTS

  • 300 g mushrooms (to save time you can use pre-sliced)
  • 1½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • juice from about ⅓ of a lemon
  • sea salt
  • a handful of freshly chopped coriander

METHOD

  1. Slice the mushrooms (or safe time and buy pre-sliced) and let them marinate in a large bowl with olive oil, lemon juice and some sea salt for two hours. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and if possible, stir occasionally
  2. Before serving add the handful of chopped coriander

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Quinoa pudding with greek yoghurt and strawberries

© Lisa Stefan | Books & Latte
Please find the quinoa pudding recipe on my blog Books & Latte (follow the link).

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Rice with indian spices and sultanas



This rice recipe is very similar to the one I posted recently, called rice with Indian spices. The main difference is that there are no cloves and peppercorns in this side dish. Actually, cloves and peppercorns are parts of the garam masala spice blend but it contains many other ground spices and here we are only using ¼ teaspoon. You can skip the sultanas if you like but I think their natural sweetness and the Indian spices complement each other very well. As I said when I posted the other rice recipe, you can experiment with the spices as you like if your taste buds are calling for something different. If you want the rice saltier then sprinkle some Maldon sea salt on top.

RICE WITH INDIAN SPICES AND SULTANAS

INGREDIENTS

  • 1½ cup (300 g) basmati rice
  • 3 cups (750 ml) boiled water
  • 1 organic vegetable stock cube
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (or ghee)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • pinch of chilli flakes
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • handful of sultanas/golden raisins

METHOD

  1. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water. Let the rice sit in the sieve until needed
  2. Pour the boiled water needed (I boil it in a kettle) into a large glass jug and let the vegetable stock cube dissolve in it while you prepare the spices
  3. Heat the oil in a saucepan (make sure the saucepan is big enough for cooking the rice) on medium heat and add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and chilli flakes. Gently fry the spices until the seeds start to pop. As you are only using two teaspoons of oil, you don't have to move the spices around in the saucepan. Just make sure all the spices and oil are in one place
  4. As soon as the seeds start to pop, add the vegetable stock, rice and the other three spices and stir gently
  5. Increase the heat and keep it on the highest setting until the water starts boiling (takes just a moment), then reduce it to the lowest and cook the rice for about 12-15 minutes. Use a lid but let it tilt slightly to allow the steam to escape
  6. About three minutes before the rice is ready take a handful of sultanas and spread them over the rice without stirring (just stir them into the rice before serving)

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Rice with indian spices



The other day we were having a barbecue - grilled chicken - and my husband asked me if I could make one of my rice dishes to go with it. In the past, I have been making all kinds of versions of rice with spices and/or herbs, so this time I decided to write down the things I threw in for the blog. When we have a barbecue we tend to keep things rather simple. I'm not really keen on heavy sauces with grilled meat or too many side dishes. I'm fine with a simple salad, a couscous salad or rice. Sometimes I just grab the tamari sauce for the rice, but I like using Indian spices to turn a simple meal into something a bit more special. As with all other recipes on the blog, this one is not holy. You can experiment with the spices you like to find your own version if this one doesn't appeal to your taste buds. If you want the rice saltier then sprinkle some Maldon sea salt on top. I recommend removing the cloves and peppercorns before serving.

RICE WITH INDIAN SPICES

INGREDIENTS

  • 1½ cup (300 g) basmati rice
  • 3 cups (750 ml) boiled water
  • 1 organic vegetable stock cube
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (or ghee)
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 4 black peppercorns
  • 3 whole cloves
  • pinch of chilli flakes
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

METHOD

  1. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water. Let the rice sit in the sieve until needed
  2. Pour the boiled water needed (I boil it in a kettle) into a large glass jug and let the vegetable stock cube dissolve in it while you prepare the spices
  3. Heat the oil in a saucepan (make sure the saucepan is big enough for cooking the rice) on medium heat and add all the spices, except the turmeric. Gently fry the spices until the seeds start to pop. As you are only using two teaspoons of oil, you don't have to move the spices around in the saucepan. Just make sure all the spices and oil are in one place
  4. As soon as the seeds start to pop, add the boiled water with the dissolved vegetable stock cube, the rice and turmeric and stir gently
  5. Increase the heat and keep it on the highest setting until the water starts boiling, then reduce it to the lowest and cook the rice for about 12-15 minutes. Use a lid but let it tilt slightly to allow the steam to escape
  6. Before serving the rice it is advisable to remove the cloves and maybe also the peppercorns, especially if you have children at the table

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Pancakes (breakfast)



In my home country Iceland we would not use the word pancakes for this recipe. We call these skonsur, a word that was probably borrowed from the English word scone. Actually, I had been experimenting with Amercian pancakes, as we refer to the thick ones, when this recipe was born. It was on a Sunday morning when I was simply too lazy to whisk egg whites that I looked at the scribble in my notebook and thought to myself that I could probably turn this into skonsur with some minor changes. And I did. We like having these on Sunday mornings. My husband and I eat them with cheese and organic jam but the children tend to grab the pure maple syrup (or agave) for a more sugary taste - and sticky fingers! American readers please note: 1½ cup = 375 ml, so you will need about two tablespoons more if using 400 ml milk.

PANCAKES (BREAKFAST)

INGREDIENTS

  • 325 g spelt flour (2½ cups)
  • 2 tablespoons organic raw cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon agave syrup
  • 2-2½ teaspoons gluten free baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ± 400 ml milk/soy milk
  • 2½ tablespoons coconut oil

METHOD

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients
  2. Make a well in the centre of the flour, break the eggs into it and whisk them lightly
  3. Add the milk slowly and whisk constantly and thoroughly until no lumps remain (I always use 400 ml milk)
  4. Add the agave and coconut oil and combine well (if the coconut oil is solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use)
  5. Using a kitchen paper, smear the pan with a thin layer of oil and set the heat at medium-high (I use setting 6 of 9 for the first two pancakes and then I lower the heat to 5. When I find the surface of the pancakes becoming too dark, I lower the heat again and use setting 4 for the rest of the batter)
  6. Use a ladle to pour the batter into the pan in one go and use the bottom of the ladle to spread the batter evenly. How long it takes to cook depends on the heat and the consistency of the batter. When the surface is completely covered with bubbles it is time to flip the pancake. The other side needs less time to cook and when it is done, transfer it onto a plate. Stack the pancakes to keep them warm (from the batter I get about 12 pancakes)
  7. Serve the pancakes for breakfast with cheese and your favourite organic jam, or bring out the pure maple syrup (or agave), or whatever it is you like on your pancakes

Thursday 28 February 2013

Tomato soup with garlic and thyme



In our house this soup goes under the name Mooney soup, as I first tasted it at a birthday party in my friend Mooney's house, or The Palace, as she refers to her cosy and small flat in the city centre of Reykjavik. The recipe appeared in the food section of some Icelandic morning paper many years ago and I like the simplicity of it. It doesn't take long to prepare the soup so it's perfect on cold days when you don't have much time to cook. This is basically the original recipe but I have added the red lentils, ground coriander and paprika.

TOMATO SOUP WITH GARLIC AND THYME

INGREDIENTS

  • 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes, yeast free
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes (2 x 400 g)
  • 1.2 litres water (about 5 cups)
  • optional: 2 tablespoons red lentils
  • 2 teaspoons thyme
  • ¼-½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • pinch of freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

  1. In the original recipe all the ingredients are put into a saucepan at once but I like to fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil for just a few minutes, until they turn soft
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 30 minutes
  3. If you prefer, purée the soup with a hand blender before serving (you can also use a food processor but then it is advisable to allow the soup to cool first and warm it up before serving)
  4. Serve with home-made bread or garlic bread

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Pancakes (icelandic)



In this house we cannot get enough of pancakes. There was a time when we made them almost every Sunday, and I'm not talking about American pancakes, as we refer to them, that are served for breakfast with syrup. Ours are larger and thinner (smaller than crêpes) and in Iceland they are served with jam and whipped cream - not lemon juice and sugar, as is common in Europe. The kids sometimes use organic or home-made chocolate hazelnut spread instead of jam. Some people like to drizzle them with sugar and roll them up and I remember eating a lot of those when I was a kid. When I look back it was my father that made the pancakes in our home (my mother was the waffle maker) and I also remember sitting in my grandmother's kitchen watching her make pancakes. Happy times! I find it best to use white spelt flour in these. I know that the common method is first setting the heat at highest and then making the pancakes at medium heat but I find it better to start with medium heat and cook the pancakes at medium-low. I guess it depends on what kind of pan you use.

PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS

  • 250 g spelt flour (2 cups)
  • optional: pinch of fine sea salt
  • 2 eggs, free-range
  • 500-550 millilitres milk/soy milk (2 cups = 500 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (from a health food store)
  • 1½-2 tablespoons coconut oil or other quality vegetable oil

METHOD

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder
  2. Make a well in the centre of the flour, break the eggs into it and whisk them lightly
  3. Add the milk slowly and whisk constantly and thoroughly until no lumps remain
  4. Add the vanilla extract and oil and whisk some more until the batter is smooth (the consistency should be like thin cream). If you use coconut oil and it is solid, just place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use
  5. Before I start making the pancakes I use a kitchen paper to smear the pan with oil and then I set the heat at medium. I lower the heat slightly before making the first pancake (from the batter I get 20-25 pancakes)
  6. It is good to do a test pancake just to make sure you are using the correct amount of batter. Use a ladle to pour the batter into the pan in one go and swiftly use the bottom of the ladle to spread the batter evenly. How long it takes to cook depends on the heat. In my case it takes about 40 seconds for the pancake to turn golden on the bottom (use a palette knife/pan turner to lift the edge to see if it is done). Flip the pancake over with a palette knife/pan turner. The other side needs less time to cook and when it is done, transfer it onto a plate. Stack the pancakes to keep them warm
  7. Serve with whipped cream (you can also use soy cream or cashew cream) and your favourite jam. In this house it is usually organic blueberry, red currant or raspberry jam. After you have added the jam and whipped cream, fold the pancake in half, then in half again to form a triangle. You can also drizzle the pancakes with raw cane sugar and roll them up


Wednesday 23 January 2013

Indian tea (chai latte)

© Lisa Stefan | Books & Latte
Please find the Indian tea / chai latte recipe on my blog Books & Latte (follow the link).

Thursday 3 January 2013

mashed sweet potatoes with pecan nuts



Happy New Year! I meant to share this recipe on the blog before the holidays but didn’t find the time to prepare and photograph it especially. I couldn't let another year pass without posting it, so before sitting down to enjoy a turkey meal on New Year's I used the opportunity to snap a photo. We first tasted this delicious side dish at Thanksgiving in Canada in 2009, which we got to celebrate that year for the first time with dear friends in the Icelandic Consulate in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I will never forget that night, what a feast we had! (I brought one side dish, Brussels sprouts, and I had made pecan pies for dessert). Since that night this has been served with our turkey every time because we absolutely love it. The recipe is called Sweet Potatoes Supreme but I don't know anything about its origin. The original recipe calls for 4 cups of mashed sweet potatoes. I use 1200 grams and I have no idea if I'm using more or less, as I have never measured it in cups. I make the mashed sweet potatoes according to the original recipe but I have made considerable changes to the topping, which contained a lot of sugar and butter that needed to be melted. I see no reason to overwhelm the naturally sweet flavour of sweet potatoes with too much sugar; I simply don't get it when they are drowned in sugar or marshmallows or whatever. As I never cook with butter, I threw that out as well. Besides, there is plenty of fat in the pecan nuts.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES WITH PECAN NUTS

INGREDIENTS

MASHED SWEET POTATOES

  • 1200 g sweet potatoes (approx. 2.7 lb)
  • 2 tablespoons milk/soy milk or cream
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika

TOPPING

  • 2 tablespoons agave nectar or pure maple syrup
  • 1½-2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 130-150 g pecan nuts

METHOD

MASHED SWEET POTATOES

  1. Peel the sweet potatoes. Quarter each of them by first cutting it in half and then the two parts in half lengthwise
  2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil (you need just enough water to cover them). Add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender (takes about 20 minutes if each is quartered)
  3. Drain off the water and use a potato masher to mash the sweet potatoes in the saucepan. Add the milk, salt and paprika and combine
  4. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to an oven/serving dish (mine is rounded; diameter 23 cm/9 inches) and use a spatula to even it out

TOPPING

  1. In a small bowl, lightly mix the agave/maple syrup and the coconut oil with a spoon and spread it over the mashed sweet potatoes (if the coconut oil is solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use)
  2. Cover with pecan nuts
  3. Warm in the oven for about 15-20 minutes (I set my oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6) and make sure that you don't burn the pecan nuts

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