Nordic Style Baked Salmon

Last night (29th June) we had some very special guest round our house. Sister Gasser and her parents. This sister has been a big help to our family over the last several months she has been in Oulu, so as a thank you, we decided to cook for her and her family a really nice Nordic style dinner. This oven baked salmon is a perfect example of Nordic food, simple and tasty.

This will serve 6 people:-

1,4kg Salmon side (You want around 150-200g per person)
2 tbsp Coarse sea salt
2 tbsp fresh cracked pepper
2 tbsp Dill
Juice of one lemon
4 tbsp of olive oil

Take your Salmon and go along the middle bit and check for bones. If there is any take them out with some tweezers. Once cleaned put your salmon inside some baking paper and add the sea salt, pepper, dill, lemon and olive oil, rub into the salmon and put in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat your oven to 200oC.

Take your fish out of the fridge and wrap the baking paper around it, then cover it in tin foil. Place on an oven tray/dish and put into the oven.

After 30 minutes open up your parcel and return back to oven for 15 minutes.

Take out of oven and serve. It is that simple.

Billionaires' Shortbread

In the UK, Caramel Shortbread is a favoured confectionery. However not many people know that it actually originated in Australian in around the 70's. I love the stuff, have fond memories of getting a small square from the local bakery in my town of upbringing. Over the years I have experimented with the recipe and tweaked it.

About 12 months ago I told my wife about Millionaires' shortbread and she asked could I do it with white chocolate so she could take it to her workplace. I thought i'd give it a go. It went down a treat, the creamy white chocolate made this rich biscuit even richer. I decided to name these adaptations Billionaries' shortbread on account that White Gold is worth more than yellow gold.

So Tuesday just gone we had a Professor of the Philosophy of Religion come over to our house, accompanied by the missionary Sisters. I had met this learned guy before, he wasn't interested in joining the Church but wanted to know more about our Church and what made us different from other faiths. So for the snack I was originally going to make just some normal, boring biscuits until my wife asked could I do the white chocolate caramel shortbread. They went down a storm, so much so that I didn't have many left.

So to make a 33cm * 25cm tray you will need:-

2 cups of flour (225g)
175g butter (not marg)
75g/5 tbsp caster sugar

150g butter (not marg)
1 tin (379g) condensed milk
100ml golden syrup

260g white chocolate

First preheat your oven to 150oc and greaseproof your tray.

Put the flour, 175g butter and the sugar into a food processor and blitz until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. If no food processor then rub with your fingers. Put the mixture into your tray and even out and press flat using a spoon (you can use your hands too), then put in oven for 30 minutes (or until a light golden brown).

Pour your milk, butter and syrup into a pan and slowly heat until all the butter is melted. Then bring to boil. Make sure you stir frequently otherwise you will burn the caramel, I use a silicon spatula for this. Keep stirring until it gets thicker and turns a nice golden colour (about 15/25mins). Put aside and leave to cool for 10/15 mins. Do the same with your shortbread.

Once both have cooled a little pour the caramel on top and spread evenly. Leave to cool completely.

Then melt your white chocolate using a Ban Marie (a pan with boiling water over heat and another pan/bowl on top of it). Then pour over the caramel and smooth out. Then leave to cool and harden, then cut them to your desired shape.

ANZAC Biscuits

Today (April 25th) is known as ANZAC in Australia and New Zealand, as well as many areas of the British Commonwealth. It was originally the day of memorial for members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (more commonly known as ANZAC) who fought during the disastrous Gallipoli Campagin, which started on April 25th 1915 and ended in January 9th 1916 and saw over 35,000 of them dead or wounded. Today the day is for the memorial of servicemen of both countries "who died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served".

Tradition has it that the wives and daughters of ANZAC troops produced these tasty, simple and long lasting biscuits so their husbands and fathers could have something tasty and they would survive the long naval voyage that post had to go through back then.

I have a real like for these biscuits, they are super tasty and can be made up in large batches and then eaten at your leisure. I also remember having them at primary school on ANZAC day, as well as my Nana making them (some of our relatives are Australian).

So in honour of ANZAC day, here is my recipe for ANZAC biscuits. They have been tried and tested by a real life Aussie (Sister Francis) who was serving a Mission in Oulu last year at the time of ANZAC day and she gave them a pass.

This will be enough to make around 8:-

1cup/80g Rolled Oats (Porriage oats)
3/4 cups/ 55g dessicated coconut
1cup/ 125g plain flour
1cup/ 200g caster sugar
1/2 cup/ 155g butter
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp boiling water

To start preheat your oven to 175oC. Then get a large mixing bowl and mix together the oats, sugar and coconut. Then in a small pan on a low heat combined the syrup and butter, make sure the heat is low otherwise the syrup will burn. Once melted, add the bicarb of soda and water to the syrup/butter mix.
Now add the syrup/butter mix to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Then you want to put a tablespoon of the mixture onto a greaseproof papered baking tray, repeat until the tray is full, make sure you leave some room for expansion. Bake for 15-25 minutes. Take out when done and leave to cool down 10-15 minutes at least before tasting.

In Australia there is a big divide on whether they should be hard and crunchy or soft and chewy. You can decide on how you want them by the cooking time. 15 minutes is ideal for soft and chewy while 25 is the maximum for hard and crunchy.

Beef and Sweet Potato Curry with Cinnamon and Cardamom Scented Rice

I love a good curry, who doesn't? I have cooked many curries throughout my career as a chef, normally though they were Korma, Madras and Tikka. This time I decided to try something a little different, a contrast of spice with some sweetness. The Cinnamon and Cardamom Scented Rice was inspired by several similar recipes online.

You'll find this curry very simple, doesn't require a lot of effort but is packed full of flavour.

This makes enough for four people:-

600g Stewing Beef
200g sweet potato, diced
1 onion, thinly sliced
5g fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2tsp chilli powder
2tsp ground coriander
1/4tsp cardamom
1/2tsp turmeric
1/4tsp nutmeg
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
200g yoghurt (I used Turkish)
juice of half a lime
2tsp cornflour with 2tsp water
2tbsp chopped fresh coriander
100ml water
seasoning
some olive oil

Firstly heat up a little olive oil in a cast iron pot (you can also use a normal pot if you want) and brown the meat with the spices and onion. Once meat is browned and the onions are starting to be soft, add the tomatoes, water and seasoning and reduce the heat and cover, cook for about an hour and a half, until the meat starts becoming tender. Add the sweet potato and cook for another 20 minutes. Then add the cornflour, take off the heat and stir in the yoghurt, lime juice and fresh coriander. Taste and correct seasoning if needed.

For the Rice you will need:-

300g long grain rice
fresh coriander
one cinnamon stick
2tsp cardamom
2tsp turmeric
juice of half a lime
seasoning

In a pot  pour in 450ml of water and bring to boil. Then add the Rice, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric and cook until tender. Drain and put in a bowl, stir in the lime and sprinkle some fresh coriander on top.

Enjoy, I hope this meal gives you a little extra spice in your food life. Goes great with Naan Bread.

Carbohydrates

So this week I will look into the other most commonly misunderstood nutritional element, Carbohydrates, also known as Carbs.

hhhhhmmmmm..... delicious carbs.

What is carbohydrates and what does my body use it for?

The main purpose of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body. This helps you keep going throughout the day. It does this by absorbing or producing glucose from the components in the food. The body then goes on to use the glucose straight away or store some for future usage.

There is three main types of carbohydrates

1. sugar
2. starch
3. cellulose

Sugar

Sugar can be broken down into several different kinds:

• glucose: found within the blood of animals, fruits and honey.
• fructose: found within fruits, honey and cane sugar.
• surcose: found in beet and cane sugar.
• lactose: found in milk
• maltose: produced naturally during the germination of grains.

Sugars are the simplest form of carbs and are the end products of the digestion of carbohydrates.  They are mainly used for energy and providing the body heat. 

Starch

Starch is the most common carbohydrate encountered in nutrition. Pure starch is white and used to help thicken sauces, it is tasteless and insoluble in liquid.   They are complex carbohydrates and so always need cooking to help with the digestion process, uncooked starch is not digestible. Most of the staple foods that we eat contain starch; potatoes, grains, vegetables, pastas, rice, pulses and certain fruits. 

Cellulose

Cellulose is more commonly referred to as dietary fibre. It isn't digested but the body uses it for roughage in the intestine. It is recommended that a person eats 14 grams of fibre for every 1,000 calories. Dietary fibre is helpful in preventing constipation, reducing risk of colon cancer, help with weight management, reduction in certain heart problems and help with insulin and glucose control. 

You will find dietary fibre in all the same places as starch.

Carbs and Healthy Diet

It is recommended that for a healthy diet that you aim to get around 55%-75% of your calories from carbs, with only 10% of them coming from sugars. So the best way to get a healthy diet whilst maintaining a good balance of carb intake is by focusing on stables like potatoe, rice, and pastas and bulking them out with vegetables, fruits and pulses. Try and limit your intake of simple sugars but don't eliminate them all together, just be careful. 

Honey glazed Vegetable and Cashew Pasta

This is a super simple, super healthy Pasta dish. The trick is to not cook the vegetables too long and thus keep as much of the nutrients within them. The honey gives it a nice sweetness plus the added benefits of being a great energy provider (Honey contains about 38.5% fructose and 31.0% glucose).

This is what you need to provide this tasty pasta dish to yourself and 3 of your family/friends:-

400g Tagliatelle Pasta (fresh or dried)
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
6 mushrooms, cut into quarters
2 peppers (I used red and yellow)
1 courgette (around 150g)
1 medium red onion, finely diced
50g Cashew nuts
3 tablespoons of honey
handful of parmesan
salt and pepper
handful of chopped parsley
a little butter

Put a pan of lightly salted water on to boil. While you are waiting for this to boil put the butter into a frying pan and heat up, once melted add the garlic, onion, peppers, courgette, red onion and cashew nuts and sauté, you want the vegetables to be al dente .When the water is boiled put your pasta into the water and cook until ready. Drain out and then add to the pan. Toss to combine all the ingredients, add salt and pepper, parmesan and the honey. Serve either on plates or in a bowl for help your self. Sprinkle parsley on top.

It is great with some Italian style breads and is a refreshing, light but filling vegetarian meal that will want you making it time and again as well as experimenting with other vegetables.  

Sesame Seed Prawn Toast

In the UK (as well as other countries) Sesame Prawn Toast is a big hit at the local Chinese Restaurants. It is an adaptation of the old Chinese Dim Sum 'Hatosi'. When I started working for a local Malay and Cantonese Restaurant in my home town, one of the first things I learnt to make was this. It is a very simple appetizer and only takes a few minutes to knock up a large batch. It is great when served with Satay or Sweet Chilli Sauce.

You will need (To make enough for a 4 person starter):- 

300g peeled pre-cooked Prawns
1 egg white
1tsp salt
1 clove garlic
1tbsp corn flour
2 spring onions
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch of chilli powder
8 slices of bread (I like to use wholemeal but it is up to you)
sesame seeds (About two handfuls)
cooking oil, about 2-3 inches deep

Firstly put all the ingredients except the oil, bread and seeds into a food processor and blend until you get a paste. The remove the crusts from the bread and lay them out flat, spoon some of the paste onto each slice, press it down as much as possible. Now put your sesame seeds on a plate and then press the bread, prawn side facing the seeds, onto the seeds then gently lift. Then cut into triangles, I cut them into four mini triangles but you can just make two if you want. 

Gently heat the oil in a pan (Be really care, always have a fire blanket in your kitchens and wear proper clothing, or alternatively use a deep fat fryer). You will know it is hot when you can see a little ripple and the heat, do not let it smoke. Then carefully (DO NOT DROP THEM IN) put the triangles, about 3-4 at a time, into the oil and fry for 30-50 seconds. Take out with a metal slotted spoon and put onto kitchen towel to help the oil come out. 

Put onto a plate and serve immediately. 

How about challenging your friends to see if they can eat them with chopsticks. 

Bon appétit!