Just want to let you know I’m working on my first book which is a collaboration with Anna Brones who invited me into the project about two years ago. It will be an illustrated cookbook, with stories and recipes inspired by both our Swedish roots. The book is scheduled to be published by Ten Speed Press in the Autumn 2014.

So lately both of us have been working extra hard in our separate kitchens (Anna in Paris & Portland and me in Brooklyn & at the countryside of South Sweden) developing recipes, licking pots, sniffing, making notes, sweating and burning our fingers. I’m of course super excited and it’s a great pleasure to be working on this specific book project together with Anna.

I’m also busy with other great project. For example I just finished the drawings for the book Culinary Cyclist and illustrations for the Public Art project, Overlay by Walczak & Heiss, which is in process to be installed at the new14th street corridor in Denver. There are many many other things on my table, but most of them are too early to announce. I will keep you posted.

My next guest here on kokblog is my brother Oskar Kindvall. Oskar is probably one of the biggest gottegris (directly translated to ‘sweet tooth pig’) I know. As long as I can remember he has been very specific with sweet (and savory) things he likes and desire. For birthdays and Christmas he wished for marzipan and olives while I was dreaming of a new barbie doll or drawing equipment (yes that was a passion already then).

Oskar was born in Valencia when my parents lived in Cullera, a small town by the east coast of Spain. This must obviously have had a great impact on his interest in Spanish treats (see below). During a journey we made together in the late 80’s, I remember him carefully mapping out where the best flan was made. He of course returned later to the very best. He also makes excellent paella all year around in his garden. A skill he learned from our mother and father.

From an early age Oskar also developed a huge interest in nature and especially small creatures such as frogs, beetles and later on birds, grasshoppers, bats and butterflies. Like his passion for sweet treats, this interest never stopped. Today he works as an IT Developer, researcher and environmental analysts at ArtDatabanken, Uppsala, Sweden. I’m not surprised that he has become an associate professor of ecology as for me he was a professor long before he reached university.

Xuxos & Churros
by Oskar Kindvall

When traveling in Mediterranean parts of Europe I have adopted a peculiar obsession for fried pastries. My favorites among these delicious pieces of edible art are the donut like creations called Xuxos. These can be found in north eastern Spain and Southernmost parts of France. When made by experienced hands according to the tradition at local bakeries, there is almost nothing that can stop my appetite for them, except for one more of them. The really good ones are quite big, stuffed with tasty vanilla cream, extraordinary greasy and full of sticky sugar all over which make them both a little bit hard to handle and extremely calorie rich. Usually you are quite full after one of them which is so frustrating.

For obvious reasons I have tried to make my own xuxos. However, even if my attempts have been really tasty most of the time, I still have not revealed the secret the experienced traditional bakers possess. I realize that it is time to make a visit behind the scenes of the bakery next time. Especially since the handmade Xuxos have become increasingly hard to find nowadays. In most areas where I used to find good Xuxos almost everywhere in the early 80’s, it seems that they have been totally outcompeted by machine made copies with no magic. It appears to me that the negative trend has been worse in France while really good xuxos still can be found around Barcelona.

Someday I hope to meet someone who can show me how real xuxos should be made. Meanwhile I enjoy baking another fried pastry, called Churros, which is much easier to bake without much experience. Churros can be found almost everywhere in Spain and southern France and very often you can watch the whole baking procedure while waiting for your order. Besides, there are a lot of recipes on the internet. No secrets, not much magic but still very tasty! Most churrerias serve the newly baked churros on a plate together with sugar and chocolate. Personally, I recommend eating them with whipped cream, strawberry jam and a little sugar on top. However, this combination I have never seen at the Spanish churrerias. As a consequence you have to make them yourself to really enjoy their potential.

Introduction to the Swedish Classic: Jansson’s Frestelse
by Anna Brones

Translating Janssons frestelse is always a funny thing. It doesn’t quite have the same ring to it in English. But if anything, this dish sticks true to it’s name: tempted you will be.

Commonly part of the Swedish Christmas table it’s a classic dish that also makes its way onto the menu at Easter. In true Swedish fashion, the gratin-style potato dish is full of cream and butter; there’s no better way to eat potatoes. A traditional dish that’s sure to tempt everyone at the table.

Jansson’s Temptation
serves about 4

8 big potatoes
1-2 yellow onions
about 20 Swedish cured sprats*
1 ¼ cream or half and half
salt (but just if necessary the sprats can be very salty)
handful bread crumbs
butter

Peel the potatoes and cut them in thin strips. Slice the onion thinly. Saute the onion in a little butter until they soften. Layer the potatoes and the onions in a baking dish. Open the tins of anchovies and poor the juice over the potatoes. If you want the anchovies in smaller pieces cut them into halves and divide them over the potatoes. Pour half of the cream over. Sprinkle some bread crumbs and divide small lumps of butter over the dish. Bake in the oven at 440°F (200°C) for about 45 min. Just before it’s finished baking, poor over the rest of the cream.
In Sweden they serve it with beer or milk!

* In Sweden they call this fish type of cured fish ansjovis but its not real anchovies (which is called sardeller in Swedish). I, Johanna have cooked Jansson’s with anchovies without knowing it wasn’t correct. Its tasty and flavor full BUT but doesn’t get the correct flavor. We really recommend to get get hold of some Swedish cured sprats. IKEA sells them as skarpsill at IKEA.
(the recipe was adapted by Johanna Kindvall from the Swedish cook book Vår KokBok)

This article was originally published on Foodie underground on 29 March 2013. 

So who is this guy Jansson? Some say the dish got its name from the opera singer Pelle Janzon who happen to be a great gourmand.

A couple of weeks ago David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl at Green Kitchen Stories asked me to illustrate a recipe for them. As I always enjoy visiting their site the answer was easy. The recipe is a beautiful Yellow Beet Salad with green lentils, sheep cheese, pea sprouts and apricots. The salad has a simple mustard dressing flavored with poppy seeds. I’m already in love with the combination of beets, lentils and sheep cheese. But with the addition of pea shoots, apricots and poppy seeds this dish becomes much richer in flavor and texture. Very inspiring! Read the whole article and get the recipe here.

David and Luise lives in Stockholm, Sweden together with their daughter Elsa. This Spring (in April) their first book, The Green Kitchen will be released in both UK, Australia and US. In the US the book will have the name Vegetarian Every Day. The recipes in the book (and the recipes on their website) are all creations of their own everyday vegetarian cooking.

Some of my favorites from their sites are their Lemon & Coconut Bars and this Spinach Kale Soup with Tahini Dressed Chickpeas.

It’s Fat Tuesday (12 February) and Scandinavians celebrating this day by eating Semlor (Fastlagsbullar or Fettisbullar). This semi-sweet cardamom rich bun is filled with almond paste and heavy whipped cream. My Finish grandfather used to eat this bun soaked in hot milk, which is still a common way to enjoy this bun. However my absolute favorite way, is to use the hat of the bun to scoop a mixture of cream and almond paste into my mouth, before biting into the rest of it’s loveliness. Happy Fat Tuesday everyone!

Recipe by Anna Brones
Recipe by Ibán Yarza
Article about Semlor at Foodie Underground.

This Autumn I finally got everything right and managed to sit down and eat at Vinegar Hill House. I loved that place long before I had ever set foot there. Why? Its the whole setting. Even if the Vinegar Hill neighborhood is well known it feels like a hidden treasure that can be easily missed if you don’t know where it is. It makes me feel like I have found something for the first time even if I haven’t.

On my first visit at Vinegar Hill House one of the dishes was Duck Egg Raviolo with chantarelles. I learned later that Raviolo is singular for ravioli. I also came across the amusing dish Uova da Raviolo, which is a raviolo that holds a whole egg yolk inside. I’m impressed as that is probably something my shaky hands can’t do.

The raviolo at Vinegar Hill House was nothing like the above. The filling, chanterelles and a fried duck egg had been cooked separately from the pasta and put together in layers as in the illustrated diagram above. The dish was topped with buttered bread crumbs. The duck egg was perfectly cooked with a white just set and a gorgeous looking egg yolk that burst when I poked my fork into it. The runny yolk blended well with the butter-rich chanterelles. I think this dish was wonderful. I could easily have it again and again, as a main course, for lunch or brunch.

One of my 1st projects for 2013 will be to illustrate the book The Culinary Cyclist, written by Anna Brones and published by Elly Blue and her independent publishing company, Taking the Lane Media. If you know Anna and I its easy to understand that this project is super exciting for both of us. First of all we do like working together, as many of you have already have seen proof of, on top of that we share a great passion for food and bikes.

“The Culinary Cyclist is a guidebook to good living, based around two loves: bikes and food.

The guiding principles are simple: Eat local. Mostly plants. Ride your bike. Even on rainy days. Say yes to dinner invitations. Always bring your signature dessert. Invite people on picnics. Bike in the sunshine. Follow a morning ride with a strong French press.

Just like you once mastered two wheels, this book is about mastering food, making it easy, fun and as sustainable as humanly possible. It’s a vehicle for thinking about what you eat, but also for enjoying it and finding pleasure in the smallest culinary tasks. This is your guide to ensuring that you can master any situation, and are well on your way to living the good life.”
Anna Brones

The 13th of December is the day when Swedes celebrate Saint Lucia by lighting up the darkness with candles and crowns on their heads. The Swedes also sing songs and eat funny shaped buns they call Lussebullar (Lussekatter, Saffron Buns). Even if Lucia’s day has already passed, anytime is ok to bake and enjoy these saffron rich buns. Below is Anna Brones’ recipe. Please read her Lucia article over at Foodie Underground (with more illustrations by me).

Saffransbullar – Saffron Buns
recipe by Anna Brones

1/8 teaspoon saffron
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
7 cups flour
1/4 cup currants
One egg + Currants for decoration

Crush saffron in a small bowl with a little bit of sugar. Melt butter in a small pot and add milk. Heat until warm (you should still be able to stick your finger in). Measure out yeast in a large bowl and mix in a couple tablespoons of the butter and milk mixture until the yeast dissolves. Mix in the rest of the milk and butter. Add in sugar and salt.
Add in almost all of the flour (you want to reserve some for rolling later) and mix and knead it together for about 10 minutes. Knead until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Dust a little flour on top of the dough, cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
Knead dough on floured surface. Roll into classic saffransbullar shapes. The most common is the “S” shape, but get creative. Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Cover with and let rise for 30 minutes. Decorate with currants (they traditionally go in the center of where the bun is rolled) and glaze with a beaten egg. Bake at 400 F for 8-10 minutes.

Let me present my next guest blogger here on kokblog: Jeremy Shapiro, a professional chef and incredible baker. For over 20 years Jeremy has been cooking in top kitchens in New York City and beyond. Today he is the head chef  in a super secret private club in New York where he lures customers with endless sweets and savory treats.

Jeremy is also creator and editor of  Stir the Pot, a food blog that he started in 2005. If you visit his site you will soon discover that bread is a major subject. Jeremy explores different kinds of baking methods as well as flour and grain types. He bakes both sweet and savory, including croissants, fruit tarts, rustic rye breads, pizza, baguettes, bagels, loaves and breads with airy crumbs & crispy crusts. This summer Jeremy started a Micro Bakery in his apartment kitchen (just bigger than a bread box according to him). I’m impressed by his energy; he seems to be active, baking and cooking 24 hours per day.

Jeremy also interviews people in the food world that he finds interesting, from professional chefs to home cooks like myself (ahem), including Ibán Yarza who has previously appeared here on kokblog as a guest blogger. He has also connected with Sandor Ellix Katz, Anthony Bourdain, Dan Lepard and many many more. I really recommend listening to his interviews, or just reading through the list of names. It’s a great and unusual recourse of inspiration.

Pide
by Jeremy Shapiro

While on my visits in Istanbul cooking for my friend in her restaurant, I would daily pass a pide restaurant. Though I never tried from this specific place, I was able to try some from a young knowledgeable baker employed by my friend. He’d show his amazing hand skills with dough’s supple and see through like durum, not the flour of the same name, but the roll up wrap style sandwich bread a common street food in Turkey. When I returned to NYC, I’d often yearn a good pide with suçuk or sujuk, a spicy sausage that can be ground or sliced to accompany a canoe shaped pide, filled with cheese, tomatoes, eggs. When I finally sourced an amazing Montenegro butchers suçuk I was in business. As well as playing with this dough for different guises, like a lamacjun or a Ramadan flat bread.

It’s a bit tricky to make pide with sourdough, so an easy and quick yeast dough is just as good.

Pide Recipe

500 grams flour (all purpose is fine)
15grams salt
12 grams yeast
25 grams sugar
300grams water

You could approach this basically like any straight dough, mix all the ingredients and bulk ferment till doubled. Then divide and shape according to your desired need. For a pide, or pizza you could take say 80g-100g of dough, roll it out with a rolling pin, or press your hands to flatten the dough oblong about 10 to 12 inches long. Keeping the ends pointy and the sides about 6 inches wide.

The choice of fillings can be anything, think local if you can, and seasonal… Though I love cheese, onion, tomatoes and egg, and yes, suçuk, that may not be a possibility to find those items. Some nice choices, beet tops and feta, or chorizo with pumpkin?

•••

You can also follow Jeremy and his work on twitter, @stirthepots

The other day I put together an alternative Thanksgiving menu together with Anna Brones, just because we like to share great recipes from some of our favorite food sites (check out the links below). I also suggest you read the story about Anna’s turkey struggles last year over at Foodie Underground.

The Complete Foodie Underground Thanksgiving Menu (With or Without Turkey)

Blini with Cranberry Orange Salsa
Bite-sized Porcini Tarts
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Dried Figs and Thyme
Fennel and Celery Root Soup
Garlicky Greens
Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash Rings
Cranberry Pear Tart
Apple & Gingerbread Cake

Happy Thanksgiving!

This list was first published at Foodie Underground, 19 November 2012