Doggie Bag Stew

doggi

I love the fact that you can ask for a ‘doggie bag’. Sometimes I ask for it even if I didn’t like the food. Once I got a pork chop that was tasteless. I felt so sad about the meat so I took it home and made a tasty stew with mustard…

some pork or beef (minute steak, filet…)
one yellow onion
garlic
dijon mustard
cream, milk or just water
a little flour (not necessary with cream)
fresh or dried herbs (thyme, parsley, oregano, rosemary or/ and….)
salt and pepper

Heat up a pan and sauté the finely chopped onion and garlic. Shred the meat into thin pieces. When the onion starts to get soft add the meat and sauté until it’s done. Add some mustard. Powder carefully a little flour over the meat and stir before you add the milk or water. Let it cook and season the stew with the herbs, salt and pepper. Serve the dish with a green salad, cucumber pickles and rice.

Almond Trout with Cous Cous Salad

Yesterday I walked by the local fish shop again. This time I bought some lovely trout filets. In the winter I often buy the whole trout and bake it in the oven. Now in the summer heat I wanted something that I could fry quickly so I didn’t have to stand by the hot stove so long. Well, this was so delicious that I was very close to going back there again for some more!

trout

trout fillets
milled almonds ( I do that in our coffee grinder)
salt and pepper
butter
lemon

Mix the milled almonds together with some salt and pepper on a plate. Turn the fillets in the mix before you sauté them with a big spoon off butter.

We had them with lemon and a simple cous cous salad.

cous cous
lettuce
carrots

vinaigrette
3 parts olive oil
1 part balcamic vinegar
mustard
1 glove of garlic
thyme
salt and pepper

It was great!

Fresh Shrimps with Lime

shrimp

Some days ago we went into our favorite fish shop. We were actually supposed to have beetroots with goat cheese but as we are afraid our fish shop will close down we just had to support them. Oh well… we found some nice raw shrimps and some organic shampoo (as they have other things too) and went home.

Years ago I had a similar dish together with my cousin in Spain. Then we were sitting outside and fried the shrimps directly on a table cooker. Instead of lime we used lemon. This was not bad at all. Either then or now!

raw shrimps
olive oil
garlic
chili pepper
fresh lime

Heat up the olive oil and add chopped garlic and the chili pepper. When the garlic starts to get golden brown add the shrimps. Fry them quickly and serve them with finger salt and a slice of lime.

The shrimps are great as a starter with some cold white wine. They are also great with fresh pasta. Use the fry-juice from the shrimps together with cream. Add some salt and pepper, white wine and fresh herbs (such as dill, thyme). When the sauce start to boil, lower the temperature and add some Parmesan or other similar cheese. Poor the sauce over the shrimps and serve it with pasta and lime.

See also Grilled Spicy Shrimps

Potatoe Salad

In the summer its always nice to do a potatoe salad. This one is good as it is or together with barbecued pork or gravlax.

potatoes
fresh new potatoes
arugola
dill

vinaigrette
3-4 parts olive oil
1 part apple cider vinegar
1-2 table spoons mustard
1-2 cloves of garlic
fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano
salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes with fresh dill. In the meantime you can wash the arugula carefully and let it dry.

Mix the oil and the vinegar with some mustard and add the spices to your own taste. Cut the potatoes in smaller pieces and mix them carefully with the arugola. Pour over the vinaigrette and let it rest before serving.

Marinated Pork Chops and Vegetables for Barbecue

I think one of the best meats to barbecue is pork chops. I recommend that you choose the parts that have some fat around the meat. The fat makes it more juicy and some of it will actually disappear when its cooked. Less fat will only make the pork dry and dull.
barbeque
This marinade also works for vegetables that you should marinate separately. Vegetables I recommend are…

field mushrooms
zucchini
red and green peppers

marinade
3-4 parts olive oil
1 part balsamic vinegar
honey
red pepper
chili pepper
black pepper
salt
fresh or dry thyme, oregano etc
1-2 bay leaves
2-3 cloves of garlic

Mix the oil and the vinegar together with the honey. Add the spices to your own taste. There should be a nice balance between the sweet honey and the peppers.

Fill a plastic bag with the pork chops and poor the marinade over them. Press the bag around so the marinade spreads around all the pieces. Let them rest in the fridge overnight or for a couple of hours.

When you barbecue the pork chops they should not be over an open flame. Wait until you have a nice glow. If the pork chops are not too thick they will be done quite quickly anyway.

I really enjoy this barbequed meat and vegetables with a arugola/potatoe salad and some spicy red wine.