Christmassy salad with roasted Brussel sprouts, gingerbread spiced flank steak and glögg syrup dressing (gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher)

Roasted Brussel sprouts, gingerbread spiced flank steak and glögg syrup dressing - this salad is festive enough to make an appearance at a Christmas table!

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You know what peeps? It's December 1st! Which means in exactly a month we'll all be done with Christmas stress and we've rang in the New Year! I'll be waking up to the first day of 2017 in the arms of my Gothenburger in Hotel Kamp, the fanciest hotel of the whole country - how about you guys?

Well... okay. In all honesty these weeks leading up to Christmas do seem to bring out a lot more in people than just stress-driven, anxiety-ridden monsters: it really is the season of good will. That's something I'd like to have around all year long, God knows we'll always have something to stress about anyway!

And as it goes, my life-long nemesis; Brussel sprouts have made their appearance in the shops. And somehow they managed to weasel their way into my basket, too. I've hated it all my life, but o tempora, o mores - how the times have changed!

Last year before Christmas I finally came to realize that bugger can actually be turned into something genuinely good! For the recipe that lead to this epiphany, check out the blog post for Brussel sprouts, bacon and chestnut bake.

I've also been smuggling some Brussel sprouts into my holiday season in the form of this side dish (with bacon, you ask? Well, of course!) and an Irish classic: colcannon.

Rather Christmassy is this recipe, too. Brussel sprouts roasted in the oven with red onions, paired with another seasonal treat: pomegranate seeds, pistacchios and flank steak that got its dry rub from gingerbread spice mix (!)

And to top it all off, some glögg syrup dressing. Ho, ho, ho! 

As a main course for 2, as part of a Christmas table for 4

Christmassy salad with roasted Brussel sprouts, gingerbread spiced flank steak and glögg syrup dressing:

Roasted Brussel sprouts:

1 box (300 g) Brussel sprouts

3 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

salt, pepper

1 large red onion (or 2 small ones)

Gingerbread spiced flank steak:

500 g flank steak

2 tsp gingerbread spice mix

salt, pepper

for frying: a couple of tbsp of butter and/or a couple of tbsp oil

To serve:

seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

a handful of toasted and salted pistacchios, roughly chopped (about 1/2 of 125 g bag)
2 spring onions

Glögg syrup dressing:

6 dl ready made glögg

2 tbsp(brown) sugar

the zest of 1/2 orange, in a strip

2 tbsp mayonnaise

pinch of salt, black pepper and allspice

Start by making the glögg syrup - this way it'll have tie to cool down. 

Measure glögg, orange zest and sugar into a small pot. Boil over high heat until it has reduced to syrupy consistency and you're left with about 1 dl (10-15 mins). Remove the orange zest and cool. Then whizz it in a blender (or whisk by hand) with mayonnaise to a smooth dressing. Season as needed.

Heat oven to 225° (in a fan oven 200° should do). Trim the Brussel sprouts and remove any unsightly yellow/ brown outer leaves. Cut lengthwise in half. Spread them in an oven dish, add oil and spices and toss until well coated. Roast for 10 minutes (the cut side u if you want them to get a nice colour). In the meanwhile prep the remaining ingredients.

Peel the pistacchios and chop roughly, Deseed the pomegranate. Chop the spring onion. Peell red onion(s), cut lengthwise in half and then roughly into chunks.

Pat the meat dry. Rub the spice mix into the meat on both sides. Season generously with salt and pepper. Using butter and/or oil, fry over a hot pan 3-4 inutes per side Transfer from the pan and leave to rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes. 

After roasting the Brussel sprouts for 10 minutes add the red onion and continue roasting for another 7-10 minutes, depending on the desired doneness.

Spoon Brussel sprouts and red onion onto the serving dish. Sprinkle spring onion, pomegranate seeds and pistacchios (leave some for decorating) on top of them. Cut the flank steak (against the grain) into thin strips and place on top of the salad. 

Serve with the dressing.

For wine pairing I would go for something medium bodied, with soft tannins and ripe berry notes, such as a New Zealand Pinot Noir or California Zinfandel, such as this gem from Sonoma.

Wishing you all a happy Holiday season!

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Middle East on a plate: lamb with smoky eggplant puree and Segheso Sonoma Zinfandel

This dish is Middle East on a plate, I'll tell you. Velvety, smoky eggplant puree, lamb bathed in oriental spices, fresh herbs and fruity burst from pomegranate seeds. 

There are colours, tastes and textures. There is joy. For best (read: smokiest) result grill the aubergines over open flame or BBQ. If that's not an option (well, it is March on this side of the planet after all...) , you can add smoke aroma that's sold in the shops. 

Serves four:

Lamb on smoky eggplant puree:

Lamb:

1 red onion, finely chopped
3 (large) cloves of garlic, finely chopped
a couple of tbsp oil, for frying
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp paprika
500 g ground lamb (or beef)
1,5 tsp dried oregano
1,5 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp tomato concentrate
3 tomatos, blanched, peeled and roughly chopped
salt, pepper
1,5-2 tbsp pomegranate molasses 

To serve: sumac, seeds of 1/2 pomegranate, fresh parsley

Prep the tomatos. Cut a cross into them, place in boiling water for a couple of minutes, scoop out of the water, let cool, peel, remove the hard stalk and chop.

Heat the oil in a pot. Add onion and garlic and sauté them for a couple of minutes. Then add spices and sauté them, too, for a couple of minutes. Then add mince and brown.

Add dried herbs, tomato concentrate and chopped up tomatos. Bring the heat down to medium and leave simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Finally add pomegranate molasses, taste and season. 

Smoky eggplant puree:

4 largeish eggplants ( total weight around 1,4 kg)
30 g butter
1/2 dl flour (glutenfree if needed)
3  dl milk
pinch of nutmeg
salt, pepper
(liquid smoke aroma)

Heat the oven to the highest setting. Prick the eggplants all over and place on a tin foil-lined tray. grill under the broiler, turning every now and then, until the skin is crinkly and blackened - about 40 minutes. Let cool until not too to handle, cut pen, scoop out the flesh and place in a colander to drain while you prep the Béchamel sauce.

Melt butter in a pot until it just starts to foam (don't brown it!). In another pot heat the milk. Add flour into the butter and continue cooking over low heat for 5 minutes. Then start adding the milk, a little at a time continuously whisking. The sauce can be on the thick side as there's some moisture in the eggplants as well. 

Roughly chop the eggplants (or, if you want smooth, velvety consistency, blizz them up in a blender) and add into the Béchamel sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper (and smoke aroma, if desired).

Spoon the lamb over the eggplant puree, sprinkle sumac on top and finish with the pomegranate seeds and freshly chopped parsley. And serve.

A dish this joyful deserves an equally joyful wine, too. Pinot Noir would be a great choice for just about any Middle Eastern dish (for recommendations see here and here), but the fruity burst from the pomegranate is also at home with Californian Zinfandel. Mine was Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel and what a fine specimen it was, too. 

It's got a light smokiness that pairs well with the smokiness of the eggplant puree, but such ripe tannins that, combined with the ripe berriness make the overall appearance almost jammy and prevent the tannins from being too overpowering. A great wine that would pair well with variety of dark meats and even game. 

The size (0,375 l) is also convenient for a smaller household, which is something I, for one, truly appreciate. For instance now my single person's fridge is home to three other opened and half-drunken bottles of wine...

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Warm kale salad with roasted sweet potato, red onion and pomegranate seeds - autumn colours on a plate

This meat-free October has somewhat inevitably broadened my horizons and started to change my approach to veggies. And salads. I'm slowly starting to realize that they. Can. Actually. Taste.Good (yes, I just wrote that.) As long as you steer clear of the cucumber, tomato and sad, soggy salad leaves.

Now that the autumn is in full force, salads can be warm, too, like this recent discovery. It gets its body from roasted veggies, warmth from the spices and lovely texture from pomegranate seeds. I mean - just look at those colours! You only need about handful of ingredients, but once you put them together... good. So god, you too might find yourself whipping up another batch right after finishing the first one. 

You can serve it warm or at room temperature. Another thing that makes this a great addition to buffets is the fact this is suitable for all possible dietary restrictions. 

Instead of sweet potato you could also use pumpkin or carrots (in which case be prepared for a longer roasting time)

Serves four

Warm kale salad with roasted sweet potato, red onion and pomegranate seeds

2 largeish sweet potatos (total weight about 1 kg)

4 red onions

0.5 dl oil

3/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp allspice

1,5 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt, black pepper

125 g bag of kale, core removed and leaves shredded

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

oil for frying

to serve:

the seeds of a pomegranate

bunch of coriander

The dressing:

4 tbsp oil

1,5 tbsp pomegranate molasses (can be substituted with Balsamico syrup)
1 tbsp honey
the juice of a lime

Peel and chop the sweet potatos into a 2 cm chnks. Cut the onions in 8 segments. Heat the oil in a pan and then add to spices. Pour the oil over the veggies, toss to make sure they're all covered and roast at 200 for 15-20 minutes until done.

Heat a couple of tbsp oil in a pan, add garlic and a little while later kale. Cook, covered, for about 5 minutes until done to your liking.

Place the kale on serving plate, top with roasted veggies and sprinkle with coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds. Combine the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the salad. 

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Middle Eastern stuffed aubergines with soy crumbles (vegan)

In the first soy recipe of my meatless October I sought inspiration from Far East, now it's time for my beloved Middle East. Soy-based meat substitutes have a neutral taste, so they love spices and marinades - especially Asian flavours.

This time I had a go with dark soy crumbles which substitutes ground meat so well I challenge you to tell the difference!

Middle Eastern stuffed aubergines with soy crumbles:

Serves 4

2 smallish aubergines (á 300 g)

1 onion, finely chopped

4 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

pinch of cinnamon

2 dl dark soy crumbles

2 dl vegetable stock

3/4 dl raisins

1/2 dl pine nuts

bunch of parsley, leaves finely chopped

salt, black pepper (to taste)

To serve:

Greek yogurt, the seeds of about 1/2 pomegranate

Cut the aubergines lengthwise in half, score the flesh (careful not to slice all the way through), season with pepper and wrap in foil. Bake at 200° until the flesh is done - depending on the size 30-40 minutes. In the meanwhile prepare the stuffing.

Sauté onion and spices in oil. When onion is translucent, add soy crumbles. Toast it for a couple of minutes in oil and let it absorb the spices. Then add vegetable stock, raisins and pine nuts. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Once the aubergines are done, scoop out the flesh leaving about 1 cm edge intact. Mash using a fork and combine with the soy mixture. Fold in parsley, check the taste and season.

Spoon the stuffing into eggplants and roast at 225° for 10 minutes. 

Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and scatter pomegranate seeds on top.

PS. You could also grate some cheese on top of the stuffed aubergines before baking them. 

And should you really want to spoil someone and serve wine with these, you know which way to go, don't you? Yes, a (New World) Pinot Noir. Try this New Zealand favourite of mine or this recent find (which, by the way, is vegan, too!)

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Iranian Shirazi salad

All systems have been go of late and more than often this spring and everything it's had in store has left me totally exhausted. 

One morning I woke up to a loud, banging noise and my immediate reaction was that this is it: Putin has invaded Finland and we're at war (ah, the joys of having the longest land border with the most unpredictable country in the world...). Still half asleep I was trying to reason what would be the best thing to do in such an occasion. In the end I decided to do nothing: just stay in bed and die there - seeing how I didn't have the energy to eve get up and shave my legs (yes, the first stop during times of crisis...). Which is just as well - the noise turned out to be the sound of my neighbour's very vigorous carpet-cleaning operation.

So, even I can't always be at my most creative in the kitchen. Which has given me reason to finally go through some of this spring's new cook books. This salad called Shirazi, is from one of them. Though from Iran, initially.

Shirazi salad:

1 large cucumber, in cubes

6 ripe tomatos, in similar size cubes

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 tsp dried mint

salt, pepper

the juice of 1 lime

1/2 dl olive oil

the seeds from 1 medium pomegranate

2 tsp sumac

Cut the cucumber into 1,5 cm cubes. De-seed the tomatos and cut into similar size cubes. Add onion, mint and season to taste. Combine lime juice and oil and pour into the salad. Finally sprinkle pomegranate seeds and sumac on top.

The salad is best served chilled, so chill it in the fridge for at least half an hour before serving.

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Gourmet fast food: duck confit pizza

At an interview a little while back I was asked what my favourite food was. How can anyone give just one answer to a question like that? It depends on so many things: the time of the year (and month...), your mood, the country you're in... everything! But yeah, pizza is one thing I can't imagine ever getting tired of. 

One of the very first things I remember noticing about The Boy Next Door during one of our very first dates was the fact that he ate his pizza just right. First he cut the pizza in slices, which he then lifted off the plate with his fingers, curving the slice just a little and into the mouth it went. "But pizza should be eaten with bare hands" he said, puzzled, as I studied all this with a smile on my face. Damn right it should!

So, I knew straight away what our entry would be for OivaPari recipe contest Pernod Ricard just launched for Campo Viejo Reserva 2008. The first three legs of the contest this spring were such a blast I couldn't wait for the next ones - especially after learning that the theme for the next three legs is that oh, so trendy fast food. But with a gourmet twist. You just watch this space - there are some serious treats coming your way later this year!

We paired the wine, medium-bodied with gentle spiciness and cherry and fig notes, with pizza. Not just any old pizza though, but pizza with stewed fennel, red onions and (wait for it...) duck confit! (I suppose it was only a  matter of time before my beloved duck found its way into a pizza, too...) And a fine pair it was, too. 

The dark, spicy notes of the pizza sauce add a little sharpness to the fatty richness of the duck, compliment the spicy notes of the wine and the pomegranate seeds add a nice burst of fresh berriness. 

You'll find the recipe for the crust here. I made a double dose this time, so depending on the size you'll get 4-5 large pizzas.

Prepare the dough and leave to rise in the fridge. You make the dough up to 3 days in advance. 

Pour onto a lightly floured surface and punch away the air bubbles. Divide into 4 and roll into balls. Brush with oil, cover loosely with cling film and a tea towel and leave to rise for another hour in a warm, draft-free place. In the meanwhile make the sauce and prepare the toppings. 

Pizza sauce:

2 dl red wine

2 tsp Chinese fivespice ( a blend of ground ginger, anise, fennel seeds and cinnamon bark) 

1 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp finely grated orange zest

3/4 dl good cranberry jelly

1 tbsp brown sugar

500 g passata

salt, black pepper

Measure wine into a pot with fivespice, orange zest and cloves. Bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes. Then add cranberry jelly and let it melt. Then add sugar and passata. Cook over medium heat for half and hour. Let cool. Check taste and season with salt and pepper (and more sugar if desired).

Toppings:

4 mozzarella balls (á 125 g)

4 duck leg confits (recipe here if you don't want to use tinned ones)

2 bulbs of fennel

1 large red onion

To serve: coriander leaves, pomegranate seeds

Drain mozzarella and grate. Squeeze the grated cheese through some kitchen towels to get rid of excess moisture. Peel the leathery outer layers off the fennels, cut in half and remove the tough core. Cut into thin slices and sauté in a little bit or butter until softened. Add a little water and cook over low heat under the lid until soft - depending on the thickness 15-25 minutes. Drain and let cool.  Peel red onion and cut into thin slices. Drain the ducks (reserve the fat and use it for say, roasties!), peel off the skin and using your fingers, shred to chunks of desired size. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Pre-heat oven to 250º. If using pizza stone, put it in the oven now. If you don't own one, leave the tray in the oven to heat. This helps the crust to get crisp. Once oven has reached the right temperature, keep the stone in for another 45 minutes. 

On a floured surface roll the dough into thin discs. Since I myself haven't mastered the art of pizza-baking and fail to get round crusts that would satisfy my OCD-like quest of symmetry I use a big plate and cut the dough around it with a pizza-cutter. Voilà! The leftovers can be worked together into another pizza. 

Spread a little sauce on the crust (go easy on the toppings to avoid a soggy, sad pizza!) , followed by cheese, then fennel shavings, red onion and finally duck confit (This way they'll get that lovely crust). Bake until cheese has melted and crust has a little colour on it - about 8-10 minutes. 

Before serving sprinkle some pomegranate seeds and/or coriander leaves on top. And enjoy. For instance with Campo Viejo Reserve 2008! PS. For this the wine is best served a little chilled.

*In collaboration with Pernod Ricard Finland and their Oiva Pari recipe contest*

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Duck confit burgers

The blog has introduced a new tag: street food. Under that one you'll find street credible street food. Like these duck confit burgers. Because everything that's worth doing is worth doing properly.

My love of dead duck has probably become obvious to everybody. Slowly cooked, sublimely succulent confit especially makes me go all weak at the knees. But even I didn't think to stuff a burger with it! That decadent stroke of genius is all down to Streat Helsinki 2014- festival and Richard McCormick.

For just about everything you've always wanted to ask about confiting duck, please see here.

And for making your own burger brioches, please see here.

4 burgers/ 8 sliders

4 regular size burger brioches (or 8 small ones)
2 duck leg confits
1 red onion
salad leaves

to serve: pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves

Heat the duck legs under a broiler for about 15 minutes. Remove the skin and pull the meat into slivers of your liking (they fall off the bone all on their own!). If needed, add some of the fat from the duck to form a mixture that sticks together. Season with some fleur de sel if needed.

Toast brioches in the oven. Top them with salad leaves, mango, chilli and ginger mayonnaise, finely sliced red onions, a pile of shredded duck, pomegaranate seeds and finish off with fresh coriander leaves. I served my burgers with sweet potato fries with an Indian twist (recipe for these to follow tomorrow!) but those polenta fries would work well too (well, when wouldn't they!).

Mango, chilli and ginger mayonnaise:

1,5 dl good mayonnaise
3 generous tbsp mango purée
1/2 - 1 small chilli
1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
zest and juice 1/2 lime 
pinch (about 1/2 tsp) curry powder

Combine the ingredients and let sit in the fridge for about an hour. Check taste and season if needed.

And the result? McDivine! Whopping wonderful!

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Salad with duck confit and pear

With the volume our pantry and fridge gets stocked, every now and then it's good to make some kind of an inventory of the leftovers. And (once again) wonder where the hell all the food goes? Oh, and then there's the matter of starting a lighter life with the summer approaching and all. Unless I intend to source my wedding dress from parachute surplus store...

This salad is the child of a waste minimizing exactly like that. The pears left over from the cheesecake I made for charming the in-laws, pomegranate seeds left over from Lebanese lamb pizza... and the remaining duck legs from the confit-operation for the cassoulet. In case you haven't yet tried your hand at confiting duck legs, it's about time. Once you've had the patience to wait the couple of hours it takes, you'll have treats in your fridge that bring a bit of luxury into any day! 

As for the pomegranate seeds go, none of that "cut the fruit in half, knock on it and just watch the seeds fall off" has ever worked for me. Ever. The method I find easiest is cutting the fruit in half and then halving each of those halves. See, the seeds live in clusters in a comb-like structure. Once you bend the quarter, you'll get access to each of the combs and it's easy to scoop out each one in an easy and mess-free way!

If cheese is your thing, brie or goat cheese (maybe Gorgonzola...?) would work in the salad, too.

The salad feeds 2 (generously) - 4 (elegantly) people

70 g box of rucola or mixed salad leaves

2 confit duck legs

1 pear
1 (small) stalk of celery

1 red onion

60 cashew nuts

the seeds of 1/4 - 1/2 pomegranate (depending on the size)

to serve: pomegranate molasses

Warm the duck legs under a broiler at 220° until the skin crisps up. Remoive the skin and using a fork shred the meat (it practically falls off by itself by now) and season if needed. Peel and finely slice the onion. Peel the pear, halve lengthwise, remove the core and slice. Chop the celery to chunks of about 1/2 cm. Toast the nuts in a hot, dry pan until they get a nice, golden colour. Keep an eye on them as they burn easily.

Put the salad together. Place the salad leaves, onion and celery on a plate and scatter the pear on top. Add duck meat and sprinkle nuts and pomegranate seeds on top. Serve with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

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Lebanese lamb pizza

A little while back I received a delivery I'd been dying to get my hands on ever since I heard about the publishing deal: the first ever cook book by a fellow blogger, specialized in street food and making junk food the right, better, way. And oh, how it filled me with jealousy joy.

Having followed Jenni's blog ever since I first became aware there were such things as blogs out there, I did expect the book to be good. But I had no idea it'd be this good. As usual, the review can be found (in Finnish, again) at ruoka.fi- portal. 

In a bid to show I (along with my 21,5 square metres) can adapt and accommodate new things and people (and their three guitars...) in my life, I let The Boy Next Door go over the book with a fresh, objective eyes and choose the test recipe. And this is what he went for.

I have already earmarked several other recipes for the future. At least Asian sticky meatballs just sound too good to pass!

This recipe for Lebanese lamb pizza has generated some serious interest in the Finnish blogosphere, too, and is so convenient in that the ingredients it calls for are such staples in our kitchen we always have them around.

Oh, and yes, the base really is yeast-free and takes practically no time to make!

Serves 4

Yogurt pizza dough:

300 g Greek yogurt
2 eggs
0,5 tsp salt
6 dl all purpose flour

more flour for kneading

Combine the ingredients either mixing with your hands or a machine. With the help of flour, form a ball, wrap it in cling film and let rest in the fridge for half an hour. Roll into thin pizzas (you'll need quite a bit flour to keep them from breaking!) on a floured surface. For the crispest result pre-heat a pizza stone or oven tray at 220°. Bake the yogurt base at the lower part of the oven for a little bit longer than the average one - about 10,15 minutes.

Lebanese lamb pizza:

1 portion of yogurt pizza base

400 g lamb mince
2 mild chillis
3 tbsp tomato concentrate
3 garlic cloves
1 red onion
2 tomatos
2 tsp pimiento powder (smoked paprika)
pinch of allspice
salt
pepper
fresh flat-leaf parsley
oil for frying

to serve:
flat-leaf parsley
Greek yogurt
1 pomegranate

Heat some oil in a pan and sauté finely chopped garlic, chillis and onion. Add lamb mince and season.

Finally add diced tomatos and parsley.

Spread the mince mixture on the pizzas, bake at 220° for about 10 minutes and then 2 minutes under a broiler.

Serve with Greek yogurt and pomegranate seeds.

And mamma mia, this was delish! The crust gets nice and crisp still retaining a lovely chewiness. Greek yogurt lends it a nice tartness which works beautifully with the flavours of the mince mixture. The result is like nothing I've ever eaten on my own travels in Middle East, yet something that tastes so familiar, capturing the tastes so well. Oh, and a pizza we'll be making over and over again!

In a bid to demonstrate some level of discipline I only made 1/2 portion to feed the two of us. Do not do that. Sense (and sensibility) finally got the better of me but I did almost call The Boy Next Door to tell him to stay at work just so I could finish them both...!

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