Oven-baked tomatoes with blue cheese - Tomatlåda med ädelost

OVEN-BAKED TOMATOES WITH BLUE CHEESE
Tomatlåda med ädelost

The fantastic aroma of the blue cheese together with the basil and garlic fragrances are delicious and made for being blended with tomatoes …

4 servings

2 to 3 spring onions

5 to 6 fresh basil leaves
or ¾ teaspoon dried basil
4 to 5 tomatoes
½ teaspoon herbal salt
1 ¾ oz blue cheese
½ cup crème fraîche
1 to 2 crushed garlic cloves
black pepper

Chop the onion stems and basil leaves. Slice the tomatoes and onions. Alternate tomato and onion slices in an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle with the chopped onion stems and sprinkle with basil and herbal salt.

Mash the blue cheese with a fork. Mix cheese, crème fraîche and crushed garlic and flavour with black pepper. Pour this mixture over the ingredients in the dish and bake in the middle of the oven at 440F for about 20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Bella

Minute steaks with tomato and corn mix - Tomatbiff med majsröra

MINUTE STEAKS WITH TOMATO AND CORN MIX
Tomatbiff med majsröra

The minute steaks are braised in the tomato juice until they’re tender and delicious. A tasty vegetable mix is a good accompaniment.

4 servings

4 minute steaks

¼ cup flour
salt, pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
¾ cup meat bouillon
4 to 5 tablespoons mild chili sauce
a few drops tabasco (optional)

Corn mix:

½ onion
2 tomatoes
½ green bell pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1 can corn off the cob, 12 oz
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 crushed garlic clove
salt, pepper

Coat the steaks with flour and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Melt the fat in a frying pan and brown the meat on both sides. Add bouillon, chili sauce and optional tabasco. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn the meat after half the time.

Finely chop the onion for the corn mix. Cut tomatoes and bell pepper in pieces. Heat up the oil and sizzle onion and sweet pepper until tender. Blend in tomatoes, corn, vinegar and garlic and simmer slowly for a minute or so.

Flavour to taste with salt and pepper and serve the mix with the steaks.

Enjoy!

Bella

Quick and easy veggie omelet - Snabbomelett med grönsaker

QUICK AND EASY VEGGIE OMELET
Snabbomelett med grönsaker

A veggie omelet with cheese is excellent for lunch or supper, if you’re in need of something that doesn’t take forever to make.

4 servings

8 eggs

1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper
6 oz fresh broccoli
(or frozen and thawed)
1 middle-sized zucchini
1 piece leek, approx 4 inches
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons cooking oil
8 cherry tomatoes or 2 normal-sized
tomatoes in wedges
2/3 cup grated cheese, e.g. Cheddar
or Jarlsberg
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or dill

Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper with a fork. Cut the broccoli in pieces, slice the zucchini and shred the leek. Heat butter or margarine and oil in a large frying pan and sizzle the broccoli on low heat while stirring for about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and leek and sauté on low heat while stirring for about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and pour the egg batter over it all. Stir lightly with a fork.

Sprinkle with cheese, cover with a lid and bake the omelet on low heat until set and the cheese has melted, approx 10 minutes. Loosen it gently with a spatula and slide it onto a serving plate. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a salad and/or bread.

Enjoy!

Bella

Wheat swirls - Vetesnurror

WHEAT SWIRLS
Vetesnurror

Golden yellow wheat swirls with a delicious nut filling. You can pimp the glazing by flavouring it with coffee.

48 swirls

5 oz butter or margarine

2 cups milk
1 ¾ oz fresh yeast
good ¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
5 ¼ to 6 cups flour

Filling:

3½ oz hazelnuts
5 oz soft butter or margarine
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons strong coffee

Melt the fat in a saucepan. Add the milk and heat to 37°C, body heat. Crumble the yeast in a mixing bowl and stir it with some of the liquid. Add remaining liquid, salt and then the flour, little by little. Work the dough until pliable and no longer sticking to the bowl. Cover and leave to prove for about 30 minutes.

Turn the dough up onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth. Divide it in 4 parts and roll each part out to an oblong cake.

Grind the nuts for the filling and mix them with fat, sugar and vanilla sugar. Spread the filling over the 4 cakes and roll them up. Cut each roll in 12 pieces and put them, cut side up, in paper tins. Cover and leave to prove for about 30 minutes.

Bake in the middle of the oven at 390F for about 10 minutes.

Stir powdered sugar and coffee until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the buns and let set. Serve and enjoy!

Bella

Warm cheese-and-ham sandwiches - Varma ost- och skinksmörgåsar

WARM CHEESE-AND-HAM SANDWICHES
Varma ost- och skinksmörgåsar

A warm sandwich is good with a cup of tea or a glass of juice (or milk for me, please!). These are made with cheese, ham and mustard butter.

8 sandwiches

8 hamburger buns

Mustard butter:

3½ oz butter or margarine
2 tablespoons mustard
2 teaspoons grated horseradish
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon poppyseeds (optional)

8 slices smoked ham

8 slices cheese, strong if you like that

Split the hamburger buns. Stir together fat, mustard, horseradish, onion and optional poppyseeds and stir until smooth. Spread the mustard butter on the bread halves.

Put 1 slice ham and 1 slice cheese on 8 of the bread halves and then top with the other halves. Wrap the sandwiches up in aluminum foil and put them on a baking plate. Bake in the oven at 390F for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the sandwiches are heated through.

Serve with a salad of iceberg lettuce, shredded red bell pepper and split blue grapes.

Enjoy!

Bella

Oven-baked strawberries - Ugnsbakade jordgubbar

OVEN-BAKED STRAWBERRIES
Ugnsbakade jordgubbar

A lovely summer dessert to make when there’s plenty of strawberries. In the winter you can use frozen berries.

4 servings

4 cups fresh strawberries

or 1 lb frozen berries
1 piece of vanilla stick
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 cup white wine
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
¼ cup flour
2 eggs
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped Almonds

Trim the strawberries and put them in an oven-proof dish. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla stick and mix them with powdered sugar, wine and lemon juice, pour it over the berries and marinate them for about 30 minutes.

Pour the marinade in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix fat and flour and beat it into the marinade. Boil for a few minutes until it thickens. Beat the egg yolks into the sauce. Beat the egg whites stiff and turn them into the crème. Pour the crème over the strawberries and sprinkle with almonds.

Bake in the upper part of the oven at 480F for about 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

You can substitute the white wine with cider or elderberry drink.

Enjoy!

Bella

Summery Swiss roll - Sommarrulltårta

SUMMERY SWISS ROLL
Sommarrulltårta

The strawberry is the summer berry no 1 here in Sweden. Fill your Swiss roll with mashed strawberries, slice it and enjoy the summer.

1 Swiss roll, 18 to 20 slices

3 eggs

¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 cups fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon sugar

Beat eggs and sugar white and fluffy. Mix flour, potato starch, vanilla sugar and baking powder in a bowl, then gently stir this into the egg batter. Pour in a roasting pan dressed with baking paper, approx 16 x 12 inches, and bake in the middle of the oven at 390 to 440F for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the surface with sugar and unmould onto waxed paper. Pull off the baking paper.

Mash the strawberries and flavour with sugar. Divide the strawberry mash over the cake and roll it up from the long side. Leave it wrapped in the waxed paper until serving.

Enjoy!

Bella

Quick and easy goulash - Snabblagad gulasch

QUICK AND EASY GOULASH
Snabblagad gulasch

This goulash is made in approx 30 minutes. The time might vary depending on the tenderness of the meat. This is ideal when you have to get dinner on the table in a hurry.

4 servings

1 1/3 lbs boneless beef, e.g.

thick flank or rump steak
½ onion
½ red bell pepper
½ green bell pepper
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1 ¾ cups meat bouillon
4 tablespoons red wine
1 tablespoon vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ to 1 tablespoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon caraway
white pepper

Thinly shred the meat. Chop onion and bell peppers. Melt the fat in a frying pot or large frying pan and sizzle the onion for a couple of minutes. Add the shredded meat and brown all around until coloured. Sprinkle with flour, stir and dilute with bouillon. Add sweet peppers, wine, vinegar, salt and spices.

Simmer slowly for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Flavour to taste and adjust if necessary. Serve and enjoy!

Bella

Castle roulades - Slottsrulader

CASTLE ROULADES
Slottsrulader

Elegant but still easy to make. The filling is flavoured with anchovies.

4 servings

8 slices shoulder of pork or ham

salt, pepper
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 ¼ cups meat bouillon
1/3 cup cream, 15% fat
¼ cup chopped parsley
1½ tablespoons tomato paste
½ to 1 teaspoon Chinese soy sauce
2½ tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Filling:

½ chopped onion
1 can anchovies with liquid, 3½ oz
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons tomato paste
black pepper

Chop the onion for the filling and cut 8 anchovy fillets in pieces. Mix onion, anchovies, parsley, egg yolk, tomato paste and black pepper. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper and put on a dab of the filling. Roll up and secure with a toothpick. Melt the fat in a frying pan or pot and brown the roulades on all sides until coloured.

Pour 1/3 cup of the meat bouillon in the pot, put a lid on and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes. Take up the roulades and keep warm.

Beat in remaining bouillon in the pot plus cream, parsley, tomato paste and soy sauce. Mash remaining anchovies and add them with the liquid from the can. Boil for about 5 minutes. Mix flour and fat and beat it into the sauce, then simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes. Flavour to taste.

Serve with boiled rice and a green salad with orange wedges and red sweet peppers.

Enjoy!

Bella

Sofia's raspberry squares - Sofias hallonrutor

SOFIA’S RASPBERRY SQUARES
Sofias hallonrutor

On a soft, slightly tough chocolate layer is a delicious crème made from raspberries. Cut it in squares and serve as pastries – they’re delicious!

16 pastries

10 oz dark baking chocolate

3½ oz butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder

Raspberry crème:

1 ¼ cups raspberries
¾ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Kesella, if you can find it, or thick
Greek or Turkish yogurt
¾ cup powdered sugar

Decoration:
pecans or walnuts

Melt chocolate and fat in a saucepan and allow to cool slightly. Blend in eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar. Mix flour and baking powder and stir it into the batter. Put the baking paper in an oven-proof dish, approx 12 x 10 inches. Pour the batter in the pan and bake in the middle of the oven at 350F for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool.

Mash the raspberries and beat the cream until thick. Blend in raspberries, Kesella or yogurt and powdered sugar into the cream. Spread the cream over the cold cake and cut in 16 squares. Decorate with fresh raspberries if you wish and serve the pastries.

Enjoy!

Bella

Vanilla parfait with mocha sauce - Vaniljparfait med mockasås

VANILLA PARFAIT WITH MOCHA SAUCE
Vaniljparfat med mockasås

Nothing beats a truly delicious, home made parfait. Serve it with a rich mocha sauce and you have a hit. Fresh berries with this is just so good.

Serves 4 to 5

Vanilla parfait:

4 egg yolks
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
1 ¼ cup heavy cream

Mocha sauce:

1/3 cup cocoa
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1 oz butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

Decoration:

chopped nuts

Parfait:
Beat egg yolks and powdered sugar until white and fluffy. Blend in the vanilla sugar. Beat the cream until thick, turn it into the egg batter and freeze for at least 5 to 6 hours.

Sauce:

Beat together cocoa, cream, sugar, brown sugar and coffee in a saucepan. Let the sauce boil for a couple of minutes on low heat while stirring. Beat in the fat and flavour with vanilla sugar.

When serving, thaw the parfait for about 30 minutes, then spoon it up into serving bowls or in a larger bowl. Pour some hot or cold mocha sauce over it and decorate with chopped nuts. Serve remaining sauce separately.

Enjoy!

Bella

Vanilla lemon cookies - Vaniljbröd med citronsmak

VANILLA LEMON COOKIES
Vaniljbröd med citronsmak

These easy-baked cookies have a fresh, lemony taste. You can roll out the dough to sausages, cut in pieces and shape them.

Approx 50 cookies

1 cup sugar

3½ oz butter or margarine
1 egg
1½ cups flour
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
1½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt

Cinnamon sugar:

2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Stir sugar and fat until fluffy in a bowl and stir in the egg. Mix flour, cinnamon, baking powder, vanilla sugar, lemon zest and salt in another bowl and stir this into the egg batter until well blended. Cover the bowl and leave it in the fridge for about 2 hours to get really cold.

Shape the batter into small round balls, diameter approx ½ to ¾ inch. Mix sugar and cinnamon and roll the balls in this. Put them on greased baking plates – or use baking paper – with about an inch in between and bake in the middle of the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are slightly coloured.

Cool on the plate for a while, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Enjoy!

Bella

Mushroom-baked ham - Svampgratinerad skinka

MUSHROOM-BAKED HAM
Svampgratinerad skinka

This delicious ham baked with mushrooms is quick and easy to make. Canned ham, tomatoes and asparagus are baked in the oven under a mushroom cover.

4 servings

1 can ham, 15 oz

3 tomatoes
1 can asparagus, 8 oz
5 oz fresh mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons flour
1 ¾ cups creamy milk
½ to 1 teaspoon Chinese soy sauce
¼ meat bouillon cube
salt, pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
¾ cup grated cheese

Remove the jelly around the ham and cut the ham in pieces. Put the slices in the bottom of an oven-proof dish. Slice the tomatoes and divide them on top of the ham with the asparagus.

Slice the mushrooms. Melt 1 tablespoon fat in a saucepan and sizzle the mushrooms until all liquid has disappeared. Add remaining fat and let it melt. Beat in flour, creamy milk and soy sauce, add the crumbled bouillon cube and simmer slowly for about 5 minutes. Beat occasionally. Flavour the sauce with salt and pepper and add parsley.

Pour the sauce over the ham and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the middle of the oven at 440F for about 15 minutes. Serve with boiled potatoes or rice and shredded iceberg lettuce.

Enjoy!

Bella

Saffron shrimp spaghetti - Spaghetti med saffransräkor

SAFFRON SHRIMP SPAGHETTI
Spaghetti med saffransräkor

Why not have an Italian theme for the dinner party? Some nice Italian cold cuts, olives e t c as an entrée, this spaghetti dish with the delicious sauce as a main course and something nice for dessert (I won’t say tiramisú, because that’s getting worn out)?

4 servings

Thin egg noodles or other

pasta of your choice, enough for 4
hungry people
water, salt
1 lb un-peeled shrimp
or 7 to 8 oz peeled
1 ¾ oz leek
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
saffron
1 ¼ cups cream, 15% fat
1 ¼ cups water
1 ¼ fish bouillon cube
2½ tablespoons Maizena
salt, pepper

Decoration:

black olives
dill

Boil the pasta in lightly salted water according to package instructions. Peel the shrimps and wipe them dry if they’re moist. Shred the leek. Melt the fat in a saucepan and sizzle the saffron for a minute or so. Blend in the cream, water and Maizena and boil for 5 minutes. Add shrimps and heat but do not boil again. Flavour to taste with salt and pepper.

Put the pasta on a serving plate and pour on the sauce, or serve the sauce separately. Decorate with black olives and dill sprigs and serve the pasta.

Enjoy!

Bella

September minced meat patties - Septemberbiffar

SEPTEMBER PATTIES
Septemberbiffar

Mushrooms are excellent to mix into ground meat and make delicious patties. You can use either canned or fresh mushrooms. The name is because September is a mushroom month in Sweden.

4 servings

12 to 14 oz minced meat

(50% beef, 50% pork)
1 onion
3½ oz fresh mushrooms
or 7 oz canned
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1½ teaspoons salt
white pepper
1 egg
4 oz Kesella, if you can find it, or thick Greek or
Turkish yogurt
¼ cup water

Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 can mushrooms + liquid, 7 oz
2 tablespoonsflour
1 ¼ cup liquid from the mushrooms
+ water
1/3 cup cream, 15% fat
½ meat bouillon cube
salt, pepper

Chop onion and mushrooms. Melt 1 tablespoon fat in a saucepan and sizzle onion and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add parsley and sizzle for another minute or so.

Mix the meat with salt, pepper and egg. Blend in Kesella or yogurt, mushrooms and water. Shape into patties. Melt remaining fat in a frying pan and fry until done and nicely coloured.

Melt the fat for the sauce in a saucepan and sizzle the mushrooms for about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and beat in mushroom liquid, water, cream and bouillon cube. Boil for a couple of minutes and flavour to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the patties and serve.

Enjoy!

Bella