Cheesy Pasta Sauce with Leafy Spinach - Ostig bladspenatsås till pasta

CHEESY PASTA SAUCE WITH LEAFY SPINACH

Ostig bladspenatsås till pasta

Serves 4

1 cup vegetable bouillon

8.8 oz frozen, lightly thawed

leafy spinach

7 oz processed cheese (says Google)

1 tablespoon flour

0.2 cup regular milk

some black pepper

some grated nutmeg if you fancy it

salt if necessary

approx 3½ oz smoked ham

Boil pasta for 4. 

Bring the vegetable bouillon to a boil. Roughly chop the spinach and transfer to the saucepan. Add and stir the processed cheese and stir the flour and milk until smooth. Beat this thickening into the sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Flavor to taste with salt and pepper and perhaps nutmeg and more salt (but both bouillon and cheese are salty).

Dice or shred the ham. Serve the freshly boiled pasta with the spinach sauce and sprinkle with the diced ham.

Enjoy!

Bella

Tangy Mango Sauce - Mangosås med sting

TANGY MANGO SAUCE

Mangosås med sting

Serves 4

7 oz frozen, thawed mango

1 tablespoon runny honey

1 teaspoon curry

0.4 cup creme fraiche

0.4 cup Turkish yogurt

1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce

salt, pepper

Mix mango, honey, curry and creme fraiche to a smooth puré. Stir in yogurt and sweet chili sauce and flavor to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Bella

Creamy Tomato Sauce with Bacon - Gräddig tomatsås med bacon

CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE WITH BACON

Gräddig tomatsås med bacon

Serves 2

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon runny honey 

or 1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried basil or thyme

1 pinch chili flakes

1 can crushed tomatoes, 14 oz

0.4 cup water

salt, pepper

0.4 cup cream

For serving:

5 oz streaky bacon

2 servings spaghetti

arugula

some grated Parmesan cheese

Fry the bacon until crisp in a frying pan. Drain on paper towels but leave the grease in the pan. Peel and finely chop onion and garlic. Sauté in the bacon fat until tender. Add tomato paste, vinegar, honey or sugar, basil, chili flakes, crushed tomatoes, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

While the tomato sauce is simmering, you boil the pasta. Add the cream to the sauce and stir. Flavor to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the tomato sauce with freshly boiled pasta topped with bacon, arugula and grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Bella

Strawberry Salsa - Jordgubbssalsa

STRAWBERRY SALSA
Jordgubbssalsa




A fun, quick and luxurious dessert - why not try it this weekend?




Serves 4


1 package thin chocolate flat things that I don't know
the right word for, but in Sweden we have thin chocolate
plates called "Noblesse" which are very popular for decorating
desserts
9 oz strawberries
3½ oz raspberries
fresh juice from ½ lemon
1 finely grated green apple, i.e. Granny Smith
0.1 cup brown sugar


Finely chop the strawberries and mash the raspberries. Peel the apple and grate it finely. Mix with the berries. Add lemon juice and brown sugar and stir well. Store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.


This salsa can be made the night before.


Enjoy!


Bella

Tomato Sauce for Many People - Tomatsås för många

TOMATO SAUCE FOR MANY PEOPLE
Tomatsås för många

If you are organizing a party for a lot of people you probably won't have the time to chop gazillions of onions for tomato sauce. That's why you cook this sauce by mixing everything together first, then shwoff down into the saucepan. Easy peasy.

Serves 6

1.3 lb tomatoes
1 large red onion
2 garlic cloves
1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1½ tablespoons tomato paste
tabasco
herbal salt


Split the tomatoes, red onion and garlic and mix together in a mixer or food processor. Pour it all in a saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Flavor to taste with herbal salt and tabasco and serve the sauce either hot or cold.

It can be a little watery when left for a while, and in that case just bring it to a boil again before serving.

If you double or triple this recipe you may need to adjust the cooking time. It should boil together more for the sake of the taste than for the texture.

Enjoy!

Bella

Meat and Onion Sauce - Kött- och löksås

MEAT AND ONION SAUCE
Kött- och löksås

A lovely, hearty meat sauce with lots of onion is great with typical autumn dishes and some pickled vegetables.

Serves 4

14 oz boneless pork, e.g. shoulder 
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 large leek
2 onions
1 red bell pepper
salt, black pepper
garlic powder
2 tablespoons flour
1.2 cup meat bouillon
0.4 cup heavy cream or crème fraîche
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon mustard
finely chopped parsley


Cut the meat in very thin slices and Brown it in some fat in a frying pan. Add trimmed and shredded leek, chopped onions and shredded bell pepper. Pour everything into a pot and add salt, pepper and powdered garlic. Sprinkle with flour while stirring, add bouillon, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes.

Add cream, tomato paste and mustard. Continue simmering for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the meat is tender. Flavor to taste and adjust if necessary. Pour into a serving bowl or serve straight from the pot. Sprinkle with lots of chopped parsley.

Serve with mashed potatoes or boiled rice and pickled beets, gherkins or other pickled veggies.

Enjoy!

Bella

4 Sauces with Ground Meat Dishes - 4 såser till köttfärsrätter

4 SAUCES WITH GROUND MEAT DISHES
4 såser till färsrätter

Each recipe makes 4 servings


Thyme Carrot Sauce
Timjansås med morötter

1.6 cup milk
2 tablespoons room-tempered butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
some black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 small carrot


Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. Stir fat and flour and beat this into the milk. Boil for 3 minutes and add salt, pepper and thyme.

Peel and finely grate the carrot and stir it into the sauce. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.


Cheese Sauce
Ostsås

0.8 cup crème fraîche
0.8 cup grated, ripe cheese
some black pepper


Bring crème fraîche to a boil in a saucepan, add cheese and stir until melted. Flavor with black pepper.


Olive Sauce
Olivsås

0.2 cup sliced olives
0.8 cup soured cream
black pepper


Stir the sliced olives into the soured cream and flavor with black pepper.


Blue Cheese  Sauce
Ädelostsås

0.8 cup heavy cream
1 3/4 oz blue cheese
pepper


When you have fried meatballs or ground meat patties in the pan, take them up. Pour the cream into the frying pan and crumble the blue cheese in the cream. Stir while the cheese is melting and flavor to taste with some pepper.


Enjoy!

Bella

Two Dessert Sauces - Två efterrättssåser

TWO DESSERT SAUCES
Två efterrättssåser

A home-made sauce served with a crumble pie, or some other lovely dessert, is heaven. These sauces can also be used for dipping strawberries or peaches, or be served with grilled fruit, or in a half-frozen state as ice cream …

Each recipe serves 6

Strawberry sauce

A bit like strawberry milkshake, excellent with fruit or crumble pie.

10 strawberries
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
grated zest from ½ lime
9 oz Kesella (Swedish dairy product, can be
substituted with thick Greek or Turkish yogurt)


Mix the strawberries with a hand mixer together with powdered sugar, then mix with lime zest and Kesella.


Cardamom sauce

A refreshing sauce, especially good with apple pie.

1.2 cup soured cream
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon "runny" honey
some crushed cardamom


Mix all ingredients in a bowl, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cardamom when serving.

Enjoy!

Bella

Spinach Dip - Spenatdip

SPINACH DIP
Spenatdip

Raw veggies are delicious to dip in a well-flavored sauce. Here I've mixed soured cream and crème fraîche with spinach and herbs. It looks nice if you put the bowl in a ring of crushed ice, and it keeps the sauce fresh and cool.

Serves 4 to 6

0.4 cup soured cream
0.4 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons grated onion
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon crumbled dried chervil
7 oz fresh spinach
or corresponding amount of frozen spinach
½ teaspoon salt
some grated nutmeg (I don't like it so I omit it)


Mix soured cream and crème fraîche gently. Add onion, chives and chervil and leave for a while. Trim and rinse fresh spinach and pre-cook in lightly salted water for a few minutes. Pour off the liquid, let cool and chop it. Frozen spinach just needs thawing. Stir the spinach into the soured cream mixture and flavor with salt and optional nutmeg.

Pour in a bowl and serve with different kinds of dippable goodies.

Enjoy!

Bella

My Best Sauce - Min bästa sås

MY BEST SAUCE
Min bästa sås

This sauce has become a favorite for many people. It's rich from tomato and horseradish and it's smooth and silky. You can serve it with fish, shellfish, meat, chicken, vegetables or boiled eggs.

Approx 1.6 cups

0.8 cup mayonnaise
0.8 cup crème fraîche
½ teaspoon salt
some black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste or chili sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons grated horseradish
some fresh lemon juice
dill or parsley


Pour the mayonnaise in a bowl and stir it with crème fraîche. Flavor with salt, pepper, tomato paste or chili sauce and horseradish. Last, stir in some fresh lemon juice and some chopped dill or parsley.

Serve as above and enjoy!

Bella

Avocado Apple Dip - Avocado- och äppeldip

AVOCADO APPLE DIP
Avocado- och äppeldip

Avocado is the ideal ingredient in dips. Here's a not so stuffy, mighty version with apple, bell pepper and pine nuts, perfect for chips or shredded veggies while chatting amicably over the first drink of the party.

Serves 4

1 tart apple
½ lemon
1 ripe avocado
3 tablespoons crème fraîche
½ red bell pepper
salt, pepper
2 tablespoons pine nuts or sunflower seeds


Peel and core the apple and chop or finely dice it. Squeeze the lemon over the apples for great taste and to protect them from darkening. Split the avocado, remove the stone and peel it. Mash with a fork and mix with crème fraîche. Trim and finely chop the bell pepper. Mix the mashed avocado with apple, lemon juice and bell pepper and flavor to taste with salt and pepper.

Roast the pine nuts or sunflower seeds in a dry, hot frying pan for a minute or so, allow to cool and blend them into the sauce. Pour into a bowl and serve with different goodies like chips, shredded veggies like cucumber, celery, bell peppers and carrots, or you can serve it as a sauce with shellfish or chicken salad.

Instead of pine nuts or sunflower seeds, it works fine with finely chopped walnuts as well.

Enjoy!

Bella

Creamy green pepper salsa - Krämig grön paprikasalsa

CREAMY GREEN PEPPER SALSA
Krämig grön paprikasalsa

The Spanish name of the small green peppers used in this sauce is "pimientos de padrón".

Serves 4

3½ oz pimientos de padrón
4 garlic cloves
0.4 cup olive oil
fresh juice from 1 lemon
salt, black pepper


Heat up a frying pan without any fat. Fry the padrones until the skin starts to blacken. Take them up, remove the stems and chop the padrones coarsely. Crush the garlic into the padrones, add olive oil and lemon juice and check for seasoning with salt and black pepper. Mix well, cover and store for at least 1 hour Before serving.

Enjoy! Smaklig måltid!

Bella

Apple Sauce (for fried fish) - Äppelsås till stekt fisk

APPLE SAUCE (FOR FRIED FISH)
Äppelsås till stekt fisk

Easy to make, simple and delicious - a cold sauce that's perfect with fried or grilled fish.

Serves 4

0.8 cup soured cream
0.2 cup mayonnaise
1 tart apple, with or without the peel
approx 20 slices pickled gherkin
1 tablespoon liquid from the gherkins (optional)


Mix soured cream and mayonnaise. Dice apple and gherkins and stir this in. Dilute the sauce with some gherkin liquid if needed and wanted.

Serve with fried or grilled fish, preferably with boiled potatoes.

Enjoy! Smaklig måltid!

Bella

Fresh Onion Stew - Färsk lökstuvning

FRESH ONION STEW
Färsk lökstuvning

When those endearing bundles of fresh, small, shiny onions are being sold, you can make this onion stew. Serve it with toast or as an accompaniment to a slice of fried meat, or whatever you prefer.

Serves 4

1 bunch fresh onions, (4 to 5)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
0.4 to 0.6 cup dry white wine
0.6 cup heavy cream
salt


Slice the onion and sautée in the fat. Add wine and let that boil in. Dilute with cream, bring to a simmer so that it thickens. Flavor to taste with salt. The onion is done when it is tender and the sauce is well thickened.

Enjoy!

Bella

Bean Almond Dip - Bön- och mandeldip

BEAN ALMOND DIP
Bön- och mandeldip

You can use this as a dip or spread it on bread. It's delicious any which way.

Serves 4

1 can white beans (without tomato sauce), approx 14 oz
1 to 2 garlic cloves
1 to 2 tablespoons oil, preferably olive oil
½ lemon
0.4 cup plain yogurt
1.7 oz skinned almonds
roasted flaked almonds for decoration


Put the beans in a mixer or food processor and mix them with garlic, oil, lemon juice and skinned almonds until you have a rough dip. Dilute with some lukewarm water if needed. 

Pour into a bowl, decorate with flaked almonds and serve with vegetables of your choice (or spread it on bread, or do both!).

Enjoy!

Bella

Guacamole De Luxe - Lyxig guacamole

GUACAMOLE DE LUXE
Lyxig guacamole

No matter what ends up on the grill - with this luxurious guacamole everything gets better.

Serves 4 to 6

3 avocados
finely grated zest and juice from 1 lime
2 garlic cloves
1/4 red, fresh chili fruit, finely chopped
½ red onion
½ Halloween bell pepper (I call it that since it's deliciously orange)
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped coriander
some salt


Mash the avocado pulp with a fork and mix with lime zest and juice. Finely chop the garlic. Remove the seeds from the chili fruit before chopping it. Finely chop the red onion and finely dice the Halloween pepper (yes, I love writing the word …).

Mix all ingredients et voilà!

Enjoy!

Bella

Pasta Sauce à la Ellinor - Pastasås à la Ellinor

PASTA SAUCE À LA ELLINOR 
Pastasås à la Ellinor

Crispy bacon in a creamy cheese sauce - could it get much better?

Serves 4

10 oz streaky bacon
1 onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves
½ lb cherry tomatoes
3 egg yolks
1.6 cups cream, 15% fat or the like
0.2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt, black pepper

For serving:
12 oz pasta, e.g. tagliatelle or pappardelle


Shred the bacon. Peel and chop the onion. Sautée bacon and onion in oil and crush the garlic into the mixture. Fold in the tomatoes and let them fry for a short while.

Beat the egg yolks slightly with a fork and mix with cream. Pour the cream mixture in the frying pan and heat the sauce through. Add cheese and flavor to taste with salt and black pepper.

Serve the boiled pasta with the sauce and a salad (to me, the salad is just as important as the rest of the meal … because it's so good!). 

Enjoy!

Bella

Pasta Sauce Bourguignonne - Köttfärssås Bourguignonne

PASTA SAUCE BOURGUIGNONNE
Köttfärssås Bourguignonne

When small children are trying new flavors, it's better if you can sneak those flavors into something they already like and are acquainted with. Like this - a ground meat sauce with a grown-up taste. The whole mushrooms, which should be there if the dish should really be Bourguignonne, can be sautéed and served separately if you don't want to mix them into the sauce. It's common for children to be suspicious to the texture of cooked mushrooms.

Serves 4

½ onion
1 small piece celery root (celeriac)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
10 oz ground meat (I use 50% beef, 50% pork)
3 rashers bacon
3½ oz mushrooms
a little black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon flour
0.4 cup red wine + 1 cup water
½ to 1 teaspoon salt


Finely chop onion and celery root and sautée in the fat until shiny. Increase the heat and brown the mashed ground meat in the pan. Cut the bacon in pieces, add that and brown some more. If you don't want to serve the mushrooms separately, now is the time to add that. Stir in pepper, tomato paste and flour. Add wine and water and simmer for a few minutes. Add more water if needed and flavor to taste with salt.

Enjoy!

Bella

Warm crab dip - Varm krabbdip

WARM CRAB DIP
Varm krabbdip

A creamy dip sauce with crab meat is delicious for those who can eat it. You can dip both vegetables and biscuits and you’ll find it hard to quit …

1 batch

6 to 7 oz crab meat or crab sticks

7 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
1/3 cup white wine or chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon Maizena
1 cup grated cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt, pepper
paprika

Cut crab meat or crab sticks in pieces. Mix cream cheese, wine or bouillon and Maizena in a saucepan. Heat on low heat until the cheese has melted and the mixture has slightly thickened. Add crab meat, grated cheese, dill and Worcestershire sauce. Heat on medium heat until really hot and the grated cheese has melted. Flavour to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with a little paprika and serve with toast, crisps, celery stems, sugar peas, carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes.

You can serve this dip warm or cold, whichever you prefer.

Enjoy!

Bella

3 different fruit dips - 3 olika fruktdips

3 DIFFERENT FRUIT DIPS
3 olika fruktdips

Choose between three lovely crèmes to dip fruits and berries in. You can dip all kinds of fruits, so choose after the season and what you like. I will have to omit dipping the starfruit though, that I’m not allowed to eat.

4 to 6 servings

2 nectarines or peaches

2 pears
2 kiwi fruits
1 starfruit (carambola)
¼ melon
lemon juice

Raspberry dip

2/3 cup whipping cream

1 egg yolk
¼ cup sugar
½ tablespoon Maizena
1/3 cup raspberries
1 to 1½ teaspoons vanilla sugar

Lemon dip

1 egg

¼ cup sugar
zest and juice from ½ lemon
1 oz butter or margarine
¼ cup heavy cream

Caramel dip

¼ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons treacle/molasses
1 oz butter or margarine
1 tablespoon cocoa

Start by rinsing and cleaning the fruit and remove pips if there are any. Cut in pieces. Squeeze the lemon juice over the pears so that they don’t get dark.

Raspberry dip:

Mix cream, egg yolk, sugar and Maizena in a saucepan, Simmer on low heat while beating until it thickens. Allow to cool. Add mashed raspberries and flavour with vanilla sugar.

Lemon dip:

Beat egg and sugar until fluffy. Add lemon zest and juice and simmer until thick in a saucepan while beating. Allow to cool, stir in the fat and let cool completely. Blend in whipped cream.

Caramel dip:

Boil cream, sugar, treacle and fat in a saucepan on medium heat while stirring for 3 minutes. Dissolve the cocoa in 1 tbsp water and stir this into the dip. Allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Bella