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