Strawfenny - Strawberry Fennel Salad

I love combining fennel with fruit. This time, I combined it with strawberries and apple for this fruity, refreshing salad. Do buy the strawberries and apple organic if you can; both strawberries and apples always make it to dirty dozen list of foods with the highest amounts of pesticide residue (http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods#fbIndex1).


STRAWFENNY


1 small fennel bulb OR half of a large bulb 
15 strawberries 
1 small, sweet apple
large handful of unshelled hazelnuts 
extra virgin olive oil 
freshly squeezed lemon juice 
sea salt 
chilli powder 


1. Mix some freshly squeezed lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and a pinch of chilli powder, and let the salad sauce stand while you are preparing the salad. 
2. Wash and trim the fennel bulb, cut it in half and slice it as thinly as you can. 
3. Wash the apple and cut it into small pieces. 
4. Wash and trim the strawberries, and cut them in half. 
5. Shell the hazelnuts and cut them in half (unless they are very small). 
6. Mix the fennel, the strawberries, the apple and the hazelnuts well, and serve with the salad sauce. 


Annika

Strawberry Swing - Asparagus Strawberry Salad

I felt like cooking something a bit different today, and got the idea of making a salad using asparagus and strawberries.  It looks like lots of other people beat me to it, though; the internet seems to be full of asparagus strawberry salad recipes. Anyway, this is my version of the salad. The idea of the spicy strawberry sauce, which gives the salad a great punch, is mine. 



STRAWBERRY SWING

Salad:

160 grams strawberries (~2/3 of a 250-gram package)
300 grams asparagus
12 large walnuts
leek
sea salt

Sauce:

90 grams strawberries (~1/3 of a 250-gram package)
half of a large, juicy lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoons chilli powder
sea salt

Preparing the salad:

1. Wash the asparagus spears, cut off the woody bits, and cut the rest of the spears into 3-cm-long pieces. Divide the pieces into three groups: the ones that come from the bottom (the hardest), middle and top (the softest) of the spears.
2. Put a tiny bit of water and some sea salt on the bottom of a pot, and bring to the boil.
3. Add the asparagus pieces into the pot in three stages, starting from the harder bottom bits. Let them steam under a lid until tender. Mix the asparagus pieces a few times so that all of them will get salted.
4. Pour the water out of the pot, and let the asparagus cool down completely.
5. Shell the walnuts and break them into smaller pieces.
6. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add the walnuts into the hot pan and stir frequently, until the walnuts start to brown and smell toasted (~5 min).
7. Let the walnuts cool down completely.
8. Wash and trim the strawberries, and cut them in half (or in more pieces in case they are quite big).
9. Wash the leek, cut very thin slices of the white part, and cut those in half. The leek I had was really thin, and I used about 4 cm of it for the recipe.
10. Mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl and put the bowl in the fridge.

Preparing the sauce:

1. Squeeze the juice of the lemon (about 3 tablespoons) into a small bowl.
2. Add the olive oil.
3. Add the chilli powder and a pinch of sea salt.
4. Add the strawberries and blend until smooth.
5. Let the sauce stand for about 10 minutes before serving it with the salad.

Annika

Bed of Lettuce – Egg and Mushroom Salad

In just a few of weeks, the temperatures here in the North of Italy have risen from winter coat to T-shirt temperatures. The chance of seasons can be seen at the farmers’ market, as well; the range of vegetables is widening every week! The past couple of weeks, for instance, more and more different types of lettuce have become available again. Today, I got some Romaine lettuce, and made this quick salad with eggs and mushrooms.

BED OF LETTUCE

2 eggs

3-5 mushrooms

2-3 tablespoons of fresh parsley

3 cloves of garlic

0.5-1 tablespoon of tumeric

freshly ground pepper

sea salt

sunflower seed or peanut oil

4 large leaves of Romaine lettuce

1. Beat the eggs together with the spices.
2. Peel the garlic, and chop it finely.
3. Wash the parsley and chop it finely.
4. Wash and slice the mushrooms.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
6. Add the egg mixture, and let it solidify for a few seconds.
7. Add the mushrooms, parsley and garlic, and use a spatula to break the egg mixture and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Stir for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat off and leave the mixture under a lid.
8. Wash the lettuce leaves, and tear them into small pieces.
9. Make a bed of lettuce on a plate, and add the egg/vegetable mixture on top.
10. Enjoy.

Annika

Foeniculum Orangulum - Italian Fennel Salad

I found some organic Sicilian oranges and walnuts at the market today, so decided to make this classic Italian salad (Yeah, I know... Yet another salad with oranges... I just can't get enough of them at the moment!).





FOENICULUM ORANGULUM

1 large fennel
1.5 oranges
10 whole walnuts (or 20 halves)
extra virgin olive oil
freshly squeezed lemon juice
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

1. Wash the fennel and slice it (from bottom up, until you reach the green part) as thinly as you possibly can.

2. Peel the oranges and cut them in small pieces.

3. Crack the walnut shells open, take out the walnuts and cut them in small pieces.

4. Put the fennel, the oranges and the walnuts in a salad bowl, add some olive oil, lemon juice (optional), sea salt and pepper, and mix. (If you care about how your salad looks, check out the serving suggestions on this site: http://www.lacucinadimarble.it/rec.php?id=442)

5. Enjoy.

Annika

P.S. In Italy, they often serve very thinly sliced fennels with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper only. Also very nice.

Cichorium Orangium - Fruity Chicory Salad

This gorgeous salad is an amended version of a salad recipe that my aunt recommended me to try. I've basically just added the pears and the walnuts to the original recipe.






CICHORIUM ORANGIUM

4 chicories
2 navel oranges
2 pears
1 leek
80-100 grams of walnuts
extra virgin olive oil
freshly squeezed lemon juice
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

1. Wash the chicories, cut of their ends, and slice the rest of them sideways.

2. Peel the oranges and the pears, and cut them into small pieces.

3. Wash the leek, and cut it into thin slices.

4. Cut the walnuts into small pieces.

5. Mix all the ingredients together, adding olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper to taste.

6. Enjoy.

Annika

Prunus Orangus - Prune-Orange Salad

I didn't have enough time to go to the farmers' market this weekend and instead ended up going to a regular market where you can also buy the more exotic winter produce from the south of Italy. One of the things I got were these huge, juicy organic navel oranges, which I've already used in a couple of very simple, light salads. Here's one of them.

PRUNUS ORANGUS

about 100 grams of field salad
0.5-1 navel orange
2 plums
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

1. Wash the field salad.

2. Peel the orange and tear it into small pieces.

3. Wash the plums and cut them into small pieces.

4. Mix the field salad, the orange and the plums with some extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

5. Enjoy.

Annika

Che Cavolo! – Cabbage-Turnip-Leek Soup

The idea for this lovely soup came from one of my workmates who told me that he had made a tasty soup combining leeks, turnips and green cabbage. This is what I came up using those ingredients, and some more.





 
CHE CAVOLO!

half a small, green cabbage

2 medium-sized leeks

2 medium-sized turnips

small red pepper

3 cloves of garlic

fresh ginger

gluten-free bouillon powder

½-¾ teaspoons of cardamom

freshly ground pepper

sea salt

extra virgin olive oil

1. Peel the garlic and the fresh ginger, and chop them in small pieces.

2. Peel the turnips and cut them in smaller chunks.

3. Wash the leeks, the red pepper and the green cabbage and cut them in smaller chunks.

4. Put the bouillon powder, the salt, the cardamom, the garlic and the ginger into a medium-sized pot together with some water and bring to a boil.

5. Add the turnips, the leeks and the red pepper, turn down the heat and leave the soup simmering under a lid for about five minutes.

6. Add the cabbage, and leave the soup simmering until all the ingredients are soft enough to blend.

7. Blend until the soup has become a creamy puree.

8. Serve with extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground pepper.

Annika

Pumpkin Soup with Dill

I love pumpkin soup, and I make quite a few different versions of it. This weekend, I found fresh dill at the market, so went for the below version with dill.

Oh, I should take this opportunity to share a valuable piece of advice: Don't waste your life cutting with crap knives! Using my old set of Ikea knives, I used to think that cutting pumpkins was one of the most tedious and difficult jobs in the kitchen... until my brother gave me a fancy Japanese knife that cuts through anything - probably even my fingers if I don't take care - with absolutely no effort at all. My life has changed.

PUMPKIN SOUP WITH DILL

pumpkin
1-2 onions
2-3 cloves of garlic
dill
gluten-free bouillon powder
sea salt
pepper
extra virgin olive oil

1. Peel the pumpkin, the onions and the garlic and chop them coarsely.

2. Wash and cut as much dill as you want to add into the soup. I think I used four branches this time but I would've been happy with more.

3. Put the pumpkin, the onions, the garlic and the dill into a pot, and add enough water to cover all the vegetables.

4. Add the bouillon powder, the salt and the pepper, and bring to a boil.

5. Blend when the pumpkin is soft.

6. Serve with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Mmmm.

Annika

Milletary Pancake II – Savoury Millet Pancake with Rosemary & Olives

I liked last Sunday’s millet pancake so much that I decided to make it with another typical combination of Italian tastes – rosemary and olives – today. Please also notice the increased size of the pancake...

MILLETARY PANCAKE II

6 dl of water
3 dl of millet
3 eggs
3 dl of coarsely chopped olives with a strong taste (e.g. kalamata olives)
2 cloves of garlic

1 dl of finely chopped white onion
about 3 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary
gluten-free bouillon powder
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
(sea salt)

1. Rinse the millet well.

2. Chop the garlic, the onions and and the rosemary finely.

3. Over low heat, warm a bit of olive oil in a pot, and cook the garlic and onions in it for a few minutes without browning them.

4. Add the rosemary, and cook for another minute.

5. Add the water, the bouillon powder and – should you so wish – a pinch of salt, and bring to a simmer.

6. Stir in the millet, cover the pot, and adjust the heat to low. Let the millet cook undisturbed for about 25 minutes, until it’s tender and has absorbed all the water.

7. While the millet is cooking, stone the olives and chop them coarsely.

8. Remove the millet from the heat and let it stand for about 10 minutes.

9. Beat the eggs, add half of the cooked millet, and use a stick blender to blend the ingredients into a thick puree.

10. Mix the millet-egg puree, the olives and freshly ground pepper carefully.

11. On a baking tray covered with baking paper, use a spatula and/or your hands to form a flat cake out of the mixture.

12. Bake in a pre-heated (220 degrees Celsius) oven for 10-15 minutes.

13. Enjoy hot or cold! Please notice that it's less likely to crumble when it's cooled down a bit.

Annika

Milletary Pancake I – Savoury Millet Pancake with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Rosemary

The idea for a millet pancake originates from the time I used to go to the health food store close to my old flat; they often had home-made stuff on offer, and I once tried – and fell in love with – their millet cakes. So, this weekend, I started hunting for millet cake recipies. The recipe below is the healthiest possible combination of the recipies I found (especially in that I decided to bake the pancake in the oven, instead of frying it). I called mine a pancake because it’s one large cake instead of several little ones.

MILLETARY PANCAKE I

4 dl of water
2 dl of millet
2 eggs
50 grams of sun-dried tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
about 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary
gluten-free bouillon powder
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
(sea salt)

1. Place the sundried tomatoes in warm water for half an hour to reconstitute them.

2. Rinse the millet well.

3. Chop the garlic and the rosemary finely.

4. Over low heat, warm a bit of olive oil in a pot, and cook the garlic in it for a few minutes without browning it.

5. Add the rosemary, and cook for another minute.

6. Add the water, the bouillon powder and the salt, and bring to a simmer. Please notice that you don’t necessarily have to add any extra salt, as sun-dried tomatoes are very salty. I did but I won’t next time.

7. Stir in the millet, cover the pot, and adjust the heat to low. Let the millet cook undisturbed for about 25 minutes, until it’s tender and has absorbed all the water.

8. While the millet is cooking, drain the sun-dried tomatoes and chop them coarsely. (Don’t throw away the water you used to reconstitute the tomatoes; you can use it to add taste to a soup or something.)

9. Remove the millet from the heat and let it stand for about 10 minutes.

10. Beat the eggs, add half of the cooked millet, and use a stick blender to blend it all into a thick puree.

11. Mix the millet-egg puree, the sun-dried tomatoes and freshly ground pepper carefully.

12. On a baking tray covered with baking paper, make a round, flat cake (with a diameter of about 28 cm) out of the mixture using a spatula and/or your hands.

13. Bake in a pre-heated (220 degrees Celsius) oven for 10-15 minutes.

14. Enjoy hot - or cold if you manage to stop eating it while it's still hot. I didn't.

Annika

Ruby Soup – Beetroot Soup with Fresh Herbs

This lovely soup should be tried by anyone who says that they hate beetroots. I used to hate beetroots, too, until I actually started using fresh beetroots in my cooking. Give beetroots another chance!

Ruby Soup

4 beetroots
2 carrots
2 small red onions
3-4 smallish cloves of garlic
fresh ginger
fresh coriander
fresh parsley
gluten-free bouillon powder
sea salt

1. Peel the beetroots, the carrots, the onions, the garlic and the ginger, and chop them coarsely.

2. Wash the coriander and the parsley. I used a generous amount of coriander!

3. Put all the ingredients – including the bouillon powder and the salt – in a large pot, and add enough water to cover all the ingredients.

4. Cook until the beetroots and the carrots are ready.

5. Liquidise and serve.

6. Let me know if you still hate beetroots.

Annika