Archive for the 'food culture' Category

Potatoes potatoes potatoes

Published on July 5, 2010 in food culture. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

So, it’s been a while since we did anything food related here, but I have been experimenting with potatoes recently, trying to find simple ways of making them just a little bit better.

It seems, that for texture and consistency, salt is the trick. When boiling them, add as much salt as you dare, but be careful not to pierce the skin of the potatoes after you have done this, as it will cause them to get very salty and uneatable in the end. It works best with smaller types, like Duchesse and Cherie, but larger, newpotatoes and similiar will also work well, you just need to be patient and give them enough time to boil properly.

The salt trick works when oven baking them as well. Place potatoes with skin on a baking tray, drizzle over as much salt as you dare, as much as 2kg is fine, and again, be careful not to pierce the skin. Bake in oven on roughly 200 degrees celsius until they start collapsing inside the skin, that means they are finished and that the texture is just perfect.

Serve with melted butter and chives with a pinch of fine sea salt, Washington or Maldon are my favourites, and just a twist of fresh pepper. Alternately, mix with balsamic vinegear and olive oil for a fresh take on the potato salad!

Use as a side for almost anything  that needs potatoes, or just as a dish on it’s own!

Real chicken with mango and red wine sauce.

Published on February 18, 2010 in food culture. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

It has been absolutely ages since I wrote anything of importance here – actually, I never really write anything of importance here, but you get the point. Yesterday however, I created a dish worthy of some words on this meagre blog.

I give you: real chicken with mango and a redwine sauce.

And by real chicken, I mean real chicken. Not some genetically altered superboosted broiler posing as a chicken. But a homegrown (not really) well fed, free-to-walk-around-in-the-open-chicken. You see, this is where all the difference is. If you get a chicken that actually tastes and feels like chicken, it will be that much better. I get chickens from Stange gård, which is sold in grocery stores here in Norway, and it is of the “Liveche” type, which is known to be the best chicken for cooking.

You need: (for two people) 

  • One chicken breast of high quality (approx 500 grams)
  • 1 red onion
  • 6 potatoes
  • 1/2 mango
  • Fresh or dried chili
  • 1/2 lime
  • 1 garlic
  • Olive oil, balsamic vinegear, salt and pepper
  • Some fresh thyme

Slice and dice potatoes french fries style with salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil and put in heated oven (220) for about 35 - 40 minutes. Add fresh thyme and stir after ten minutes. ’

Make a nice mixture marinade of olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegear, lime peel, salt and pepper and put in an oven dish. Fry the chicken breast quickly on both sides to give a crust then put it in the oven dish with the marinade mixture and place in middle of oven for about 10 – 15 minutes. – Trick here is to have the chicken and the potatoes finish at the same time. The chicken is better if left to rest for 5 – 10 minutes after comming out of the oven.

Approx 5 minutes before serving, slice 1/2 a mango into medium slices, season with chili and lime, (I like to add extra lime to the oil in the frying pan as well) and then fry this on very high heat for about 1,5 mins on either side. And leave to cool down for a minute before serving.

I like to top this off with a nice red wine sauce, which is easily made by frying a red onion in butter, then adding a decent amount of red wine and finish it off with a pre-made mixture of flour and water (in a shaker to avoid lumps) then simply bring to boil and simmer for a few minutes and season with salt and pepper if nescesary.

Shanghai adventures, part IV: Show, friends and the end of this journey.

Published on October 12, 2009 in food culture and travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

The end of this adventure is here. Tomorrow, I set point my nose to Europe and home. The last days have been spent mostly in the theatre, working on our performance. We did two shows, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Both went very well, and with a 90% audience attendance of maximum cpacity, I think we are all happy with the result. I would also like to commend Arkadi Zaidi for his piece, that complemented ours very well, and made for a nice and diverse evening.

Today, my new Israeli friends and myself went walking in the old town. A beautiful, but not so well tendered, example of old and ancient Chinese architecture. – Almost the cliche we think of when we think about Chinese houses. Some of the places are quite commercialized, with lots of markets for tourists and shops that sells classic Chinese souvenirs I guess. We went of the beaten track and wandered into the slum area of Shanghai, a completely different feel, much more lively in a way, food and animals everywhere. Shops that sells fake brands all over, and lots of people trying to lure westerners like us into their shop. We found a back alley with a small restaurant, and we managed somehow to order some food, and it was really good. It was a simple soup with homemade noodles (we saw the lady in the back making them) and coriander. Tasty and plentiful. Just the way it should be.

I was quite happy today, as I didn’t wander Shanghai alone – I spent the day with my new Israeli friends (the choreographer, dancer and manager of the Israeli company that shared our stage) and we really had a good time together. Making friends is not always easy in strange countries, but we found some common ground and interests, and I am sure we shall at least stay in touch. The blessings of modern technology is sometimes invaluable.

Tomorrow I get up early for the flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, before I transfer to my plane back home to Oslo. It has been a wonderful trip, with sights and experiences worth every hour and penny spent on it. However, it is always nice to come home again. Hopefully, Shanghai is a city I will come back to at some point, and see how the development of this megapolis is changing the life here, and where it will go in the next years.

See you wherever you are.

Hans out.

Potato soup

Published on September 24, 2009 in food culture. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Here’s a nice recipe for a delicious potato soup which you can make variations on into the indefinite, and; it also is good on it’s own or as a starter or a light “not-quite-time-for-dinner-yet” snack.

This is for two people roughly. (My estimates are always dubious. At best.)

You shall need:
300g potatoes. Corny texture is preferable for this soup.
1 onion - medium size, or even 2 shallots if you want to
the white stuff from a leek (so just the bottom part there)
1 chinese garlic
approx. 1L of chicken stock
2dL cottage cheese
butter
olive oil
salt and pepper

For garnish and / or / if you want to add extra flavour and flaire:
Some of the green stuff from a leek (could even be the same leek!)
Chorizo sausage or bacon
Truffle oil (black truffles)

1. Stir finely cut onion and garlic with some butter in a pan until soft. It should not go brown.
2. Add peeled and diced potatoes and the white leek. Stir well.
3. Add chicken stock. Bring to boil and boil until potatoes are soft.
4. Add a few drops olive oil, some salt and pepper and boil for just one more minute
5. Add cottage cheese and mash the whole mix in the blender until nice and smooth.
6. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.

Serve with lightly fried green leek and fried chorizo sausage or crispy bacon on top. Add a leave or two of fres basil if you are in the mood.

Enjoy.

Potatoes for a slow summerday…

Published on June 1, 2009 in food culture. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

This is a great little treat if you just want something that’s easy to make and tastes really good! The trick here is finding really good balsamic vinegar, one that is 100% natural with nothing artificial in it. I use Oliviers & Co. and haven’t found anything as good yet…

You will need:

Potatoes

3 shallots per person

2 sausages per person, I prefer smoked and skinless

4 cherry tomatoes per person

decent olive oil

decent balsamic vinegear

fresh thyme – lots!

Do the following:

Fry potatoes and shallots on medium heat in olive oil and a few drops of balsamic until almost tender. Then add thyme and more balsamic and olive oil, some salt and pepper and simmer for a few minutes more. Add diced sausage and tomatoes and even more balsamic and simmer for about ten minutes. Taste with salt and pepper. Add some more thyme. Stir well and serve.

Eat alone or as a part of a bigger meal. Goes well with both red and white wine, a cold beer or preferably, a fres fruit juice for the warm summer day!

Easter ham!

Published on April 12, 2009 in food culture. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

So, it’s Easter. And it’s time for Easter ham. And this year, I made a rather nice one…this one with oven baked mashed potatoes and red wine gravy.  Here’s the how to:

For 5 people you will need:

approx. 1kg smoked ham (in one piece)
6 carrots
1/2 leek
Potatoes for 5 people
1 red onion
6dl red wine
6dl stock (vegetable or meat)
Creme
Unsalted butter
Olive oil
Provence spices

Small portion of Jarlsberg cheese
cornflour

The ham:

  1. Put diced carrots and leek into a pan, pour in approx. three tablespoons of olive oil, some spices, fresh herbs, salt and pepper.
  2. Rub the ham in Provence spices, salt and pepper.
  3. Put the ham on top of the carrots and leeks and cover with hot water (not hot from tap) halfway up.
  4. Bring to boil and simmer for approx 1 hour and 15 minutes per kg. of meat.

Potatoes:

  1. Peel, slice and dice potatoes.
  2. Boil until soft and mushy. Drain. Add three tablespoons of butter and mash.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon of creme, salt and pepper and stir well.
  4. Put fist sized chunks of mash on a baking tray, top with jarlsberg cheese and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Red wine gravy:

  1. Melt some butter in a frying pan. Lightly fry finechopped red onion until soft.
  2. Add red wine and simmer until reduced by 60% and it starts to thicken. (approx. 40 minutes) NO LID!
  3. Add stock and simmer for another 15 – 20 minutes.
  4. Mix some water and cornflour in a shaker and shake until even. Add to sauce and bring to boil. Stir well all the time. Add 250grams of butter and taste well, add salt and pepper if necessary.

That’s all. Enjoy with re d wine and good friends!

Bolognese!

Published on February 23, 2009 in food culture. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

So, I had another go at my nemesis-pasta-sauce on Friday, the classic Italian Bolognese. This time, it came out pretty well! Why do I refer to it as my nemesis? Well, you see… first, it’s my all time favourite pasta-dish. Not because it’s the most delicate flavoured one, and not becuase it’s the most exquisite one, but because it is the one with the most variations on one single recipe… I NEVER get it the same. And that is what I love about it, because it needs, exactly, love, to be successful.

This variation is supposed to be with chicken liver… but because of bad planning and the lack of availability of this hard-to-get product, I made mine without it. Anyhow, here it is:

What you need for about 4 persons:
- 400grams of ground (minced) beef or veal
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 chinese garlic
- 1 medium onion
- 2 celery stalk
- approx 100grams of pancetta (or a nice bacon)
- between 25 and 50 grams of porcini (dried mushrooms)
- 1 can of high quality ITALIAN tin tomatoes OR 400grams of passata
- 5dl of beef stock
- 1 table spoon tomato puree
- 4 table spoons of dry red wine
- 1 bay leaf
salt and pepper for seasoning
real unsalted butter and extra virgin olive oil

How to do it:
1. Put the mushrooms in cold water (for about 1 – 1,5 hrs)
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, add finely chopped carrots, onion, garlic and celery – fry this for about 10 minutes.
3. Add meat and diced pancetta or bacon – fry this until the meat is brown. The meat does not need to be cooked through at this point, we still want it to be juicy and soft.
4. Add wine. Turn heat to max and simmer until wine has evaporated. (NO LID!)
5. Turn down heat, add tomatoes and tomato puree and stir well.
6. Add 5dl of stock, bay leaf and some salt and pepper.
7. Bring to boil and then simmer for 2 – 3 hrs. Stir occasionally.
8. Take mushrooms out of water (but don’t throw away the water..)
9. Add chopped mushrooms (and 100g chicken liver if you have) and stir well.
10. Add some of the water from the mushrooms
11. Simmer for another 30 – 50 minutes.

Serve with fresh tagliatelle or spaghetti, fresh brown bread and butter.

The sauce is best when it is thick and rich, and you see the butter and oil start to separate from the sauce at the top of the pan. Add salt and pepper at the end and stir well before serving. There is no set recipe for this dish, so experiment and try your own additions and varieties until you find something you are happy with.

Happy cooking!