cabbage casserole & another with pasta

went to the store to get ground beef for a pasta casserole i was planning to make for dinner, but noticed this nice head of cabbage calling my name... sometimes that happens. this time listening to that voice resulted in very tasty cabbage casserole.

as you would have it, it all starts with cabbage, recipe is very simple and adjustable:

1 kg cabbage, shredded
400 gr minced beef browned (or go vegetarian and use tofu in some form)
1 liter veal stock, or any stock you have around (i made some from knorr fond)
2 dl barley pearls (quick cooking rice is fine, or precook brown rice for half the cooking time before adding to this recipe, if you omitted the beef and didn't use tofu of any kind, you could add more grains, if so, add more stock as well)
1 dl dark syrup

cooked in 200C oven for 1 hour, first half hour covered.

here, although the in season young cabbage cooks relatively fast, i wanted to save some time and sauteed it for about 10 mins on medium high heat, just to wilt it and get the cooking going. (if time isn't an issue, skip this part and mix with other ingredients raw. cook in the oven for 2 hrs, first hr covered with foil, for the second hr make sure the dish doesn't dry out and have some more stock around to add if needed.)

browned ground beef is one of my sins, i could eat all this...but didn't!

there are several types of fonds (basically it's an industrial variety of concentrated pan-juices) around. they are very convenient, but some contain too much salt, and of course, additives of all sorts. this particular "taste" from knorr is ok, but there is the fine line after which, if you add too much, the food has an "industrial" taste.

pearl barley, quick cooking kind. as the package says "domestic option to rice".

the dark syrup i used, to me syrup is the secret to this dish. if you think it's going to make it too sweet...start with a smaller amount.

i had one medium size sweet potato around, grated it roughly and added half to this dish (sweet potato is good for you, don't have any, don't worry, not essential). placed the cabbage, browned meat and barley in a big bowl, mixed well, placed the mixture into an oven dish, poured the stock and syrup on. on hindsight, some butter on top would have made everything taste even better...

...but for someone who used to hate everything with cabbage (=me), this was oh-so-good. when taking off the foil at half-time, check if you need to add some more stock. if it looks wet, you're good, if it looks dry at half-time add a good 3 dl more stock.

the second dish was mac and beef casserole. in finland it is traditionally made with white elbow macaroni, ground beef, milk and egg mixture to set it. i'm not a fan of white pasta, so i used full-grain spelt pasta.

recipe goes:

400 gr pasta, cooked
400 gr ground beef, browned
150 gr grated cheese (i used swiss type polar)
3 dl cream (used the fattier version, there are some lighter ones around)
(and that half of a roughly grated medium size sweet potato, totally optional, but it'll be good for you...)

you can certainly use more cheese if you like, i thought that with the full fat cream, i should go easy on the cheese (the cheese is only 15% fat).

again, mixed 2/3 of the cheese, pasta, ground beef and sweet potato in a big bowl, placed the mixture into an oven dish, poured the cream on top and covered with foil and placed next to the cabbage dish into the 200C oven for a half hr.

after the half hour took the dish out, added rest of the cheese and returned the dish to the oven for another 15 mins for the cheese to melt.

the spelt pasta might be an acquired taste as it is very "healthy" (but nothing a good squirt of ketchup can't cure). this was perfect to have right out of the oven, but if re-heated it could use a bit more liquid, whether in the form of cream or stock of any kind.

tomorrow you'll see what we had for dessert...

lemon risotto with asparagus and peas

as i finally got the "real" risotto rice, carnaroli, i decided that i would do all the fancy stuff that goes along with the real stuff...and turned to martha for the recipe...







the recipe is from the martha stewart living cookbook, the new classics. couldn't find the exact recipe online, but there are several similar, just have your pick...here's what went into mine.

the carnaroli is from delideli at hakaniemen halli. i got some organic lemons in order not to get all the pesticides with the peel...and the parmesan! got that from hakaniemen halli as well, will not ever by the prepackaged version, ever.







my very messy mice en place. with all the stirring going on with the recipe i thought this was more than necessary.







i even got the wine called for in the recipe (by chance!!)







i still lack the experience of a real italian risotto but this turned out great, very fresh, lots of layers of different tastes. i bet it would have a whole lot better with lots more salt but i just can't put that much in...this would become a staple in my kitchen if not for all the stirring...too much work!

spelt risotto

i was anxious to try the risotto spelt i got from vääksyn mylly (mentioned in my last post). i still need to go to italy to eat "proper" risotto, but this turned out great.







beside the risotto spelt i used onion, garlic, spinach and dried mushrooms.







i still have a lot of dried mushrooms that i try to incorporate into as many dishes i can (and remember...perhaps i should move the jars from the top shelf to a more prominent place...). a little of the dried mushrooms goes a long way, just pour boiling water on top...







...the mushrooms puff up in no time.







as with any other risotto i started by sauteeing minced onion and the spelt in rape seed oil







then added the mushrooms, grated garlic and spinach which was still a bit frozen...







...then added low-sodium vegetable stock and let simmer on low for 25 mins. at this point i felt like the evil witch cooking up concoctions...the color wasn't very appetizing.







added grated parmesan towards the end on the cooking time.







at the end the color had tamed a bit. seasoned the risotto with just crushed black pepper. certain someone said it was very tasty, i have to agree. one of these days i need to make a risotto with wine and cream and all the other fancy necessities to compare with this very rustic version.







while the risotto was cooking i was pestering the dog...the dog has come a long way from running under the table at the sight of a camera but i don't think he enjoys the attention of a camera. he didn't outright move away from me, but did give me a very bored look...

martha's november menu

i get martha stewart living delivered, there is one these cards inclosed every month.







as you can see, i have saved them all, since 2000 (i think). yesterday was actually the first time i cooked (almost) the whole menu from these recipes







spicy carrot soup







stuffed pork chops and couscous with brussels sprouts







i tried to find the recipes online, no luck. if they get posted, i'll edit the links later. for now, you'll need to go with my approximites.

carrot soup, obviously, calls for carrots, then leek, chicked stock (i used vegetable) and harissa, which i didn't have and used sriracha instead.







mince the leek, sautee in some olive oil, add carrots, sriracha and stock, cook until carrots are tender, puree half of the soup in a blender, combine and serve. i did add some of my "herb of the month" tarragon, i think tarragon goes very well with carrots (among other things)







toast some (rye) bread, cut into stick and garnish the soup







the couscous and sprouts then, certain someone doesn't eat couscous so i used pearl barley instead.







the recipe called for lemon juice and peel, but all i had in the fridge was this tiny lime, that ended up working great







the recipe also called for peeling the sprouts in order to get leaves, but i was too lazy to do that. i just washed and quartered the sprouts and browned them in some olive oil...







...before adding to the cooked barley, then added juice and peel of the lime, so easy







the chops were next. i had hard time trying to find dried apricots that didn't have any additives in them, namely sulfur oxide. fortunately i found this brand sundried acricots, not the bright yellowish orange you normally associate with them, however, nothing but apricots in that bag.

the recipe for the stuffing also called for almonds, but as i had this half empty bag of pinenuts, i used them, and loads of parsley







mixed these in a bowl with some olive oil...







...before making cuts on the sides of the chops for the stuffing







browned the chops on medium heat on both sides, before adding some vegetable stock and red wine vinegar to further cook (with the lid on) the chops. i then took the chops out and poured the sauce thru a sieve before pouring it on the chops. i had forgotten how good pork chops are, but, please, do pay attention to how and were the meat was produced...






we did have something sweet with coffee, but is tomorrow's post...

mushroom risotto

on monday i decided that there has to be something in the pantry for dinner without having to go to the grocery store...i found these







dried black trumpets (craterellus cornucopioides) and funnel cantharelles (cantharellus tubaeformis)







these mushrooms keep almost forever in an airtight container. they only need a bath in boiling hot water to revive







30 mins, or so, will do the trick







i had decided to make risotto with the mushrooms. took out an onion, garlic (not pictured), parmesan and risotto rice







and these. for the life of me i can't understand why i've ever bought them! yes, they are handy at the cottage, in a snowstorm when there is no way to get anything else, but other than that...i just plain don't like them







the tin was going to expire in a few months so instead of tossing them in the compost, i gave them a good rinse and chopped them quite fine







took out this as well...the souvenir from split, minced black truffle in oil







i had never tasted it before...interesting







happened to have some whipping cream in the fridge (closing in on the expiry date)







loads of parmesan







started by sauteeing the minced onion on medium pan, then added the rice and garlic, sauteed some more before adding vegetable stock in batches (according to the rice package instructions). i added all of the mushrooms in the beginning figuring they'll yield more flavor that way. i used ½ tsp of the truffle mince to season before adding the parmesan and cream







yam!







will need to try the truffle on it's own on something, not sure i could quite taste it in here