Olive Rosemary Lamb Meatloaf

I can never make meatloaf look very pretty, but it sure tastes good! And I know the wine reduction looks sort of like melted chocolate - never mind, never mind. We enjoyed this dinner a lot - we ate cooked bulgur wheat with it, and some pan-fried zucchini. Yummy!

Olive Rosemary Lamb Meatloaf
(printable recipe)
Serves 3-4

400 g lamb mince
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
50 g green olives, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg
1 tsp salt

250 ml red wine
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp concentrated stock (I used one called "beef with red wine", but any would do - veal or vegetable for example.)
1 tbsp water
1 tsp cornstarch

Mix all the ingredients for the meatloaf. Shape into a loaf, and place in a snug pan.

Stir together the wine and the brown sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it cook for a few minutes, then pour on top of the meatloaf.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, at 175°C.

Remove the meatloaf to a cutting board and wrap with foil to keep warm. Pass the juices through a sieve into a saucepan, and add the stock. Stir together the water and cornstarch, and add. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring the whole time, and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Add more water if it's too thick for your liking.

Recipe in Swedish:
Lammfärslimpa med oliver & rödvinsreduktion

In the news - me!

I'm featured in Aftonbladet Mat & Vin this weekend - Aftonbladet is one of the daily newspapers here, and Mat & Vin is their food section. Or really, it's not about me, it's about my chocolate truffle cake. Which you should totally make if you haven't already. It was part of a spread about chocolate cakes, and I was experimenting to make it a bit more interesting but in the end submitted the recipe plain.

In the photo, you can see some vanilla-candied limequats, which totally sounded yummy but ended up being.. well, almost inedible. The flavor was delicious - but the skin of the limequats was too thick and chewy, almost impossible to swallow. Oh well! I intended to make it with kumquats, which I believe have slightly thinner peel, and I'll definitely try that for something else soon.

Onion Tart with Phyllo

I'm not a huge fan of tarts or pies in general - mostly because I rarely like the pastry. I don't mind the fillings though! Since I realized you can use phyllo dough instead of regular pastry, my pie-baking has definitely increased. And this delicious onion tart is just perfect for fall - it's very comforting and delicious. Eat it as a main dish with a salad on the side, or serve it along something else - I can see this going very well with roast beef, for example. It'll keep in the fridge for a few days too, if you happen to have leftovers.

Onion Tart with Phyllo
(printable recipe)

You need a 24-cm springform pan

4 large onions
salt
black pepper
6 sheets of phyllo dough, larger than your pan
olive oil
2 eggs
200 ml cream (full-fat is the way to go)
grated nutmeg (just a little)

Slice the onions thinly, and fry on medium heat in olive oil for about 15 minutes. It should become soft and glistening, but not brown a whole lot. You're not caramelizing, so keep it on the light side. Season with salt and black pepper.

Work quickly, or the phyllo dough will dry out. Start by brushing your pan with oil. Place layers of phyllo, overlapping, and brush some oil between some of the layers. (It's not all that important, so don't worry.) When all the layers are in the pan, add the onion.

Whisk the eggs, cream and nutmeg, and pour this over the onions. Scrunch together the overlapping phyllo dough, and fold inwards to make a nice edge for the pie. Brush the edge with olive oil.

Bake at 175°C for about 25-30 minutes. The filling should be mostly set (but might still be a little wobbly) when you take it out. Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Recipe in Swedish:
Lökflarn med filodeg

Wednesday Bookmarks

I thought I'd try a new type of posts - since I read so many blogs myself, I always end up bookmarking tons of recipes I want to try. You can find all of them on my Delicious account, but I thought I might do a weekly round-up for you. I hope you'll find it useful!

So - just three things this past week, really. First, a really detailed tutorial on how to make Italian-style macarons. I've really been wanting to try it, so this will be perfect. Thank you, always trusty Dessert First!

And bread. I actually tried both of these yesterday and was very happy with the results. They're not healthy, but still better for you than store-bought. And my husband (and son) loves fluffy white bread, so I thought I'd indulge them... Both of these are in Swedish, but I'll post my adaptions of the breads as soon as I can. Teacakes from Cupcakesfluffan, with oatmeal and flax seeds. They also have baking powder to make them extra fluffy! And then these soft rolls, originally shaped into crescents but I ended up making round ones.

A favorite dessert

I recently re-made my chocolate pannacotta with raspberry jelly for a magazine feature - I'll tell you more about it when it's out. Meanwhile, make the recipe - it's delicious! I didn't have any cocoa nibs at hand this time, so I used some grated dark chocolate on top. And the chocolate I used was Green & Black organic, with 70% cocoa. Very intense, but very necessary in this particular dessert, since you use so little chocolate.

Cookbook watch - books with cookies & sweets

Marie Skogström is both a chef and a pastry chef, and she's been a finalist for Pastry Chef of the Year several times if my memory serves correctly. Her book, Chokladdesserter (Do you really need me to translate that?) doesn't mention this at all, but knowing it makes me appreciate her recipes a little extra. The goodies really speak for themselves though - a caramel panna cotta topped with chocolate ganache, anyone? A lingonberry chocolate soufflé? Yes, I thought so. This book is a keeper, and gets to move into my over-stuffed bookcase.



277 sorters kakor ("277 types of cookies") is the latest from Swedish pastry chef Jan Hedh, and it's filled to the brim with cookie recipes. Cookies, in the broad sense, that is - some are actually cookies, some are cakes, some are small gateaus. Jan Hedh is a very classical pastry chef, and has tons of recipes for old-style European sweets, that he's learned from various colleagues during his long career. A lot of them feel decidedly old-fashioned, but fabulously-looking nonetheless. As always, his recipes are extremely exact (don't even think about attempting them without a precise set of scales) and usually somewhat complicated. That in itself can be quite deterring - but if you get past it and look to the finished results, you can have some fun with this book. If you want something a bit more approachable, read on...



Sju sorters julkakor might at first glance look exactly like "Sju sorters kakor" or Swedish cakes and cookies as it's called in English. (Yes, a Swedish cookie cookbook that's available in English!) It's not. The name means "Seven kinds of christmas cookies" but obviously this holds a lot more than seven cookies. I love that they've used the same red gingham design as some of the other staple books that Ica Bokförlag has published - not only because it looks great but also because it implies that this book is a staple. And it just might be. Not just for christmas, either - oh no, this is a book to be used all year round. My only problem is where to begin. With cookies? Cakes? A cheesecake perhaps, topped with christmassy pomegranate seeds? Cinnamon brownies with saffron frosting?? Seriously, that sounds so good it ought to be illegal. Get the book (if you read Swedish) - you won't regret it.



Lyxlagat Sött & Gott ("Luxury cooking - sweet and tasty") is the fourth book by Frederik Zäll (who's probably best known as a musician, in the band Escobar), but it's the first one I've read. For this one, he's paired up with super cool pastry chef Daniel Roos (who's a total doll, and heads up the pastry department at luxury restaurant Operakällaren) to present awesome desserts. They're definitely made to impress - but easy enough to pull off at home. (Well, at least that's the claim!) It has yummy goodness from cover to cover - it begins with a Mango Tart with Coconut Meringue, and ends with homemade chocolates filled with a tea-chocolate ganache. Every recipe also has a suggestion for music and something to drink - a bit unclear if it's meant to actually match, or if it's more something you could drink while cooking, but it's nice either way. Frederik has a very personal way of writing, and the book is extremely friendly. Thumbs up!

Spicy Bolly-gnese

Photo by The Meanest Indian on Flickr.

This is almost offensive, I know. Cooking something Indian-spiced, with beef! And calling it something as silly as Bolly-gnese. I know. It's horrendous. But I can't resist. If you want to be a bit less politically uncorrect, by all means substitute the beef for.. I don't know, maybe turkey? (Turkey is rarely seen in the stores here, so I can't really try.) But don't let the name or the beef stop you from making this - it's incredibly tasty, and I really loved it. So much I didn't manage to take a picture - even of the leftovers! I know, bad food blogger. But let that be a testament to how good it was. (It's not much of a looker, anyway.) Little Titus devoured it too - it's very kid friendly.

Spicy Bolly-gnese
(printable recipe)
serves 4

2 carrots, finely diced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
300 g cabbage, shredded
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp yellow curry
1/2 tsp cinnamon
500 g beef, minced
200 ml water
400 ml - 1 tin - coconut milk

Start by frying carrots, onions and cabbage with the oil on medium heat in a large pot. When the veggies have softened, add all the spices. (You can add more later, if you want it spicier.)

Add the beef and give it a good stir to make sure it doesn't clump too much. Add water and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and lower the heat, and let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season to taste.

Serve with cooked bulgur wheat, or pasta.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kryddig Bolly-gnese

Happy 6th birthday, blog!

Six years. It's been a while. And I still love blogging, and I still feel like it's so rewarding, I certainly have no plans on stopping!

Oh, I really wish I could have made a cake to show you today - and I should have, well in advance. Except I didn't get around to it. And this past week - well, my husband has been on a business trip so I've been on my own with Titus. It's been great, but the little guy got a cold and an eye infection, and had to stay at home from daycare. Which meant I had to stay at home, too. Which also meant cake didn't happen.

But it will - eventually. And this year, I thought I'd take requests. I've already made Princess Cake, Black Forest Cake (Swedish style), Budapest Roll, Oscar II:s cake (which is the one in the photo, and closely resembles the almond cake IKEA serves and everyone loves), and last year a humble vanilla bean jelly roll. What should I make this year? I have no idea, so I'll leave it up to you!

Pear Almond Muffins

I don't know if it's just me, but I rarely eat pears. I never find them perfectly ripe - they're either hard and tasteless, or mushy and grainy. It seems that they have a very short "perfect period", and I can (almost) never time it. And I don't like throwing things away. So I have to come up with decent ways to use up pears. (This is also a problem with bananas, but I have many more ideas for that.)

So, these pears - a little on the unripe side by the way - were made into muffins, along loads of almonds and some white chocolate. Delicious combination, and I urge you to try it! The freeze very well, and they can even be eaten directly from frozen - my husband does.

Pear Almond Muffins
(printable recipe)
12 small and 12 regular-sized muffins

200 g butter
200 g sugar
200 g almonds (mine happened to be blanched, but yours don't have to be)
100 g white chocolate, chopped
4 eggs
250 ml flour (1 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
300 g pears, peeled and finely diced

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Grind the almonds in an almond grinder if you have it, or process very finely in a food processor. Stir into the butter mixture, along with the white chocolate. Add the eggs, one at a time, and stir to combine well. Add the flour and baking powder, and finally the pears.

Dollop into muffin cases, and bake at 200°C for 10 (small) - 15 minutes (regular-sized).

Recipe in Swedish:
Päronmuffins med mandel

Simple bread

Yummy bread! It's the first one I tried from the book "Enklare Bröd" that I wrote about yesterday. I did make a few adaptions, so I'll post the recipe soon.

Cookbook watch: bake more bread

Enklare Bröd ("Simpler bread") is the second book by Martin Johansson, whose had a smash hit with his bread blog (Pain de Martin) and his first book about sourdough bread. (Reviewed by me, here.) His second book is all about simpler baking. He uses two basic techniques - one is the no-knead method invented/made popular by Jim Lahey , and the other is a rest-and-fold method that's a bit more labour intensive. (Just a bit though - it's still simple.) What it's not is fast. Both methods rely on time to give the bread the right texture. Martin talks a lot about how the dough develops, and he has great step-by-step photos for folding and shaping the dough. I like the book a lot, but I'm not so sure it's really "simple" just because there's no kneading required. It still takes a lot of planning, and I haven't really gotten into the habit of preparing a dough the night before I want to bake. I tried two of the rest-and-fold breads, and they turned out very nicely!



Baka surdegsbröd ("baking sourdough bread") by Göran Söderin and Georg Strachal is a good introduction for those who want to get into sourdough baking. I already have a lot of bread books I prefer, but this is definitely nice for someone who's a little less cookbook obsessed than I am. Clear instructions are given for how to start a sourdough (various ones - rye, wheat and more exotic ones using oatmeal, potatoes and lentils!) and how to care for it. I might give this book to someone else, but before I do, I'll definitely be trying the spelt bread with oranges...



And bake with the kids, too! Baka med barn means just that, and while this book has a short chapter on sweeter baked goods, the main focus is on bread. And on fairly healthy breads, too, using a lot of wholemeal flours. I love the photos of all the kids in this, but the photos of the actual finished baked goods could be better. The instructions are clear and step-by-step, but the ingredient lists are usually at the end of the page which annoys me just slightly. Anyway, I can't wait until my little guy is old enough to help out in the kitchen - or more to the point, until he's old enough to cook and bake. I'll be the one doing the helping.

Tarragon Chicken

I'm a huge fan of Nigella Lawson's cookbooks (I've rarely watched the show - I much prefer her books, she's a formidable writer) and as soon as I heard that she had a new book coming out, I pre-ordered it. My copy of "Kitchen" came a while ago and I really enjoyed reading it, from cover to cover. There are so many recipes I want to try, but this is the first one I made. And I made a few adaptions, mainly due to the lack of vermouth in my fridge at the time. No matter, it turned out to be a delicious and easy meal.

Tarragon Chicken
(printable recipe)
serves 2-3

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 garlic clove coarsely chopped
5 spring onions, chopped
1 tsp dried tarragon
450 g boneless chicken thighs (skinless, too)
80 ml vermouth, or a sweet-ish white wine (which is what I had - it turned out very well!)
1/2 tsp salt
60 ml cream (full-fat)
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1/2 tsp white pepper, freshly ground

Heat the olive oil in a pan that you have a lid for - not a huge one, the chicken should fit quite snugly. Fry the spring onions, garlic and fried tarragon for a few minutes.

Clean the chicken thighs, and place them in the pan. (Try to scrape the onion mixture on top of the chicken instead.) Fry on medium heat for five minutes, on just one side.

Turn the chicken, and add the vermouth/wine and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover with the lid, lower the heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through. If it is, remove it from the pan and keep warm in a serving dish while you finish the sauce. Add cream, fresh tarragon and white pepper to the pot and cook for a few minutes. Pour this back over the chicken and serve right away.

We had fried potato gnocchi with this which was delicious. (Just cook according to packet instructions, drain, and fry in a mixture of butter and oil for a few minutes until golden and slightly crispy.) Rice or pasta would be great as well.

Recipe in Swedish:
Dragonkyckling

Chocolate Festival & Pastry Chef of the Year 2010

This weekend, it was the annual Chocolate Festival in Stockholm, at Nordiska Museet. It's really a fun event, but the crowds are huge. I went on Friday when it was a little less crowded, and when the contest "Pastry Chef of the Year" (Årets Konditor) took place.



I was lucky enough to be invited to the press lunch where we got extremely yummy sandwiches - in fact, the very sandwich that was pronounced "sandwich of the year" earlier in 2010 (the baking association in Sweden is pretty active with contests). It had arugula, bresaola, Västerbotten-cheese (which is somewhat similar to parmesan) and fingerling potato crisps.



And the very best part of the lunch was the cake-testing. In the actual contest, the pastry chefs were asked to make a cake (well, three), an individual pastry, and a chocolate biskvi which is somewhat Sweden's answer to the macaron. (See my recipe here.) They had made an extra cake for the press to taste, and we were each given a small slice of each of the five cakes.



The winning one is the one at 6 o'clock in the photo above. It was amazing - with pistachio dacquise layers, chocolate mousse and a peach gelée, it was very flavorful and had contrasting textures. It was inspired by "Aladdin" (each pastry chef had to choose a children's story as their inspiration) and the actual cake was decorated with a flying carpet. Definitely my favorite. The second best, in my opinion, is the one just to the right of it, and mostly because it had a wonderfully moist almond cake layer, topped with crunchy caramelized nuts and chocolate mousse. It was also the simplest one to reproduce, so I just might try it someday.



This was in a separate contest for chocolate sculptures, and since this featured Nintendo character Yoshi I felt compelled to take a photo. Cute!

My favorites with Feta Cheese

Puy Lentil Salad with Feta

Today is Feta Cheese day! Did you know? Well, not one of the most well-known days to celebrate perhaps, but hey. I like it. I thought I'd celebrate by sharing some of my very favorite recipes with feta.


Fire Roasted Corn Salsa with Feta

And, remember how I told you I had contributed a recipe for feta-producer Fontana Foods? (Weirdly I haven't blogged about the actual recipe - it's a potato gratin with feta and sundried tomatoes, I promise to post it soon!) They're also having a contest, and the recipe with the most "likes on facebook" will win a trip to Greece. (Well, not the recipe, obviously, but the blogger behind it.) So, if you'd like, please "like" my recipe! (And if you don't have Facebook, you can also vote here.)


Lamb Meatloaf


Feta Cashew Dip


Chicken Cabbage Slaw with Feta


Melon Salad

Chicken Meatballs with Ginger

This was my first time using minced chicken meat, and while I was a bit wary to handle it, it turned out to be delicious. Titus loved these and so did we - definitely something we'll make again! Add a little chili if you want more of a kick - these are aromatic and flavorful but not hot at all.

We loved this stuffed in pita breads with various veggies - grated carrots, avocado slices and pickled red onions. (Slice, sprinkle with a little salt and sugar, and add a tasty vinegar, let it sit for half an hour.) We also made one of my favorite cold sauces - "raitziki". It's really a tzatsiki but with added coriander and a pinch of sugar, recipe can be found here.

I'm sure it would work just as well with turkey, if that's easier to find. (It's really hard to find here, where turkeys aren't very popular.)

Chicken Meatballs with Ginger
(printable recipe)
Serves 3

400 g minced chicken
50 ml cream (full-fat)
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
good handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
salt, pepper

Mix all ingredients gently. Shape into small balls, and flatten them a little. Fry in a little butter on medium heat, a few minutes on each side. Check to make sure they're cooked through - it can be a little hard to tell.

Serve with warm pita breads, with avocado, pickled red onions, grated carrots and raitziki.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kycklingfärsbollar med ingefära

Cookbook watch - Mediterranean cookbooks

As always, Swedes are completely obsessed with mediterranean food and the market for more cookbooks about this style of cooking seems never-ending. The latest batch...



Medelhavsbufféer ("Mediterranean buffets) by Tomas Tengby and Marco Baudone (Tengby is a journlist and talks about the food traditions, while Baudone is the chef.) should be a clear winner, since it deals with two popular subjects at once! Swedes often serve buffets at any sort of celebration with more than six guests, rather than having a three-course meal. (Not that I'm complaining, mind you - I don't really like to cook plated food for more than 4-6 myself.) It's divided by country - starting with France, Italy, Spain and Greece, but also including Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon. The latter make the book much more interesting, and the recipes look lovely. It helps that the photos are absolutely beautiful, shot by Roland Persson.



Mina smaker från Provence ("My flavors from Provence") is written by Danyel Couyet, who runs several restaurants in Stockholm together with Melker Andersson. His most famous one is French, Le Rouge in Old Town. I haven't been, but I hear it's really good. When I first started looking through this book, I wasn't that thrilled. That eventually changed - I found tons of things that I want to try. The recipes are classic French, but usually with a unique twist. I can't wait to try his beef stew, or the apricot-almond tarte!

These two books have an unusual format - it's a spiral-bound pad, that is sturdy enough to stand on its own so you can have the recipe easily available as you cook. It's unusual, but pretty nifty. Photos are by one of my favorite food photographers, David Loftus. (He usually shoots Jamie Oliver´s books.)



Mitt goda Toscana ("My tasty Tuscany") by Stefano Catennachi is all about gourmet Italian, but with a Swedish perspective. Or well, say a Stockholm perspective. Tuscan food seems to be more about high quality ingredients than much actual preparation, and when I was reading through the book it seemed that every other recipe said "oh, you can easily find this at a well-stocked food hall". Well, convenient if you're in a big city, but if you're not, you're pretty much out of luck. That said, there are recipes here that I'd love to make - first on my list is a luscious-looking risotto with ricotta and salsiccia...

Great starter!

Culatello - a fancy prosciutto - with pickled porcini and pecorino oro. We're out to dinner with work, and having a lovely meal.

Pork Tenderloin Pasta Casserole

How about something simple for Monday night? I love pasta casseroles - not only are they easy to make and taste great, they usually yield enough leftovers for a couple of lunches. Perfect for the upcoming week! This recipes comes from one of my favorite Swedish food bloggers, Linda at Kryddburken.

Pork Tenderloin Pasta Casserole
(printable recipe)
Serves 4-8, depending on your appetite and what else you're serving

500 g pork tenderloin
400 g pasta (whatever type you like)
2 tbsp concentrated chicken stock
300 ml water
150 ml sundried tomatoes in oil (just over half a cup), finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp tomato purée
250 ml cream (I used a low-fat version)
3 tsp corn starch + 3 tbsp water
salt, pepper
6 large cherry tomatoes, quartered
grated parmesan

Boil the pasta, but drain it when it's still a few minutes from done. It should be fairly hard as it keeps cooking in the oven.

Cut the pork into small dice or strips. Brown in a little bit of butter. Add the water, chicken stock, sundried tomatoes, garlic, mustard and tomato purée. Cook for a few minutes, and add the cream.

Stir together corn starch and water until smooth. Add to the sauce, and cook until it's thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix the pasta with the sauce, and pour into a large oven proof dish. Top with the quartered tomatoes and a thin layer of parmesan. Bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Pastagratäng med fläskfilé

We really are going to NYC!

We finally stopped talking about it and booked a trip! In late November, me, Dagmar and Lena are going to New York! Husbands, babies and boyfriends stay at home - this is just a girls trip. And as we are food bloggers, the main focus of the trip is... food. And shopping. Oh, the shopping.

We'll be making pretty extensive lists of what we don't want to miss - we're not going for any touristy attractions or, really, anything cultural, but if you have any suggestions for us, bring them on! We've all been there before, but in my case, it was years ago and just for a few days.

We'll be staying in Midtown - can't say we found a cheap hotel, but we did find one that was reasonably priced and that's NOT on the bedbug report list.

I found the gorgeous photo on Flickr, taken by WanderingTheWorld.

Friday Fika

I had a lovely fika with Dagmar today, at Tornhuset in Gustavsberg. We both had cardamom buns with vanilla cream but ate them before we remembered to snap photos... When walking out, I noticed this huuuuge chocolate ball on display. It's enormous - the sign suggested it would be good for parties.

Time to vote for your favorite Swedish food blog!

The ten nominees for the Swedish food blog contest "Matbloggspriset" are now finalized, and everyone can vote for their favorite, by following the link above. (I'm not in the contest - it's only for food blogs in Swedish)

The ten finalists are:

• Pain De Martin
• Helena Ljunggren
• Emmas kök
• Bagerskan
• Söta Saker
• Ett Lingon
• Linnéas Skafferi
• Om jag var din hemmafru
• Vilde kocken
• Matälskaren

Cous-cous stuffed Peppers

How about something really colorful? This is a yummy dish, great for lunch or a light dinner. When I say pepper, I mean bellpeppers - apparently they're called different things in different countries (we call them "paprika") but you can probably tell from the photo. It's a great idea to microwave them a little bit, it really helps softening them and you need much less time in the oven.



I used my nifty Benriner turning slicer to make beets and carrots for the garnish - delicious and fun!

Cous-cous stuffed Peppers
(printable recipe)
serves 2

1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
85 g cous-cous
25 g pine nuts, lightly toasted
50 g feta cheese, crumbled
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp finely shredded basil

Cut the peppers into half lengthwise, and remove all the seeds and membranes. Place the halves on a plate and microwave on full effect for 5 minutes. They should feel fairly soft.

Meanwhile, place the cous-cous in a bowl and add 125 ml boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Stir, then add the pine nuts, feta cheese, tomatoes and basil.

Fill the peppers, and place in an oven-proof dish. Bake at 200°C for about 10 minutes. Serve with a tasty salad.

Recipe in Swedish:
Cous-cousfyllda paprikor

Cinnamon Bun Day!

October 4 is Kanelbullens dag in Sweden, so here's my favorite recipe for Swedish cinnamon buns -what we in Sweden call Kanelbullar.

Need your buns to be free from eggs and dairy? Then this recipe is for you.

Tonight's dinner

Spicy pork wraps with mashed avocado-garlic, and pickled red onions. Delicious!!

Lemon Cinnamon Snickerdoodles

Yummy little cookies with a pleasing texture - crisp, yet chewy and almost a bit cakey in the middle. They're really easy to make, and they keep well in the fridge as well. I brought some to work and they disappeared immediately - always a good sign!

Lemon Cinnamon Snickerdoodles
(printable recipe)
about 60 cookies

120 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
230 g sugar
zest of 2 lemons
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp baking soda
230 g all-purpose flour

Topping:
100 g sugar
1/2-1 tbsp cinnamon

Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, and mix well. Add the cream of tartar and baking soda, and finally the flour.

Let the dough rest in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Mix the sugar and the cinnamon, in a shallow bowl. Roll the dough into small balls, and roll them in the cinnamon sugar to make sure they're evenly coated. Place on a lined baking sheet, allowing them a lot of space to spread.

Bake at 175° for about 7-8 minutes. Let them cool completely on a rack.

Recipe in Swedish:
Citron och kanelkakor