Instant Pot Tomato Bulgur

Here's a real favorite for my family. We've been making various versions of tomato bulgur for years. but when we got the Instant Pot we worked out a version to take advantage of that.

This is a versatile side dish, but one of my favorite ways to serve it is with chicken - either sweet chili chicken legs, or magically crispy chicken - a pico de gallo and a creamy cold sauce of some kind, maybe a ranch dip.

Instant Pot Tomato Bulgur
Serves 4 generously (we always have leftovers and they're very good cold in a salad)

1 small onion, finely chopped
olive oil
400 ml bulgur wheat, the coarse kind
1 tin (400 g) crushed tomatoes
400 ml water (just use the tin above)
1 tsp Vegeta (optional but gives a little extra oomph)

Set the IP to Sauté and heat the oil. Fry the onion for a few minutes, Add the bulgur wheat. Press cancel, and add tomatoes, water and vegeta (if using).

Place the IP on high pressure for 12 minutes (I use the rice setting) and then do an instant release. Season with salt and pepper as you see fit.

Baked Polenta Fries

Dante, my 6-year old, likes to look in cookbooks. He'll frequently use post-its to mark recipes he wants us to try, and recently he picked a recipe for Polenta Fries. It was a fairly complicated one that included deep frying and as delicious as that probably is, I just wasn't up to it.  So I decided to use a simpler method, and it turned out really well. Dante and I loved it. (The older kid - not so much.) 

You have to plan ahead a little bit here, as the polenta needs to cool down. 

Baked Polenta Fries

375 ml polenta (I use a quick version) 

125 ml milk 

250 ml water

1/2 tsp Vegeta (this is an all-round spice/flavor enhancer that you can totally leave out, I just happen to like it) 

1 tbsp butter

large handful grated parmesan

cooking oil 

Bring water and milk to a boil. Add polenta and vegeta if using. Stirring all the time, cook until thickened. it will go fast - just a few minutes - and it will be a little dangerous because of a tendency to sputter so be careful and don't let the kids do this. 

Remove from heat, and stir in butter and parmesan. 

Pour onto an oiled cookie sheet (or a smaller baking pan if you wish a thicker polenta). Shape a little, so it's roughly a thick rectangle. Cool completely, ideally for a few hours on the fridge. 

When ready to cook, heat the oven to about 200°C. 

Cut the polenta into fry-shaped rectangles. Oil them on all sides and place on a lined baking sheet. Cook for about ten minutes on the first side, flip and then for maybe five more minutes. Your goal is to get them slightly golden brown, but don't over do it because they will burn easily. 

Eat straight away. The unbaked polenta keeps well in the fridge for several days but the baked ones are best freshly cooked. 

Potato Carrot Gratin with Feta

 Here's a nice new side dish that's perfect for early fall, and goes very well with chicken or pork. Or hey, anything. Or nothing - it's a good vegetarian main dish as well, perhaps with a hearty bean salad on the side. The flavors really complement each other - the salty feta, the earthy carrots... very yummy indeed.

Potato Carrot Gratin with Feta
serves 4

900 g potatoes, peeled and cut into smaller pieces
300 g carrots, peeled and cut into smaller pieces
1 red pepper, cut into smaller pieces
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp neutral oil (like canola)
 salt, pepper
150 g feta cheese
300 ml cream

 Prepare the veggies. Fry on medium heat in the oil for about ten minutes in total - start with the potatoes and carrots and add the pepper and onion towards the end. Season with salt and pepper.

Put half of the veggies in an oven-proof dish. Crumble in the feta. Top with the remaining veggies, and then add cream. Bake at 200°C for about 45 minutes, or until everything is cooked through. Watch closely though, you might want to cover the dish with foil to prevent burning.

Roasted cauliflower with capers vinaigrette

This is a simple little salad, or side dish, that goes with a lot of other foods. I loved it beside beef and roasted potatoes, but there's many ways this could work. Maybe as part of a buffet?

Roasted cauliflower with capers vinaigrette

2 tbsp capers
1 garlic clove
2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 head cauliflower
Small handful of yellow raisins

Cut the cauliflower into florets, and toss with a little bit of olive oil. Roast at 200°C for about 20 minutes, until softened.

Finely chop the capers and garlic, and whisk with the red wine vinegar and olive oil. Toss with the cauliflower and the raisins. It'll be quite salty, from the capers, so you might not need to add much more salt. But by all means, season to taste.

Corn Bread Muffins

I feel so sad at the events in Norway - it's such a heinous crime, I can barely comprehend it. As some of you know, my full-time job is in politics, and when I was younger, I too was part of a political youth organization. We had a summer camp as well, and I can't begin to imagine..

Well, even in times of crisis, one must eat. And cook. And blog, perhaps.

Try these corn bread muffins - they're lovely comfort food. Add a big pat of butter, and drizzle with maple syrup for an extravagant treat.

You deserve it. We all do.

Corn Bread Muffins
12

250 ml all-purpose flour
250 ml cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
300 ml buttermilk (or Swedish filmjolk)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
80 ml neutral cooking oil
4 tbsp raw sugar (sometimes sold as demerara or turbinado - use regular sugar if you can't find it)

Mix flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk buttermilk and baking soda, then add the egg, oil and sugar. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones, and mix gently. Dollop into lined muffin tins, and bake at 200°C for 20 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Majsbrödsmuffins

Cilantro Jalapeño Cole Slaw

Here's the awesome slaw I made for Fourth of July. The idea came from my food idol The Pioneer Woman, but I switched up the dressing a bit, and couldn't find any decent red cabbage.


Cilantro Jalapeño Cole Slaw

1 small head of cabbage
1 jalapeño pepper
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp thick yogurt (greek or turkish style)
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 large bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped

Finely shred the cabbage. De-seed and finely mince the jalapeño.

Whisk the mayo with yogurt, milk, vinegar, salt and sugar. Toss with the salad, and season to taste. Leave for an hour or two, to let the flavors develop.

Add the cilantro and toss, right before serving.

Recipe in Swedish:
Coleslaw med koriander & Jalapeño

Southwest Bulgur Salad

Soooo tired. We just celebrated Fourth of July, with a pot-luck party. And man, I'm full. Three - or really, four - desserts turned out not to be a great idea. I had made cake balls, Dagmar brought two types of individual cheesecakes, and Lena made a Key Lime Pie. And we didn't just have dessert - we ate loaded potato skins, mac & cheese, pulled pork sandwiches with spicy cole slaw (awesome!) and fried onion strings.

So yes. Full.

This recipe will make you feel much healthier, though. It's a spicy, zesty, fresh side dish for the summer. Perfect with barbecued meat or chicken. I hope you'll try it, and like it.

Southwest Bulgur Salad
Serves 3-4

200 ml bulgur wheat
400 ml water
salt
1 red bellpepper
150 g cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion
1 large bunch fresh coriander
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
salt, black pepper

Combine bulgur, water and salt in a pot, and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, and cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes or until tender. Rinse with cold water and drain.

Dice the peppers, tomatoes and onion, and finely chop the coriander. Mix with lime. olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper, and toss with the bulgur.

Recipe in Swedish:
Bulgur med spiskummin & lime

Curried Potato Salad

This is the first, but certainly not last, potato salad of the season for me. We eat quite a lot of cold salads in the summer, as they're the perfect thing to serve along barbecued just-about-anything, and potato salad is really my husband's favorite. This one is adapted from a recipe in The Lee Bro's Simple Fresh Southern cookbook, and I think it turned out really tasty. I used a light hand with the curry as it can be overpowering, but if you like curry - bring it on.

Curried Potato Salad
Serves 4

900 g new potatoes, cut into small dice
100 ml mayonnaise
4 tbsp buttermilk (I used Swedish filmjolk)
4 tbsp sweet pickle relish
2 tbsp lemon juice (I didn't measure, but used one large lemon)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 yellow bellpepper, in fine dice
1 red onion, finely diced

Cook the diced potatoes in plenty of salted water in a pot with a lid. Bring to a boil, and cook until it's just starting to soften - about 3-5 minutes. Cover with the lid, remove the pot from the heat, and let it sit for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the mayo, buttermilk, relish, lemon and vinegar. Season with salt, curry powder and garam masala.

Drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water. Toss with the dressing, the red onion and the bellpepper, and serve.

Recipe in Swedish:
Potatissallad med curry

BBQ potatoes

YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS!

Sorry, I don't usually shout. But really. This time. You have to.

This is the perfect side dish to go with grilled meat (or chicken), and it's absolutely great now that new potatoes are starting to pop up in the stores. There are a few unusual ingredients - chipotle paste which is a smokey chili paste, and smokey paprika which is really lovely and you should seek it out. There are two versions - picante (hot!) and dulce, and this time, I used dulce.

It also went really well with this parmesan sauce.

BBQ potatoes
serves 6-8

1,5 kilo new potatoes
2 red bellpepeprs
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp chipotle chili paste
2 tsp smokey paprika powder (Pimentón de la Vera)
1 tsp salt
4-5 tbsp canola oil



Clean the potatoes and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Cut the bellpeppers into large dice or strips, and add those. Mince the garlic, and mix with chipotle, paprika, salt and oil in a bowl. Toss with the potatoes - it's easiest if you use your hands.

Roast at 200°C for about 30 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
BBQ potatis

Awesome salad

You already know I love broccoli slaw, but I had to share this great variation as well. It's simple, but oh-so-good: it has feta cheese instead of onions!

A quick sketch - raw broccoli, both florets and stem, thinly sliced. A handful of yellow raisins. Some toasted almonds, chopped. Crumbled feta cheese. For the dressing, combine mayo, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar.

Garlic Breadsticks

I had a hankering for breadsticks - soft, pillowy and fluffy, like the one you get at Olive Garden? I wasn't in the mood to cook from an actual recipe so I just freestyled. I used a simple white bread dough - some fresh yeast, some water, some flour, a pinch of sugar and salt, and no, I didn't even bother to measure it.

After the first rise, when it was doubled in size, I used a little more than half the dough for something else (cold-risen rolls!). I flattened the remaining dough into a thin rectangle and placed on a baking sheet. I melted some butter, added the same amount of olive oil (about a tablespoon of each) and added some minced garlic, and a little bit of runny honey. I brushed this on top of the dough, and sprinkled with sea salt. I left it to rise for about half an hour, then baked it in a hot oven (225°C) for about ten minutes.

Delicious! And sorry to give such an in-exact recipe, but think of it more as a sketch than a recipe. I'll write down measurements next time.