fresh in sf

Welcome to my blog! Healthy recipes and food inspiration spiced up with Nordic curiosity

[freshinsf]

Pickling part 1 - Asparagus

Säilöntä osa 1 - Parsa

Pickled veggies are my long lost friend that I rediscovered here in SF. I think that people in Finland are so used to eating pickled this&that that we don't really think much about it. Inspired by the Jewish and Russian food trucks (and hipster restaurant menus), I've become very keen on pickling my own veggies.

I recently ordered 3 big boxes full of pickling jars and so far I've pickled beets and asparagus. Today I will share a pickled asparagus recipe.

Pickled asparagus is great for antipasti or salads, plus it's in season now both in the US and Europe.

Here's what you need:

You will need to measure your jar first. My jar holds 3 2/3 cups.

The vinegar water ratio is 2:1 so you can adjust the quantities according to your jar volume.

3 cups white wine vinegar 1.5 cup water 2 heaped tbsp salt 4 tbsp sugar 0.75 tsp whole black pepper 0.75 tsp dill seeds 1 bay leaf 7 garlic cloves 7 juniper berries 3 sprigs of dill 1lb asparagus (measure the length that fits your jar)

1. Sterilize the jar by washing in the dishwasher or by boiling it in a pot with boiling water. Select a pot larger than the glass jar. Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil. Submerge the jar in the boiling water and leave for about 15 minutes to sterilize. Repeat with the lid. Remove the jar and lid from the water using tongs, and place on a clean towel to dry. Set the jar upside down to allow the water to drain completely. 

2. In a saucepan over high heat, bring the vinegar, water, salt, sugar, black pepper, dill seeds, bay leaf, garlic and juniper berries to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, and then add the dill. Cool until lukewarm. Discard the dill.  3. Put the asparagus in the jar and pour the brine over. Add fresh sprigs of dill. Let the jar cool to room temperature before placing it to fridge. Enjoy after 2 days. The asparagus stay crunchy and flavorful for up to 1 week.

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Terveisiä taas täältä mun ruokaseikkailuista. Tällä kertaa vuorossa on säilötyt vihannekset. Ne on oikeastaan mun kauan kadoksissa ollut ystävä, joka löysin uudestaan täältä San Franciscosta. Olen kyllä aina syönyt suolakurkkuja sitä ihmeemmin miettimättä ja niin monet suomalaiset on. Suomessa ihmiset ovat niin tottuneita syömään säilöttyjä vihanneksia, että harvemmin sitä edes mietimme. Täällä maailman toisella puolella olen innostunut kaikesta skandinaavisesta, juutalaisesta ja venäläisestä ruoasta. Täällä on paljon ruokarekkoja (food truck ;) ja hipster ravintoloita, jotka tarjoavat ruokaa aiemmin mainituin vivahtein. Siitä kai se sitten se omakin innostus alkoi ja nyt haluan jakaa sen teidän kanssa.

Tässä ohjeet:

Mittaa ensin purkin tilavuus ja steriloi purkki. Oman lasipurkkini tilavuus on 8.5dl.

Etikka-vesi suhde tässä reseptissä on 2:1 joten voit itse määritellä paljonko tarvitset etikkaa ja vettä purkin koosta riippuen.

7dl valkoviinietikkaa 3.5dl vettä 2 reilua rkl suolaa 4 rkl sokeria 0,75 tl kokonaisia mustapippureita 0,75 tl tillinsiemeniä 1 laakerinlehti 7 valkosipulinkynttä 7 katajanmarjaa 3 oksaa tilliä puntti parsaa (mittaa parsan pituus joka sopii lasipurkkiin)

1. Steriloi purkki pesemällä astianpesukoneessa tai keittämällä se kattilassa kiehuvassa vedessä. Upota purkki kiehuvaan veteen ja jätä veteen noin 15 minuutiksi. Toista sama kannelle. Poista purkki ja kansi vedestä pihdeillä, ja aseta kuivumaan puhtaalle pyyhkeelle. Aseta purkki ylösalaisin, jotta vesi pääsee valumaan pois kokonaan.

2 . Kuumenna toisessa kattilassa etikka, vesi, suola, sokeri, mustapippuri, tillinsiemenet, laakerinlehti, valkosipuli ja katajanmarjat. Kiehauta ja vähennä lämpöä ja hauduta 10 minuuttia. Katkaise lämpö ja lisää sitten tillinoksat. Anna jäähtyä. Hävitä tilli.

3 . Laita parsat purkkiin ja kaada liemi päälle. Lisää uudet tillinoksat. Anna jäähtyä huoneenlämpöiseksi ennen kuin laitat sen jääkaappiin. Parsat ovat valmiita nautittavaksi 2 päivän jälkeen. Ne säilyvät rapeina ja makoisina jopa viikon.

[freshinsf]

Rhubarb tart

Gluten free spring dessert recipe

I baked this tart for a Easter dinner with friends this past weekend. I love rhubarb and it's in season now. I have also many other plans for rhubarb and I hope I get to make some jam. It's quite difficult to get hold off rhubarb in California though. A farmer at a local farmers market told me that it doesn't grow pretty in California that's why you rarely see it at markets. So this tart and jam might be my only chance this year. 

I got my inspiration from a Spanish Elle from last year but the recipe was in Spanish and not gluten free so here you have it adjusted to my taste in English and Finnish. I loved their pictures, so pretty :)

Dough 200 gr. flour (sorghum) 140 gr. icing sugar 160 gr butter at room temperature 40 gr. almond flour 2 egg yolks 1 vanilla bean 1 pinch of salt   Rhubarb 3 stalks rhubarb 3 tbsp sugar   Custard  3 eggs 375 ml. milk 75 gr. sugar 30 gr. cornstarch 1 vanilla bean   Syrup 200 ml. water 120 gr. sugar a squeeze of lemon   Prepare the dough In a bowl mix the flour, icing sugar, salt and ground almonds until a uniform mixture. Cut the vanilla bean in half longitudinally and scrape with a knife to remove the seeds inside. Use a stand mixer (or table if you do work by hand) mix flour, make a well in the center and add the butter cut into squares with vanilla. Mix the ingredients until blended slightly, and then add the egg yolks, mix until uniform and smooth dough (should not overwork the dough, just enough to see that they are well integrated ingredients). Then, let it stand in the fridge to acquire right consistency, covered with plastic wrap, for about 30 minutes. Now that the dough has rested, take it off the fridge and crush with the palm of the hand a little before rolling the roller. Our floured work surface, and stretch with the help of a rolling pin to form a circle. Grease the tart form with a little butter and sprinkle with flour.  Put the dough into the form, cover the bottom and sides. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it back to the fridge for another 30 minutes. After that, bake the dough "à blanc" in a preheated oven at 180°C (355F) for about 20 minutes.   Prepare rhubarb Cut the rhubarb into slices, not too thick, and mix with sugar, leave it to marinate for about 15 minutes.   Prepare the custard

Put all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and whisk until a smooth and uniform mixture. Then move the saucepan over the stove and turn on the heat. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the custard has thickened. This should take about 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat and move the saucepan off the stove to let it cool down. Cover the custard with a plastic wrap so it doesn't form a crust.   Syrup Put all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the consistency is thicker.

Assembling the tart and baking

Fill the dough with custard, top with the rhubarb and bake for 20 minutes at 200 ºC (392F). The tart should wobble like jell-o when you give it a gentle shake; it should not be wet or watery looking (underbaked) nor should it be puffed in the center or cracking (overbaked).

Once the tart is ready let it cool. Brush some syrup on top to give it a little more shine before serving.

Raparperipiirakka

taikina 200 gr jauhoa (tai gluteeniton durrat-jauho) 140 gr tomusokeria 160 gr huoneenlämpöistä voita 40 gr hienoksi jauhettuja manteleita (tai mantelijauhoa) 2 munankeltuaista 1 vaniljatanko 1 ripaus suolaa   raparperi 3 vartta raparperia 3 rkl sokeria   vaniljakastike 3 munaa 375 ml maitoa 75 gr sokeria 30 gr maissitärkkelystä 1 vaniljatanko   siirappi 200 ml vettä 120 gr sokeria purista sitruunanmehua   Valmista taikina Sekoita kulhossa jauhot, tomusokeri, suola ja mantelijauho kunnes seoksesta tulee tasainen. Halkaise vaniljatanko pituussuunnassa puoliksi ja kaavi veitsellä siemenet . Käytä taikinakonetta (tai kulhoa/pöytää, jos teet käsin). Sekoita jauhot, tee keskelle kuoppa ja lisää voipalat ja vaniljan siemenet. Sekoita ainekset ja lisää keltuaiset, sekoita tasaiseksi taikinaksi mutta älä vaivaa liikaa.

Sitten, anna taikinan seistä jääkaapissa muovikelmun alla noin 30 minuuttia. Kun taikina on levännyt, ota se pois jääkaapista ja paina taikinaa hieman kämmenensyrjällä jauhoitetulla pöydällä ennen kuin alat kaulia. Kauli taikinasta vuoan muotoinen ympyrä.

Voitele vuoka voilla ja ripottele päälle jauhoja. Aseta taikina vuokaan, painele reunoille ja tasaisesti pohjalle. Peitä muovikelmulla ja laita takaisin jääkaappiin vielä 30 minuutiksi. Sen jälkeen, paista taikina "à blanc vaalea paisto" noin 20 minuuttia 180 asteessa (355F).   Valmista raparperi Leikkaa raparperi viipaleiksi, ei liian paksuiksi, ja sekoita viipaleet sokerin kanssa kulhossa. Anna marinoitua noin 15 minuuttia.   Valmista vaniljakastike

Laita kaikki ainekset paksupohjaiseen kattilaan ja vatkaa sileäksi ja tasaiseksi seokseksi. Siirrä kattila liedelle ja laita levy päälle. Kypsennä keskilämmöllä kokoajan sekoittaen, kunnes kastike on paksuuntunut. Tämä kestää noin 5 minuuttia. Sitten siirrä kattila liedeltä ja anna sen jäähtyä. Peitä vaniljakastike ilmatiiviillä kannella ettei sen pintaan muodostu kuorta.    Siirappi Laita kaikki ainekset kattilaan ja keitä kunnes sokeri on liuennut ja siirappi on paksuuntunut.

Kokoaminen Täytä taikina vaniljakastikeella, koriste päällystä raparperilla ja paista 20 minuuttia 200 asteessa (392F). Voit kokeilla piirakan kypsyyttä hennosti heiluttamalla. Se saa liikkua vähän hyytelömäisesti mutta ei näyttää juoksevalta eikä myöskään jähmettyneeltä ja haljenneelta.

Kun torttu on valmis anna sen jäähtyä . Sivele siirappia pintaan antamaan kiiltoa ennen tarjoilua.

Aurinkoista kevättä!

[freshinsf]

Easter Eggs with Sole Fish and Dill

Scandinavian comfort food at its best

I don't have any special story behind this dish except it's a perfect dish for a lunch or brunch.

Recipe for 4

6 eggs 1 3/4 lbs (800g) sole fish 4 tbsp butter horseradish dill

1. Boil eggs according to your own taste. Let them cool and then peel. 2. Heat up a cast iron skillet and add butter. Once the butter starts to turn brown add sole fillets. Sauté max. 1 minute each side. 3. Place the fish and the egg on a plate. Grate some horseradish on top of the fish. Season with salt and lemon. Top with some dill.

Enjoy with boiled potatoes or toasted rye bread.

Happy Easter! 

[freshinsf]

Gluten-free Rieska - Finnish quick bread

Rieska, a native of Finland, is one of the fastest breads in the world to bake. There are several different variants of the recipe and legend tells that every village in Finland has its own recipe. My own version has a texture of a cakey biscuit and is seasoned with seeds and either spinach or carrots. My recipe is also totally gluten, dairy and egg free. It takes less than 20 minutes to make and is ideal for a weekend breakfast or brunch.

Rieska (makes 12 x 9cm (3.5")  diameter biscuits)

1 cup (2.5dl) quick cooking oats 2 cups (~4.5dl) hot water 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 tbsp olive oil

Additional: 1 tbsp sunflower seeds 1 tbsp flax seeds finely chopped spinach or shredded carrots

1. Preheat the oven to 500F (250C). 2. Mix quick cooking oats, salt and hot water and let it cool down.  3. Add oil, seeds and spinach or carrots. 4. Use a spoon to scoop small amounts of the mixture from the bowl and make round biscuits on a parchment baking paper. 5. Bake for 10-15mins until desired crispiness and color.

Top rieskas with hummus, avocado, tomatoes or something sweet like marmalade. All in all this shouldn't take you more than 20mins.

Enjoy Rieska, the oldest bread from Finland!

[freshinsf]

DIY: Preserved lemons

My new interest in cooking is preserved food. The idea of preserving lemons for kitchen decoration was actually my husband's. We saw a lot of preserved vegetables and fruits in Peru when we were traveling there in November. I thought why not try DIY since they give a nice color to the kitchen but you can also eat them.

Preserving lemons is easy and you can do it all year round. I used meyer lemons as they are smaller and evenly yellow. My jar was rather big (1.8 l /1.9 quarts) so I needed 15-17 meyer lemons to fill the jar. As you can see in the photo the jar is not completely full so I still need to get a few more. I'd suggest getting a smaller jar if you use meyer lemons.

You need:

Lemons (between six and seven for every half-liter) Lemon juice Jar with lid Cooking pot Tongs Kitchen towel Knife Kosher salt (salt without iodine) Bay leaves (optional)

Sterilizing the jar

1. Select a glass jar large enough to hold the number of lemons you intend to preserve.

2. Select a pot larger than the glass jar. Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil.

3. Submerge the jar in the boiling water and leave for about 15 minutes to sterilize. Repeat with the lid.

4. Remove the jar and lid from the water using tongs, and place on a clean towel to dry. Set the jar upside down to allow the water to drain completely.

*Alternatively you can put the jar in the dishwasher if you happen to run it anyway. Don't touch the lid or the jar on the inside when you lift it out from the dishwasher.

Preparing the lemons

5. Rinse the lemons in warm water to clean.

6. Cut off one end of each lemon. Then cut lengthwise four slits, creating an X shape. See the picture above for reference. Cut deep through the lemon, yet not all the way through, leaving each lemon in one piece. Almost as if you were cutting the lemon in quarters.

7. Working over a bowl, rub salt into the slits of each lemon.

8. Pack the clean jar with the lemons, with the cut ends pointing downward.

9. Pour lemon juice into the jar. Completely submerge the lemons.

10. Add decorative and flavorful dried herbs to the jar, such as bay leaves, cinnamon sticks or cloves. Add more lemon juice until the jar is completely full.

11. Secure the lid on the jar and place in a cool, dark place until the salt dissolves. It will take about two months. Occasionally redistribute the loose salt by turning the jar upside down and topping up the juice if the lemons become exposed. If you intend to use the preserved lemons for cooking, store in the refrigerator.

[freshinsf]

Minestrone Soup with Kale

I love kale and soups! This is my remedy recipe for a winter flu or cold. It only takes 25mins to cook and makes you feel healthy only by looking at it. Kale is not as widely available in Northern Europe as here in California but if you're lucky you might be able to find it. Kale has more C-vitamin than an orange and more calcium than milk. It's insanely healthy!

Serves 2-3

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 garlic clove 1 carrot, diced 1 celery stalk, diced 3 cups (~0.7l) vegetable stock 1 can chopped tomatoes with juice (15-ounces) 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp salt, plus extra to taste 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 small zucchini, diced or sliced (mine was very thin so I sliced it) 1 cup dino kale, ribs and stems removed, coarsely chopped

Grated Parmegiano or Pecorino Romano cheese for garnish

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery. Sauté until vegetables brighten in color and soften slightly, 3 minutes. Add stock, tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. If soup is too chunky, add more stock to desired consistency. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, 2o minutes. Add zucchini and simmer an additional 5minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add kale and turn of the heat.

Serve into bowls, garnish with grated cheese and enjoy!

[freshinsf]

Homemade Viili Yogurt and Dehydrated Apples

Viili is something I miss from Finland but luckily there are ways to make it yourself. Last year I purchased a viili yogurt starter from Cultures for Health. If you like eating yogurt it becomes so much cheaper to make it yourself. Organic yogurt is ridiculously pricey but to make it at home you just need to purchase a starter culture (once) and milk which is 1/3 of the price of yogurt.

I'm not going to go into details how to make viili yogurt because there are several steps and you will need the starter culture to begin with. You get good instructions together with the starter. Just be prepared it will take 2-3 days until you get to taste your viili :)

Another new favorite hobby of mine is dehydrating apple chips. I got a vegetable mandolin from Santa (actually I inherited it from grandma) and I love it! Until now I've been slicing apples by hand which makes my apple chips more artisan but it is actually quite handy to make evenly thick slices with the mandolin.

The apples need a pre-treatment to minimize oxidation. I simply roll the apple slices in fresh lemon juice before placing them on the dehydrator trays. The actual dehydrating takes about 2-3 hours in 135F. The apple chips are a perfect snack or you can add them to your viili yogurt like I do.

[freshinsf]

Slow Cooked Pork Tacos

There is so much good Mexican food in SF. I had friends visiting recently from Copenhagen and we went to eat Mexican several times during their visit. Even though avocados and guacamole are amazing here, I find that not all Mexican food need to be with avocados. I got inspired to prepare pork carnitas with cabbage and fennel after dining in a new neighborhood restaurant.

What is fantastic about slow cooking is that even though the meat is cooking for 3 hours you can do other stuff meanwhile. You just need to spend half an hour preparing the meat.

Slow cooked pork spare ribs (serves 2 really hungry ppl or 3 less hungry)

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 small carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped

1 garlic

1.5lbs (~680g) pork spareribs

salt & pepper

olive oil

1tbsp tomato paste

1 cup (~2.3dl) red wine

1/2 orange

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 bay leave

1-2 cups (~2.3-4.75dl) beef stock

Fennel slaw

1/4 cup (~0.5dl) plain yogurt

1tbsp balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

2 tbsp orange juice

1/2 tsp  dried oregano

1/2 tsp cummin

1 fennel bulb

1 cup (~2dl) sliced red cabbage

salt & pepper

For serving

2 tbsp sour cream

corn tortillas

cheese (parmesan or queso fresco)

Use an oven safe stew pot or a dutch oven 

1. Slice onions. Sautée onions in olive oil in the dutch oven over low heat.

2. Chop carrots, jalapeño, garlic and stalk celery. 

3. Preheat the oven to 325F (~160C). Pat the pork dry. Season with salt and pepper. Warm olive oil in a skillet. Brown the pork ribs on high heat 2 minutes each side.

4. If you're a multitasker you can add the chopped vegetables to the dutch oven together with onions meanwhile you brown the meat. Stir and cook for 4minutes on low heat. 

5. Transfer the browned ribs into the dutch oven once you're done with each piece. 

6. Turn up the heat for the dutch oven. Add tomato paste and wine. Add oregano, bay leave and squeeze orange juice. Add beef stock to reach the top of the pork. Bring to boil.

7. Transfer the pot to oven and cook for 3 hours.

8. Transfer the pork to a bowl and shred the meat off the bones.

9. Strain the sauce and discard the solids. Mix the sauce with sour cream and season with salt and pepper.

10. Mix yogurt, balsam vinegar, orange juice, oregano and cummin in a bowl. Slice fennel and cabbage thinly. Add to the bowl and mix.

11. Warm up tortillas. Spread sour cream sauce on each tortilla, fill with pork and fennel slaw. Top with cheese.

[freshinsf]

Cauliflower soup with toasted almonds

My blog has been quiet for a few weeks but now I'm back.

Here's a simple midweek soup recipe for 2:

1lb (~450g) cauliflower

small onion

garlic

1 potato

1/2l (1pint) vegetable stock

1/2 tsp ground coriander or cumin 

salt & pepper

almonds

olive oil

1. Sautée onions, garlic, potato and cauliflower in olive oil over low heat. 

2. If you want oriental flavor you can add ground coriander or cumin.

3. When the onions are golden and the cauliflower begins to soften, add the vegetable stock. Bring to a shimmer, stirring occasionally.

4. Let it shimmer for 15 mins until the cauliflower is very tender.

5. Toast almonds in a skillet or a pan over low heat.

6. Blend the soup ingredients and season. Add salt and pepper to your own taste. Serve and top with toasted almonds and tiny bit good olive oil.

This recipe shouldn't take more than 25mins in total.

Enjoy!

[freshinsf]

Buckwheat Crepes with Smoked Salmon

I love making buckwheat crepes when I just want an easy dinner. I mean cooking them needs your attention but they don't take more than 10mins to prepare. In Scandinavia we make crepes on a skillet and that's how I'm used to cooking them - no need for an electric crepe maker.

Here's how:

Crepes (makes 12)

1 1/4 cups (~3dl) buckwheat flour 3 large eggs 1/4 cup (~0.5dl) vegetable oil 3/4 cup (~1.75dl) milk 1 1/4 cups (~3dl) water 1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brush pan with oil. Add 1/2 cup (~1dl) batter to skillet and tilt the skillet to coat bottom. Cook crepe until golden on bottom app. 30 to 45 seconds. Turn crepe over and cook for another 30 seconds. Transfer to plate.

Toppings

Smoked salmon

avocado

lemon

black pepper

plain yogurt or sour cream

mixed salad

dressing (olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard)

If you want the salmon to be warm you can put one crepe back on the skillet on low heat. Add salmon slices on top of the crepe and let it warm up for 30secs. Transfer the crepe to plate.

Slice avocado and put it on top. Squeeze some lemon juice over the salmon and avocado. Season with black pepper and plain yogurt. 

Mix salad and dressing in a bowl. Toss a few leaves on your magnifique crepe. 

Et voila..Bon appétit!

[freshinsf]

Chanterelle mushroom pie

This is one of my favorite pies that I like to bake to potlucks. Many have asked me to share the recipe so here we go:

Recipe for one pie ~24cm in diameter

2.5dl (1 cup) flour

100g (3.5oz) butter

2-3 tbsp cold water

Filling:

1l (~4cups) chanterelle mushrooms

10cm (~4in) white part of the leek

1/2 tsp paprika powder

salt & pepper

1dl (0.42 cups) sour cream

1dl cream cheese

2 eggs

pinch of cayenne

1/2 tsp salt

dill

Mix the butter and flour in a food processor or by hand in a baking bowl to a crumbly texture. Add the water and mix into a smooth dough. When using gluten-free flour you might not need as much water so don’t pour everything to the bowl at once.

Tuck the pie dough into a dish (~24 cm in diameter).

Preheat the oven to 392F (200°C). Refrigerate the pie crust.

Brush and clean the mushrooms. Chop them in small pieces but save about 10 small ones for decoration later on. Chop the leek. Sautee the chanterelles in olive oil and add the chopped leek towards the end. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. 

Sautee now the small chanterelles that you put aside.

Take out the pie dish from the fridge and add the sauteed chanterelles and leek on the crust.

Whisk the eggs and sour cream, add cream cheese. Season with salt and cayenne. Pour the mixture over the mushrooms and decorate the top with the small mushrooms.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pie has set. Decorate with a few dill twigs.

[freshinsf]

Kale roll

I came up with this snack on the go when I was looking what I have in the fridge. It's some sort of a fresh spring roll but without the rice wrapper. It makes a great lunch, snack or appetizer, and it super simple to make.

For the roll:

dino kale

rice vermicelli

cucumber

carrot

avocado

thai basil

coriander/cilantro

prawns or what ever you like

Nuoc cham dipping sauce (this amount is perfect for 1 or 2 ppl):

2 tbsp Asian fish sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp lime juice

pinch of sugar

1/2 garlic clove minced

red chili

Boil rice vermicelli and drain in cold water. Wash and cut the vegetables. Put the drained vermicelli on the kale leaf and layer the rest on top. Season with some nuoc cham sauce. If you want to make more nuoc cham it is easy to remember the proportions. The amount of rice vinegar and lime juice are always half of the asian fish sauce amount. You can easily adjust the garlic and chili to your own taste.

You can choose any kind of salad leave and add toppings of your own. Dino kale is a good choice because it doesn't break easily and it is also more nutritious than iceberg or other lettuces.

When eating pull the kale edges on top so it looks like a roll in your hand. That way makes it easier and less messy to enjoy.

[freshinsf]

2 simple side dishes: Fennel salad and Filled Portobello mushrooms

Recently I noticed that when I have limited time to cook I would just make one or two sides with a main dish. I have found very tasty whole roasted organic chicken and hot smoked salmon at Whole Foods, which are great for mains but require something fresh and homemade on the side.

Here are 2 simple recipes that don't take more than 15-20mins to prepare.

Fennel salad with walnuts and saffron dressing

1 fennel thin sliced

walnuts

Dressing:

1dl water

1/2 vegetable bouillon cube

1/2 g saffron

1 finely chopped garlic clove

1dl (~ slightly less than 1/2cup) olive oil

2 egg yolks

pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Boil water, bouillon cube, garlic and saffron together. Turn off the heat. Whip olive oil into the bouillon and let it cool.

2. Toast walnuts in a pan or skillet, and chop them into smaller pieces after they cool down.

3. Slice fennel and put the slices in a bowl with ice cold water. This makes the fennel really crispy.

4. Whip egg yolks to the dressing. I would use a hand mixer to do that so you get the right consistence. 

5. Drain the fennel and mix the fennel and dressing in a bowl. Move to a serving dish. Top with walnuts and fennel dill.

Portobello mushrooms with tomatoes and something green

Portobello mushrooms

onion

fresh spinach or basil leaves

tomatoes

parmesan, feta or goat cheese (or no cheese at all)

olive oil 

salt & pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400F (~200C). Cut a piece of parchment and put it in a baking tray.

2. Clean (but don't wash) the mushrooms. Remove the stem and chop it. 

3. Chop onion, spinach and cut the cherry tomatoes in halves or quarters. 

4. Add the chopped ingredients on top of the mushrooms. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Top with parmesan, feta or goat cheese if you like. 

5. Bake for 7-10mins. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

[freshinsf]

Dehydrating figs

I love figs..fresh or dried! Last time I went to farmers market I bought too many fresh figs that wouldn't have lasted without dehydration. Now the dried figs can last longer in a sealed jar and I can eat them in my breakfast yogurt.

For the best result will need a food dehydrator. I just got mine and I'm super excited to dehydrate all kinds of fruits and veggies.

Many instructions say that figs in halves will dehydrate faster, but slicing decreases the shelf life of dried figs. Sliced figs will benefit from an ascorbic acid (lemon juice) before drying, and should be stored in airtight containers in the fridge until you plan to eat them.

1. Select only fully ripe figs for drying. Under-ripe figs will be too tough to adequately dry.

2. Wash the figs in cool water.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and put the figs into the boiling water for 30 seconds. After removing the figs from the boiling water, immediately plunge them into another container of ice-cold water. This will weaken the tissue in the skin, allowing the fig to dehydrate faster.

4. Figs can be dried whole but because the whole ones wouldn't fit to my dehydrator I cut them in halves. 

5. Place the figs into dehydrator trays, a single layer thick.

6. Dehydrate for 6-12 hrs in a food dehydrator set to 140° F (60C).

7. Allow a sample fig to cool to room temperature before judging if it is finished. It should be leathery, chewy, and completely dry to the touch.

Conclusion and my personal preference:

I did soak half of the figs in lemon juice and water for 10mins instead of boiling them. I wanted to test which way gives the best result and noticed boiling worked better. Also, the figs needed 12-13hrs and were not nearly done after 6hrs. When dehydrating you should keep checking the figs after 6hrs as there are differences in the dehydrators.

[freshinsf]

Vasterbottens cheese pie

I baked this pie for the crayfish party I hosted 2 weeks ago. It's a classic Swedish cheese pie that fits really well as a side dish to crayfish dinner. In fact the cheese is the most famous from Sweden and it comes from the North - Västerbotten region, hence the name. 

Here in the US we are lucky to get our Västerbottensost cheese supply from Ikea. I have also seen it sold in 2 places in Berkeley. It tastes similar to parmesan with salty but with more bitter notes. Västerbottensost is usually aged for 14 months and due to its limited supply it costs twice as much as other types of aged cheese.

Here's the recipe to this Ikea's hidden treasure:

Pastry: 125 g butter 300 ml wheat flour or gluten-free flour 1 tbsp water Filling: 150 g grated Västerbottensost 3 eggs 200 ml whipped cream 1 pinch black pepper 1 pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 435F (~225°C). Mix the butter and flour in a food processor or by hand in a baking bowl to a crumbly texture. Add the water and mix into a smooth dough. When using gluten-free flour you might not need as much so don't pour everything to the bowl at once.

Press the pie dough into a pie dish (24 cm in diameter). Prick the bottom of the shell and place in the oven for about 10 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cream, add the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the cheese filling into the pie shell and bake for about 20 minutes until the pie has set. Allow to cool and serve cool.

[freshinsf]

Scandinavian Crayfish Boil

Usually this time of the year many people have crayfish parties in Sweden and Finland. I love crayfish and the Swedish Kräftskiva tradition. I also try to host a party every year wherever I live. Last year I wasn't aware that there is local crayfish but this year I did some research and found a local seafood market selling live crayfish.

In the US crayfish is more known as crawfish. It's the same thing as crayfish but the broth is usually cajun spicy southern style. Also, crawfish is mostly eaten in Louisiana and Texas although I've heard about crawfish dinners in Norcal too.

Compared to the Nordic crayfish (or the imported Chinese ones) I'd say the local crayfish are smaller. However, I don't really mind and often the smaller tails are even tastier than the big ones.

For the scandinavian boil the right ingredients are of course the key and unfortunately finding crown dill can be a little difficult. The crayfish parties are held from July to September, which is the time the dill is flowering.

This recipe is for boiling 1kg (roughly 2lbs) crayfish at a time.

3l water

1 bottle beer (12oz)

6tbsp coarse sea salt

1tbsp sugar

1 large bunch of crown dill (in total including decoration you will need 4-5 bunches of crown dill)

Boil the water with salt. Add beer, sugar and crown dill (without stems because they give bitter taste). Let it boil for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse the crayfish in cold water. 

Then add crayfish to the broth, put the lid on and let them boil for 5 minutes. 

Lift up the crayfish and put them in a large bowl. You can use the same broth to boil another batch of crayfish. 

When you're done, let the broth cool down. Use a sieve to pour the broth over the crayfish. It is important to have all the crayfish covered by the cool broth. If you need more liquid you can boil another set of the broth. Just repeat the former steps. 

Place the crayfish bowl in your fridge for 6-12hrs until serving. Some people say you can keep the boiled crayfish up to 2 days in the fridge. 

The best way to prepare is to boil the crayfish the evening before the party. That should allow them enough time to pick up all the good taste of the stock and get enough salt.

Other tips:

*Ask your fishmonger how many crayfish is in a pound. It helps you calculate how much you will need to cook to keep your guests satisfied. You should boil at least 10 per person. I got 15-20 crayfishes/pound. 

I boiled 8.5lbs which was 145 crayfishes and we were a group of 10.

* Remember to rinse the crayfish because they can be muddy under their tails even if the fish market has once washed them.

* I have never tried this recipe with regular dill which I assume would give a very different flavor so you will need to use crown dill to do it the right way. 

  Helan går! Enjoy!

[freshinsf]

Oven baked trout

Here in California there are cherry tomatoes of all colors. So pretty, sweet and delicious. Still in season for a few more weeks too. I got inspired to cook fish last night when I popped into Bi-Rite Market  and saw the amazing trouts at their fish counter.

To bake a trout in the oven is super simple. It takes 5 mins to prepare and 15-20 mins to bake. The whole meal is done in less than half an hour.

The fish I bought is from McFarland Springs and is environmentally friendly farmed. 

Here's my recipe for 2:

1lb (~450g) trout

1lb cherry tomatoes

1 small green zucchini

olive oil

lemon (or lime)

salt & peppar

fresh herbs such as parsley and oregano

Preheat the oven to 355F (180C) and cut a baking parchment to a oven tray.

Rinse the trout. Salt it inside and on the outside. Slice the lemons and put the slices and the fresh herbs inside the trout belly. Season the trout with black pepper and put the remaining lemon slices on top. 

Slice the zucchini (remember to wash well as zucchini is a dirty veggie). Add to a bowl. Cut the cherry tomatoes in halves or leave whole. Add them to the bowl together with the zucchini slices. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix gently. 

Then place the trout on the oven tray and add the tomatoes and zucchini next to it. 

Place the tray in the middle of the oven. Set a timer for 15mins and let it bake. Don't bake a 1lb trout more than 20mins. The fish is done when the skin peels off easily or when you stick in a fork and the fish kind of flakes apart (peek in the thickest part of the fish).

Serve immediately. Yum!