Leek and Potato Soup

A great meal for a cold winter. It's cheap, quick and easy to make, and it will always be aprecciated. Top it with bread, bacon, chorizo, parsley and/or spring onion.

Cooking time: 25 minutes active, 30 passive.

For the Leek and Potato Soup you'll need the following:

(4 persons)
1 kg Potatoes (Use a mashing/baking type)
3 Leeks
1 l Chicken or Vegestable Stock
25 g Butter
Salt
Pepper

Start of by peeling the potatoes and rinsing the leeks. Cut into chunks. Saute the leeks in butter until it is clear and soft. Add the potatoes and the stock. Let it simmer for 30 minutes and blitz until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with croutons, bacon, chorizo, parsley and/or spring onion as topping and a piece of bread on the side.

Suggested drinks: Pilsner or a fruity white wine.

Mashed Potatoes

Everyone likes Mashed Potatoes, but it can get screwed up easily. So here's a fool-proof version, with lots of butter. Serve with a slow-cooked dish like Gullasch or Braised Pork Cheeks.

For Mashed Potatoes you'll need:

(4 persons)
1½ kg starchy Potatoes
3 dl Whole Milk
100g Butter
1 tsp Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

Start by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into smaller pieces (to lower the cooking time). Boil for about 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain and leave it to steam off the last water (water can make the mash grainy). Add butter and wait for it to melt. Mash with a whisk and add the whole milk until it has a creamy consistency. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Serve with a slow-cooked dish like Gullasch or Braised Pork Cheeks.

Suggested drinks: Beer

Braised Pork Cheeks

This is a great comfort food for the cold of winter. It doesn't require a lot of work, a bit of cutting, roasting and a lot of time by itself in the oven. So it is the perfect dish for the weekend, after being out in the harsh weather.
The protein can easily be swapped with Pork Butt/Shoulder or other sinew and fat high meats.
Serve with Mashed Potatoes or Mashed Roots.

Cooking time: 45 minutes active, 4-6 hours passive.

For the Braised Pork Cheeks you'll need:

(4 persons)
600g of Pork Cheeks
1 large Onion
1 large Carrot
2 sticks of Celery
2 cloves of Garlic
2 tsp Tomato Pure
1 tbs Butter
1 tbs flour
½ l Dark Beer (Porter/Stout)
Chicken Stock to almost cover the meat
A few sprigs of fresh Thyme
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Salt
Pepper

Start by preheating an oven to 150 C. Dice the vegetables and saute them in butter, in a oven-proof pot (le Creuset etc). Put aside in a bowl. If your butcher haven't cleaned the cheeks for outer sinews, remove these carefully. Flour the pork cheeks and saute them until browned. Add the tomato pure and let it saute for a minute. Then add your vegetables, beer and stock to almost cover the meat. Put in the oven for 4-6 hours. Check on it every hour to see if too much liquid has disappeared, if so add some stock.
You can serve this with the cooked vegetables or remove them and make a sauce of the juices.
Serve with Mashed Potatoes or mashed roots.

Suggested drinks: Dark beer or a powerful red wine

Chinese Meatballs

I found myself craving some meatballs, but after a heavy Christmas I also wanted it to be somewhat healthy. So I decided upon Chinese inspired meatballs, with lots of ginger, scallion and garlic. They're packed full of fresh, sweet and salty flavours and great accompanied by a sweet chili dipping sauce. As an added bonus the ginger and garlic clears your sinuses and have great health benefit. Try it out in the winter months as a great healthy treat. The mince can also be used as a stuffing in dim sum.
Serve this as a side to fried noodles, or an asian supper.

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes active.

For the Chinese Meatballs you'll need:

(3-4 persons)
500g of minced Pork
2 sticks of Scallions
2 cloves of Garlic
1 Red Chili
A thumbsized piece of Ginger
1 tbs Sweet Chili Sauce
1 tbs Soy Sauce
1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Chinese Five Spice
Salt
Pepper

Grate the garlic and ginger into a fine paste. Chop the scallions finely. Add to the minced pork and combine with the rest of the ingrediants. Season to taste. Form small balls and fry on a hot pan in some vegestable oil for 5-7 minuntes.
Serve this as a side to Fried Noodles or as part of an asian supper.


For the Chinese Dipping Sauce you'll need:

1 dl Sweet Chili Sauce
1 tbs Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tbs Hoisin Sauce
1 tbs Soy Sauce
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
½  Red Chili

Grate the ginger and chop the chili. Combine with the rest of the ingredients.

Suggested drinks: Pilsner or a fruity white wine

Valentines Special: Creme Brulée

Valentines Day is in the near future! So spoil your girlfriend/boyfriend with a Creme Brulée! Here's an easy recipe.

Cooking time: 1 - 1½ hour. 10 mins active

For the Creme Brulée you'll need:

(4 ramekins)

4 pasteurised Egg Yolks

85 g of Sugar

½ a Vanilla Pod

250 ml Cream (38-45%)

100 ml Whole Milk

1 tbs Sugar

Start of by scraping the vanilla seeds into a bowl. Add the sugar and scrunch it together to release the vanilla flavour. Add egg yolks and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Add cream, whole milk and the scraped vanilla pod. Give it a final whisk and put into the fridge for at least 3 hours. This will develop the flavour further.

Set your oven to 125 C and add the creme into ramekins. Place these in dish with water coming up 1/3 of their sides. Bake for 35-55 minutes (This is always tricky). Jiggle the ramekins a bit to see if the creme has set slightly. If so, cool completely.

To serve add a fine layer of sugar on each and burn with a burner of under a very hot grill until the sugar crystallises.

Suggested drinks: Sweet dessert wines like Sauternes.