Meatball frenzy no 2 - Swedish meatballs

Swedish meatballs are, clearly, the best meatballs in the world! :) That's probably not true to the majority of the population, but for me and a lot of other Swedes there is nothing better than meatballs cooked the Swedish way, enjoy the traditional way with mash, cream sauce and lingonberry jam.

The meatballs have to be small and round, and seasoned with mustard and all spice, then they will get that traditional flavour, just like my grandma used to make them.

Now, since I obviously want to make this dish low carb, I can't go for mashed potaotes, so I made cauliflower mash instead. Really yummy and creamy. And as for the jam, you just can't take that away :) Have a little less is a better option I think.

 

For the meatball mix:

Minced beef, onion, mustard, tomato paste, cream, salt and all spice. And two eggs! :)

Mix everything and let settle.

 

Boil cauliflower slowly in salted water.

Roll small, small meatballs. This is the time consuming part. Make sure the meat is properly seasoned now, maybe by tasting it or test trying a bit before, if raw meat freaks you out.

Fry the meatballs in a lot butter in batches, not all at once as they won't get a nice browning then.

Blend the cauliflower with a stick blender when it's soft enough, and add some butter, 2-3 table spoons of creme fraishe and salt until you are happy with the taste.

Let it thicken in the pot while frying all the meatballs.

 

Yum!

 

Sauce is extremely important in the Swedish cuisine. This classic sauce is simply made from cream, beef stock, some salt and a dash of soy sauce.

Meatball frenzy no 1 - Italian meatballs

Two different types of meatballs the past week, both good but in different ways. First out - Big Italian style meatballs in tomatoe sauce!

 

You need minced beef, onion, garlic, herbs like thyme, oregano, basil and pepper.

 

Chop the onion and the garlic into tiny little pieces and put in a bowl with the meat.

Add salt, pepper, herbs and 1 dl of cream. Also add 2 eggs to the mix.

Mix everything and let settle for 30 mins. Then roll big meatballs.

 

Fry the meatballs in a big chunk of butter at the same time as you let some broccoli and cauliflower boil in lightly salted water.

 

Add two cans of crushed tomatoes, together with some more herbs, salt and garlic salt. More cayenne pepper if you like it a bit spicy.

 

Let it simmer until you are happy with the flavour of the sauce.

 

Serve with either boiled vegatables or something else that you like :)

Enjoy!

Fish for the mermaids!

The mermaids are my good friends that were here visiting from Sweden last week. Of course I was to cook them a nice, tasty LCHF meal with local, fresh fish.

I made the fish in the oven in a foil package, a very good way of keeping both flavours and juices with the fish.
This was served with a herb and cream sauce, cauliflower mash and butter fried sugar snaps. Sugar snaps are one of my favoruite sides. It's good, healthy, and serves as a perfect decoration as well!

The mermaid dish was very appreciated, and this is how you can make it yourself:

 

Take your fresh or frozen white fish fillets, and put on foil in an oven tray.

Of course fresh will taste mush better, and not be as watery as when you cook frozen fish in the oven.

Cover with chopped leek or spring onion, two garlic cloves, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Finish off with the juices of 1 lemon and 1 lime fruit, and also put the actual fruits in the tray.

I added a dash of cream as well.

Put this in the oven on 175 degrees, for 30-40 minutes.

 

Boil cauliflower in salted water until soft.Then mash with either a 'masher' or a stick blender until almost smooth. Add ½ jar of full fat creme fraiche and salt to your liking and mix, put on low heat.

 

At the same time as you put the fish in the oven, start making the sauce.

 For the sauce I used the juices of one lemon, 1½ fish cube, frozen parsley, fresh chives, and some dried basil. You can use whatever herbs that you like, but just make sure you take enough.

4 dl of cream to be added, and salt to taste, then cook until thickened a little bit.

 

Take your fish out and check that it is done.

 

Serve with sugarsnaps fried in butter with some salt.

 Enjoy!

Turkey curry Freckles style

I like curry of most sorts, but especially Indian and Thai type ones, and I often make very simplified versions of them myself.
I know I'm not even near making a real Indian curry, but my turkey curry tastes really good, is healthily high in fat and low in carbs, and most importantly; Yummy for the tummy!

Some good tips for making a think, filling curry is to chop the onions into tiny little pieces and let it cook in the sauce for a long time, it then serves as a thickener and makes the whole thing really creamy and thick. Also, I used some mixed lentils in mine, which makes it even thicker.

 

My attempt to plate it really nicely didn't really work out, but once again; it tasted good :)

So, how is it done?

 

Start off with getting yourself some turkey breast, greek yoghurt, cream, tomatoes, onions, butter, and whatever you are planning to use as a side. I made 'rice' from cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli fried in butter.

 

Chop the turkey and the onion into cubes.

 

And fry in a pan with a big chunk of butter. Oh yeah, two garlic cloves finely chopped were thrown in there as well.

When the meat is a bit browned, it's time to add some spices! Don't be shy on the spices here, it is supposed to be spicey!

A selection of the spices I use when making 'Indian' inspired curries. This paticular time I went with a couple of teaspoons of Tandoori, a few pinches of Paprika, and some Medium yellow curry powder.

And salt of course.

 

Add spices, a can of crushed tomatoes and lentils, and let it simmer. TASTE, TASTE, TASTE and make changes accordingly, it is the only way to make good food!

 

Add you new best friend: Cream! 2-3 dl will do here :)

while

 

While the curry was simmering, I grated cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage using a normal cheese grater, and slowly fried in a pan with some salt and butter.

Just before serving, add a dl of greek full fat yoghurt to 'cream it up' even more.

I used a small bowl/cup to shape my vegetable mix on the plate. Yes, I admit, it was only for the picture :)

And Enjoy!

Remember to not take/serve too big portions of this, as it is extremely filling. I couldn't even finish the above.

Red wine stew

The secret with any stew is to let it cook for a long time, but this is especially true when it comes to beef. Cook it for a few hours in herbs, tomatoes, wine, whatever works for you, and it will come out delicious, almost regardless of what meet part it is. In other words, you can buy a pretty cheap piece of beef, and still be able to make a lovely stew out of it.

We ate this yummy red wine and beef stew with a mash of broccoli, cauliflower and some fennel.

 

In my stew for 4 portions I used:

A piece of beef, see picture, trimmed and chopped

50 grams of butter for frying

1 onion

1 leek

2 garlic cloves

1 beef stock cube

Fry all the above in butter in a big pot until slighly browned.

Add:

3 dl of red wine

1 can of crushed tomatoes

2 table spoons of herbs such as basil and oregano

Salt

Pepper

Let everything cook for 1½-2 hours, or until the meet 'melts in your mouth' :)