Jerk chili con carne

Some of you will raise your eyebrows when you hear me calling this a chili-con-carne like Alex just did, as this isn't a juicy stew like a regular chili-con-carne "should be". But as I enjoy experimenting and doing things my own way (OK I had forgot to buy those damn tomatoes), this one turned out a bit differently. Instead of a sauce filled with tomato purée which is frequently used in the traditional chili con carne to get a sweet and smooth consistence, mine is a more rough version. And instead of having the beans mixed with the meat, I cooked em' with the rice on the side. 

My meat is prepared with chili pepper, garlic, onion and cumin as the original stew but in the shape of the spicy jerk seasoning. In case you don't know what that is, jerk is a seasoning very particular to these parts of the world. I think it originates from Jamaica but has later on spread all over the Caribbean diaspora and beyond. It is mainly used to bake chicken or pork, where the meat is dry-rubbed or wet-marinated in the characteristic, and very spicy, jerk seasoning. 

Jerk seasoning is normally a mix of bonnet pepper flakes (one of the hottest peppers to find), cloves, cinnamon, scallion, garlic and salt. In my chili con carne, which no matter the result of the preparation, is a chili con carne, simply meaning: chili pepper with meat, you'll also find the wonderful flavor of thyme. You all know that I love my max-15-minutes-preparations and this meal is no exception. 

You'll need:

minced meat

yellow onion

garlic

olive oil

salt

pepper

jerk seasoning

fresh thyme

white rice

canned red kidney beans (or if you have your own ones prepared, that's even better)

So I panfried a generous portion of garlic, some yellow onion and lastly the minced meat in a bit of olive oil. Sprinkled some salt, pepper, finely chopped fresh thyme and jerk seasoning into the pan. Added in a cup of water and left it to simmer for a while. Before this would have been a great idea to put the rice to boil. Normally I panfry my rice in the pan in oil and salt before I pour in the water. Throw in your beans into the rice and mix well. If you'd like you could cut in some garlic into the rice too. I live under the perception that the more garlic in your life, the better.

In about ten minutes you should have your meal done and chili dishes are always best served with an ice cold beer. This food is excellent to prepare more than what you need of it as after a day in the fridge it is even tastier when it has well soaked in all the good spices.

What we just had for lunch

This is what I'd call a perfect lunch meal: the level of tastiness compared to the minimal time and efforts required makes pasta with steamed mussels, wine, garlic, cherry-tomatoes and fresh parsley a given winner any day of the week. How I love food that takes maximum 15 minutes to prepare.

What you need:

pasta, preferably spaghettini or spaghetti

fresh mussels, 8-10 per person

some chopped, fresh parsley

a pinch of red pepper flakes

6-10 cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

a few shallots

white pepper

olive oil

salt 

What I do is that I put my pasta to boil in salty water, while that all is happening I clean the mussels in cold water, pull of any beards and throw away the mussels that are opened. Then I'll panfry my chopped shallots and garlic in virgin olive oil, adding some red pepper flakes, a bit of salt and white pepper. When fragrant and golden enough, I toss in the mussels. Pour in half a cup of white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or anything else that is crisp, and additionally I sprinkle over the chopped fresh parsley. Leave it to cook on high temperature under lid. Check back in a few minutes, toss the mussels well, cook for another 3-4 minutes until the shells are half opened. By this time your pasta should be done and I usually just pour the hot pasta straight into the pan, mixing it all well for a few minutes and serving it thereafter with some fresh lemon. If you are anything like me you should serve the food with a nice, chilled glass of that Sauvignon Blanc that you just poured into your meal. 

Spicy prawns

All those food images that I've indulged in these past two days got me inspired to try out something new and exciting. Been quite dry in the food and cooking parts of my brain lately but I'm feeling the inspiration flowing again, thank god says Alex who can't stand pasta and bolognese one more day, eh? (yes currently in our house I'm the only one who cooks as Alex is working the hardest of us two). Anyways, so today I bought some prawns and made a spicy prawn and mushrooms concoction, cooked it all in olive oil, garlic, cayenne, chili, parsley and a squirt of lemon juice and served it with Caribbean long grain rice cooked in butter. Here presented on one of those beautiful Moroccan plates we got on our journey over there. Alex can attest the prawns tasted even better than what they look in this photo so I think I might be doing them again in the near future. Maybe with pasta and a wine sauce next time? I used uncooked prawns and soaked them in oil and spices before heating them up in the pan. Took me about 12 minutes in total.

Hot potato salad with salmon and peppers in 15 minutes

When I don't have too much time for preparing food and I wish to make our lunch as hustle free as possible, this is a favorite recipe: Boil a few new potatoes, pan fry half a chopped onion and a can of salmon from Bumble Bee in oil, salt and pepper. Toss in some red and green peppers, maybe some garlic oil too and throw in the potatoes into the mix when they're done. There you got your lunch in 15 minutes and of course you could replace the salmon with minced meat, canned tuna, other meat or a vegetarian option if you'd prefer. Tasteful, easy and very nutritious.

A tasteful lunch burger

That's what we had for lunch today... very simple. very flavorful. Loving the mix of brown sugar caramelized onion with the salty parmesan and a tiny dose of spicy tabasco mixed within the mayonnaise.. Delicious.

How to make your own sushi

Many of you have asked me how I prepare my sushi from the fish that Alex gets and while I in no way am any expert in the field, I thought I could give you a simple tutorial of how I do this. Although it can seem a bit messy and time consuming, it is very easy to make your own sushi once you get used to it. I usually use tuna, with it I prepare a roll of Makis (10 pcs), a set of Nigiris (8-12 pcs) and also I cut up some fresh Sashimi and that should be enough for a light lunch for two.

- A sharp knife, a regular fish fillet knife will do.

- A rice paddle.

- A sushi rolling mat for the maki roll.

- Heavy bottom saucepan for boiling the rice.

- Bowls and serving plates for soya sauce, ginger and what else you wish to serve.

- Chopsticks. 

- Sushi rice. If you can't get a hold on it, regular jasmine or basmati rice works alright too.

- Rice vinegar. Mix in approx. 3 tbs to every cup of rice once the rice is done and before it's getting cold.

- Raw fish, preferably tuna or salmon but we don't have any salmon here unfortunately.

- Crab-sticks. I couldn't get ahold on it this time and have instead used sweet red pepper.

- Avocado

- Cucumber

- Sesame seeds

- Soy sauce

- Sliced, pickled ginger or look for containers called "sushi ginger" in your store.

- Wasabi. There are tons of variations in the market. Buy it either ready in a tube or powder in a can that you mix up with water.

If you don't have a freshly caught tuna or salmon you can use, then buy fresh one at your favorite market. The tuna needs to be fresh not previously frozen, make sure the tuna steak you buy is a nice dark red and has a translucent appearance and that the steak is not falling apart. Make sure there's not too much of sinew in the flesh. When we get a tuna here on the seas, I always cut it in nice pieces and put most of it in the freezer for a few hours. Tuna eaten raw directly from the sea tends to be very chewy and it needs some hours of cool down before it is at its best. 

Prepare your rice with the vinegar according to the instructions on the package. While it's being boiled, prepare your fish. I use a very sharp fillet knife to slice my tuna. You'll need to make sure your knife is as sharp as it gets and use single long slicing motions on the flesh. You should not saw in it, the key to slicing is not to flake the fish. Prepare both the strips for the maki and also nice thin slices for your nigiri. Cut your vegetables nicely in long strips.

When you got all these things prepared, time to begin the creation.

Lay your sushi rolling mat in front of you and the nori sheet on top. When your rice has cooled down, put it on top of the sheet. Make sure to spread it flat and nicely and only on half of the sheet. Use a rice paddle to spread the rice evenly. Try to cover up at the edges as much as possible, I can see I have been lazy on this picture, I'm sure you can make it better. Add the other ingredients on the rice. Sliced fish, crabsticks (or red pepper in my case), avocado and cucumber. When all is laid out, roll this thing together. Use the rolling mat to tight it nice and firm. 

When almost at the end, add some soy sauce at the last part of the sheet and close the roll with firm tightening. Do not pressure too hard yet still it needs to be done firmly. You know what I'm talking about. Find the balance.

Leave your maki roll for a while and cut it later with a very sharp filet knife or a very sharp bread-knife. Make sure the blade is always wet when you slice so the rice doesn't stick to the blade and mess up the surface of the pieces. Sushi is not only a delight for the taste, it should also look good on the plate. I realize I had a too thick layer of rice in my roll, try to get it thinner than what I did here.

Now prepare your Nigiri. The easiest of them all. Try to get your rice "balls" smaller than what I had here otherwise the Nigiris will only taste rice. First make sure to have a bowl of water with a small amount of rice vinegar in it to regularly wet your hands. Dip your hand into the water and begin to shape each piece into a long, oval form. Put it down on a flat clean surface. Repeat with the rest until rice is finished. Add a small piece of wasabi to each Nigiri before laying the fish on top of the rice, this is both for taste and to make sure the fish sticks to the rice. Then lay the fish over the rice and shape it gently. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top if you'd like. Don't forget to slice up some sashimi as well. I have partly used the part of the fish that is darker, closer to the ribs of the tuna. Some people cut this off when filleting a tuna, but we love the taste of it and prefer to use parts of it for sashimi. I doubt you will encounter this part of the fish when buying your tuna in the market though. 

Now serve your sushi at room temperature, dip the pieces in soy sauce with a bit of wasabi mixed with it, have some ginger in between and enjoy! This is best served with an ice cold beer.

Have you ever made your own sushi before?

Chili, lime and coco flavored mahi-mahi

After quite a few weeks of unhealthy eating and drinking it was time to get back to some proper routines of cooking again. Unhealthy meaning several bags of djungelvrål (that I always tell all my visitors to bring from Sweden), tons of chips and doritos, barrels of red wine, how many bottles of Smirnoff Ice? (and why?), tropical drinks, rum and god knows what else we've been devouring in lately. So when Alex got a big Mahi Mahi on the hook the other day outside of St Lucia, I decided it to be the end of the destructive gluttony for a while and instead I should try to get us back on track, food wise, at least. 

Mahi Mahi is a great fish to cook, it is light and firm in texture, much reminiscent of chicken in fact and it is perfect for the ones who doesn't like a strong tasting fish. Like my sister, for example, who declared on her visit here a few weeks ago: "I eat whatever fish you prepare, as long as it doesn't taste like fish" ... no comments on that but I did what I was told and when she had tasted the curry absorbed fish that had I served and I saw a satisfied grin on here face, I knew mahi mahi was the way to go. "mmmmm, it tastes just like chicken!"..

This particular recipe doesn't include any curry, but what is great is that it can be concocted with any firm, white fish like mahi mahi, or why not with chicken, if you prefer. 

Thai eggplant and juicy lime fruit are some of the main characters in this show.

I absolutely love the fact that the Food Market in Rodney Bay, St Lucia had Thai eggplants in their fruit section. I have loved these things above any other cooking fruit since I last visited Thailand and Malaysia in 2005. They are very hard to get a hold on in Europe unfortunately so I was surprised to see them on a small island like St Lucia. If you can't get a hold on them where you make your grocery shopping, regular eggplant or squash will do too. You will need to cut your eggplants in small cubes. Fresh chili is also needed. Beware of what type you bought and try them out on the tip of your tongue before you portion out the chili. You won't need much of the burning hot ones, of the less spicy ones you could take a couple of whole chili fruits. Cut them all in nice and small pieces.

This is how the mahi mahi looks. Very much like chicken, huh? Cut your fish (or your skinless, boneless chicken breasts) in thin slices. When that's done, fry them in your largest skillet in a bit of coconut-oil or other oil you have on hand, add salt and white pepper, taste, fry until golden. When meat has got a brownish hue, throw in the eggplants, chili and squeeze over one lime fruit (or two if they are very small and not too juicy). Fry it all for a minute or two, pour over coconut milk, lower the heat as the coconut milk usually doesn't like to be overheated. Leave it all to simmer under lid for 10-12 minutes. I would add a bit of my favorite Hot Spicy Sauce from the West Indies, you could add some extra chili pepper if you wish. Make sure to taste between any addition of chili or seasoning. Done when you are.

Now serve your delicious mahi mahi stew with jasmine or basmati rice and sprinkle some black sesame seeds on top for garniture. This dish is totally healthy and so extremely easy to prepare. Asian cooking resonates with me more than any other way of cooking, for the simple facts that it is always fresh, always low in fat and most of the times very easy to prepare. 

I rarely cook with measurements so you'll have to figure out for yourself how much you'll need of each:

- Mahi Mahi, any other white firm fish or chicken breast

- A couple of lime fruits

- Some eggplants

- Chili pepper

- Sesame seeds

- Salt and pepper to taste

- Coconut milk

- Oil

- Rice

One misshaped cake

So I ended up trying out a guava sponge cake roll instead with an old recipe that I had here. By the way, what do you call this thing in English/American? It's called rulltårta in Swedish and kääretorttu in Finnish FYI, but when I google translate this into English it says Swiss roll, and I don't know if you guys refer to Switzerland when you're talking about cakes like this or where did you get that from? Please advice.

Perhaps you can't even figure out what I'm talking about here as this very cake in the picture turned out to become the ugliest swiss roll/sponge cake roll/rulltårta that I've ever made and it is not very reminiscent of how they really should look like. It became too stiff and ended up breaking in three pieces when I was about to wrap it up into a nice roll. Nevertheless, I'm trying to convince myself it has some kind of arty design to it and the taste is seriously to die for.

Here's what you'll need:

3 eggs

2dl / 1cup sugar (I used cane sugar)

2dl / 1cup all purpose flour

2 tsp vanillin sugar

2 tsp baking agent

1 dl / 0,5 cup milk

filling: whatever jam or preserve you prefer.

Whisk together eggs and sugar to a fluffy batter. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well for some minutes. (Don't eat it all with your fingers before you got it into the oven!!) Pour the batter onto a buttered or paper covered baking tray and put into the oven on 220°C/428°F for 8 minutes. Make sure to watch it carefully at the end so it doesn't get burnt at the top. When ready, bring it out from oven, remove it from the pan while flipping it over onto baking paper covered with sugar. Now remove the top paper, spread your filling all over the cake (guava, strawberry, apple jam for example) and wrap it all up into a nice roll. Cut in slices. Your cake should hold together much better than mine, otherwise who cares. It's the taste that is important. This is one of those basic cakes that I've baked since I learnt how to bake when I was around 12-13 or something and it is equally delicious every time. First time I'm trying it with guava though. 

Lime juice

The best juices are the ones free from artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. I prefer to make my own as often as possible to gain the important and healthy vitamins that only fresh fruit brings. Back home in Barcelona I used to make orange juice almost every morning of beautiful orange fruits from Valencia, here it is merely lime and mango versions that are on the schedule. This refreshing, slightly acidic lime juice is perfect for anytime of the day in this tropical heat.

For one glass of lime juice I use:

 ✓ 1 large lime fruit

 ✓ 1,5 tsp cane sugar

✓ ice cold water

Squeeze the juice from the lime into a glass, add cane sugar or brown sugar, pour in ice cold water, mix well and top it up with a couple of ice cubes.

Mmmmmm mango

I never really thought of the fact that sorbet actually is so incredibly easy to produce. But it is. Ridiculously easy in fact. And what is more tasteful and suitable under the hot tropical sun than a big bowl full of sweet, ice-cold fruit sorbet? This very version that I concocted beats many many of the fabricated ones that I've tried in the past and I must say I definitely prefer it this simple: no dairy products, no sugar, and as pure and natural as it possibly can be. 

You know I've been raving about the Caribbean mangos at many times before and I still can't get enough of them. The ones used for this sorbet are not the super sweet ones, these are larger in size, the african ones as Alex likes to call them as they reminds him of the ones he use to eat back in Angola when he was younger - and these mangoes, which I don't know the correct name for, has a lightly almondy taste. They are still sweet and juicy, but much more firm in texture and nutty in taste than the ones I spoke about for some weeks ago. I used two large mangoes for this sorbet, one lime, some wonderful honey that we bought in Morocco in December last year and some water and that's really it. Couldn't be easier even if I tried.

For two bowls of sorbet you will need:

2 mangoes

1 lime

1/2 cup (1dl) water

1/2 cup (1dl) pure honey 

Peel your mangoes and cut it into small pieces. Puree now this well in a bowl, but make sure to leave some smaller chunks for a nice natural texture. In a small pan, bring your water to boil. When boiling, remove from stove and add the honey. Mix well for an minute more or less. Leave it to cool down. When cooled, pour this into your bowl of mango puree and squeeze in the lime juice from the fruit. I prefer to add also the pulp from the lime, but that one you can ignore if you don't like it. And that would be it. Done. Finished. You have your very own mango sorbet. Obviously you'll need to freeze this thing to be able to fully call it a sorbet, but you get the point. I froze mine in zip-lock bags, very convenient as our freezer here on the boat is so small and a bag like that only requires minimal space.

You can also exchange the mangoes to strawberries or pear or whatever fruits you prefer. I will definitely try out more of them in the nearest future. I would also love to add some mint into this particular one, but unfortunately they didn't have it in the local grocery store at this time.

Go ahead and try it, I'm sure you will love it! /T

Can't take them no more

In between photo job, some work with a few ongoing projects, sunbathing, swimming and reading books - this weekend consisted of some serious baking projects. It's like an old on-n-off relationship I have with the oven. For weeks I can be really annoyed by the fact that I've recently been baking, and eating, three large cakes in the short period of just a few days. I then refuse to look at sugar or even think the thought of baking for some weeks when then slowly one day I feel it coming, the subtle yet exciting feeling that bubbles inside and encourages me to get back to the mood and concoct something delicious, some terribly calorie rich, sticky, fudgy, sweet things and BAM I bake like I never seen cakes before. That's basically what happened this weekend, I baked and baked and I ate and ate. Cookies, buns and homemade bread. I ate ten or eleven cinnamon rolls if I am not completely misremembering or got high of all the yeast I've been consuming - and it was incredibly tasteful while it lasted but now I'm definitely back to square one again. No more calorie bombs for me please. Not a single more cinnamon bun thank you very much. Some folks might've been born normal, others we are the all or nothing kind of people. 

If you would like to enjoy a couple of delicious Swedish cinnamon buns though, here's the recipe: 

Time to prepare: Around 2 hours. Cooking: 7-9 min. Makes a total of 30-40 buns.

Ingredients for the dough:

14 g (two teaspoons) dry active yeast. You could also replace this with 50 g (1,7 ounce) fresh yeast if you prefer.

5 dl (2,5 cup) milk 

150 g (1 cup) butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 dl (1/2 cup) sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon cardamom

14 - 15 dl (6 cups) all purpose flour (normalt vetemjöl eller vetemjöl extra)

For the filling:

room tempered butter

sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

And the topping:

1 egg

pearl sugar

Put the yeast in a bowl. Melt the butter and add the milk, heat to lukewarm. Now pour the mixture over the yeast. Add the other ingredients and work the dough. Leave the dough to rest under a kitchen towel for approximately 30min. Preheat the oven to 225°C/437°F.

When the dough has rested, divide the dough into two equal parts. Knead them lightly on floured counter until smooth and shiny. Roll each half of dough into rectangles. Flat and nice. Now brush the rectangles with butter and sprinkle it all with cinnamon and sugar. If you feel like adding a nutty twist to it all, add some ground almonds. Now you roll it all up into two cylinders. Nice and tight. Then take a sharp knife and slice the cylinders into rolls. Put them on a baking tray covered with baking paper or put each of them into paper cupcake wrappers. Then leave it all to rest again, another 30 minutes would do them good, maybe an hour if you got the time.

When they've rested and chilled out under the kitchen towel, you should go ahead and brush the risen buns with egg wash and then sprinkle some pearl sugar on top.

Put to oven, bake for 7-9 minutes. Make sure they don't get too much baked, dry buns are never ever a good thing. If you followed my advice you should have some absolutely divine little buns ready in just a short while. They're delicious. Wonderful. Especially are they scrumptious when enjoyed with a glass of ice cold milk. Enjoy! And please give me your version of cinnamon rolls if you use other interesting fillings or topping. Sometimes I made them the pizza version, I would cut out the sugar from the dough and fill the buns with tomato sauce, ground beef, onion and so on... but that's another story for another time.. /T

Drink of the day

Oh and I forgot one thing on that list... I will most probably be drinking a couple of my delicious homemade Piña Coladas. I'm pretty sure they contain something like 500 calories each or so but I can't be bothered, they are too delightful to resist. Especially when served ice cold, they're simply to die for in this tropical heat. The sweetness of the pineapple, the coconut flavor, the sweet crema.... aaaaaah.

This is how I mix them:

2 oz Malibu coconut rum
1 oz cream of coconut
4 oz pineapple juice
ice

Mix and shake well. Pour in a glass. Garnish the glass with a slice of fresh pineapple. Sweet! /T

Juicy carrot bread / Saftigt morotsbröd

Been baking a lot of different breads lately. This one experiment proved to be one of the best I've ever tasted. Juicy and moist is the keyword right here, so incredibly juicy is what this bread is. You should give it a try if you got the time, it is very easy and quick to prepare and you'll thank me for it afterwards. Carrot and syrup are the magical ingredients which gives that delightful moisture you're looking for. And don't have preconceptions about the carrots involved like Alex had in the beginning, these are the glorious ones which makes the bread almost drip of moisture.

Time to prepare: Around 1 hour. Cooking: 15-20 min. Makes a total of around 24 pieces.

5 dl (2 cups) of milk

50 g (1,7 oz) active fresh yeast or 14 g (4,5 teaspoons or 0,5 oz) active dry yeast

50 g melted butter (1,7 oz)

2 large carrots

1,5 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons syrup

4 dl (1,7 cups) all-purpose flour (vanligt vetemjöl eller vetemjöl special)

9-10 dl (4 - 4,2 cups) whole wheat flour or spelt (dinkelmjöl fullkorn eller vanligt fullkorsmjöl) - whatever you got at home. If you prefer a lighter colored bread, just adjust so you put equal amount of them two flours. In total there should be approximately 14 dl (6 cups) flour. 

Preheat oven to 225°C or 437°F. Prepare a baking pan with oil and flour or waxed/baking paper.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk. Add the melted butter, the grated carrot, salt, syrup, most of the flour and stir to combine. Add more flour to the extent it is necessary, the dough shouldn't be too sticky but also not too hard. You should find the balance, it should be easy and smooth to work with. Leave to rise for approximately 30 minutes. Should grow to double size. 

Pour dough into pan and cut the bread into squares. Leave to rise under kitchen towel for another 30 minutes. Then bake on middle rack for around 15-20 minutes. When it's done, bring it out and cool in the pan for ten minutes and then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Now try to hold yourself for thirty minutes at least but you know what I've been talking about when you spread some butter on the first piece of warm bread and tasted this little miracle. Mmmmm .... it is almost too good to handle.