Old school meatballs in tomato sauce

Meatballs seem to be the comfort food of every nation.
Finnish people serve them in creamy brown sauce with mashed potatoes, Swedes prefer basic brown onion sauce or plain with cranberrys and boiled potates, but I think the most famous is the Italian version of spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce.
Here's my version of which I claim the whole credit (or blaime for that matter) since my mom never made them in tomato sauce but always the Finnish style.

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Meatballs

• 400g of grounded beef
• 2 slices of toast soaked in milk
• 1 big or 2 small onions chopped and fried until golden brown
• 1 egg
•  salt, pepper and tabasco for seasoning

Add the fried onions, egg and seasoning to the meat. Squeeze the slices of toast dry from the excess milk and add. Mix well together. Leave the meat to the fridge so the flavours have time to even out. Meanwhile prepare the tomato sauce.

Tomato sauce

• 2 cans (á 500g) of crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans (á 140g) tomato pyree
• 2 dl of cheap red wine (you can also use a mixture of tomatojuice and water 1/1)
• 1 small onion chopped and fried untilgolden brown
• 4 crushed gloves of garlic
• salt & pepper
• from the spices feel free to add or remove accrding to your preferences. Examples
• oregano
• thyme
• marjoram
• tarragon
• savory
• basil

I usually use my ready made mixture of  Herbes de Provence* which I bougth while travelling in Paris. :)

Chop and fry the onions

add tomato pyree and garlic and let it warm up on the pan but be carefull not to burn them since the flawour will be very tangy after that. Add canned tomatos and fluids and let it zimmer on medium heat while makin the meatballs

Pour some oil on your hands (this way the meat mixture won't get stuck on your fingers) and roll small balls from the mixture, place the balls in neat little circles arount the pan in the sauce. Lower the heat just a bit and cover the pan. 

Avoid mixing the sauce since you might end up with just meat sauce if the meatballs break.

Let the meatballs cook slowly untill done (this takes about 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the meatballs). If it looks like the sauce is running out you can add sme more water/ tomato juice/wine and mix carefully

Serve with spaghetti and parmesan cheese

* http://en.wikipedia.orgm wiki/Herbes_de_Provence

Fondue evening

When the weather gets more and more miserable, life can be made more bearable with good food so we decided to cook some fondue Bourguignonne a.k.a. meat fondue.
I prefer the cheese version (seen as the original fondue) but hubbie don't like it at all.. :(
Anyway this one is just as enjoyable and maybe more suited for two people since the leftovers can be refrigerated and re-used.

FONDUE BOURGUIGNONNE

Sunflower oil (the amount depends on the size of your fondue pot). Fill the pot a little less then half full.

about 200g of meat / person. Make sure that the meat is tender and fresh.

We had:

• tenderloin of beef au naturel & marinated
• tenderloin of lamb au naturel & marinated

Pork and chiken are not very good choises since they should be thurly cooked when you eat them and that migth take a while with the fondue pot. Also with raw chicken there is always the risk of salmonella.

With the veggies and sauces there'sno limit so feel free to use your imagination.

For dipping we had:

• sliced fresh button mushrooms
• cauliflower
• sweet potatoes 
• raw onions
• chorizos 

For the other condiments we had:

• aioli
• barbeque sauce spiced with some tabasco
• potatoes parisienne
• lettuce
• pickels
• cherry tomatoes
• baquette
• mushroom salad

Marinade for the beef

• olive oil
• 2 gloves of garlic
• 2 tbls fresh parsley
• 1 tbls fresh marjoram
• crushed black peppers
• 2 tbls f lemon juice

mix ingredients and cover the meat with the marinade. Allow to sit for about an hour.

Marinade for the lamb

• same as abowe but I changed the marjoram to fresh thyme and added one glove of garlic

Aioli -

I use the canned mayo for aioli since with the garlic and lemon you can barely taste the difference, but make sure it is the real deal and not one of those yoghurt minus 15% fat stuff  :)

• 1 cup of mayo
• 2-3 gloves of garlic chrushed and chpped to very fine
• 3 tbls of lemon juice

mix and let the flavours to even for 10-20 minutes.

Mushroom salad - 

This might be hard to prepare for those not living in Finland since the mushrooms need to be salted (and that's a whole other story)

• 5 dl of salted mushrooms
• 1 jar of heavy sour cream
• 1 small onion finely chopped

Let the mushrooms soak in water for couple of hours so that all the excess salt will wear off, rinse well.
Chop the onions and mushrooms and mix with sour cream. Allow to rest for an hour.

Enjoy in good company with full bodied red wine :)

 

Cream-pie

If you hit Google with "cream pie" you will get something that you didn't order.. (I won't get into more detailed explanations.. if you're interested look it up : D but don't say I didn't warn you).
During one nigthshift I was bored (where I use to work we were allowed to cook and bake if wished so) and felt like having something sweet..
After emptying the page memory of the work computer in panic, I made new search this time making it clear that I wanted a food related site.
I've also done an altered version whit crunchy peanutbutter on the bottom.
Equally good but maybe should've reduced the amount of sugar.. it was a bit sweet for my taste : D

                                                           BANANA CREAM PIE

• 2 dl cup sugar
• 3 tbls all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 jar sour cream
• 1 tbls unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 prebaked pie crust
• 3-4 bananas

Preheat oven to 200c°. 

Bake the pie crust so that it is almoust done from the midlle but not burned from the edges

Sift sugar, flour, nutmeg, and salt together. 

In a large bowl, whisk the egg with the sour cream. 

Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix well. 

Add the melted butter and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. 

Cut 3 big or 4 small bananas into slices and place them in the bottom of the pie crust *

Pour filling into prebaked pie shell. 

Bake the pie in the bottom third of the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 150c°. and continue baking until the filling is set, about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack. 

Refrigerate at least for four hours or the next day.

*If you want to add the peanutbutter then warm up 5 tbls (or more if yoou reeeeally like it) of crunchy peanutbutter at the microwave, add just a little bit of cream so that it will be easy to spread on the piecrust.
So just spread the pb top it with bananas and then the filling.

When serving cover or decorate with sweetened whipped cream.

C.C.C.

                                CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, MEET SUMMER HEAT

These cookies were made by accident when a whole chokolate bar had melted in the summer heat. The recipe is from the years when I lived in the states, thus the measurments in cups.
One cup equals about 2,3dl, so half a cup would be just a little over a dl.

• 200g of dark chocolate melted
• 1/2 cup butter/margarine
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt the chocolate carefully for example in a microwave

Mix shortening and sugars together until light and fluffy. 

Add eggs and mix thoroughly. 

Add salt and soda to flour and sift in two parts to the butter-sugar mixture and mix well. 

Add melted chocolate, nuts and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. 

Drop from teaspoon on greased baking sheet 5cm apart. 

Bake in moderate oven (200c°) 10 to 12 minutes.
Makes about 50 cookies.

Souveniers from Rome

                           STRINGOZZI WITH PECORINO, CHERRY TOMATOES AND MINT

We had this dish at La Mucha Bischera while sightseeing Rome. It's located in the S.Lorenzo distric near the main railway station.. It's a bit of a shady neighbourhood but worth the visit
This is super simple and takes about 15 minutes all together

Stringozzi is a little bit wider then spaghetti but narrower then tagliatelle. This is best when done from fresh pasta, home made or bought.

A portion for two (as main course)
400g of fresh pasta
250g of cherry tomatoes
about a handfull of fresh mint leaves
extra virgine olive oil
a good amount of pecorino

- Fill a bigg kettle with water, add sea salt (2tbls) and bring to boil
- Cut the tomatoes in quarters (or halfs if they're small)
- Pour about three tablespoons of olive oile to a pan
- Let the oil warm up and add the tomatoes.
don't let them fry just warm up and bring out the flavour
- Add mint leaves and let them soften.
- Boil the pasta according to directions
-Once you've drained  the pasta add tomatoes and mint, mix and set for portions. Grate a generous amount of pecorine on top  of each portion.

Goes together well together with medium-bodied red wine..

Enjoy : D

virgine blogg

I feel as if I should say something worthwhile, deep and meaningfull. I highly doubt that I will though.
So I'll consentrate on my favourite subject. Me. After that I can consentrate an more important issues.
- I live with my boyfriend (from here on known as mr.J), have done so for the last eigth years. Our relationship bases on the truth; "beggars can't be choosers"... when ever we feel, that this won't work out. We look into the mirror and face the truth. :)
- We also harbour three cats; the Fat one, the Stupid one and the Little one.
- At the moment we live in Finland but a move to Africa is in plans.
- I'm addicted to pole dancing and having to face the truth that I migth not be the next Nadia Comăneci of the pole dancing, I'm more then happy whenever I manage with a new move.
- I cook. A lot. I rarely use recepies, even when baking.. It makes it more exciting. Luckily in the kitchen I am a natural wonder. One of those people who can do amazingly good food out of everything. ^__^
- I travel. A lot. Way out of my means some migth say. Fortnately mr.J isn't one of those people and is happy to join  me in the "maxoutourcreditcard" expeditions. We've lived in Mozambique, done Zimbabwe-Kenya-Tanzania-Zanzibar, Thailand-Malaysia-Korea, France-Belgium-Italy-Spain-Germany-Denmark-Netherlands-Estonia-Sweden. Next one is propably to South-America. (As soon as we get our credit card to agree on it.  : D)
- I also love diving.Unfortunately Finland is not know for any amazing diving sights and besides I hate cold water so this hobby is reduced as a luxury, done during the trips.
- Last but not least are my kids (at the moment all 20 of them). I do love kids of all ages, as long as they're not mine. Considering my generally childish behaviour I get along with them well. In professional point of view I don't follow obsessively any particular pedagogy. I do belive that carrots work better then sticks, but also think, that children need clear and consistent boundries. I try to work so that the common thread at my work work be positive re-enforcement and consistency. It doesn't always work out but it's a learning prosess for me too : D
 (- btw. I love smiley faces)