Lemon and mascarpone tart

Decorate the pie with berries of your choice.

I love the sourness of the lemon and combined with sugar you get this amazing combination.

For this non-bake lemon tart you need:

300-340 g biscuits or cookies (for instance vanilla flavored)
125 g melted butter

Filling:
1 jar lemon curd (about 3 dl)
1 box mascarpone (250 g)


Crush the biscuits and mix the crumbs with the melted butter. Spread the mix on a pie form and put it in a fridge for 30 minutes.

Mix the lemon curd with mascarpone and pour it on the pie. Let the pie to be in the fridge for few hours (preferrably overnight) before serving.

Grilled mackerel

The smoke box gives an extra ingredient to
this fish with already strong taste.

Last summer I bought a smoke box from Weber and I just love it. I have smoked quite a few dishes with the smoke box that is meant to use with gas grills.

Here is an example what I did with mackerel:

6-8 mackerels is enough for 4 people depending how much everyone eats

Rub:
2 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 thumb size grated ginger
Salt

Set the grill on and place the smoke box in the grill. Prepare the rub mix. Pour some olive oil all over the fish (in and outside). Rub the mix well and thoroughly in and outside of the fish so that it really stays on the mackerel.

Grill for 4-6 minutes on both sides.

Grill the fish about 4-6 minutes on both sides.

Serve for instance with avocado and grape salad.

Serve this fat fish with fresh salads.

Honey marinated chicken legs

This is must be one of my favorites because
the chicken is so tender and full of flavors.

In my childhood I loved the honey marinated chicken slices. I managed to find a recipe that is quite close to my childhood memories.

For 400 g of chicken legs or other chicken meat use:

4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp tomato puré
2 tsp soy sauce
4 tbsp olive oil
0,5 dl honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika powder
black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and let the meat to marinated over night.

Marinate over night about 10-12 hours.

Heat the oven to 180 ºC and cook the meat thoroughly. From 15 minutes to 1 hour depending on how big the meat pieces are.

Peach and pineapple pie

Serve with ice cream or vanilla sauce.

I just love baking but sometimes and want to do it quickly and easy.

What you need is:

125 g butter
2 eggs
3 dl sugar
2-3 dl sour cream
2 dl milk
6 dl flour
1 tbsp baking powder
0,25 tsp cardamom

250 g peaches (1 can)
127 g pineapple (1 small can)

Melt the butter. Whisk the eggs and sugar until it is foam. Add the sour cream, milk and melted butter to the egg foam. Mix baking powder and cardamom with flour and add to the egg mix. Mix carefully to a smooth dough.

Pour the dough on an oven pan. Add the diced peaches and pineapple on top and bake in the oven at 200 ºC for 30-35 minutes.

After taking the pie out from the oven, sprinkle some sugar on top.

Avocado and grape fruit salad

Suits well with bbq for instance.

I was watching on day a reality show on TV and there I picked up this wonderful dish that works as a salad and a side dish as well.

Ingredients are easy. All you need is 1 large grape fruit and 1 avocado that is enough for 2 persons if you are having this just as a side dish.

Peel the grape fruit and also peel the thin skin of the slices. Slice the avocado and place the slices over each other.

Try also some mustard vinaigratte with this:

1 tbsp Dijon mustard
0,6 dl lemon juice
0,5 tsp salt
black pepper
1,2 dl olive oil

Whisk together the mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Then whisk slowly in the olive oil. The vinaigrette is ready when it has emulsified.

Baked sweet potato in Mexican style

My new summer favorite :)

I got a tip for this recipe from a friend of mine. This is just perfect vegetarian dish :)

For 2-3 people you need:

Potato filling:
2 sweet potatoes
14 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic
a box of black beans (about 230 g)
a bit of fresh cilantro
half a tsp smoked pepper powder
1 tsp miso paste

Sour cream:
3 dl sour cream
1 tsp tahini
juice from one lemon
Salt
Pepper

Guacamole:
2 avocados
juice from half a lime
1 dl fresh cilantro
chili according to your taste (I used half a dried chili)
0,5 dl chopped sundried tomatoes
Salt
Pepper

Heat the oven to 200 ºC and bake the sweet potato until ready for about 60-70 minutes. Before putting the potatoes to the oven, stick some wholes to the skin with the fork.

For the sweet potato filling chop the garlic and quarter slice the tomatoes. Put them to a pan with some olive and and cook on a medium fire. Wash the black beans and add them to the tomatoes and garlic. Add the smoked pepper powder, miso paste and apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the cilantro, mix and take off from the heat.

I usually do not use black beans in cooking,
but I think I will change this in the future.

For the sour cream just mix all the ingredients together.

For the guacamole mash the avocados with a fork and add the chopped chili, cilantro, lime juice and sundried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

After the sweet potatoes are ready take some of the potato and mix it together with the black beans.

Serve the sweet potatoes filled with blackbean mix, guacamole and sour cream.

Charred butternut squash with cold smoked salmon

A glass of rose is a perfect match to this.

Bbq season is here and after grilling way too many burgers I found this nice grilled pumpkin recipe.

For 2-3 persons you need:

1 butternut squash or any other pumpkin
0,5 dl pickled cucumbers
half a grilled onion
some grilled butternut squash
300 g cold (or warm) smoked salmon
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2-3 dl sour cream
1 tbsp capers
chive

Grill the butternut squash until the skin is charred. I grilled only half of the squash but then do not burn the cut side. It is easier to grill the whole butternut squash than a half one.

Don't worry if the skin side gets charred,
you only eat what is inside.

To make the filling, chop the pickled cucumbers, grilled onion half, capers, salmon and garlic. Mix them to sour cream and mayonnaise. After the butternut squash is grilled take some of the middle part of the vegetable, chop it and add to the sour cream mix. Season with black pepper and chive.

Pickled celery

So good with deep fried chicken.

I was watching videos on Youtube and I found this Gordon Ramsay's wonderful pickled celery recipe.

Celery (I used the whole bunch)
2 dl cooked water
2 dl sugar
1 tsp whole black peppers (peppercorn)
2 tsp mustard seeds (or and fennel seeds)
half a tsp cloves
half a tsp salt
6 tbsp white wine vinegar

Cut the celery and put them into a jar or a bowl.

Boil up the water and add the sugar. Add the spices and boil up again.

Pour the liquid on the celery and let it cool down. They are ready to eat right after they have cooled down but for better taste wait over night.

These are my new favorites!

Pasta with mushrooms and leek

Creamy and tasty pasta sauce.

This is a nice pasta recipe for all.

For 3 persons I used:

5 sheets of lasagne
3 large mushrooms
1 leek
1 clove of garlic
chicken bouillon
2 dl cream

Cut the mushrooms and and leek. Dice the garlic. Fry the mushrooms on a pan until golden brown and add the garlic. Add the leek and cook for couple of minutes. Pour 1-2 dl of chicken bouillon and let it simmer for 3 minutes. Add the cream.

Boil water and take the casserole off the stove. Add the lasagne sheets and take them out when they are soft. Place the sheets in to the mushroom and and leek sauce and mix.

Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted bell pepper cream cheese

Easy ingredients: bell peppers, cilantro,
green chili and cream cheese.

I have not made this for ages but if you do not find your favorite flavor in the store for cream cheese, so why not to make your own flavor.

For 200 g cream cheese you need:

1 red bell pepper
200 g cream cheese
green chili according to your taste (I used less than a half)
cilantro
salt
pepper

Cut the bell pepper in half and remove the seeds. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the skin blackens in 200 degrees. When ready, take the peppers out from the oven and place in a deep plate and cover well until the halves are cooled down. Covering the peppers will make it easier to remove the skin from the cooled peppers.

Put the skinned bell peppers in to a bowl with green chili and cilantro. Mix well with a handmixer. Season with salt and pepper.

Put in on bread and enjoy.

Panfried trout in creamy red curry

Excellent in taste and beautiful in colors.

I usually make authentic Thai food but this recipe I like a lot even though it has a European twist in it.

This recipe is for 3-4 people:

400 g trout (or salmon)
1 fish bouillon cube
1 dl water
1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5-7 small broccoli pieces
2 tsp red curry paste
1 dl cream
1 dl coconut milk
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp chili flakes
1 carrot, sliced to julienne

Boil the fish bouillon cube in water. Prepare all the vegetables and dice the fish.

Put some butter to a frying pan and add the diced onion and red curry. Cook about 4 minutes on medium fire. Add the carrots and cook for couple of minutes. Add the fish bouillon, cream, coconut milk, sugar, lime juice, ginger, fish sauce, garlic and chili flakes. Cook on a low fire about 3 minutes.

Fry the fish and broccoli on a frying pan for about 5 minutes. Add the fish and broccoli to the curry and enjoy.

Paneer - home made cheese

Paneer cheese can be used for instance
in palak paneer.

Paneer is a home made cheese used in Indian cuisine. This paneer recipe is for the previous palak paneer but paneer can also be marinated with spices in olive oil and so on.

This recipe make enough paneer for the palak paneer:

2 l whole milk
4 tbsp vinegar (clear)

Cook the milk in a casserole and add the vinegar. Carefully stir the milk and it should curdle the milk.

After the milk has been cooked, add
vinegar and stir the milk carefully
to curdle it.

Pour the curdled milk on a towel and let the whey drain through the towel.

Drain the whey through a towel so that
only cheese is left.

Have the cheese inside the towel and have a small weight on it. Place the cheese in a cold place.

After the cheese has cooled down
you should have this firm piece of
cheese.

Palak Paneer

Serve the creamy spinach stew with naan bread
and rice.

This is a third Indian dish I am trying and since my no meat experience continues I decided to try this dish. Palak Paneer is also my favorite when eating out in Indian restaurants. The dish is simply spinach in cream.

You will need for this dish

200 g spinach
Paneer cheese
1 dl or more cream
1 onion
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cummin (jeera)
1 tsp garam masala

Cook the spinach for few minutes and mix it with a hand mixer in to a puré. For more spicy result you can here add some chili in to the spinach puré.

Cook the spinac until they turn dark green.

For more spicy result add some chili to the
paste.

Cut the onion and mince the garlic, and cook them until the onion is transparent. Add the turmeric and jeera and cook some more. Add the spinach, garam masala and salt. Let the mix to cook for 3 minutes on low fire.

Cook the onion and garlic until transparent.

Add jeera and trumeric and cook some more.

Add the cream and continue cooking on low fire for 4-5 minutes. In the end add the diced paneer cheese.

After you have added the spinach, cream and
garam masala you can finally add the
paneer cheese.

Serve with jasmine rice and naan bread.

My favorite!

Thai inspired salad

Serve the salad as such or with fish.

As my no meat dairy continues this Thai inspired salad is so delicious and the secret is in the dressing.

200-300 g kale (leaf cabbage)
3-4 carrots
1 red sweet pepper
1 bunt of chilantro
3 spring onions
cashew nuts

Dressing:
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp of sugar or honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
juice of one lime

Slice all the vegetable either to regular slices or as thin juliennes. Mix the sliced vegetables with whole nuts. Prepare the dressing and pour it on the salad.

You can either have the salad as such or then serve with fish for instance.

Carrot steaks with ginger

The carrot steaks reall made my stomach
full.

I have been testing a meat-free diet for few weeks now. I still have some more weeks to go. I attend to start eating meat again soon but just wanted to try how would I feel and would I be creative when it comes to food. And yes, I have tried now so many different vegetarian dishes that it is amazing.

Here is the first one:

3 large carrots grated
1 dl corn flour
1 egg
a bit of grated fresh ginger
chili flakes
salt
pepper

Grate the carrots and mix them with corn flour, grated ginger, chili and salt and pepper. Add the egg and mix well. Make steaks with your hands and fry them on a frying pan on both sides until golden brown.

You can season the carrot steaks how you self wish and like.

Fry the steaks on both sides golden brown.

Chicken shawarma

The tower looks amazing but can fall
down in the oven.

This could be called kebab, shawarma etc. I found the recipe on Twisted's vidoes on Facebook. It was quite ok though I would have expected stronger flavours.

You need

1 kg chicken fillets
5 dl Greek yoghurt
1,5 tbsp brown sugar
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp chili
1,5 tbsp cumin
1,5 tbsp oil
Juice of 3 limes

Slice the chicken filets half horisontally. Mix all the ingredients to yoghurt and place the sliced chicken fillets to the yoghurt and let it marinate over night.

I used a normal chop stick where I put the meat.

Preheat the oven to 200 ºC. Place the half of a red onion on a pan and put a stick in it (I used normal chop stick). Pile the chicken fillets on top of the onion continuing until all the chicken is piled. According to Twisted you should skewer them in cross shape in order to prevent the whole thing to fall. This did not help me since the onion gets soft and mine  Finally put a half a lemon on top.

Bake in the oven for an hour with peppers and
red onions.

Have some cut peppers and onion around the tower. Bake in the oven for one hour.

Serve as fajitas.

Good meat for fajitas.

Taste was good but could be stronger in
flavours and maybe juicier.

Grilled fruits with chocolate

Grill for 5 minutes. Try also with white
chocolate.

This recipe is actually called Gino but it should be with white chocolate. Accidently I bought dark chocolate so I am not sure whether I can call this gino but the taste was really good.

For 2-3 people you need

2 bananas
2 kiwis
1 orange
grapes
200 g chocolate

Pre-heat the oven with the grill function to 250 ºC. Slice the fruits and place on an oven pan. Put the crashed chocolate on the fruits and grill it for 5 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Naan bread

I have started to make more and more Indian dishes like in my previous posts you may find the butter chicken and dahl. This naan bread recipe is a perfect match to butter chicken or even dahl. The bread pieces taste so good when dipped in to the butter chicken sauce for instance.

The recipe makes 2 large naan breads:

1,5 dl warm milk (37 ºC)
2 tbsp sugar
25 g yeast
9 dl flour
0,5 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp oil
1,5 dl natural yoghurt
1 egg
a bit of clarified butter (ghee)

Mix the yeast with milk and sugar. Leave the milk for 15 minutes until bubbles appear.

Mix in another bowl flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the milk. Add also oil, yoghurt and egg. Mix it to smooth dough. Put a plastic foil on the dough and let it double its size during one hour.

Preheat the over more than 250 ºC. Put the oven sheet to the oven to be pre-heated.

Divide the dough to two or more balls and bake the balls to flat tear shaped breads.

Place the breads to pre-heated oven sheet and bake in oven for 3 mintues.

After you have taken the breads out from the oven brush them with ghee.

You may also add minced garlic or chilantro to the dough for vary the taste.

Pancakes with spinach

Cook on a pan on both sides.

I don't if this is very Finnish or if other countries eat this as well but pancakes with spinach are so good.

Recipe:

150 g frosen spinach
8 dl milk
4 dl flour
2 eggs
oil
salt

Thaw the frozen spinach and mix it with all the ingredients. Let the batter to stand for minimum 15 minutes so that the flour can swell. Add some oil to the batter so you do not need that much when cooking the pancakes.

Cook normally like any other pancakes on both sides.

Yummy!

Mango with chili

Did you know that chili works perfectly with sweet things too?

Take one ripe mango and dice it. Add dried red chili flakes and enjoy :)

Pan-fried octopus

Octopus is one of the creatures of the sea I just love! By accident I found some octopus at a fish shop and I just had to buy some home.

First you need to clean the octopus: remove the thin skin, pull the head carefully out and remove the bones etc. Finally wash under cold water. There are many videos on Youtube how you clean the octopus and it is easy!

Check videos on Youtube for the cleaning.

Marinate the octopus in olive oil with salt and pepper for about 10 minutes.

After marinating is done fry the octopus
pieces on a frying pan.

Fry the octopus pieces on a frying pan until caramelized.

Cook until caramelized golden brown.

Croutons

I have never made croutons but now when I dried to make caesar salad for the first time I tried to make croutons as well.

You can use old dry toast or then fresh one. Have four pieces of toast and remove the outsides of the bread (or then use the whole bread). Dice the bread slices and fry them in butter and olive oil on a frying pan until golden brown.

Let the bread to dry on a kitchen paper.

Dressing for caesar salad

Ingredients for the caesar dressing.

Caesar salad is one of my favorite salads. There are many recipes for the dressing but I prefer the following one:

1 can anchovies (about 79 g)
2 cloves minced garlic
3 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1,2 dl oil
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Mince the garlic and mix it with a fork with anchovies until it is a smooth paste.

Mix the egg yolks in a separate bowl and add the mustard. Mix well. Whisk the anchovies paste in to the egg mix. Add the lemon juice whisking at the same time.

While whisking the mix pour carefully in a thin stream the olive oil in to the mixture. Whisk for couple of minutes until the dressing thickens.

While whisking slowly pour the oil. After all of the oil is streamed whisk for one more minute.

Finally add the parmesan and serve immediately. The dressing lasts for one day.

Serve with romaine lettuce, croutons and parmesan cheese.

Serve the dressing with crispy croutons, parmesan
cheese and romaine lettuce.