It’s a hot and humid summer in Toronto. So easy, lazy, tasty dinners are in high demand in our house these days. I came up with the idea for these cauliflower steaks with grilled shrimp skewers and chimichurri last week when I needed a fast, healthy dinner that left me feel less guilty than devouring a beef steak with herb butter and fried potatoes. As some of you may know, I love using cauliflower when I cook. Not only does it taste amazing, it’s also a wonderful substitution for carbs. First time I came across the term ‘cauliflower steaks’, I must admit I thought it was a bit of an…
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Red pepper paprika pasta
This past weekend we continued to stay on the no meat track, and I decided to make an old favorite of mine: Red pepper paprika pasta. I used to make this a lot when I was at university, not only because it tastes awesome, it is also very very easy to make and great if you’re on a slightly tight food budget. Preparation and cooking time is less than 30 minutes, so it’s also a great go-to recipe on busy weekdays when you have a house full of hangry family members. If you’re in a tight spot and want to cut down on the time spent chopping the veggies, you…
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Extravagant veal tenderloin
This recipe for veal tenderloin with trimmings is one of the most beautiful dinner dishes in my book, which is why I call it extravagant veal tenderloin. The combination of colors from the roast veal, red currants and thyme make it a feast not only for both your eyes and your palate, yet, it is not a very complicated dish. I usually make the pickled onions the day before or in the morning, and the meat can be done in less than 30 minuttes. The first time Karen-Anne and I made this was for New Year’s eve, and it really is a festive dish. It looks quite decadent and opulent,…
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French meatballs
So why call this recipe French meatballs? Honestly, I can’t really claim this recipe to be authentically French, nor did I ever have anything like this in France. In truth, the recipe actually draws on a very delicious ready made, just pop-in-the-oven, meal I once bought in a little shop in torvehallerne in Copenhagen, an upscale street food market in the middle of the city. Pricy and quite hipster, it is honestly a great place to visit if you get the chance to visit the capital of Denmark. I’m not sure the shop still exists and I forget the name of it, otherwise I would surely have given a referral.…
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Autumn gnocchi
The flavors of sage, Parma ham and gnocchi go really well together. In this autumn gnocchi recipe we’ve added some green zucchini and chopped almonds on top for a bit of crunch. These are wonderful autumn flavors! Of course you can go the extra mile and make your own gnocchi, but in well-stocked stores they usually carry ready made good quality gnocchi. Also, the bonus if you use the ready made kind is that you’ll have your autumn gnocchi dinner ready in less that 30 min. This time of year when it’s dark and gloomy outside when you come home in the afternoon, it’s vital that making dinner is not…
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Killer soup? Well, it is Halloween
It’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween out there! I’m getting ready with my Halloween menu and thought we might warm up with this creamy pumpkin soup with scallops. In my book, this is a real killer soup: creamy, sweet, spicy with a hint of citrus, garlic and finished off elegantly with pan-seared scallops. What is not to like? Serve it before or after you go out there trick or treating with the little ones, either way it will surely make you feel warm and guard you against the chill. Without a doubt the chili and garlic will keep any monsters or vampires that might be lurking out there…
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Two cheese onion quiche
There is something rather retro about quiches. For me, they always seem to bring back memories of buffets in the ’90s. Luckily, most of them are fond memories, which I guess is why I continue to make a lot of quiches. This onion quiche with Brie and Gruyère is my own variation of a classic French onion quiche, basically a product of me being really fond of both French onion quiche and cheese, especially Brie. The result is a very soft, creamy and fluffy quiche with lots of rich and deep taste, perfect for lazy autumn lunches, dinners, brunches… or, buffets! The trick to a really good quiche, though, is…
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Toast for fall
This October I find myself cooking a lot with zucchini, almost to the point where you’d think I grew them in my own garden. Maybe you’re growing them yourself and are trying to find good use for the overwhelming yield this sturdy little plant produces, or maybe, like me, you just brought home a whole bunch for the price of almost nothing. Either way, these zucchini toast with fresh herbs are a wonderful way to make the most of this very reasonably priced, yet very delicious vegetable. As the days are getting shorter (way too fast!), and there’s no way of ignoring that fall is here, I really like cooking…
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Green harvest risotto
Back from a long summer hiatus which we’ve spent experimenting and coming up with new must-try recipes, this green harvest risotto with fennel and peas and mint perfectly reflects our end-of-summer, beginning-of-autumn mood. I often make risotto, both because I find it’s easy to make and because it’s so wonderfully versatile. There are infinite possibilities to vary a basic risotto by switching up your add on ingredients depending on mood and season, or even what’s sitting in your fridge waiting to find a good purpose. What I like especially about this risotto with fennel and peas and mint is the sweetness of the peas combined with the freshness of the…
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Lobster, cream, cognac, pasta…I’m in!
This lobster pasta with cognac cream sauce is somewhat extravagant, I admit. But if you can get you hands on lobster without breaking the bank, or in the unlikely event that you should happen to have lobster leftovers, you owe it to yourself to try this dish. It basically contains pure goodness, if you ask me: lobster, cream, cognac, ripe cherry tomatoes, pasta and of course a generous sprinkle of good Parmesan cheese on top. Really, what’s not to like? You can of course go all in and buy a couple of whole fresh lobsters and boil them yourself. But since I’m a chicken when it comes to staring a…
