August 1

Pot-au-feu with Salmon

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Pot-au-feu with Salmon
Author: 
Type: Main
Prep time: 
Cooking time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
A pretty low carb meal if you skip the bread...
Ingredients
  • 600 grams salmon fillet, cubed
  • 1 liter water
  • 2 fish bouillon cubes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 small carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • ½ head cauliflower, broken into bite-sized pieces
  • 150 grams sugar peas, washed
  • 1 small leek, washed and sliced into 2mm slices
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 small zucchini, washed, cut into half-moon slices
Instructions
  1. Put olive oil into a pot, warm it up
  2. Add the onions and leeks, sauté until they are golden
  3. Add the water and bouillon cubes, bring to a boil
  4. Add the carrots and cauliflower
  5. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, just until they have softened
  6. Add the salmon, zucchini and sugar peas, simmer about 3 minutes precisely until the salmon is done
  7. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle chopped fresh herbs over (chives, dill, parsley whatever you have handy)
Notes
Serve with lemon wedges and fresh bread if you like

 

Category: LCHF, Recipes, Uncategorized | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 14

Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta Fazool)

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Pasta e fagioli (Pasta Fazool)
Author: 
Type: Main
Prep time: 
Cooking time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Pasta with beans, usually well tolerated by kids since they can recognize the bits of vegetables. And adults love it... Great as leftovers as well. Traditionally served with fresh crusty bread.
Ingredients
  • 250 grams ditalini pasta (or other small sized pasta)
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 handful of fresh basil (torn into bits by hand so as to not blacken when reheated)
  • 400 gram cans cannellini (white) beans, rinsed and drained
  • 400 gram can borlotti beans, rinsed and drained
  • or 2 cans of chickpeas if you prefer)
  • 425 gram can whole tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
  • 1L (4 cups) vegetable bouillon
  • 50g (2 handfuls) baby spinach, washed
  • Lemon wedges, to serve*
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large, deep pot over medium-low heat.
  2. Saute the celery, carrot and onion for about 10 minutes until softened but not browned.
  3. During the final minutes of cooking, stir in the garlic and rosemary.
  4. Add beans, tomatoes, bouillon and 1 cup (250ml) water to onion mixture.
  5. Bring to a simmer, add the pasta and cover and cook for 10 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat, stir in the spinach and basil and season to taste.
  7. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and lemon wedges.
Notes
*Lemon wedges can be omitted If you don't have Parmesan, use whatever hard cheese you have in the fridge, or crumbled feta.

 

Category: Recipes, Vegetarian | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 27

Aïoli

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Aïoli
Author: 
Type: Dressing
Prep time: 
Total time: 
 
Aïoli is great on fish stew / soup, paella, jambalaya etc. Also delicious with french fries, burgers, steak... Prepare the aïoli one hour before the meal, to let the flavor develop. It should be eaten the same day.
Ingredients
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 dl extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife.
  2. Whisk together yolks, lemon juice, and mustard in a bowl.
  3. Add the oil, a few drops at a time, to the yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until all oil is incorporated and mixture is emulsified.
  4. (If mixture separates, stop adding oil and continue whisking until mixture comes together, then resume adding oil.)
  5. Whisk in garlic paste and season with salt and pepper.
  6. If aïoli is too thick, whisk in 1 or 2 drops of water.
  7. Chill, covered, until ready to use.
Notes
*All ingredients should be at room temperature. ¡¡¡ Americans mix garlic and mayonnaise; they think it's Aïoli !!!

 

Category: LCHF, Recipes, Vegetarian | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 22

Baby beets and blue cheese salad

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Baby beets and blue cheese salad
Author: 
Type: Salad
Prep time: 
Cooking time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Beet salad, nice with Christmas dinner.
Ingredients
  • 2 bunches baby beets (about 12 beets)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup (50g) walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted
  • 100g blue cheese, crumbled
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
  2. Trim the leaves from the beets, leaving a small amount of stem, and scrub clean.
  3. Line a roasting pan with a piece of foil and place the beets in the pan.
  4. Roast for 50 minutes or until just tender.
  5. Remove the beets from the oven, cover with foil, and leave to cool; then peel and place in a bowl.
  6. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and mustard, and season with salt and pepper.
  7. Drizzle this dressing over the beets and scatter with the walnuts.
  8. Crumble the cheese into the salad just before serving.

 

Category: Recipes, Vegetarian | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 1

Jambalaya

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Jambalaya
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Prep time: 
Cooking time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 medium onion, peeled, ends trimmed, and chopped
  • 1 medium rib of celery, cut chopped
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, stem removed, seeded, and chopped
  • 5 medium cloves of garlic, peeled, and sliced
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 4 boneless chicken breasts
  • 8 ounces chorizo sausage , cut into ¼-inch pieces
  • 1½ cups long grain white rice
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • ½ teaspoon fresh thyme , minced
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (see note)
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes (14½-ounce)
  • 1 cup clam juice or fish bouillon
  • 2 cups chicken bouillon
  • 1 pound medium or large shrimp, cleaned
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley , minced
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
  3. Turn chicken and cook until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes longer.
  4. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside.
  5. Reduce heat to medium and add chorizo; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes.
  6. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
  7. Reduce heat to medium-low, add vegetables, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes.
  8. Add rice, salt, thyme, and cayenne; cook, stirring frequently, until rice is coated with fat, about 1 minute.
  9. Add tomatoes, clam juice, chicken broth and browned sausage to pot; stir to combine.
  10. Place chicken on rice.
  11. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  12. Stir once, keeping chicken on top.
  13. Replace cover and continue to simmer until chicken is no longer pink when cut into with paring knife, about 10 minutes more; transfer chicken to clean plate and set aside.
  14. Scatter shrimp over rice, cover, and continue to cook until rice is fully tender and shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
  15. While shrimp are cooking, shred chicken.
  16. When shrimp are cooked, turn off heat, stir in parsley and shredded chicken, and serve immediately.
Notes
Cajun Trinity: celery, peppers, and onions

 

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November 30

The French Lieutenant’s Chicken

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The French Lieutenant’s Chicken
Author: 
Type: main
Prep time: 
Cooking time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 chicken, quartered or pieces of chicken as you like, approx 1 kg
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 dl balsam vinegar
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1½ – 2 dl chopped tomatoes
  • 2 dl quartered mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200° C
  2. Put the butter in a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken in one layer.
  3. Put it in the oven till the butter melts.
  4. Take it out and add the balsam vinegar and other ingredients above except for the chicken.
  5. Stir well, then put in the chicken in and turn a couple of times to coat with the marinade.
  6. Arrange the chicken nicely in the dish, with the skin side up.
  7. At this point it can wait a couple hours in the fridge if you like.
  8. (turn off the oven duh!)
  9. That will improve the flavor of course.
  10. (...now turn the oven back on)
  11. Bake now for at least 60 minutes, or until nicely done.
  12. (You can turn it over a couple times or baste during the cooking time.)
  13. Make rice. Prepare salad.
  14. Put chicken and rice on the dinner plates.
  15. Make the sauce – quickly cook up 3 dl chicken bouillon,
  16. and scrape the remaining marinade
  17. from the baking dish into the bouillon,
  18. add a heaping spoon of cornstarch
  19. and perhaps a few tablespoons of wine, simmer for 5 minutes, strain if you want,
  20. then rescue the mushrooms and spoon sauce over the chicken and rice.

 

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October 22

A very sick cuckoo indeed…

This ancient Black Forest cuckoo clock is residing in my father’s house, and it sounded really, really sick, like it had OD’ed on NEMBUTAL … so I was obliged to fix it. (My father is 88 and seems to get his cues from the cuckoo these days… 😉 Well actually he can’t see so well but his hearing is pretty good.) It was taking like 30 seconds to perform each cuckoo sequence, so at midnight the performance just went on and on… and slammed the door open and shut each time besides! OMG! What a racket!

I checked out this great website for parts and repair tips- http://www.clockworks.com/cuckooprt.html trying to figure out what to do…

But luckily a little squirt of WD-40 set the cuckoo back to normal… heh heh just like viagra! Pang boom & he was young again!

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September 25

Chicken Under a Brick

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Chicken Under a Brick
Author: 
Type: Main
Prep time: 
Cooking time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large (~ 2 kg) chicken
  • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves, plus 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh garlic
  • 6 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons sweet butter
  • 1 lemon, quartered
Instructions
  1. Butterfly split the chicken.
  2. Mix together the rosemary leaves, salt, garlic
  3. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and massage this all over the poor chicken
  4. Tuck some of it under the skin as well
  5. Allow to marinate, if time permits, for up to a day, refrigerated of course
  6. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  7. Preheat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes.
  8. Press the rosemary sprigs into the skin of the chicken.
  9. Put the butter and remaining olive oil in the pan and wait a minute for it to heat up.
  10. Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down, along with pieces of rosemary and garlic.
  11. Weight the chicken with another skillet or use a flat pot cover and a couple of bricks or rocks.
  12. The basic idea is to flatten the chicken by applying a fair amount of weight evenly over its surface.
  13. Cook over medium-high to high heat for 10 minutes; transfer, still weighted, to the oven.
  14. Roast for 25 minutes more.
  15. Take the chicken from the oven and remove the weight
  16. Turn the chicken over (it will now be skin side up) and roast 25 minutes more.
  17. Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges.
Notes
This recipe originated in Lucca, Italy, it should always be made with the best olive oil available. I weight the chickens with a cast-iron pan and a couple of big rocks. The only problem is that handling the hot, heavy pan. This requires strength, so use both hands. This is the simplest and best method for producing a beautiful, crisp-skinned bird I specify rosemary here, which is delicious. But most herbs are equally wonderful. Try savory (in similar quantity); parsley, basil, chervil, chives (use twice as much) or tarragon, marjoram, or thyme (use half as much) Carbs: Zero carbs.
Category: LCHF, Recipes | LEAVE A COMMENT
September 17

LowCarb Lasagna Pie

Ingredients:
10 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation Method:

    To make the noodles you will use for layering… Put eggs, heavy cream and salt i a mixer bowl. Mix very well. Pour about a 1/4 cup at a time into a large greased cast iron frying pan. Cook like you would crepes. So much for the noodles…
    Wait until they cool nicely, if necessary put them in the fridge to chill out.

    Next step – use these noodles to make a traditional lasagna in your already greased frying pan… use tomato puree and layer with cooked sausage or ground meat, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, asiago & maybe some mushrooms… get creative with low carb extras….

    Cover with sauce and grated cheese at the end. Bake for 45 minutes or so at 350°F-180°C. This recipe is super low in carbs…since the only carbs you are getting are from the tomatoes in the sauce…

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