Zucchini Soup from Damerna’s Värld Magazine (absolutely delicious! can’t recommend this highly enough!!)
1 yellow onion
3 medium large zucchini
1 liter water
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 squares chicken bouillon
15 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
2 dl creme fraiche
2 dl chopped fresh basil
salt and white pepper
Chop the onion and boil it in the chicken bouillon for about 10 minutes. Chop and slice the zucchini. Add zucchini, garlic and cremé fraiché to the bouillon. Let boil 10 minutes. Drain sun-dried tomatoes and slice. Salt and pepper soup to taste, add tomatoes and basil, and serve immediately with your choice of soup-dunking bread.
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Lizardek’s Easy Herbed Chicken & Rice
1 chicken breast filet per person
1/2 cup uncooked rice per person
1-2 cans sliced/chopped mushroom pieces
chervil
thyme
garlic powder
white pepper
salt
optional: 1/2 cup cream
For each measure of rice, add twice the amount of water, i.e. one cup rice = 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and steam until rice is finished, approximately 20 minutes.
Pour small amount of cooking oil into a frying pan on medium heat. Add mushrooms to frying pan. Chop chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. When pan is heated, add the chicken. Add generous coating of thyme, chervil and garlic powder. Add white pepper and salt to taste. Sauté chicken until cooked through. For days when you need extra yumminess: add 1/2 cup cream to chicken/mushrooms, let warm through before serving.
Serve with green asparagus spears or broccoli florettes.
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Salmon Wellington
8-10 lbs fresh salmon, filleted, skinned and boned
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs: thyme, basil, parsley, chives, cilantro, oregano, rosemary)
16 oz. heavy cream
8 oz. package chopped spinach
salt and pepper
grated fresh nutmeg
smördeg (pre-rolled pastry dough: we used 2 roll packages)
Salmon Mousse: Puree 1 pound portion of the salmon (cut from ends and tail of salmon piece) in the food processor. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped herbs (we used basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley and chives). Add 16 oz. of heavy cream using pulse feature of food processor. Add cream slowly making a thick consistency.
Spinach layer: 8 oz. package chopped spinach, thawed, and drained, salt and pepper to taste, grated fresh nutmeg.
Puff Pastry (smördeg): Roll out pastry to about 1/8 inch thickness, size it to fit the salmon. If necessary, join two pieces of pastry together, brush with egg wash to attach.
Assembly: Mousse, salmon, spinach, wrapped in the pastry with the skin side of the salmon to the top, the pastry seam should be on the bottom. Spread mousse on the skin side of the salmon piece, flip over and place on the pastry sheet; add spinach layer and wrap.
Brush with egg wash: 50/50 egg yolk and cream. bake on parchment paper at 375F for 30 minutes or until golden brown. May be assembled a day ahead and refrigerated. TIP: We followed the same recipe using chicken breast fillets and it was just as good! Really good served with new potatoes brushed with olive oil and thyme.
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Lizardek’s White Chocolate & Raspberry Pillows
1 package färdig-kavlad smördeg (pre-rolled pastry dough)
1 box frozen raspberries (or use fresh, I couldn’t get them that day)
2-3 cups white chocolate chips (or cut up white chocolate bars)
Grease a cookie sheet and preheat the oven to 200C. Lay out the dough and cut into 8 equal size squares. Fill the center of each square with a small handful of raspberries and another small handful of white chocolate chips. Fold the opposite corners of the square to meet in the center, like a little envelope. Bake for approx. 15 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve warm.
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Lizardek’s Creamy Cheesy Spinach Puffs
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 (8 oz.) packages softened cream cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 (2 oz.) jar chopped pimento, drained
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 flat pre-packaged pastry sheet (or 9 pastry forms “smördeg crustados”)
Combine spinach, cheeses, pimento and nutmeg, mix well until blended. If using 1 flat pastry sheet, unroll dough and form into four rectangles. Spread each rectangle with spinach mixture. Roll each rectangle, starting at short end. Cut each roll into 8 slices. Place cut side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes. Makes 32 appetizers.
If using pre-cut pastry forms (crustados), put the forms on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, lift the little lids and fill each form with a generous helping of the spinach mix. Put the lids back on and bake for 10 more minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Makes 9 appetizers.
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