Lobster Risotto with Butternut-squash

Ok…enough of the seafood!!... you can really see what I bought at the supermarket last week…..seafood, butternut squash, chillies and some fresh herbs. I went on a seafood rampage after my friend Bjarni Ásgeirsson invited me and Rakel to a really good seafood restaurant the other week here in stockholm called "Pontus by the sea",but I promise that my next recipe is going to be either chicken or red meat!! This recipe is so nice, really well balanced with the butternut squash, lobster and garlic. When you learn the basics in making risotto you can really make anything with it…that’s why I love it so much. ½ butternut squash, peeled and diced
3tbsp olive oil
300g lobster, taken out of shell
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
125g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3,25dl Arborio rice
1dl white wine
1L chicken stock
150g grana padano, grated
salt and pepper, to season

Turn on the oven to 225˚C. Put the squash into a oven proof dish, drizzle some olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes until soft and golden.

Toss the lobster in some butter and garlic in a hot deep-pan for 2-3 minutes. Take the lobster out of the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat some oil and 50g of butter. Fry the onion and garlic while stirring for 2 minutes, add the rice and keep stirring well for another 2 minutes. Add the white whine to the rice and stir until the rice have absorbed all the wine then add a ladleful of stock and stir while well. Lower the heat to medium and keep adding one ladleful of stock and stirring until the rice is cooked – be careful not to overcook the rice – check it throughout cooking to make sure it´s a pleasure to eat. It should hold its shape but be soft, creamy and oozing. Add the butternut squash, lobster, grana padano cheese and the rest of the butter to the risotto. Stirr well, put the lock on and let it rest for 1 minute. Shave some grana padano cheese over and serve immediately.

Creamy Mussel Soup

1kg mussels

1tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

400ml white wine

1 red chilli, seeds removed and chopped

1 spring onion, thinly sliced

250ml full fat cream

lemon zest and lemon juce

salt and pepper

fresh dill, chopped

fresh parsley, chopped

Rinse the mussels in cold vater and discard the open ones. Sweat the onion, garlic, carrot in the olive oil then add the white wine and bring to boil. Add the mussels and sprinkle the chilli and spring onion over. Cook for 5 minutes with the lock on, the mussels are ready when they open up....it´s a beautiful thing.

Take out the mussels and carrot and add the cream. Season well with salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and let it simmer for 6-8 minutes on medium heat.

Arrange mussels on deep plates and pour the soup over. Sprinkle over some chopped dill and parsley. Serve with some fresh bread and white wine.

Suggested wine: Pewsey Vale Riesling, australia

Grilled Scallops with Butternutsquash Sauce

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 banana schalotte, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 glas white wine

100ml chicken stock

100ml cream, (full fat)

butter and oil

salt and pepper to season

300g mixed mushrooms

butter and oil

salt and pepper

8-12 scallops

butter and oil

lemon juce

For the sauce, heat a pan on high heat and sweat the onions and garlic in some butter and oil. Add the butternut squash, white wine and chicken stock to the pan and stir together. Season well with salt and pepper and let simmer on medium heat for 10-12 minutes or till the squash is ready. Add the cream and purré in a mixer.

For the mushrooms, add some butter and oil to another pan and cook the mushrooms for 2 -3 minutes and season with salt and pepper.

For the scallops, season well and cook for 1 min on each side on a hot grill with some butter and oil. When done, squeeze some lemon juce to give them a extra kick. Decorate with parmesan shavings and whatercress.

Need inspiration??...got to the market in down-town Stockholm

I love going to the market, both to get inspiration and to see all the different kinds of food and quisine that is to offer. The market really shows how international stockholm really is, you get all different kinds of food from italy, spain, france, africa, iran, turkey, greece and so on, but not to forget the swedish quisine where you get everything from cheeses, vegetables, fruit, seafood to wild meat. If you are ever in town please visit the market at Högtorget in down-town Stockholm.....you wont be dissapointed.

So simple yet sooo.. good

Vanilla-icecream Affogato

This is a perfect dessert to do if you suddenly get friends over who whant dessert after a meal and don´t take no for an answer. I saw this recipe in a magazine I bought some time ago and when I tried it I thought to my self...." how can something this simple be so clever, and why didn´t I think of this sooner!!

8 scoops premium vanilla ice cream
4 shots hot espresso, unsweetened



For each serving, place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream into a glass. Pour hot espresso over ice cream and serve immediately before the ice cream melts

Welcome

Welcome to my recipe journal. I started six years ago creating my own recipe cookbook with all the classics from my family and after a while I started making my own"classics". My mission is to continue to create my own recipes and post them on this blog once a week. I will also do restaurant reviews (when ever i get the chance to go to one), cookbook reviews and anything that comes to mind regarding food or cooking food. I will continue writing all the recipes and bloggs in english so my swedish friends or future non-icelandic speaking friends will ejoy this site as well, plus everyone can read english right?!!........hope you enjoy:)

p.s feel free to comment on everything I do and recipe requests are well taken.

Gummi Pálma