Monday 7 December 2015

The one where I fell in love


Still not the best at making pictures - scuzi!
 

This is an easy and a hard post to write at the same time. I have so many posts dangling in my mind, but this one just needs to be out there tonight. And that's for an easy reason: I fell in love. With a chef, with a book and with a recipe. Several recipes for that matter, all by the same chef. I've tried three of his dishes over the same amount of days and they were all equally delicious. But tonight's recipe stole my heart in quite a special way.

First things first however. I love everything Scandinavian: design, clothes, mind set and of course most importantly... You guessed it: food. They use pure ingredients, natural and organic. What you see, is what you get. And the chef I fell in love with, embodies all of these characteristics. Or at least his dishes do. Maybe time to mention his name? Talking about Mikkel Karstad here. Works for Noma and has written the most amazing cookbook called "Spis". The latter is of course the second part in the love triangle I'm talking about.

Now what about the last element to complete this menage à trois? The dish, that is. A lovely piece of salmon, with some crisp green asparagus and a warm, fulfilling potato salad. Doesn't that make you drool, just by the thought of it? And what if I now tell you it's so easy peasy to make, that it would actually be a crime if you don't try it? Read on to find out how. I took the recipe from Mikkel's website: weyoutheyate and adapted it slightly to the ingredients I had at home. If you want to try the original recipe you should go to his website or buy his book. Both highly recommended.

Ingredients (serves 2)
2 salmon fillets with skin
1 table spoon olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

250 g new potatoes
100 g green asparagus tips
1 shallot
1 tea spoon mustard
1 tea spoon honey
2 table spoons cider vinegar or other good white vinegar
3 table spoons cold-pressed olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
½ bunch of dill

How to proceed
  1. Preheat oven to 120°C.
  2. Put salmon in an oven dish (discard any bones etc).
  3. Drizzle some olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on top.
  4. Put in oven for 12-14 minutes. I promise you: it's delicious.
  5. Wash potatoes thoroughly. Put in a pan, cover with water and add some salt.
  6. Bring them to a boil and cook for about 10-12 minutes. Like Mikkel says: "until they're tender but still with a good bite". Exactly that.
  7. Put asparagus tips in ice cold water.
  8. Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add asparagus for 1 minute.
  9. Drain asparagus and put them immediately in ice cold water (gotta save that green colour).
  10. Drain potatoes and let them stand until ready to serve.
  11. Make the dressing: combine mustard, vinegar, honey, oil, salt and pepper.
  12. Cut potatoes and drizzle the dressing on top.
  13. Cut asparagus.
  14. Peel shallots and slice into fine rings.
  15. Combine it all on one plate and please, dig in. Bon appétit!
Do you think you'll like this dish? And do you have any other cookbooks to recommend me?

Love,
Julie

1 comment: