Smoky Spicy Butternut Squash, Millet with Cucumber and Mint, Butterbean and Cashew Dip & Guacamole

Hello everybody, I think it's time to start cookin' this blog again!
It's been a year since my previous post. During the past year I've started a new job and finished my studies after a pretty time consuming thesis project, so I've been quite busy. I just had no energy to think about what I ate and I didn't have any motivation to write the blog.

I have been learning a new way to think about food after the summer holidays. My weight was at an all time high and I felt a huge need for change. I haven't done anything too drastic but I have managed to figure out how to eat in a more balanced way and I have already lost over five kilos in less than two months! I still have some work to do to be able to feel as healthy as I'd like to, but I'm pretty confident I'm on the right track.

Let's think of this as a new beginning for the blog, too. I'll be posting more healthy recipes with a focus on vegetarian dishes, with protein and good carbs. Of course there will be some treats every now and then too. Balance is the woooooord!

Today I spent a bit of time in the kitchen cooking up a spicy and fresh veggie Sunday lunch, using ingredients I had in my cupboards and not really following any recipes.

Smoky Spicy Butternut Squash, Millet with Cucumber and Mint, Butterbean and Cashew Dip & Guacamole

Here come the recipes in the order I cooked them...

Butterbean & Cashew Dip
I bought some dried butterbeans at Punnitse & Säästä shop on a whim and as I had never used them before I didn't really know what to do with them... After looking for a recipe for a long time I just made this one up from my head, and I didn't really measure anything. You could use tinned butterbeans also. I made a pretty huge batch, so guess this will be my snack for the week!

Dried butterbeans , 4 dl or so
Cashew nut, 2 dl
Olive oil (I was out so used rapeseed oil)
Juice of one lemon
Honey, to taste
Nutmeg, to taste
Salt & Pepper

1. Soak the butterbeans in cold water overnight.
2. Cook the beans in boiling water for about an hour until they become soft. My beans took about 1,5 hours.
3. Rinse under cold water and peel off the skins of the beans if you like.
4. Add the cashew nuts and some oil to the beans and blitz with a stick blender. Add lemon juice and more oil until the mix is smooth. Season with honey, nutmeg, salt and pepper. 

Millet with Cucumber and Mint
Millet is an another ingredient I had not really used before. I had bought a packet months ago and decided to give it a go today. I cooked it for 25 mins according to packet instructions and the consistency was quite porridge-like. Not my favourite grain, I prefer quinoa or bulgur and they would also be a good option for this recipe instead of the millet.

2 dl millet (or quinoa/bulgur), cooked according to packet instructions
1/2 cucumber, diced small
Handfull of fresh mint, chopped
Handfull of parsley, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame seed oil
Juice of one lime
1 dl Feta cheese
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Enjoy!

 Guacamole
 I love guacamole, no need to say more! 

2 ripe avocados
Juice of one lime
1/2 fresh red chili, chopped fine
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Salt & pepper

1. Spoon the flesh of the avocados in a mortar and add the other ingredients.
2. Smash until you have the desires consistency.

Smoky Spicy Butternut Squash
It ain't autumn without butternut squash!

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into small cubes
1 tbsp oil
Knob of butter
2 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 fresh red chili, chopped small
2 shallot onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, grated
Turkish yoghurt
Coriander & lime

1. Heat up the oil and the butter in a large frying pan at a medium to high heat.
2. Add the shallots, chili, paprika powder and turmeric and fry for around one minute. Don't burn it!
3. Add the garlic, soon followed by the squash. Fry until the squash is soft and cooked, about 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the cubes.
4. Serve with dollops of turkish yoghurt, coriander and lime wedges.



Hope you enjoy these dishes as much as I did!

Portobello meets Chickpea

 Ajattelin että voisin alkaa välillä kirjoittelemaan myös suomeksi tänne blogiin, ihan kokeilumielessä. Pääkielenä pysyy toistaiseksi kuitenkin englanti.

Suuresti ihailemani Kulinaarimuruja-blogi voitti kuukauden ruokahaasteen ja valitsi elokuun haasteruoka-aineeksi sienet, suureksi ilokseni! Sienet on huippuja! Tänään löysin itseni pähkäilemästä ruokakaupasta että mitäs tänään, ja mieleeni muistui haaste. Kanttarellit kutsuivat kyllä mutta nyt kaipasin jotain tosi simppeliä ja pääsyin portobellosieniin. Kasvisyöjillehän ravintoloissa näitä usein tyrkytetään mutta luulempa että onnistuin nyt kehittämään uuden makuyhdistelmän savuisista kikherneistä ja portobellosta, ja no juustoa pitää aina olla. Jotenkin tämä sopii tähän syksyiseen tunnelmaan joka alkaa pikkuhiljaa hiipimään sieluun. Eikä kokkailussa menny koko iltaa! Tällä siis osallistun haasteeseen, saa käydä äänestään sit loppukuusta.

So, I decided to give it a go to blog in Finnish for a change, just to see how it goes. English will still remain the main language for now. Today's recipe of portobello mushrooms filled with smoky chickpeas is taking part to the monthly food challenge of August with a mushroom theme, hosted by Kulinaarimuruja, you may go and vote for me at the end of the month!

 Kikherneillä täytetyt portobellosienet

Tarttet:
1 suuren portobellosienen per syöjä

2 rkl oliiviöljyä
Pari valkosipulinkynttä, hienonnettuna
Purkin kikherneitä (voit toki liotellakkin jos tykkäät)
2 tl Savupaprikaa
0,5 dl tomaattimurskaa
loraus tulista chilikastiketta
Tuoretta basilikaa
Suolaa & pippuria

1 dl hyvää cheddaria tai muuta kelpoa juustoa raastettuna
(ja joo no ehkä enempi ku desi, oman maun mukaan)

Salaattia, esim rucola ja kirsikkatomaatti toimii!

1. Kuullota pannulla valkosipuli oliiviöljyssä. Lisää kikherneet ja savupaprika sekä tomaattimurska ja chilikastike, hauduta keskilämmöllä muutama minuutti. Mausta lopuksi suolalla ja pippurilla ja lisää basilika.

2. Puhdista sienet ja leikkaa kannat pois. Lorauta uunivuoan pohjalle oliiviöljyä ja suolaa sienten alle. Lusikoi kikherne sienten päälle ja lisää juustoraaste.

3. Paista uunissa 225 asteessa n.15 minuuttia. Tarjoa salaattipedillä.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Portobello mushrooms filled with smoky chickpeas

You'll need:
A large portobello mushroom per person

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A can of chickpeas (Or soak and cook if you wish)
2 tsp smoked paprika powder
0,5 dl chopped tomato
Splash of hot chili sauce
Fresh basil
Salt & pepper

1 dl of grated cheddar or other yummy cheese
Salad to serve with, cherry tomatoes and rucola was good for me

1. Warm the olive oil in a saucepan. Sautee the garlic on medium heat, add the chickpeas, paprika powder, chopped tomato and chili sauce and cook for a few minutes. Season and add the basil.

2. Clean the mushrooms and chop the stalks off. Place on an oven dish with some olive oil and seasalt. Spoon the chickpeas on top and at the cheese.

3. Bake in 225 C for about 15 minutes, serve on a bed of salad.

Vegetarian Easter Lamb

 Every now and then it's fun to make vegetarian versions of meat dishes. I decided to attempt an Easter lamb dish with soy mince and think it was pretty succesfull! I improvised with the recipe as well as the measurements, and the "meatballs" were really easy to make.

Vegetarian Easter Lamb "Meatballs" with Brussel Sprouts and Spinach

1 bag of frozen soy mince (I used Hälsäns kök färs)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
Chili paste, to taste

1 pot of sour cream
100 g feta cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
Plenty of fresh mint, finely chopped
Crispy fried onion, 2 tbsp (the stuff you normally put on salad)
1 egg
1 dl almond flour

Brussel Sprouts
Spinach
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
Butter
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1. Heat some oil on a frying pan. Sautee the onion until soft, then add garlic, chilli and the soy mince. Fry for around 5 minutes, season to taste.

2. Mix the sour cream, feta, lemon zest, mint and crispy onion together in a large bowl. Add the mince and mix together. Add the egg, mix again, finally adding the almond flour until the mix stays together to make the meatballs.

3. Make even sized meatballs from the mix on a sheet of parchment paper and bake for around 20 mins in 200C.

4. While the meatballs are cooking, clean the brussel sprouts by cutting the stem and removing outer and browned bits. Cut the sprounts in half or quarters according to size. Wash the spinach. Warm up the butter on a frying pan and fry the sprouts until slightly browned. Add the spinach at the end and cook until just wilted. Season to taste.

5. Plate and serve! Goes well with a soft red wine, yesterday we opened a bottle of Australian Shiraz/Cabernet that was a gift from a friend and had been waiting for while. What a tasty meal it was!

Maaliskuun ruokahaaste - March Food Challenge

 So, I am one day late to actually take part to the monthly recipe challenge hosted by Jaana at Kulinaarimuruja. But as the challenge is so funny I am still going to post it!

The object was to find somebody else's receipt at the supermarket and use at least two ingredients out of it to make a dish. I did my shopping tonight at Alepa in Hakaniemi after a long day at uni and work, and as I was packing the shopping I remembered the food challenge. I felt like a proper weirdo when I grabbed a handful of receits from the end of the cashier where people leave the unwanted receipts. I was hoping that there would be one with two ingredients that we would already have at home. Literally a lucky dip!

So, the first receipt had beer and cigarettes on it, and I started to feel uneasy. Will I find anything on here? Some very depressing receipts came up with processed ready made meals, boring salad ingredients (tomato, cucumber, lettuce) and sugary yogurts. Finally I was was happy with this one that included two ingredients that we just happened to have- cherry tomatoes and halloumi.

I did some googling to find a nice salad dressing that would have honey to match the salty cheese and found a recipe here.I think halloumi always needs something really contrasting for maximum yummyness, be it something really sour like lemon juice, sweet like honey or tangy like balsamic.

Our dog eats everything, even tomatoes. But cucumber is his favourite...

Halloumi and Cherry Tomato Salad with a Sweet and Sour Dressing

Halloumi, sliced
Cherry tomatoes
Salad (Rocket would have been nice here)
Herbs; Mint and Basil worked great
Cucumber, Sliced thinly with a potato peeler

Dressing:
1 tbsp Honey
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Garlic clove, grated finely
Zest of 1 lemon, grated finely
Juice of half a lemon
Chilli to taste

1. Grill or slow roast the cherry tomatoes until soft.
2. Make the dressing by mixing together all ingredients.
I find an old jam jar or such is great for this.
3. Plate the salad, cucumber and herbs.
4. Take tomatoes out of the oven when ready, pan fry the halloumi in hot sunflower oil (not olive), until golden and crisp on both sides. Place on some kitchen paper to remove excess oil and place on top of the salad.
5. Dress the salad and enjoy!

Beetroot and Beluga lentils

I tend to shop interesting foods and then forget them in the cupboard until the best before date has long gone. Today I found a bag of fresh beetroot that really needed using and started to look for something to go with it and discovered some beluga lentils at the back of the top shelf. (After I'd chucked a few other "best before last year" products in the bin)

Never having used beluga lentils (aren't they pretty!) before, I googled and found a nice recipe at Ahmija blog. Only 20 mins cooking in veg stock, rinse and they're ready! Me, I am not a fan of overnight soaking business etc.

Marinade:
1,5 dl olive oil
2 tbsp honey
0,75 dl white balsamic
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt&Pepper
2tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Mix the ingredients and add to the lentils when they're still warm.

Beetroot was washed, peeled and chopped into wedges. In an oven dish, add olive oil, salt and pepper, and a few crushed whole garlic cloves. Cook in 200C for 20 mins, then add crumbled feta cheese, and cook another 25 mins or until the beets are cooked through.

Chop some fresh spinach and top with the lentils and beetroot. Enjoy!

Creme Ninon aka Posh Pea Soup

 

Creme Ninon is so easy to make and tastes so good, great light starter for a nice dinner. My recipe goes something like this:

(serves 2-4)

2 small bags of frozen peas (can use fresh when they're in season but frozen are always good)

1 onion, chopped

Olive oil, 2 tbsp

1 herby veg stock cube

Water, enough to cover the peas

Plenty of fresh mint leaves

Cream, 1dl, whipped but not too much

Champagne (I used Cremant d'Alsace) , 1dl

1. Sautee the onion in the olive oil in a saucepan until translucent.

2. Add the peas, veg stock cube and the water. Bring to boil and let simmer for a couple of minutes, don't overcook the peas. 

3. Add the mint leaves and blitz with a stick blender. Pass through a sieve to make it very smooth.

4. Serve the soup on bowl, add a dollop of cream in the middle and pour a small amount of Champagne around it. 

5. Enjoy with some more Champagne. Oh la la!

 

Carrot Pancakes with Roasted Carrot Houmous

 Hello there, hope you had a great weekend! Mine went quick with two birthdays and one christening, a lot of food and wine but no cooking.
So I'm here to share the recipe of last week's healthier version of Sunday lunch, again from the Modern Vegetarian cookbook by Maria Elia. The dish could be a light lunch or even a starter.

I had to do some experimenting with the recipe as chickpea flour was nowhere to be found, and I gave up after visiting three speciality shops. I replaced it with ground almonds, and while the flavour was great, the texture of the pancakes didn't seem right. I will give these another go as soon as I get hold of some chickpea flour. I love houmous and the roasted carrots gave it a lovely twist.

Carrot Pancakes with Roasted Carrot Houmous
Makes 4 pancakes

Pancakes:
150g carrots, grated
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp baking powder
100g chickpea flour(besan/gram flour)
50g semolina (that's mannaryyni for the Finns, had to think about that for a sec myself)
2 tsp salt
150ml-200ml water
olive oil for frying

Houmous:
200g carrots, peeled
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
200g chickpeas, cooked (Tinned are fine)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp cround cumin

Salad:
Any pretty little leafy salad variety
Mint
flaked almonds, toasted
Feta cheese (optional)


Dressing:
25ml sherry vinegar
25ml water
2 tbsp ev olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
pinch of sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.

2. To make the houmous, cut the carrots into thin slices, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a baking tray for about 20 mins until soft( mine were maybe forgotten a little and they bacame a little caramelized...). While still hot, put the carrots in a blender with the remaining houmous ingredients, and mix until smooth, adding olive oil if needed. Check the salt and pepper and add if needed.

3. To make the pancakes, mix all ingredients, except olive oil, together to form a thick batter. Heat olive oil in a small no stick frying pan until hot, spoon in quarter of the batter and fry until golden on both sides. Repeat to make 4 pancakes.

4. Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together and season to taste. Mix the salad ingredients together and add the dressing.

5. Place the pancake on a plate, top with houmous and salad. Voila!

The Heavenly Veggie Parcels

I will finally give you the recipe for those tasty looking parcels I already wrote about earlier. I already shared the recipe in Finnish on my friend Mari's blog Pumpkin Jam, as she asked me to do a guest post on there. She is a big inspiration to me and probably the reason why I ever got into blogging in the first place. She is an amazing writer, she should do it for a living in my opinion. There is a big blogger community in Finland but I haven't been very active so far, but I would love to get to know more people who love food as much as I do. I don't know if it is a problem that I write in English, I have been thinking if I should switch to Finnish just to "fit in" a bit more. However, for now writing in English feels more comfortable.

Anyway, here comes the recipe. It is a slightly altered version from The Modern Vegetarian cookbook by Maria Elia. I found it at the sales and while I was deciding if I really should own an another cookbook (need more shelf space!!!) I saw the recipe for these parcels and walked to the till with the book. I want to cook more interesting vegetarian food, not just the basic stuff. Today I have cooked one more recipe and will do another this evening, but more about them later. This  one really impressed me and my dinner guests, definately worth the little effort it takes!

 Parcels with Mushrooms, Spinach, Beetroot, Lentils and Mozzarella
 (4 big portions)

Ginger Vinaigrette Dressing
1 cm piece ginger
1 garlic clove, grated
30 ml rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
75 ml sesame oil
2 tsp dijon mustard

Lentils
225g puy or brown lentils (I used green as had it already)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt and pepper
4 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Mushrooms
4 large portobello mushrooms (couldn't get any so used around 400g of button mushrooms)
2 tbsp olive oil (I used butter, always for mushrooms)
salt
pinch of chilli flakes

To put together you need
Fresh spinach
300g mozzarella, torn into small pieces
200g cooked beetroot, sliced into wedges
4 squares of parchment paper (38cmx38cm), scrunch and dampen under warm water, squeeze water of. this way they look prettier and are easier to work with
4 strips cut of parchment paper (2cmx38cm)

1. Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients together.

2. Wash the lentils. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and garlic, sautee until softened. Add drained lentils and just enough water to cover them. Simmer until tender, about 20 mins, adding water if needed. Drain and dress with ginger vinaigrette when still hot. Season with salt and pepper, add coriander.

3. Clean the mushrooms and remove the stalks. Drizzle with olive oil(or butter), season with salt and chilli and cook in a hot pan for 3 minutes on each side.

4. To assemble, preheat the oven to 190c. Place the spinach at the bottom of the parcel, top with mushroom(s), lentils, beetroot and mozzarella. Tie the sides of the papers together with thw paper strips. The parcels can be made in advance and cooked when everyone's ready to eat!

5. Place on baking tray and cook for 15-20 minutes or until throroughly heated.

I served a simple salad of rocket, fennel and parmesan with the parcels. A light red wine goes beautifully with this, really complementing the earthy flavours.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup

 This soup has amazing thai-style flavour, a combination of sweet, spicy and acidity that really tickles the tastebuds. It is absolutely great as a starter or even as a light meal on its own, as it is quite creamy and filling. Serve an off dry or medium white wine with it and the flavours will be even more wonderful. I love a good Riesling but I'm pretty sure that a Gewurtztraminer or a Pinot Gris would work as well. Go for something from Alsace and you're at least on the right track.

Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup
(New food for thought, Jane Noraika)
(Serves 4)

1 onion, finely chopped
sunflower oil
25g of root ginger
2 tsp roasted and ground cumin seeds
1 small fresh chilli (I cheated with jarred chilli paste)
600g sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
400ml coconut milk
750 ml veg stock
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
fresh coriander

1. Fry the onion in a large saucepan. Add the ginger, cumin and chilli and cook until the onion is translucent.

2. Add sweet potato, coconut milk and stock, cook until the sweet potato is soft.

3. Process with a blender until smooth. Add lime juice and seasoning. Serve with coriander. I also added some crayfish tails.

Red peppers & Almonds

 I must admit I am inspired, the moussaka was so delicious that I couldn't wait to cook the next recipe from "New food for thought". I think I should try to make an effort at the beginning of every week to cook one more substantial dish and one soup, which will last for many more days during the busy week, and even longer when frozen.

This is part of my effort to try and change my habits of nibbling unhealthy foods and not planning ahead on my meals. Also by freezing individual portions in the right size will reduce the temptation to take seconds, one of my many bad habits.

As I am trying to find a more sensible attitude to eating you might find me writing more about that aspect of food on the blog as well. Any discussion and tips are certainly welcome! Now, to the recipe of

Red pepper and almond soup
(serves 4 according to the original recipe)

Olive oil
700g red peppers, cored, de-seeded and cut in half
2 onions, finely chopped
4 sticks celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp paprika (I used smoked cause I love it!!)
400g tinned tomatoes
100g ground almonds
600g veg stock
salt & pepper
fresh basil
roasted, flaked almonds for garnish

1. Roast the peppers under a hot grill until lightly charred. Peel off the skin and discard.

2. Fry the onions, celery, garlic and (smoked) paprika together with the olive oil for 5-10 mins until soft.

3. Add tomatoes, ground almonds and roasted peppers. Continue to cook another 3-4 minutes. Add the stock and use a stick blender to mix until smooth.

 4. Season with salt, pepper and the fresh basil. Bring gently back to boil. (Might want to use a bigger saucepan than me, I nearly had the soup all over the stove.)

5. Serve with the roasted almonds.

Vegetarian moussaka

 So, we have a pretty good selection of cookbooks but we rarely pick a recipe and follow it. I am on a mission to change this, and started with Jane Noraika's "New Food for thought". Food for thought is a lovely little vegetarian restaurant in Covent Garden of London, which I used to regularly visit when I lived over there in 2004-2005. It was also the first ever restaurant I took my meat eating boyfriend to, with success I think. He took me to Pizza Hut. :D

He gave me this book around 2006 (we can't agree on the year...) but not many recipes have been followed, as I said. I browsed through the book and decided to start on Moussaka, as it is most certainly apt food for the dark cold wintertime.

 MOUSSAKA
(Serves 6)

Tomato sauce:
Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sticks celery, sliced
1 carrot, grated
tinned chopped tomatoes, 400g
2 tbsp tomato puree
splash of soy sauce
bunch of fresh basil, chopped

White sauce:
50g butter
50g flour (2tbsp in the original recipe, found that it wasn't enough)
pinch of nutmeg
150 ml milk
100g cheddar (think I nearly doubled this...oops)
(original recipe adds a beaten egg white but I gave it a miss)

Vegetables:
100g green lentils (bought mine ready cooked)
675g potatoes, cooked and then sliced
2 aubergines (aka eggplant), sliced
275g mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 red pepper, de-seeded and sliced into thin strips
450g FRESH spinach, washed very well

 1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Cook lentils if didn't buy them ready cooked.

 3. Place sliced aubergine on a large oven tray with plenty of olive oil. Add pesto if you want extra flavour. I used the new Pirkka lemon pesto, which is nice and fresh. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until tender, stir every now and then.

 4. Stir-fry mushrooms and peppers, set aside.

5. Cook the spinach quickly in a saucepan in olive oil and butter (no butter in the original but I think spinach needs it) until it's wilted. Squeeze extra liquid out.

6.In a large saucepan fry the onion, garlic, celery and carrot in olive oil until soft. Add tomatos, tomato puree and soy sauce. Bring to the boil and season with basil, salt and pepper. Let it cool down for a while.Combine with lentils, mushrooms, peppers and spinach.

The best ever white sauce I ever made! (Might be the first one too...)

 7. In a small pan melt the butter with the nutmeg. Lower the heat and stir in the flour slowly. I needed much more flour than 2 tbsp like the original recipe suggested, almost the same quantity as butter. Cook until the texture of the roux changes to breadcrumb-like. Slowly add the milk and stir vigorously all the time to avoid lumps. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese is melted.

8.Cover a deep dish with half of the tomato mixture, layer half of the aubergines on top.Add half of the potatoes on the aubergines. Repeat, and cover the final layer of potatoes with the white sauce. Add extra cheese if you're as greedy as me.

9. Cook in the oven at 200-225C for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling.

10. Serve with something green and ENJOY!

I look forward to making more yummy vegetarian recipes from this book. I really need to experiment more with pulses and stuff to get more vegetable proteins, I eat too much fish for my liking at the moment. I'd like to eat soups more regularly, so the next recipe might be a red pepper and almond soup. And we are hoping to visit UK at some point this year, maybe it's time to visit the good old Food for thought again...

Red Onion Jam with Mulled Wine

December's blog challenge is so interesting I have to take part again! This time with something a little more challenging than my mom's macaroni soup. Congratulations to Chocochili who won November's challenge, her blog is one my favourites, not least because of her amazing food photography! Her choice for the challenge was glögi, Finnish version of mulled wine. The idea was to share your glögi recipe or use glögi in cooking. We start drinking glögi as soon as it arrives in the shops in September, so by December we're already quite fed up with it. I decided to make up something different, and spent a few days thinking how to use glögi in something savoury.

Red onion jam is made in our kitchen a few times a year and so I thought I would make a more Christmassy version of it, finally making some savoury muffins with the onion jam and blue cheese. I'm making the jam tonight and the muffins (which will be the challenge recipe) tomorrow. The jam takes a couple of hours to make and it's simmering as I write this post.

Red Onion Jam with Mulled wine
Measurements are estimates, add,change or reduce to your liking!

6 large red onions, finely chopped
A bottle of readymade mulled wine or glögi (I had Kaskein Marja Juhla glögi, 0,75l)
1 dl Berry liquor (I happened to have some Estonian Cherry liquor in my cupboard)
1 dl Port wine
You can use what you happen to have, or buy some cheap, full bodied red wine, but remember to add more sugar
3 dl  Brown sugar
Couple of dashes balsamic vinegar
Star anise or other spices used in mulled wine, that you like. Star anise is my favourite

Assorted liquids found in the cupboards

Lotsa onions!

Mix all the ingredients in a big pan, bring to simmer at medium heat and keep simmering until the liquids have evaporated and the onions are soft and sweet. Ready!

Serve with cheese, in a sandwich, fill a quiche with it or as a side dish with anything you think it would go with. You can also fill some cute little jars with it and give to other foodies as a gift. Keeps for a couple of months or so in the fridge.

I will post my muffin recipe tomorrow, with which I will be taking part to the monthly blog challenge.