Category: Salads and Side Dishes

Lanttulaatikko – Swede Casserole

Lanttulaatikko aka Swede Casserole
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Lanttulaatikko – Swede Casserole is just one of four traditional Finnish casseroles served at Christmas time. The other three are carrot, potato and liver, all unique and equally as important as the roast meats.

Mum makes this every year along with the potato and carrot casseroles, although it’s been many years since we have had the liver casserole. But don’t fret, I will be making it this year… oh yes, I will!

This casserole has a slight bitterness, which is offset by the golden syrup and is the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas dinner… plus makes excellent sandwiches with all the leftovers!

Hyvää Joulua, Blondie 🙂

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Smokey Paprika Hasselback Potatoes in a hurry

Smokey Paprika Hasselback Potatoes in a hurry

Smokey Paprika Hasselback Potatoes in a hurry… One of my favourite things to do when I have spare time is to wander around charity stores. It’s always amazing what you can find in there, and it was during one of these spontaneous trips that I came across a gorgeous terracotta, pot bellied canister with a lid. On inspection I saw that it still had a note in it telling me that it was a Diable Potato Cooker. Well, enough said, it was going to come home with me.

Smokey Paprika Hasselback Potatoes in a hurry - Diable Potato Baker

If you do ever come across one of these I highly recommend adding it to your kitchen as it’s no fat, no liquid cooking and can be used in the oven, on the hob (with a diffuser) or in the microwave… and being cooked in terracotta imparts a subtle and unique flavour to the veggies. I cook most of my vegetables in it now and the fact I can have awesome whole potatoes ready within minutes is just such a bonus!

Smokey Paprika Hasselback Potatoes in a hurry - Diable Potato Baker

Anyway, enough about my cute potato cooker, this is about making hasselback potatoes quickly. Using the diable means your cooking time is considerably shorter but if you don’t have one you can wrap each potato in paper towel and place them in the microwave. Start with the same times as with the diable and just check with a skewer to see if the potatoes are ready – It’s very easy to overcook the potatoes so cook them in 1-2 minute increments after the initial cook time of 4 minutes

Happy cooking!  Blondie

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Caesar Salad w/ Blondie’s Dill and Caper Dressing

Caesar Salad w/ Blondie’s Dill and Caper Dressing
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Caesar Salad w/ Blondie’s Dill and Caper Dressing… It was a hot 42°c/107°f day in Sydney last week (I was very happy to be sitting by the water on The Hawkesbury River with my family that day!) and with such heat, the food you prepare needs to be quite simple… the last thing you want to be doing is slaving away in a kitchen.

This recipe uses cold leftover BBQ chicken, fresh salad leaves and my own home-grown tomatoes. The difference to a standard Caesar salad is my slightly spicy dill and caper dressing. This is a great tasting salad that you can casually graze on and fills you up without being heavy.

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Basil Pesto with Cashew Nuts

Basil Pesto with Cashew Nuts
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Basil Pesto with Cashew Nuts – With spring now here, the heady scent of fresh herbs is hard to ignore. It’s impossible to walk pass the veggie shop and not grab a bunch of basil – I will have fresh basil growing in my garden again shortly, but till then I’m happy to pay for it.

Pesto is eaten in large amounts by my family, especially my son who has it on pizza, pasta or just by the spoonful after I’ve made a fresh batch of pesto. I make it 2 ways, the first being the obvious – that’s with pine nuts and a nice bitey, hard cheese – and the second is this recipe.

I find that using cashews makes the pesto a little creamier and the flavour to be a little more subtle – and they are also cheaper than pine nuts, which is a benefit if working within a budget.

The cheese in this recipe is just the grated Parmesan from your local supermarket’s fridge section.

I freeze my excess pesto in zip lock bags and break off chunks as I need them, which means I generally always have some on hand. I have been doing it this way for years and have never had an issue, but feel that I should bring up a conversation I had with my brother-in-law. He mentioned something about the breeding of the botulism bacteria, something to do with the basil and the freezer not being able to freeze it to a temperature that is safe and stable. I have also looked into it and am happy to continue with this way of storing as we really do go through it quite fast. I’ve happily eaten my pesto up to 2 months of it being frozen.

Has anyone had problems with freezing pesto? I would love to know.

But that being said, for me there is always a meal if you have pesto in the house. If you have yet to make fresh pesto for yourself then I urge you to give it a go.

Enjoy!

Blondie

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