Spaghetti Pissaladiere

The ingredients of the French Onion Pizza, Pissaladiere turned into a rustic and hearty pasta dish. 

Caramelized onions, anchovies and olives are a great match of sweet and savory. Salty, perhaps, but delicious!
 
for one person

75 - 100 g spaghetti

approx. 150 g onion (peeled weight)
1 plump garlic clove
1 bay leaf
a couple of small sprigs of thyme
2 to 4 anchovy fillets (oil) chopped
a pinch of sugar

olives to taste
black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add less salt than normally. After the salt has dissolved and the water is boiling,

add pasta to the water. 

Meanwhile, cut the onions into thin strips.

Heat a good glug of olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onions and sauté for about five minutes, stirring.

Reduce the heat and add a pinch of sugar, chopped garlic, anchovies, bay leaf and thyme.

Continue cooking for another five minutes, stirring.

Add a small drop of pasta water and olives to the pan and simmer until the liquid has evaporated and onions are tender and sweet. 

When pasta is cooked al dente, reserve some of the water and drain the pasta. Add to the pan and mix the all ingredients well.

Add water if the sauce in too thick.

Finish the dish with freshly ground black pepper and some olive oil. Enjoy!

Somewhere in Lisbon | Travel Photo

Somewhere in Lisbon | f/5.6 | 1/800sec | ISO100

Pasta with Gravlax

This is an easy and super fast, yet absolutely delicious pasta dish. I have been eating salt cured salmon as long as I can remember and I still can´t get enough of it. It´s absolutely one of the highlights of Nordic cuisine.

If you want to make gravad lax yourself, it´s quite simple to do. There are a lot of different recipes, but I use coarse sea salt, some sugar and fresh dill.

For a small piece of trimmed salmon fillet (300 - 500 g) you dont´t really need to measure the the ingredients.

Just add a thin layer of coarse sea salt on a parchment paper. Place the salmon fillet skin side up on the salt and press lightly. Turn fillet and sprinkle over about a half teaspoon of sugar and coarsely chopped dill.

Put the fish in a glass dish skin side up and cover with a piece of parchment paper and cling film. Add a small weight over the fish. (400 g can of tomatoes etc.) Put the dish in the fridge and cure for 18 – 24 hours.

1 portion

75 – 100 g pasta

80 – 100 g gravlax or cold smoked salmon

1 small spring onion

1 tbsp capers

black pepper

chili flakes

lemon

olive oil

Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Since capers and salmon are very salty, it´s better to use less salt in cooking water than normally.

While the pasta is cooking, sweat thinly sliced onions in a small splash of olive oil over a medium heat until just tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Once pasta is cooked, drain, and tip it into the pan. Add thinly sliced salmon and capers. Mix and season to taste with lemon juice and black pepper.

Serve immediately. 

Grilled Sardines | Food Photo

A man grilling sardines at Lisbon Sardine Festival | f/3.5 | 1/200sec | ISO100

Gravad Lax Ingredients | Food Photo

Gravad Lax Ingredients | f/6.3 | 0.8 sec | ISO100

New Potatoes with Dill and Pickled Herring

This is the time of the year when we Finns go grazy about seasons first new potatoes.

Boiled potatoes are usually served with butter, fresh dill and pickled herring. If you like some extra, add some spring onions or chive.

I like to serve potatoes with smoked salmon or gravad lax as well, but this is the most traditional way that takes me right back to my childhood summers.

Here´s all you need for the perfect finnish summer lunch.

new potatoes

dill

spring onions

butter

pickled herring

Wash the potatoes well and boil until just cooked. Strain and let the potatoes dry for a few seconds.

Add a knob of butter and thinly sliced onions. Wait till the butter melts and onions softens lightly. Add chopped dill and mix. 

Serve immediately with pickled herring.

Caprese Ingredients

Caprese ingredients | Just add some olive oil | f/6.3 | 1/6 sec | ISO100

Baked feta with olives

Fast, simple and full of flavour, this is one of my favorite appetizers. For best results, use good quality feta cheese and olives.

serves 2 - 4

100 g feta cheese

1 clove garlic (minced)

6 black and 6 green (Kalamata) olives

pinch of fresh thyme leaves

freshly ground black pepper

pinch of lemon zest

pinch of dried oregano

olive oil

Preheat oven to 175° C degrees. Cut the feta cheese into bite size pieces.

Cut the olives in half and remove stones. Put cheese, olives and garlic into a small ovenproof dish.

Drizzle with olive oil and season with lemon zest, thyme, oregano and black pepper.

Mix all the ingredients gently together. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Spoon feta and olive mixture over toasted bread and sprinkle with black pepper. Serve immediately.

Wild Blueberry Flowers

Blueberry Flowers in the Wind | f/3.2 | 1/1600 sec | ISO800

Refreshing Tomato Watermelon Salad

Watermelon and tomatoes are a perfect match. This bright red, fresh and light salad makes an ideal summer side dish. The sumac gives the perfect hint of tangy lemony flavor to this refreshing summer salad.

serves 2 - 4

25g red onion (finely chopped)

1 mild green chili (finely sliced)

250g ripe cherry tomatoes

250g watermelon (peeled)

olive oil

lemon juice

salt and pepper

1- 2 tbsp pine nuts

1 tsp sumac

small handful of fresh basil leaves chopped

Add the red onions and chili into a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Season with salt and pepper, mix well.

Next, slice the tomatoes into quarters and add to the bowl. Cut the watermelon into small cubes and add to the bowl, mix well and set aside.

Place a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts and keep shaking the frying pan every couple of seconds to prevent the nuts from burning. As soon as the nuts are slightly browned, take the frying pan off the heat. Transfer the nuts to a small bowl to cool for a moment.

Just before serving, sprinkle pine nuts, basil and sumac over the top. Perfect with grilled meat and poultry, or just enjoy it by itself.

Lemon Thyme

Lemon Thyme | f/4.5 | 1/500 sec | ISO3200

Whole Whitefish with Potatoes, Tomatoes and Olives

This Mediterranean inspired whitefish recipe is super easy and colourful, packed with bold flavours and fresh ingredients. The fish is seasoned with lemon and thyme, a classic Mediterranean combination that goes well with whitefish.

serves 2

1 whole whitefish, about 400 - 500g

8 small boiled potatoes

half of a small fennel

6 – 8 cherry tomatoes

1 garlic clove

2 spring onions

10 – 12 olives

1 tbsp small capers

½ lemon

2 - 3 sprigs of thyme

1 dl white wine

salt and black pepper

olive oil

a small bunch of fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 200° C.

Cut the potatoes and tomatoes in half. Thinly slice the fennel, garlic and spring onion.

In a baking dish, mix potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, fennel, olives, capers and half of the onions together. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper, adding a squeeze of lemon juice. Sprinkle half of the thyme on top.

Rinse and dry the fish, then rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the fish with lemon slices and rest of the thyme. Lay the fish on top of the potatoes and other ingredients.

Bake 5 minutes, add wine and bake 15 – 20 minutes until the fish is just cooked through. Scatter over remaining spring onions and parsley before serving. Delicious.

Mr. River Cooks | Coming soon!

Mackerel | f/5.6 | 1/6 sec | ISO100