Hjónabandssæla

Happy Marriage

Here's another quick, uncomplicated recipe for Hjónabandssæla , or "Happy Marriage" cake.

By the way, it is unclear how the cake got its name. Maybe because it's so easy to make and gets better the longer you keep it - or because there are so many different recipes and variations for this cake as there are recipes for "real Happy Marriage".


Ingredients for 6 servings

200 g soft margarine
180 g oat flakes
180 g flour
100 g brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
6 Tbsp rhubarb jam


Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C) (upper/lower heat).

In a bowl, knead the soft margarine with the oat flakes, flour, sugar and baking soda.

Grease the molds and then pour a good half of the dough into the molds and press the dough down carefully.

Then spread with the rhubarb jam.

Form thin "strings" from the remaining dough and place them crosswise on the side or top of the jam, pressing very carefully on the edge.

Bake in the preheated oven at 400 °F (200 °C) for about 25 minutes on the middle shelf.

Then let it cool well and traditionally serve with cream, as it is a relatively dry cake - but it keeps well and lasts for a long time. This pastry only develops its full flavor after a few days of storage.

Baked in small molds, this “Happy Marriage” is also very suitable as a dessert!

[Translated from here.]

Spínat-fiskibollur

Spinach fishballs

Ingredients for approx. 12 balls

500 g white fish
300 g milk
4 Tbsp potato flour
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

300 g spinach

3 - 4 Tbsp margarine


Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) upper/lower heat.

Place the fish in a blender with the milk, potato flour, sea salt and pepper and puree thoroughly until smooth and uniform.

Wash and clean the spinach and chop it carefully.

Add the chopped spinach to the fish batter and form balls out of the batter with your hand, then carefully flatten the balls a little.

Melt the margarine in a large pan.

Fry the fish balls in batches in the pan for a few minutes on both sides.

Then put the fish balls in an ovenproof dish and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

Traditionally in Iceland, these fish balls are eaten warm with boiled potatoes and vegetables as the main course. But they are also very good cold with a dip like here with Skyrnaise !

[Translated from here.]

Hvönn með blaðlauk

Angelica with leeks

When used correctly, angelica is fundamentally healthy due to the tannins and vitamins it contains. It has a mild antibacterial effect and can be used for sore throats or urinary tract infections; some people even swear by it for athlete's foot. It is also said to help against depressive moods and burnout. Angelica also stimulates digestion - but in large quantities it also stimulates the uterus and can lead to bleeding.

Therefore, pregnant women should not consume angelica in large quantities, but rather only eat it as a spice so as not to cause bleeding.

By the way, you should definitely wear gloves when harvesting angelica, as many people react to the fresh plant sap with allergic skin irritations.

Fresh angelica stems and fresh leeks are used for this dish. If you don't have fresh angelica on hand, you can alternatively use celery, which is very close to angelica both in terms of appearance and taste.



Ingredients for 2 people

300 g fresh angelica stems
800 g leek
500 ml whey
1 handful of fresh herbs
4 Tbsp pure Skyr


Preparation

Wash the angelica stems (alternatively celery) thoroughly and cut them into small pieces.

Also wash and clean the leek, then cut into rings approx. 1 - 2 cm wide.

Cook both together in the whey for about 20 - 30 minutes until nice and soft, ...

...sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve with two tablespoons of Skyr per person.

An experiment from the series "How did Icelanders eat 1,000 years ago" -

Taste-wise, let's say, very interesting!

[Translated from here.]

Bygggrautur með fjallagrösum

Barley groats with Icelandic moss

Ingredients for 2 people

180 g coarsely ground barley
20 g Icelandic moss
200 g sour milk
200 g water
1 pinch of coarse sea salt
2 Tbsp butter


Preparation

Cut the dry Icelandic moss into small pieces (be careful, it can sting a lot!)...

...and pour boiling water over it to remove the bitter substances from the moss. Then pour it through a sieve and collect the chopped Icelandic moss.

In a large pot, mix the coarsely ground barley with the sour milk and water. Add the Icelandic moss and a pinch of salt...

...and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then cook and stir until the barley has become soft.

Remove the pot from the heat and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

Finally add the butter...

...stir everything thoroughly and then serve traditionally with hard cheese and black pudding (" blóðmör ")!

By the way, things are particularly good for us

tasted with fried black pudding!

[Translated from here.]

Vanillumúffur fyrir Evrópumót 2016

Vanilla muffins for the 2016 European Football Championship

For my football muffins, I simply took the basic Vanillukaka dough, albeit a smaller amount, and baked muffins out of it.

Ingredients

180 g butter
3 eggs
140 g powdered sugar
1 tsp ground vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon peel
180 g flour
1 tsp lemon juice
1 pinch of salt

For the glaze

150 g mascarpone

150 g cream cheese

150 g whipping cream

100 powdered sugar

1 Tbsp lemon juice

to taste: green food coloring and decoration for the glaze

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) upper/lower heat.

Melt the butter and cool slightly again.

Separate the eggs.

Mix the egg yolks with the powdered sugar, vanilla and grated lemon peel until foamy. Fold in the flour and mix. The melted butter...

and add the lemon juice and stir everything together.

Carefully beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff and fold them into the remaining dough in portions.

Pour the batter into the muffin cups...

...and let it bake in the lower third of the preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 20 minutes.

Let the muffins cool.

For the glaze, mix together the mascarpone, cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whip the cream until stiff and fold in. If you like, color part of the coating with green food coloring for the “football look” and decorate with colorful chocolate sprinkles or similar.

My personal highlight were the “edible stand-up cup cake toppers”, basically edible paper printed with food coloring with the Icelandic jerseys for the 2016 European Championships.

We keep our fingers crossed for the Icelandic national team with their coaches, the Swede Lars "Lalli" Lagerbäck and the Icelander Heimir Hallgrímsson (who is a full-time dentist in the Westman Islands) as well as their captain Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen, for their first appearance at a European Championship!!!

[Translated from here.]

Kaffikókoskúlur

Coffee coconut balls

Ingredients

80 g hearty oat flakes
100 g desiccated coconut
50 g brown sugar
3 Tbsp strong cold coffee
2 Tbsp baking cocoa
1 pinch of chili powder
100 g soft butter


Preparation

Set half of the coconut flakes aside. The remaining coconut flakes with the other ingredients...

...put it in a large bowl, knead everything into a mass and then form about 20 balls. If the mixture is too dry, add a spoonful of cold coffee - conversely, if the dough is too wet, add a little more oat flakes so that the mixture has the right consistency!

Then roll the balls in the remaining coconut flakes until they are completely covered.

Then chill the coffee-coconut balls in the refrigerator and then serve well chilled.

Lots of coconut: here we had Kaffikókoskúlur and hvítar trufflur !

[Translated from here.]

Marensbaka með súkkulaðibotn

Meringue cake with chocolate base

At big celebrations in Iceland there is usually cake, excellent cake - preferably with lots of meringue and cream. So here's another recipe for a typical Icelandic meringue cake!

Ingredients

200 g oatmeal cookies
1 Tbsp baking cocoa
50 g soft butter

400 g dark chocolate
250 ml whipping cream

4 egg whites
180 g sugar

250 g fresh berries


Preparation

Crush the oatmeal cookies carefully and knead them thoroughly with the cocoa and butter.

Then pour the mixture into a springform pan lined with baking paper (diameter approx. 20 cm) and carefully press it onto the bottom. Chill in the refrigerator for approx. 10 - 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the cream in a saucepan and heat slowly.

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and add it to the warm cream...

...and stir until everything is melted. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the prepared cookie base and place it back in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) upper/lower heat.

Beat the egg white until stiff and slowly add the sugar.

Then carefully spread the egg white mixture over the chocolate base.

...and smooth it out and bake it in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Chill the cake in the freezer, take it out about 20 minutes before serving and enjoy it slightly thawed with the fresh berries!

[Translated from here.]

Pottréttur

Stew

Ingredients

500 g boneless lamb
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
1 onion
15 g dried mushrooms
2 Tbsp butter
200 ml milk
200 ml vegetable broth
200 g cream cheese
1 small can of tomato paste
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper


Preparation

Soak the dried mushrooms in cold water well in advance and soak for at least 30 minutes, preferably a little longer.

Peel the onions and cut them into small cubes.

Wash and clean the peppers and cut them into small pieces.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot and fry the onions until translucent. Add the pepper pieces and mushrooms and let everything simmer until the vegetables are soft.

Cut the meat into cubes approx. 2 x 2 cm in size.

Then take the vegetables out of the pot and set them aside. Add the second tablespoon of butter to the pot and briefly fry the meat on all sides.

Add the vegetables again, pour in the milk and vegetable stock and let everything simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes.

Then add the tomato paste and cream cheese, stir everything together and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the meat stew with plenty of bread for everyone.

[Translated from here.]