Skyr hummus

Skyr hummus

Okay, of course this isn't a classic Icelandic recipe - but I think it's very nice to put a traditional ingredient like skyr in a completely new, different context. And it was really really tasty!


Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas
(drying weight approx. 400 g)
1 clove of garlic
1 Tbsp lemon juice
150 g pure Skyr
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 pinch of black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 pinch of salt and pepper


Preparation

Drain the chickpeas well.

Then put the chickpeas in the blender with the garlic, lemon juice, skyr, salt and pepper and cumin and puree well.

Then serve the Skyr hummus in a bowl with a little olive oil, the pumpkin seeds and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Serve with bread - we had grilled flatbrauð with it.

[Translated from here.]

Grillað flatbrauð

Grilled flatbread

Traditionally, Icelandic flatbrauð is made with just flour and water and then baked on a hot stove or cast iron skillet. This is a more "newfangled" recipe with yeast, salt, sugar and a spoonful of olive oil. This Flatbrauð is grilled here or alternatively baked in a grill pan.


Ingredients

500 g wheat flour
1 tsp dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
350 ml warm water
1 Tbsp olive oil


Preparation

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt.

Add the water and a tablespoon of olive oil...

...knead into a smooth dough...

...and let it rise at room temperature for at least 2 hours.

Then knead the dough again, if necessary adding a little more flour if the dough still sticks while kneading. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 portions.

Then roll out each portion of dough to a somewhat round shape and grill it on the grill (or, as I do here, in a grill pan) until the bread is baked through and has already become nice and dark in places.

The Flatbrauð can be served warm or cold as a side dish, depending on your taste.

[Translated from here.]

Brúnaðar kartöflur með rjóma

Caramelized potatoes with cream

Caramelized potatoes are, in a sense, THE typical Icelandic side dish and are traditionally served with meat dishes, usually with red cabbage, peas or green beans.


Ingredients for 4 persons

1 Tbsp butter
100 g sugar
100 ml cream
1 kilo of potatoes


Preparation

Wash the potatoes, boil them in salted water...

...and peel.

Melt the butter and sugar in a large skillet.

Add the cooked potatoes and stir over high heat until all the potatoes are evenly caramelized.

Pour in the cream and continue to simmer.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Eggjamúffur

Egg muffins

The recipe made enough for me for 20 muffins - with salad on the side it was a nice meal for 6 people. Even though my children thought it would be okay as a starter, they would prefer something more “solid” as a main course. Well, next time I'll take it to heart!


Ingredients

10 large eggs
250 ml sour cream
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 bunch of spring onions
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 pinch of freshly ground pepper
200 g spicy cheese


Preparation

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

Place all eggs in a large bowl...

...and whisk with the sour cream.

Clean and chop the peppers and spring onions.

Mix the peppers and spring onions with the egg mixture.

Grate the cheese...

and stir in half of the grated cheese, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Then pour the mixture into a greased muffin tin or one lined with paper cases.

Spread the remaining cheese on the muffins...

...and then bake in the oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 25 minutes until the muffins are nice and golden.

Serve immediately after baking - with a fresh salad on the side - a nice complete meal, at least for my taste.

[Translated from here.]

Tosca kaka

Tosca cake

(almond caramel cake)

The Tosca cake is actually more familiar from Sweden as "toscakaka", but in Denmark it is also available as "toscakage", in Norway as "toscakake" and in Finland as "toscakakku" - and of course it is also available in Iceland ! (Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to understand how the cake got its name.)


Ingredients

120 g butter
120 g brown sugar
2 eggs
300 g flour
3 tsp baking powder
150 ml milk

For covering

150 g sliced ​​almonds
150 g butter
150 g brown sugar
3 Tbsp honey


Preparation

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

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add the eggs and mix.

Then add flour, baking powder and milk and work everything into a smooth dough.

Then put the dough into a springform pan lined with baking paper (diameter approx. 26 cm)...

...and bake at 350 °F (180 °C) upper and lower heat for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the topping:

Put the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan and bring to the boil slowly (while stirring constantly!).

Finally, stir in the sliced ​​almonds. (Unfortunately I didn't have enough sliced ​​almonds and had to add a few chopped almonds.)

After 25 minutes of baking, take the cake out of the oven and heat the oven to 475 °F (250 °C) upper/lower heat.

Spread the topping on the cake...

...and let it bake in the oven for about 5-7 minutes until the topping on the cake starts to bubble. (It's best to stand next to it and make sure that the top of the cake doesn't get too dark!)

Then take the cake out of the oven and let it cool thoroughly before carefully removing it from the tin and serving.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Farewell tour of Smørgås Nordisk

Shortly before -

Scandinavian food in Frankfurt

The Smørgås Nordisk Restaurant opened in Frankfurt-Bornheim in May 2014. So for five years now we've had a Scandinavian restaurant in the neighborhood, just 12 km away, and yet we've only just managed to go out to eat there. Unfortunately, the restaurant will close again on March 17, 2019.

My husband gave me the evening at Smørgås Nordisk for my birthday last week. It took us less than half an hour by car (despite rush hour traffic through Frankfurt), but it took us another 20 minutes to look for a parking space in Bornheim. We finally found a parking space at Günthersburgpark and walked about 10 minutes to the restaurant on Burgstrasse.

Smørgås Nordisk Restaurant in Bornheim

We were there in the evening and didn't have a serious camera (after all, we weren't "on duty"), just our cell phones, and the photos were the same. But I still wanted to show it to you so you can get an impression!

The menu at Smørgås Nordisk is small, but everything sounds delicious and very Scandinavian. There is also a relatively large drinks menu, including "Gin in Icelandic" (gin, ginger, strawberry punch and tonic).

I had a homemade strawberry-lime lemonade, my husband chose the black beer with honey ("Odin's Trunk"). We were also served crispbread with a delicious spicy dip.

As a starter, my husband chose the Smørgås fish soup, with lots of vegetables and fish pieces. The smell alone was promising!

From the daily menu I chose the cream of pea soup, with walnuts and chutney. I thought it was great, with the slightly sweet chutney, the crunchy nuts... just like the fish soup, there was also a slice of bread. I think it was a rye bread, a bit fluffier and less moist than Icelandic Rúgbrauð, but definitely tasty.

For the main course my husband had the Älgköttbullar, i.e. elk meatballs with mushrooms, brown sauce and mashed potatoes - a lot of mashed potatoes, after a portion like that you should be really full!

I chose the Andebryst, i.e. the duck breast. There was also raspberry jus, small dill potatoes and grilled fennel. Everything was really, really tasty, and I particularly liked the grilled fennel.

Actually, we were already very full, but when liquorice ice cream is on the menu, I just can't resist - and I didn't want to! So we shared a ball. The ice cream was still a bit soft because it had only been made at midday and wasn't completely frozen yet. We were "warned" but still wanted to try it. And it was worth it - it tasted exactly how perfect licorice ice cream should taste, if you ask me. And I have experience with licorice ice cream!

Happy food blogger with licorice ice cream

All in all, we paid €50 for the evening with food and drinks for two. And it was definitely worth it. It's a shame that we only managed to eat there at the last minute... we should have gone there more often!

Smørgås Nordisk will close on March 17, 2019.

[Translated from here.]