Spínatsalat með jarðarberjum

Spinach salad with strawberries

Actually, this recipe is made with blue cheese. However, we were on vacation and I absolutely couldn't find any blue cheese in the available stores, so I made do with grated hard cheese. It worked too - but blue cheese is a bit tastier!


Ingredients for 2 servings

150 g fresh spinach
80 g fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp blue cheese
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp walnut kernels


Preparation

Wash and clean the spinach and arrange on two plates/bowls.

Wash and quarter the strawberries.

Cut the blue cheese into small cubes.

Spread the strawberries and cheese over the spinach.

Pour a tablespoon of oil over each portion.

Roast the walnut kernels in a pan.

Then add the seeds over the salad and serve immediately.

[Translated from here.]

Grænmetissúpa

Vegetable soup

This is a beautifully simple soup, and with the little bit of vinegar and cream it tastes really interesting and delicious to me!


Ingredients for 2 servings

1 stalk of leek
2 carrots
400 g chopped canned tomatoes
400 ml vegetable broth
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 pinch of thyme
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 pinch of pepper
200 ml cream


Preparation

Wash, clean and chop the vegetables.

Then put in a pot with the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, vinegar and thyme...

...and let it simmer over low heat for about half an hour.

Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the cream...

...and serve the soup.

[Translated from here.]

Eplaskífur

Apple fritters

The Icelandic word "skífa" means "disc", but it refers to a flat, round object - like these apple fritters here.

Traditionally, these apple cakes were baked in a special pan, a so-called "eplaskífupanna" with corresponding cavities. When we recently visited the "Cave People" in Laugarvatnshellar, there was one exactly like that hanging on the wall - a really beautiful old "eplaskífupanna". Since I happened to come across the recipe for this eplaskífur in an old Icelandic cookbook, I recognized the pan straight away and was delighted!

Of course, I tried the recipe straight away at home, even though I made do with a poffertjes or egg pan. After all, I couldn't take the good pan from Iceland with me!

Ingredients for approx. 25 pieces

4 eggs
500 ml concentrated milk
1 tsp ground vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp sugar
300 g flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1 apple

some oil for the pan


Preparation

In a bowl, mix the eggs with the thick milk, vanilla, lemon zest and sugar.

Then add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk everything together to form a nice, liquid dough.

Wash, peel, core and cut the apple into small pieces.

Stir the apple pieces into the dough.

Then let the dough rest for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the pan well over medium heat.

Carefully grease the hollows in the pan a little and then fry the dough in portions on both sides.

If bubbles form on the dough, carefully turn them over with a fork or something similar until the cakes are golden brown on both sides. Make sure that they are properly baked on the inside too!

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.
We had applesauce with it.

[Translated from here.]

Sítrónukaka

Lemon cake

This is actually a very classic lemon cake that is baked in a springform pan. But now, just before Easter, I used a silicone Easter bunny mold for it! But this hasn't changed the baking time.


Ingredients

200 g flour
2 tsp baking soda
200 g sugar
200 ml sour cream
100 g melted margarine
4 eggs
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel

4 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel


Preparation

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and sugar.

Add the sour cream, melted margarine and eggs, grate the lemon over them...

...and mix everything into a smooth dough.

Pour the mixture into a springform pan lined with baking paper or greased (I used a silicone mold here and sprinkled it a little with breadcrumbs)...

... and bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 45 minutes (test with a toothpick!).

Then take the cake out of the oven and let it cool slightly.

Heat the sugar, lemon juice and grated lemon peel in a small saucepan over low heat.

Pour the mixture slowly and carefully over the still warm cake and then let it cool.

Just for fun, I gave my Easter bunny an eye made of icing that I still had in stock.

With this in mind: Bon appetit - verði sér að góðu!

[Translated from here.]

Saltfiskmús

Saltfish puree

Salt fish is really a typical Icelandic food - and I found this puree really tasty too. That's what I had for breakfast!

(If you cook it with unsalted fish, cook the cod in salt water and then add 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt to the puree.)


Ingredients

200 g cooked salt fish
80 g boiled potatoes
1 pinch of ground garlic
1/2 tsp dried parsley
4 Tbsp oil


Preparation

Mash the cooked potatoes with the garlic, parsley and oil until relatively smooth.

Then add the cooked salt fish...

...and mix thoroughly.

Place the fish puree in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and then serve with fresh rye bread (rúgbrauð) and butter.

[Translated from here.]

Sítrónuskyr

Lemon Skyr

Here's another Skyr recipe, either as a dessert or as a delicious, vitamin-rich breakfast. Oh yes, I love Skyr for breakfast!


Ingredients for 2 servings

400 ml pure Skyr
1 organic lemon
2 Tbsp brown sugar
150 ml whipping cream
4 Physalis
2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds


Preparation

Wash the lemon, halve it and cut four thin slices. Set the slices aside for decoration.

Grate the zest of the remaining lemon and squeeze the remaining lemon.

Mix the lemon zest and lemon juice as well as the brown sugar with the skyr.

Beat the whipping cream until stiff and fold in.

Divide the lemon skyr into two bowls and serve with the lemon slices, pomegranate seeds and a physalis each.

Cut the other two physalis into small pieces and add them to the lemon skyr over the other fruit.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Price comparison when shopping

Supermarkets in Iceland

I wanted to get an idea for myself as to how the well-known Icelandic supermarket chains compare in price here. To do this, I chose four “staple foods” and went to various supermarkets here in Reykjavík and looked at the prices. It's not necessarily representative, just a personal snapshot of my stay in Reykjavík now in March 2019.

I was at the "Bónus Fiskislóð" at the old harbor of the city, ...

... also at the old harbor at the "Krónan Granda", ...

… then at “Tíu-Ellefu”, the “10-11” shop on Austurstræti…

...and at the "Hagkaup" in the Kringlan shopping center.

The next day I was at “Nettó Granda”, also in the commercial area at the old harbor in Reykjavík.

The products I chose for my personal comparison were a liter of fresh milk, a piece of toast (770 g each), a pack of cheese (330 g) and a cup of Skyr (200 g).

In comparison, I can now say that Bónus and Krónan hardly differed in price, Netto was a little more expensive and Hagkaup was a little more expensive - and, unsurprisingly, the "10-11" store was by far the most expensive supermarket.

Of course, you can only compare the shops to a limited extent in terms of their orientation, their location, their offerings and, above all, their opening times. It is obvious that a store that is located in the middle of the city center and is always open day and night has different costs for store rent and staff than a supermarket in an industrial area or in a shopping center. In addition, the range of products on offer, the selection, the layout of the store, etc., differ. Ultimately, it is up to the consumer to think about when and where they want to buy or what alternative they have - or don't have.

The " Bónus Fiskislóð " opens at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m., on Sundays at 12 p.m., and usually closes at 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m., on Fridays at 7:30 p.m.

The " Krónan Granda " is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Sunday.

The " Tíu-Ellefu " in Austurstræti, in the middle of downtown Reykjavík, is open 24 hours every day, so it is a little different than the classic supermarkets on the "outskirts" or in the shopping center.

The " Hagkaup " in the Kringlan is (at the moment) open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Sundays it only opens at 1 p.m., but on Thursdays it is open until 9 p.m.

Like the 10-11 store in the city center, the " Nettó Granda " is also open 24 hours a day.

(Just a note - other stores in the different chains often have different opening times.)

Here is an overview of the prices that I wrote down:

	Bonus	Kronan	10-11	Hagkaup	Net
1 piece of toast	409 ISK	410 ISK	699 ISK	445 ISK	449 ISK
1 liter of milk	178 ISK	154 ISK	369 ISK	189 ISK	155 ISK
1 pack of cheese	725 ISK	729 ISK	1,119 ISK	879 ISK	789 ISK
1 cup of skyr	175 ISK	178 ISK	309 ISK	209 ISK	189 ISK
	1,487 ISK	1,471 ISK	2,496 ISK	1,722 ISK	1,582 ISK

Converted, my “shopping cart” cost around €10.90 at Bónus, around €10.80 at Krónan and around €11.60 at Nettó. At Hagkaup it cost a good €12.60 and at 10-11 it cost a good €18.30.

As a point of comparison - in Germany I pay around €4.20 at my usual supermarket for a roughly comparable shopping basket with milk, cheese, skyr and toast.

[Translated from here.]