Pasta with prawns and lemon-vodka-sauce

Hi guys!

Sorry for not posting on meat free monday, but I couldn't find time to try a new vegetarian recipe and prepared mushroom risotto for me instead. Yesterday, though, I did get back to a recipe that has become something like a runner-up to his all-time-favourite spaghetti carbonara for my boyfriend and he asked me to make it for dinner. The recipe comes from Donna Hay's "simple dinners" and it is actually simple and fast as it is prepared in the time it takes to cook your pasta. 

So here's the recipe:

400g (14 oz) spaghetti (or any type of pasta you like)
20g (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
4 cloves of garlic
20 raw, peeled prawns
250ml (1 cup; 8 fl.oz.) cream
2 tablespoons vodka
2 tablespoons lemon juice
20g (0.7 oz) parsley
salt and black pepper for seasoning

1) Heat a large pot of water over high heat until the water is boiling. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. 

2) Cut the garlic in thin slices and chop the parsley. Heat the butter in a large pan over high heat. Add the garlic and prawns and cook for about 2 minutes, until the prawns are cooked, which is when they've changed their colour from grey to orange-red. Take the prawns out of the pan.

3) Add the cream, vodka and lemon juice to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and let the sauce cook for 5 minutes.

4) Drain the pasta and add it to the pan along with the prawns and the parsley. Mix well and season to taste with a little salt and pepper.

Serves: 3-4
Active preparation time: about 10 minutes
Total preparation time: 20 minutes
© Copyright: Donna Hay, "simple dinners", p. 40.

Here's how it looks:

I have a soft spot for the creamy sauce that is so smooth and almost velvety while surprising you with the taste of vodka (no more alcohol since you have cooked the sauce) and the freshness of lemon. I personally added a fair bit of pepper and very little salt for seasoning. And as you've prepared the sauce in the same pan you've cooked your prawns it, a little bit of their taste has found its way into the sauce. I think this is a perfect example for an easy, speedy dinner that lacks nothing, not flavour, not looks, not surprises and it surely won't leave you with a lack of compliments.

Have fun trying! 

Swedish Kanelbullar (Cinnamon Buns)

Hi guys!

I am sorry it's been so long again since my last post. Things have been a little busy and I finally took a little time off to go on a week-long vacation to Oslo and Stockholm, where I enjoyed probably too many Kanelbullar and decided to give them a try as soon as I would be back home. Said and done that is, as of today. I got back on thursday and headed straight to creating these small pieces of cinnamon heaven today. The recipe I decided to try comes from a Swedish author, Leila Lindholm, who features it on her website - unfortunately only on the swedish page and not on the english version which is why I translated it as best as I could and tested it. For those of you who can speak or rather read swedish, here's the link to the website: http://www.leila.se/leilas-kanelbullar/recept/bakverk/index1,23.htm?id=3426

So here's the (translated) recipe with adapted measurements:

For the dough:
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds (I could only find ground cardamom and substituted a dessert spoon or two teaspoons)
2 dl (6.7 fl.oz; 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon) milk
1dl (3.4 fl.oz; 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) cream
50g (1.75 oz) fresh yeast
150g (2/3 cup; 5.3 oz) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
100g (3.5 oz; 4/5 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
720g (25.4 oz; 4 + 3/4 cups) flour

For the filling:
200g (7 oz; 1 + 3/5 stick) unsalted butter, softened
100g (3.5 oz; 1/2 cup) sugar (brown or white)
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
seeds from 1 vanilla pod
1 egg for brushing
decorating sugar for sprinkling

1) Pound the cardamom seeds in a mortar until very fine. Place in a pot with the milk and cream and heat until lukewarm. Add the yeast and stir until the yeast has completely dissolved.

2) In a bowl, combine the butter, sugar, salt and egg and pour in the milk-yeast-mixture.

3) Gradually add the flour and knead until the dough comes together. Turn onto a lightly flour-dusted surface and knead with your hands for a few minutes, then put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside to rise for 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

4) Whisk the butter for the filling together with the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. You can use more or less cinnamon depending on how much you like it. 

5) Roll the dough out to a large rectangle or about 1 cm thickness, using a little flour to keep it from sticking to the surface or your rolling pin. 

6) Evenly distribute the spiced butter on the dough, you don't need to leave a frame. Now fold one third of the dough from the long side to the middle and fold the remaining third on top. Using your rolling pin, carefully roll the folded dough until it is 2cm thick, while keeping the shape of a long rectangle. 

7) Cut the rectangle from the short side into 3-4cm wide slices. Now take a slice and put it in front of you. 

Cut the slice in half, starting about 2 cm from the top. The slice now resembles a pair or trousers. Take each of the "legs" and twist it three or four times, then cross the right over the left leg and tuck the ends underneath, so they'll end up on the top you've saved. 

 The twisted "legs"

Legs crossed over each other, ends are not tucked yet

8) Place your dough knots onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. You could also place the knots in paper muffin cases to make sure the filling stays in the knot while baking. Set aside to rise for 45 minutes.

9) Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Brush the risen knots with the whisked egg and sprinkle with decorating sugar, if desired.

10) Bake for 10 minutes in the middle of the oven. 

Yield: about 14 knots, depending on how wide you slice the dough

Active preparation time: about 45 minutes

Total preparation time: about 3 hours

Here's the finished product:

I can't say much else than "I'm in love", head over heels and once and for all. The distinctive cardamom note makes these cinnamon buns special and it makes them typically swedish. Sweden was also where I saw cinnamon buns in knots rather than the classic roll for the first time and I think these look absolutely beautiful and make for an impressive gift. I sprinkled half of my Kanelbullar with decorating sugar and left others plain, in case anybody doesn't like to bite on sugar. You could also mix and little brown sugar with pounded cardamom seeds and sprinkle the buns with it. 

I hope you are having a beautiful weekend and good luck with trying!