Quesadillas are a favorite in our household, especially for my sons. I make a lot of them once in a while and take it with me when I visit my sons. It is suitable as a snack or a whole meal. Continue reading “Chicken Quesadillas”
Author: fastidiouschef
Welcome to Fastidious Chef. I have had a very hectic career, I am now a "time millionaire" (retired) and have the privilege to spend more time cooking. It is indeed a great joy to cook.
I was born in Iran, but raised in Sweden. In my childhood and early teens, the kitchen was a place I never visited, it was merely a place of service. It was only when I came to Sweden that I was introduced to what was going on in the kitchen! I have read and experimented a lot with food since then with wonderful raw models in my siblings and mom.
Glad to have you here.
Enjoy!
Christmas dates!
Stuffed dates are a must have in our household when it is time for Christmas and other festivals. You can fill the dates either with walnuts or peeled almonds or why not with roasted hazelnuts? Continue reading “Christmas dates!”
Christmas Red Cabbage!
Bought “Christmas cookbook” 1977 on sale, it cost 5 Swedish kronor (50 cents). It’s really the best cookbook I’ve come across where all the classic dishes for Christmas are included. I use it every fall when I start preparing for Christmas. Found a small red cabbage that was just perfect to make my Christmas red cabbage with. Amazingly easy to make and a “must have” dish on our Swedish Christmas table. You can serve it with ham or turkey. Continue reading “Christmas Red Cabbage!”
Swedish dumplings from Öland
40 years ago, a very good friend of mine made dumplings from Öland which is a Swedish island situated on the south-east coast. I just loved it and asked for the recipe. I used the recipe for the first time a few years later when we lived in England, it was a hit and gave me the courage to try it over and over again 😊.
Minestrone Soup
Now the fall has definitely arrived here in Sweden then it is really nice to have different kinds of soups. I have always been very fond of minestrone soup, it is just like all Persian soups a good and satisfying meal. You can make minestrone soup completely vegetarian or as I have chosen here to have meat in it. Have said and written it before, recipes are not carved in stone as we say here in Sweden, you can experiment freely. The only thing I think of when I cook is that it has to suit the taste bud of my family. Continue reading “Minestrone Soup”
Best Hash Brown
I still remember when I visited my brother in the United States first time in the early 70’s. He made Sunday breakfast with hash browns, I still recall the wonderful taste of that hash brown! Since then, I’ve been experimenting in order to make the perfect hash browns. Continue reading “Best Hash Brown”
Best minced meat pie.
Apart from different kinds of soups, I like to make pies for lunch or dinner in the fall. Yesterday I poured out my creativity and made the world’s best mince pie with elements from Persian cuisine. When we are many, I simply make a big pie – but when it’s just me and my husband, I prefer to make several smaller pies – we eat what we can and the rest will be kept in the freezer. Continue reading “Best minced meat pie.”
Persian Raisin Cookies – almost addictive!
These cookies (Shirini Keshmishi) are truly a classic in Persian cuisine! There are countless recipes for this but I have developed my own that reminds me of my childhood cookies. It’s really a light cookie, but sweet! The basic recipe is simple, you can replace the raisin with, for example, chopped cranberries, or why not combine raisins with chopped nuts? You will be able to experiment. Here comes the basic recipe as it is made in Iran. Continue reading “Persian Raisin Cookies – almost addictive!”
Kale soup. As Swedish as it can get!
I like different kinds of soups, especially during autumn and winter, since autumn is here (in Sweden) I decided to make Kale soup. It really became a hit! Fast and simple and comforting food! If you avoid cream, it will be completely vegan. I remove the stalk but you are free to use the whole kale.
If you avoid using cream it will be all vegan!
Ingredients:
450 grams of Kale
2 yellow onions
3 – 4 garlic cloves
1.5 dl white wine
1 liter of water
2 st concentrated stock “Fund Du Chef”
1 teaspoon salt
2 ml or 2/4 of a teaspoon black pepper
1 ml or ¼ of a teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 ml or ¼ of a teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 – 2 dl cream (can be excluded)
1 – 2 tablespoons of squeezed lemon
Butter for frying
Method:
- Melt the butter in a spacious pan
- Add the onion and fry for 5 – 7 minutes
- Add the garlic and continue to fry for an additional 2 minutes
- Add the wine and half of the water
- Put the lid on and let it simmer for 15 minutes
- Add the kale, seasoning, the two “Fond du Chef” and the rest of the water.
- Bring it to a simmer on medium heat (with the lid on) for an additional 15 minutes or until the Kale has reduced in volume.
- When the kale has reduced in volume, mix it well and allow to simmer for 5 more minutes with the lid on.
- Process the mixture in a mixer and then pour it back into the pan.
- Add the lemon juice and the cream (optional), taste and adjust seasoning.
Ready to serve! Warm sandwiches or garlic bread are nice to have with this soup.
Enjoy!
Farmers gravy – as Swedish as it can be!
In our household, we most certainly make a lot of Persian food, but also real old-fashioned Swedish food. My mother-in-law used to make this dish that is both simple and delicious. For me, this is a winter dish. Our children love farmers gravy and the eldest son has developed his own recipe for it. I just wanted to commemorate my mother-in-law by making the dish today.
Some also call it onion gravy, some use thick bacon but we prefer thinly sliced bacon instead. Continue reading “Farmers gravy – as Swedish as it can be!”
