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!

Barley soup (Soupe gandom)

Tasty soup with peeled wheat. It could not be easier and cheaper!

In Iran, we use a lot of barley in cooking, mostly in soups. Here is an example of soup that we make with peeled wheat. It can be made entirely vegetarian. Then exclude the chicken and add vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Feel free to mix in some vegetarian chicken or similar if you want even more nutritious soup.

In Sweden, Willys is the grocery store that is cheapest at 17:90 for a kilo. One kilo goes a long way. The recipe below is enough for six hearty portions, and then you only use 1.5 dl of wheat grains!

Ingredients for 6 portions

1.5 dl peeled wheat grains  1.5 tsp Salt
1.5 liters of water (approx.)  0.5 teaspoon turmeric
 2 pcs. chicken thighs  0,5 tsp ground cumin
 1 yellow onion  A bunch of parsley
 2 carrots  2 pcs. Broth (preferably chicken broth)
 3 – 4 stalks celery  2 tablespoons squeezed lemon
 1 teaspoon black pepper  Possibly a little milk or cream towards the end

Method:

  1. Soak the peeled wheat for at least 6 hours.
  2. Wash, dry, and dice the vegetables.
  3. Heat some oil in a large saucepan.
  4. Pour in the chopped vegetables and fry for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Pour off the soaking water from the wheat.
  6. Pour over the wheat, rice grits, herbs, including bay leaves and peppercorns.
  7. Stir.
  8. Add the chicken thighs.
  9. Pour in so much water so that it covers everything.
  10. Bring to the boil – lower the heat and simmer under the lid for about 2 hours.
  11. Remove the cover and then simmer for another hour.
  12. Take out the chicken thighs and clean them from bones and any tendons.
  13. Return the cleaned chicken parts and well-chopped parsley to the soup.
  14. Add some milk or cream.
  15. Let simmer without the lid for about 30 minutes.
  16. Taste with more spices squeezed lemon, and possibly a little cream or milk.

Serve with some nice and tasty sandwiches.

Enjoy! 

Tomato sauce

It is elementary to make tomato sauce yourself. It is cheap to buy ready-made tomato sauce, but you do not know what it is you are stuffing into it. So, purchase the tomatoes when it’s the most inexpensive and make your tomato sauce! You can also mix several different varieties of tomatoes or use just one type. This batch gives about 1 liter of tomato sauce. Continue reading “Tomato sauce” →