Sauces

Nordic Summer Herb Sauce

June 3, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

As we settle into June, it’s time to move into the season of effortless cooking. Or almost effortless anyway. The evenings are warm and inviting. There are walks to take, gardens to weed, lawns to mow, books to read….the last thing we need is to overcomplicate things in the kitchen. Not that we don’t want to eat delicious food! This is not a suggestion that we all turn to a steady diet of take out for the summer. What we need are a few tricks up our sleeve, like this sexy little sauce, that make even the most basic meals very NOT basic. Allow me to introduce you to my Nordic Summer Herb Sauce.

I’ve been playing around with this sauce for weeks. My first version had toasted bread and a good amount of toasted almonds in it. This one was really paste-like and almost like a savory almond butter. Definitely not what I was looking for. I ditched the bread and tried it with fewer almonds. This gave the sauce more of a pesto vibe. It was good, but still not quite what I was after. In the end I ended up with something more akin to Italian salsa verde. Not the tomatillo-based Mexican style salsa for tacos and tortilla chips (also delicious, though), but an olive oil based sauce that is made with chopped fresh parsley, capers, garlic and lemon. Traditionally served on grilled meats (flank steak, I’m looking at you) and vegetables, this sauce is the summertime pick-me-up for just about anything savory. I’ve added a little dill to give it that Nordic touch, and toasted the garlic to mellow it out slightly. It is otherwise very true to its original Italian form. Some ideas for putting it into action:

Spoon over grilled steak, chicken or fish
Use as a condiment for a grilled burger
Drizzle on grilled or roasted vegetables
Spoon over freshly sliced tomatoes from the garden
Drizzle on avocado toast with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Spoon over eggs
Stir into steamed green beans
Drizzle over boiled new potatoes

*On top of avocado toast with a squeeze of lemon* and a sprinkle of sea salt

And that’s just for starters! The options really are endless, especially with all of those fresh summer vegetables heading our way in the next few weeks. So I’m just going to leave the recipe for this versatile little sauce right here for you when you need it. Our summer meals just got easier, tastier and little more exciting.

Nordic Summer Herb Sauce

A lively olive oil-based sauce with parsley, dill, capers, toasted garlic and lemon zest. The perfect way to perk up easy summer meals!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 1/2 cup
Category: sauce
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Ingredients

1 clove of garlic, unpeeled

Zest of ½ of lemon

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

⅓ cup finely chopped Italian parsley leaves

1 tablespoon capers, finely chopped

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

In a small skillet or saucepan, place unpeeled garlic clove and toast over medium low until the garlic softens and the peel becomes spotty brown, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once garlic is cool enough to handle, remove peel and mince.
Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Keywords: herb, sauce, salsa verde, dill, parsley, summer, capers

Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

March 29, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

It’s gloomy today and the rain falls steadily as I write. The last of the snow has finally melted and the daffodils are peeking up through the earth. My favorite magnolia tree in the backyard is filled with velvety buds, patiently waiting for her all too brief moment of blossoming. Change is afoot, both outside and in my kitchen as we transition to the early days of spring.

We are a ways out from fresh strawberries and rhubarb here in Nebraska, but the displays in the market tell me that somewhere not too far from here they are already bountiful. I can’t think of a better way to kick off this season of rebirth and renewal than with this Roasted Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote. Think of it as that perfect accessory that you can put with just about anything and elevate it from ordinary to extraordinary. Like a favorite scarf or necklace but edible. A batch of this compote will keep for at least two weeks in the fridge and will cheerfully adorn just about anything you choose to pair with it.

*Like Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp for breakfast!*

You may choose to:

Use it in place of jam on your morning toast

Slather it on top of rye crispbread with cream cheese for afternoon fika (don’t forget the coffee!)
Warm it slightly and spoon it over ice cream

Spoon a dollop next to your favorite granola and yogurt (it’s like having strawberry rhubarb crisp for breakfast!)

You get the idea. Enjoy these early spring days, my friends! They are fleeting. Soon it will be hot and humid and we will long for this in between season of fresh earth, cloudy skies and new beginnings.

Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

A cheerful spring topping for just about anything!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
Category: sauce
Method: roasted
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and halved if small, quartered if large

2 cups chopped rhubarb stalks, fresh or frozen

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup water

Pinch of salt

½ vanilla bean

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all ingredients except vanilla bean in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Using a small knife, slice down one side of the vanilla bean lengthwise so that it opens like a book. Using the back of the knife, scrape the black seeds from the inside of the split vanilla bean pod and place in the baking dish. Add the pod as well.
Stir everything together. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir mixture. Return to the oven and roast for another 20 minutes or until fruit is bubbly, extremely soft and falling apart.
Remove the vanilla bean pod. Using a potato masher or the back of a fork, lightly mash the fruit mixture until it is a jam-like consistency. Allow to cool. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Keywords: Strawberry, Rhubarb, Compote, Sauce, Jam, Roasted, Nordic, Scandinavian,

Herbed Yogurt Sauce

March 8, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

This versatile sauce is an excellent one to have in your kitchen repertoire. Easy and packed with garlic and herb flavor, it goes nicely with all manner of vegetables, as a sauce for your lunchtime smørrebrød, or stirred into cooked lentils or chickpeas. You can play around with the types of tender herbs you use here. I chose dill and chives for spring, but come summer I might use basil, Italian parsley or cilantro. Or a combination of all three!

Herbed Yogurt Sauce

A creamy, garlicky, herby sauce that goes nicely with just about everything.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
Category: sauce
Cuisine: scandinavian, nordic

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, minced with a little salt and mashed to a paste using the side of your knife

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup chopped dill

¼ cup chopped chives

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with salt to taste. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use, preferably at least an hour or so to allow the flavors to marry. The sauce can be stored for up to three days refrigerated.

Notes

Adapted from In my Kitchen by Deborah Madison.

Keywords: yogurt, sauce, dill, chives