Tomorrow Norway celebrates its Constitution. Norwegians certainly know how to celebrate their National Day!

Hurray for Sweden’s neighbour-country and all the people of Norway on their National Day on the 17th of May!

A special warm greeting to my Norwegian friends!

INGREDIENTS:
Serves 6

* 6 slices of salmon fillets (150 grams/each)
* salt
* pepper

SAUCE:

* 5 dl (500 ml) crème fraiche
* 100 g red caviar
* 5 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
* lemon juice, freshly pressed
* salt
* black pepper
* ½ teaspoon sambal oelek

METHOD:
1. Combine sauce ingredients, taste with lemon juice, salt, pepper and sambal.
2. Set aside in the fridge for a while.
3. Sprinkle salmon fillets with salt and pepper
4. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Place fillets in the pan, grill about 3 minutes on each side.

Serve together with the sauce and fried potatoes.

(Norway continues to be the world’s largest salmon producer with increased production and export volumes. Salmon export in April 2007 was of 1,3 billion NOK (!). The volume increased with more than 6000 metric tons compared to April of 2006).

Now I am back home from Italy. I am back home from Rome, where I have spent some lovely weeks. Well, the hot weather was not always enjoyable. The well equipped apartment at 4th floor of an ancient building (without elevator) was located only a few steps from Piazza Campo de´ Fiori.

Piazza Campo de´Fiori is perhaps the most famous of Rome’s many markets. Here you can buy all your fresh fruit and vegetables. This is a square with many faces. In the morning: A colorful food market. In the mid-afternoon: The garbage trucks arrive and the square is cleaned by a large team of street cleaners. The garbage trucks generates very high noise levels. Late afternoon: Rather quite. At night: A very lively place with its bars, pizzerias, restaurants, street musicians, clowns and mime artists.

There was a historic food (butcher) shop (Antica Norcineria Viola), located on the ground floor of the old house where I was staying. This food shop have an excellent selection of cold cuts, and good Italian antipasti meats. “Sausage curtains” were hanging over the counter. The nice man behind the counter was very generous, and offered free taste of Italian pork sausages.

Antipasti

A lot of Italian dishes are of the quickly cooked, promptly eaten variety, and Italian dinners often begin with an antipasti. One night we visited a Vineria, ordered and had “antipasti “. However, afterwards we were too stuffed. There was no room in our stomachs for “secondo piatti” (main course) and “dolche” (dessert).

Next time I am inviting friends for a late evening snack, I am planning to invite them to an “Italian Antipasti Party”.

INGREDIENTS:

* A plate with assorted Italian cheeses.
* Assorted thinly sliced meats, such as salami, prosciutto and Parma ham.
* Small bowls with marinated olives.
* Red Italian wine.
* Lots of fresh bread, and a fruity olive oil, of course.

©2007 This post was created by Karin at My Recipes http://minareceptsamlingar.blogspot.com and has not been approved for use by any other site.

Bread is a necessary accompaniment to all meals. Often bread is served with Feta Cheese. Feta, which has been known in Greece for centuries, always accompanies their traditional country salad.

I won´t say this salad is a Greek dish even though many ingredients are items of a Greek Country Salad. I have been to Greece twice and never did I see Feta Custard on the menues. I wrote down this recipe several years ago and don´t remember where it originated. This salad is a meal in itself; tremendously tasty and healthy.

INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4

* 600 g salmon, cut into cubes
* salt and pepper
* olive oil

* 1 large tomato, cut into chunks
* ½ cucumber, cut into slices
* 1 red onion, cut into slices
* black olives
* green olives
* salt, pepper and sugar

CROUTONS:
* white bread, cut into roughfly 1 cm cubes
* 2 cloves garlic, grated
* olive oil

FETA CHEESE CUSTARD:
100 g Feta Cheese
1 dl (100 ml) milk
olive oil
basil, chopped
black pepper
( you may need salt depending on how salt the Feta is).

METHOD:
1. Fry the salmon in a frying pan of heated olive oil.
2. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Sprinkle some sugar on the tomato chunks & the cucumber slices.
4. As for the Feta Cheese Custard, heat the milk and Feta in a saucepan.
5. Run the mixture in a blender with some olive oil.
6. Salt, pepper and basil to taste.
7. Heat oil and garlic in the frying pan, add the bread cubes, fry until crisp.
8. Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl, sprinkle croutons on top.

Serve the salad with Feta Cheese Custard.

The hands did no longer want to bring food to the mouth, and the mouth did not want to receive it, and the teeth did no longer want to chew the food. And the feet meant, that they would no longer be at service by carrying the stomach back and forth. They were all very displeased with the constant toiting and moiting to please the stomach. It would be better if everyone minded their own business, and then you would see, how the useless stomach would manage on its own.

What became the result ? When the feet did not want to walk, the hands not work, the mouth not eat and the teeth not chew, the body started to decline.

Then all of them realised that the stomach had its work to do too. It did not only receive food, but also delivered nutricion to all the parts of the body. So, they all reconciled with the stomach. They all served each other again, and soon they were as hale and hearty as before.

Well, this was only an old fairy tale.

When my children were small and had a poor appetite, or when they were sick, I used to give them this nutricious orange juice drink.

1 GLASS
* 1 egg yolk
* ½ – 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 dl (100 ml) orange juice
* 1 – 1½ dl (100-150 ml) milk

METHOD:
1. Whisk together egg yolk and sugar until smooth.
2. Stir in orange juice.
3. Add milk, whisk until it is foamy.

Best served with crackers. Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4

* 1 large yellow onion
* 200 g fresh mushrooms
* 300 g ground meat
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 3 cloves garlic, pressed
* 2 teaspoons chinese soy
* 3 – 4 dl (300 – 400 ml) cream
* cayenne pepper
* salt

METHOD:
1. Chop the onion and slice the mushrooms thinly.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet, fry and crumble the ground meat.
3. Add onion and mushroom.
4. Lower the heat, simmer for 5 – 7 minutes, and give it a stir now and then.
5. Add garlic, and season to taste with cayenne pepper.
6. Stir in cream and soy.
7. Simmer, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.
8. Taste with salt.

Let´s have a Pasta Sauce Potlock Party!

There will be a large bowl with cooked tagliatelli, grated parmesan and salad on the table. I serve my sauce. You bring yours. I am thrilled! What will it be? A ragout or a sauce?

They thought it would be fun to collaborate to create a kickoff contest. Linda is giving away your choice of either a selection of Brazilian goodies or a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate, and Revka is giving away a free custom header.

So if you want a chance to win, join! Winners will be announced on May 25.