Lentil Barley Soup

There is a foggy mist draping the city like a cloud swallowing the sun, winter has come to the Southland and the City of Angels is cool and quite. On days like this a hot soup is like a mothers comforting embrace and so it is today I’m making lentil barley soup. Now I have to say this version or versions like are quite common here in the States but I wonder how many people realize that we have been cultivating lentils at least as far back as 10,000 years. Lentils and lentil paste are also often found in Egyptian tombs and around 6000 years ago in Greece they were harvesting lentils, barley and wheat and even made a kind of lentil soup called phake. The Romans served lentils to their soldiers on long marches, and the bible even talks about lentils. I could go on and on about lentils from their heath benefits as they are low in cholesterol, help to balance blood sugar, they are high in iron and sense they are also high in protein they make a great meat substitute. I could talk at length about their versatility as they are great in salads, are the perfect complement to duck comfit, they have a good starch content so they make great vegetarians style burgers and savory pan-fried lentil cakes, and of course they are great in soup or stew. Then there is their wonderful taste maybe I am exaggerating a bit but they seem to mix with everything, and make everything taste earthy and robust be it potatoes, goat cheese, feta cheese, or all on their own. And less I forget all various types of lentils from your typical brown lentil found in almost any grocery store here in North America to red lentils (Masoor daal, or dal) which are also quite common and can be found on most any Indian menu in town. There are the French style green lentils, one of my personal favorites black beluga lentils and the list just goes on an on!  But bottom line when I make a humble soup like lentil soup all of this and more is swirling through my head in equal parts passion and profound respect!

On a side note I can say that back in Europe I think my favorite version of this soup has to be Spanish style lentil soup with sausage and sometimes potatoes great stuff!! But here in L.A. there are a couple Indian lentil and/or dal soups from the sour katti dal to the fiery dal shorva I love! If you are a novice new to lentils think of this recipe I am making today simply as a jumping off point, enjoy it and enjoy you’re journey to come!

Shopping List

Beef, chuck or short ribs or stew meat

Lentils

Barley

Celery

Carrots

Onions

Garlic, optional

Thyme

Parsley

Leeks, optional

Salt and pepper

My Mad Method 

Ready to eat!!

Brown about 250g beef in 1 tsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, when browned set aside for the time being

Dice and brown celery, carrots and onions in what fat is left from the meat

 

Return the meat to the pot, heat through add 1 or 2 cloves garlic minced (optional)

Assemble a bouquet garni, I have some bones left over so I am tossing them in my spice packet

Add 2L beef stock or broth, 225g brown lentils, and the bouquet garni to the pot, bring to a boil skim off impurities and simmer covered for 45 minutes to an hour

Meanwhile cook 225g barley in lightly salted water for 45 minutes, drain it then add it to the soup and cook the soup 10 to 15 minutes longer, (I already have some barley precooked on hand)

Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste add chopped fresh parsley if desired garnish as you please, serve with a crispy bread and a light salad

 

Quiche Lorraine

Today I am baking a couple Quiche Lorraine’s for one of my regular customers who is planning on taking them with her all the way up to Oregon! As such I am simply using 8” disposable pie tins as apposed to a classic ceramic quiche form.

Quiche’s have been around for a long time more over savory based custard style dishes date back to the middle ages. Custard which gets its name from the term “croustade” referring to the shell or crust were quite popular in England at the time and to this day throughout most Europe you can find savory custard based puddings or casseroles in one form or another which are a staple of everyday European life.

As for Quiche Lorraine if you are a purest stick with lardon and custard, however nowadays onions or leeks along with cheese are typically added. I am using a combination of Emmentaler and Gruyère this style of quiche is known as “Quiche au Gruyère” I am also using a simple pie dough though you can make a traditional quiche crust (pâte brisee), or puff pastry, or add day old bread to your crust if you like.

For the custard you can follow whatever savory recipe you like so long as it consists of eggs and dairy, the recipe I am using is a company recipe one I can not divulge suffice it to say there is no crème fraîche in this one today…  

Shopping List

Bacon

Leeks

Swiss cheese

Eggs

Half and half

Pie crust, store bought or home made

Salt and white pepper

My Mad Method

Ready to serve!!

  

Line a pie tin with pie dough tucking it in well and marking the edges

Add about 100 – 125g fried and drained bacon

Add one leek cut and sautéed in the rendered bacon fat

 Add between 2 and 300g cheese, depending on personal taste

Add custard (see above) and fill almost up to the rim, remember it will rise and if you add to much it will over flow. Place in a 175c preheated oven and bake for about 30 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

Chef Mik's Wallenbergare

The Wallenbergare which is said to have ties to the Family Wallenberg is basically veal mousseline formed into a patty and pan-fried in clarified butter, think of it as a Swedish style veal burger if you will. Of course there are countless such combinations nowadays and they have become quite common throughout the region, but just how they all came about can leave your mind reeling! As for Sweden these types of ground meat patties are referred to as a “pannbiff” though there is a type of pannbiff simply called “pannbiff” which in turn is sort of a large flattened meatball served with onion gravy. In fact while there are several stories regarding who invented the American style hamburger one such story puts fourth the notion it was a Swedish immigrant or descendant named Lewis Lassen back in 1895 who came up with it on the fly in order to feed a customer on the run by slapping ground steak together frying it off and sticking in a bun. However this incarnation was not yet called a hamburger, ironically some ten years before hand at a fare a young man called his version which looked like a giant meatball a hamburger in order to appeal to the heavy German influx at the time. Yet perhaps my favorite concoction which for whatever reason congers images of gin joints, dimly lit pubs or saloons in my mind is referred to as “Biff ala Lindström”. Basically Biff ala Lindström is beef tartar assembled into a patty, pan fried in butter and served with either clarified butter or herb butter. The dish gets its name from one Captain Henrik Lindström who wanted to serve something Russian where he had spent much of his life to some Swedish friends at the hotel where he was staying back in the mid 1800's. legend has it that hotel serves it the same way to this day. On a side note Biff ala Lindström also popularized beets in Sweden which may have led to the beets first step in concurring the rest of Europe. Like I said leaves your mind reeling!

But I digress as for the Wallenbergare as I was saying it is basically a veal mousseline formed into a patty and pan fried. Now there a genius to this recipe in how practical it is, I should start off by adding this is by no means kosher and if you are sensitive please stop reading now. So with that, the genius in this dish comes in the form of the preciseness of the measurements (thank you metric system!) for every 100g of meat you add one egg yoke and one dl cream, how easy is that to remember? I love it when recipe is this easy to follow! Having said that there is the adage “know the rules first before you break them” and I do, well maybe not so much break them as bend them a little. I always say when people ask me why I bend the rules the way I do that being a purest is all good and well, but there is always a method to my madness! In this case I add egg yokes which act as the binder then slowly start adding cream a little at a time and stop when I’m happy with the consistency, may not be 1 for 1 for 1 but I always end up with a great finished product if I say so myself! There is however one rule which is imperative one follows and that is cooking on a low to moderate flame, this has to do with preventing bread crumbs from browning to quickly that act as the crust before the meat has a chance to cook all the way through, think of it as low and slow!

As for seasoning salt and white pepper are fine, some people will add a little ground cloves, allspice or Chinese five spice but not necessary. For the best results if you have any day old bread process that into breadcrumbs and use that though store bought is also fine.

This recipe yields 10 - 150g or 15 – 100/110g Wallenbergarer. For a more traditional service serve with potatoes, peas and lingonberries, alternatively serve however you like!

Shopping List

Ground veal

Heavy cream

Eggs

Bread crumbs

Seasoning, see above

Clarified butter

My Mad Method

 Ready to serve!!

Break 1.3kl ground veal up and add 13 egg yokes

Mix to combine either with a mixed using the dough hook attachment or by hand

Add 1.3L cream a little at a time (see above)

Add seasoning to taste, (see above)

Mix to distribute seasoning evenly but be careful not to overwork the meat

Scoop 100 to 150g portions and roll them in bread crumbs

Gently form them into patties and collect them on a covered sheet pan for easy clean up

Heat pan with a low to moderate flame; add clarified butter and working in batched add the patties presentation side down

Cooking slowly for about 6 to 8 minutes until golden to light brown flip the patties and continue cooking until cooked through

Transfer to a sheet pan covered in foil for easy clean up and store in warm (not hot oven) until service, at service time either pour a little melted clarified butter or strained pan drippings over the patties

 

Chef Mik’s Scandinavian Style Klenätter!

Klenätter sometimes referred to as kleiner or klejner are a traditional deep fried cookie sometimes finished with powdered sugar served in Northern Europe IE Scandinavia during the holiday season. Klenätter are similar to both Dutch koeksisters (fried braided dough finished in syrup) and New York/Jewish style cruller (fried pastry dough) although klenätter has no leavening agent other then eggs. 

Every holiday season we make batch after batch for the Swedish community here in L.A. including parties and events, the only other cookie we make as many of as klenätter this time of year would be gingerbread cookies which also happens to be one of the national cookies of Sweden! In both cases however the dough once formed is typically set aside to rest before being rolled out and worked. Having said that, experience has taught me it is sometimes harder rolling out chilled dough’s especially if the dough has been stored in the refrigerator for any length of time so what I often do is roll the dough out and cut first, then set it aside to let it rest. While I know this may not be text book or proper it is however easier…

On a personal note klenätter are one of my all-time favorite cookies, I highly recommend them as an addition to everyone’s holiday dinner. I can’t imagine the holidays without them!

Shopping List

Butter

Baker’s sugar, caster sugar is fine

Eggs

Cognac or brandy

Lemon zest

Cream

All purpose flour

Confectioners or powdered sugar

My Mad Method 

Ready to serve!!

  

Cream together 3 TBSP butter or margarine together with 1.5dl’s sugar

Add 2 whole eggs plus 2 egg yokes, and 3 TBSP cream

Add 1 tsp lemon zest and 1 TBSP cognac or brandy quickly mix to combine

Add 6 dl’s flour (or as needed) mix to a smooth dough (if the dough is slightly sticky that’s fine) allow the cookie dough time to rest 6 to 8 hours 

Transfer the dough to a clean and well dusted (with flour) work surface

 

Roll the dough out but not to thin or it may rip when you try a pick it up or fold it. (No thinner then a half a cm, try making one as a test pick it up and hold fold it if it holds together its good 

Cut out a diamond pattern

Cut a slit into the center of the diamond and fold one corner through the slit

Collect all of the klenätter on a sheet pan and preheat canola or vegetable oil for deep frying to 175 and 180c any higher and the cookies will brown to quickly

Fry the cookies in batches for about 3 to 4 minutes until golden to light brown

Drain the cookies well on paper towels
and allow time to cool before serving them