Höstig Pasta Salad

The Swedish language, is amazing. They take any old word and turn it into an adjective. Like Höst, meaning Fall, for instance. When wanting to describle something "fall like" they simply add the equivalent to our "y" and suddenly have, "fally"...? Personally, I think it stems from lack of creativity. But whatever the case, I dig it. It makes for a lesser vocabulary, and in turn a more quiet type of folk.

Being your typical loud American, it took a while to find that balance, between silent Swede and big mouth. I found that balance through cooking. While cooking, I keep quiet and when finished, I get to write about it...which is my silent form of flapping my gums.

NEEDS:
-1 package whole wheat, spiral pasta, cooked, drained and set aside.
-1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped and steamed until barely tender (about 10 mins)
-2 large red beets, peeled, chopped and steamed
-1 large yellow pepper, washed and chopped
-Few handfuls of fresh, mixed greens, washed
-1 tbl olive oil, S&P to taste

To Do:
Cook it all up throw into a big pretty bowl and toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Voilá!

Chantarelle Soppa

Sweden's woods grow wild with Chantarelles. Sadly enough, I had never seen one before coming here. But once my first Fall hit...they were everywhere. Shops, outdoor markets, under my feet and in my refridgerator. Andreas (the hubs) loves them. He pan fries them in plenty of butter and places a generous heap atop a buttered piece of toast, topping it off with a sprinkle of herb salt. The sight sickened me at first. But once I overcame my stubborness, I took a taste and fell head over heels. This mushroom in unlike any other, in a very fine way. So when my dear husband wanted to make a Chantarelle cream soup, I stood behind him...despite the fact, that warm milky things are my worst nightmare. And because he loves me so, he replaced the heavy cream with oat cream. (available most anywhere if you jut take a look) It was delightful, extremely simple and contains half the cholesterol and fat of any normal "cream of" soup.

NEEDS:
5 handfuls of fresh Chantarelle mushrooms, washed well
2 shallots, chopped
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup "heavy" oat cream or alternatively any lactose free heavy cream
1 1/2 vegetable boullion cubes
1 tbl soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

To Do:
Dissolve boullion cubes in the water
Fry the washed mushrooms in about 1 tbl of butter, in a large saucepan
Add shallot and cook until the shallot is clear
Add your "veggie stock", cream, soy sauce and let simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fresh Rolls

I'm not going to lie, these things are a bitch to make. But once in a while...they're oh so worth it. I was first exposed to these super fresh, super tasty little rolls at a small Thai hole-in-the-wall, in the sweet city of Portland, Maine. Never thinking about the how-to's, I was re-exposed during my time on Maui where we made them ourselves. Being fish eating "vegetarians" we used insanely fresh ahi tuna. Nowadays...living in Sweden and eating a little more meat, I use chicken. One could also use tofu or go really raw and avocado it up. Anyway you dish em, they're delectable. You can find all ingredients at your local Asian foods market. So go there and buy everything you can find.

Needs:

Rice Paper

1/2 a package of Rice Noodles

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small strips

Fresh Sugar Snap Peas

3 Grated Carrots

1 European Cucumber, diced

Fresh or Frozen Mango

1 Bunch of Fresh Mint, finely chopped

1 Bunch of Fresh Coriander, finely chopped

2 tbl Olive Oil

1 tbl Grated Ginger

1 small Red Chili Pepper, diced

Squirt of Lime Juice

Thai Chili Sauce

To Do:

-Fry chicken (or tofu) in olive oil, lime juice, ginger and chili...set aside.

-Prepare all of your veg.

-Cook rice noodles according to instructions, drain and set side.

-Soak each rice paper in hot water for about 30 seconds, remove from water and hang over a large bowl or pot to dry. Make sure your papers are completely dry before using. They should be relatively sticky in order for them to hold together. This is the tough part, and it does take some time. Once good and sticky, carefully place one on a large plate. Place about 2 tbl worth of noodles in center of paper, leaving at least 1 inch on either end. Pour a small amount of chili sauce over noodles, add a few strips of chicken, cucumber, carrot, mango, peas, coriander and mint.

-Start by folding each end over your filling, then carefully fold one side and roll.

-Makes 15 rolls

Note:

Start out with less filling rather than more. These do take a bit of practice before reaching perfection. The more you do, the better they become.