Wild Blueberries on the Stockholm Archipelagos

We've just recently come back from an amazing trip in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Riga, St. Petersburg and Tallinn. There were so many amazing food experiences going on in these countries but I have so say one of the most memorable food experiences was the wealth of gorgeous berries growing around. Berries were sold in big punnets in street stalls for very cheap in Sweden, Denmark and in Riga and we are a lot of berries.

On only our second day after arriving in Scandinavia we took a little day trip out to the Stockholm Archipelagos. We only had one day so we picked an archipelago called Grinda which was a quite small island with lots of lovely plants and animals all over it. It took us a couple of hours by ferry to get out there but it was a lovely place to spend the day.

We strolled all over the whole island and had lunch by the water. A couple of little friends stopped to watch us have lunch, hanging around hoping for some crumbs.

After lunch we went on a long walk over the island down a narrow little walking track through forests and over rocky outcrops. But along the way we happened to spy this.... See all those little shrubs growing all over the ground? They turned out to be.... blueberry bushes! They were everywhere, a carpet of blueberry bushed all over the forest floor.

Not only were they blueberry plants... they were covered in little tiny blueberries. They were small and tangy blueberries and absolutely delicious. We ate handful after handful of them as we walked along!

Sweets in Sweden - A Photographic Diary

Coming home from overseas holidays is always a mix of feelings for me. Usually I'm quite glad to get home to my own bed, my own shower, my own kitchen, my veggie garden and my own language. Travel can be so exhausting even when it's the best time of your life! On the other hand when you're away seeing amazing things, eating awesome new foods and spending your afternoons relaxing in cafes watching people go by, it's hard to come to terms with the idea of going back to the old normal and (comparatively!) boring everyday life back home. This trip it was especially difficult to come home - Europe was summery, delicious, full of great people and wonderful things to see. Coming home to winter and all the boring things that so often fill our time ("We'd better go and see the bank about that account", "I really should call that store and chase up that refund they haven't given me yet", "The car insurance is due", "Oh, you've been called for jury duty.....again") was so not appealing - especially as we were having unseasonably warm and sunny weather in Sweden, Denmark & Norway.

But - back I am! It's not so bad, really. I'm actually really happy to be back at work (which some may find it hard to believe - but really I love my job!), the weather has actually been really nice (more like spring than winter) and we're having some gatherings for my upcoming birthday. It's also probably good for my waistline to be home - because oh my goodness we ate a lot of food. The food was so amazing! Particularly in Sweden, Denmark, Tallinn (Estonia) and Riga (Latvia). Yes, we indulged a lot. After all, I'm only going to have the chance to taste all these things once right?

I remember having a conversation with a friend of mine who had studied in Sweden when I was doing Swedish Food Month on the blog. She said "the Swedes have an insane sweet tooth - and their sweets are soooo good!". She was right - there were amazing cakes and tarts everywhere you went. I've put together a photographic diary for you.

A quick note: These cakes are not very vegan friendly - but I think every one of them could easily be made vegan (and I'll be giving it a go, you can be sure!). So if you're one of my vegan readers then just imagine the vegan versions and let your mouths water anyway :)

Firstly - Kladdkaka. The classic Swedish chocolate cake. It's name translates as "Sticky Cake" - rich, gooey and absolutely fantastic. I made a vegan version of Kladdkaka for Swedish Food Month and I'm pleased to say the real thing tasted pretty much the same! I ate quite a bit of Kladdkaka during our time in Sweden!

Chokladdbolls (Chocolate Balls) are another Swedish delight which I made for my Swedish Food Month so I was excited to try the real thing when I got there. Of course, mine were a tad differently because I added some aniseed spirits to it, but otherwise they tasted pretty much the same. Although, now that I have seen the real thing I can see that I rolled mine way too small - next time I'll make them at least twice the size! Here are my vegan Chokladdarraksbolls :)

A speciality of Visby in Gotland, this Saffranspannkaka. The name literally translates as "Saffron Pancake", but it's not a great translation because it's not what we would call a pancake. It's more of a sweet rice pudding which is cooked in a pan and served in slices like a cake. Served with solberry jam and whipped cream, it was something pretty special - I'm also thinking it would be pretty easy to veganize!

Another Visby speciality - Wisbytårta (literally "Visby Cake"). Rich and unbelievably delicious, this tart like cake is served in small slices because it's so rich and is perfect with the fresh raspberries on the side. 

In Göteborg, we found the most amazing cake shop. Piles and piles of cakes and biscuits, rows of pies and tarts and pretty much everything you might want ever. It's almost too much, how could you pick what to have when it all looks so amazing?

The same shop in Göteborg.

The same shop in Göteborg.

In Malmö - another tough choice at an amazing cake shop. I had the Pecan Cheesecake: awesome. 

In Malmö.

In Malmö.

Of course, if you're not in the mood for cake there is always plenty of this too:

And just in case things weren't sweet enough around here, I thought I'd share this with you. Check out the pick'n'mix lollies section of a convenience store in Lund. It was actually bigger than this - there was another whole row that I couldn't fit in the picture. Some choice!!

Swedish Food Month

It has been a bit delayed this month but I'm finally posting my summary of all the delicious Swedish Food that I've featured this month. I love writing these summary posts at the end of the month - they remind me of all the good (and some bad) things I've learnt from exploring a culture whose cuisine I previously knew very little of. I didn't know much at all about Swedish Food, except for Swedish Meatballs and that they eat a lot of fish. So it has been a lot of learning going on for me in August!

It has generally all been very positive though, albeit very heavy foods! The creamy dishes loaded with carbs did sit a bit heavy in my stomach - but that is probably because I ate them all together! I'm sure that having one or two of these rich dishes a week wouldn't feel nearly so heavy. I'm also glad to report that everything that I tried this month worked very well! Usually every month I make about 8-10 dishes and inevitably at least one is a but of a dud, or sometimes my "ingenious" vegan modifications just don't work out that well. But Sweden is only the second month so far (the other was Bosnia Month) that I have posted every recipe which I made.

~Savoury~

Yellow Split Pea Soup

I started Sweden Month with a soup which was lovely for a chilly Sydney winter. This common Swedish soup is sometimes made vegetarian and sometimes made using ham or bacon to flavour. It is traditionally eaten for lunch and served with pancakes and whipped cream! I didn't have time to whip up pancakes for my lunch with this, but I hope to try the combination one day! Check out the recipe here.

Vegan Smorgastarta

This smörgåstårta was definitely the hit of the month - both with my readers and with my dinner guests! It's a Swedish sandwich cake, made with layers of bread filled with traditional sandwich ingredients and "frosted" with cream cheese and avocado before being adorned with colourful delicious fresh ingredients. It was so much fun to make and absolutely impressive to serve up to guests! Check out the recipe here.

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Sweden was requested for me to feature on the blog by three separate readers, and amongst them it was specifically requested that I should post up some vegan Swedish meatballs. I did a lot of research at the recipes that were already out there and none of them seemed like they would be quite what I was looking for - so I devised my own. They were absolutely delicious, although I won't lie to you and tell you that it was just like eating actual meatballs. Delicious in their own right! Check out the recipe here.

Jansson's Temptation

Finding good vegan-appropriate recipes from Sweden was difficult. The food is heavy on meat (especially fish) and cream. So, in order to experiment with Swedish savoury dishes I have to do a bit of adapting. This Jansson's Temptation is the ultimate adaptation! The original dish is a creamy potato bake flavoured with sprats (a salty preserved fish similar to anchovies). I made this creamy and rich vegan version using capers instead to give the little bursts of tangy salty flavour. It turned out great and is going into my regular meal repertoire. Check out the recipe here.

Cardamom Braid

One thing I certainly did plenty of when cooking Swedish dishes this month is baking bread! This cardamom braid was fantastic, I am definitely going to make it again. It's also a very easy, no-need-to-knead recipe, which makes it a good choice for first time bread makers. Check out the recipe here.

Garlicy Field Mushrooms with Rödkål 

Rödkål was also requested to me by a reader, and I was happy to oblige! Rödkål is a delicious sweet and sour cabbage and apple dish which is quick and easy to prepare. I felt, however, that an accompaniment was in order so that I wasn't just sitting down to lunch to eat a bowl of cabbage! The juice garlic field (portobello) mushroom was the perfect partner and it made a great lunch! Check out the recipe here.

~Sweet~

Chokladdarraksbolls

Chocolate balls, or chokladdbolls, are (according to the internet!) a common sweet from Sweden. When I first read about them I knew I definitely wanted to include them this month! However, then I read about Arraksbolls, balls flavoured with arrak, an aniseed flavoured spirit. I couldn't decide which ones to make! Then I realised I didn't have to decide - I just made Chokladdarraksbolls :) Chocolate balls flavoured with aniseed. Easy and delicious. Check out the recipe here.

Cranberry and Almond Semla

One thing that my friend who had recently visited Sweden raved about was Semla. Cream buns filled with almond paste or lingonberry jam. So I knew that I had to give it a try - although my version is far from anything you are likely to find in Sweden, I imagine! Firstly, I substituted vegan cream of course, secondly, I don't actually like almond paste and I can't buy lingonberry jam anywhere near me! So I used chopped almonds and cranberry sauce instead. They were delicious, even if a little removed from the traditional dish! Check out the recipe here.

Kladdkaka

Last but definitely not least! This was my favourite of all the Swedish desserts, although it's a tough call! But I'm a sucker for a chocolately, rich, gooey cake! This cake is a bit like a big round brownie. The idea behind kladdkaka is that it is slightly undercooked, which makes the inside deliciously gooey whilst the edges are cooked and chewy. To me it is perfection on a plate and I couldn't recommend it more! Check out the recipe here.


So, that's all of them! Tell me, what did you think of Sweden Month? Which dish do you think looks the best?

So - What's next?

Next month I'm glad to announce that I'll be heading back to the middle east and featuring dishes from the wonderful cuisine of Afghanistan! I'm really excited about this one, I can't wait to try their dishes and share them with you as I go! Normally I try to be a bit organised and have something already cooked and photographed so that I can give you a sneak peak, but I haven't managed that this time. So - here is a hint at what you're going to be seeing a lot of this month!

Garlicky Field Mushrooms with Rödkål (Swedish Sweet and Sour Cabbage)

It's time to shed a tear and close another chapter on the wonderful world food challenge. This month I have been learning so much about cooking Swedish food - a cuisine I had never even thought about cooking before. I've discovered some amazing dishes which I never would have known about - so thank you to Zane (and the 2 other people) who requested Sweden to be featured. 

I'm ending the month with a real gem, it's easy to prepare and makes a fantastic lunch, or dinner (just add some steamed green to the side and you're done for dinner!). I'm posting it at the very last minute this month, because it was a late addition. Rödkål was requested of me by a reader who particularly loved my Smörgåstårta, so I obliged with a version of my own.  Rödkål is very simple -it's red cabbage with vinegar, red wine, brown sugar, apple and some spices. Very easy.

I've chosen to use ground caraway in this recipe, so that the caraway flavour is more evenly incorporated into the dish. You can also used caraway seeds in it's place, which will change the dynamic slightly as you will get little bursts of caraway flavour as you chew the seeds. Both options are nice. I have also included the caraway  in this dish because it has carminative effects, making it the perfect partner with cabbage. However, if you're still worried about the gassy nature of cabbage then you should accompany this dish with some of my Cabbage-is-my-friend Tea, which I devised back when I was doing Croatia Month and eating a LOT of cabbage!

I have to thank my amazing friend Oscar who lives in Sweden - not only for being a sounding board for my ideas on Swedish dishes, but also for sending me fantastic Sweden themed cooking aids for my birthday!

Finally, I decided that rather than sit down and eat a bowl of tangy sweet and sour cabbage (it is more suited to a side dish than main meal), I would need something to accompany it. Mushrooms are a perfect choice because all the things that go fantastically well with mushrooms are already in the cabbage (balsamic vinegar, red wine), so it was a logical pairing. It was delicious - you really must eat it with the mushroom because the compliment each other perfectly!

Ingredients

Don't worry too much about quantities, just add more or less of whatever you like until you get it the way you like it!

Rödkål

1/4 red cabbage, cored and shredded

1 large green apple, peeled, cored and sliced.

1 cup red wine

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground caraway

Mushies

4 large field mushrooms (also called Portobello)

2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp nuttelex (or other non dairy margarine)
Salt and pepper to taste

To Make
1. Preheat an oven/grill to 150 degrees.
2. Place all the ingredients for the rödkål in a saucepan and cover with a lid. Place over a medium heat and simmer for about 40 minutes.
3. While that is cooking, wash your mushrooms and trim any of the stem that is woody and tough.
4. Cut about 8-10 slits in the top of your mushrooms and insert the slices of raw garlic, you may have to cut out a little wedge of mushroom in order to fit the garlic slices in.

5. Melt the nuttelex in a frypan and lightly fry the mushrooms for a few minutes on either side. 

6. Prepare a baking tray with a spray of cooking oil or with a sheet of baking paper. Transfer the mushrooms to the tray and bake in the oven for about 15 mins.

7. Place a mushroom on each plate, season to taste with salt and pepper and then pile it up with a big heap of rödkål.

Serve immediately, serves 4.

This month I'm featuring lots of amazing recipes from Sweden!

Check out my other Swedish recipe posts:

Ärtsoppa (Split Pea & Mustard Soup)

Vegan Smörgåstårta (Swedish Sandwich Cake)

Chokladdarraksbolls (Chocolate & Aniseed Balls)

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Almond and Cranberry Semla

Jansson's Temptation (Creamy Potato Bake)

No-Knead Cardamom Braid 

Kladdkaka (Gooey Chocolate Cake!)

Vegan Kladdkaka (Gooey Swedish Chocolate Cake)

Only 2 days left of August! The year is going by so fast, we're almost into all the months that end with "ber" and to me that means that Xmas is practically here. There are also only 2 days left in Swedish Food month on this blog, which is sad in a way - although I'm sure my body won't mind eating less carbs, rich foods and chocolatey creamy desserts! It is just as well that Sweden month fell in winter, as I'm not sure how I would have coped with the rich and heavy foods during Sydney's summer months!

I've left my favourite Swedish dessert of the month until last. It's absolutely deliciously decadent! Kladdkaka is essentially a rich chocolate cake which is left slightly undercooked, so that the outer edge is chewy like a brownie and the inside is still gooey. It is very easy to make and is one hell of a fantastic comfort food! It's just like a big gooey chocolate brownie. What is not to love about that?

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup almond meal
1/8 tsp nutmeg
150g nuttelex (or other non dairy margarine)
2 tbsp golden syrup
1/2 cup almond milk (you can sub soy milk)
100g dark chocolate (vegan variety), chopped up
Chopped almonds to garnish (or other nuts if you like)

To Make
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, almond meal and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.
3. Put the nuttelex and golden syrup in a saucepan and put over a low heat to melt.
4. Stir in the almond milk and heat until it is almost simmering, the milk should be hot but not simmering.
5. Remove from the heat and stir through the chopped chocolate. Stir continuously until all the chocolate has melted.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.
7. Grease a 22-23cm springform cake tin and line the bottom with greaseproof baking paper.
8. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 20-22 minutes. The edges should be cooked and a skewer/knife should come out clean when inserted. The middle will be gooey.
9. Allow to cool a little. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Can be eaten warm or cold, great served with vanilla ice cream.

Makes 1 cake.

~TIPS~
~ Remove the sides of the springform pan and then just serve it still resting on the base. As the middle is gooey it is not very stable and your cake may not respond well to being moved, so just leave it on the base to serve.

This month I'm featuring lots of amazing recipes from Sweden!

Check out my other Swedish recipe posts:

Ärtsoppa (Split Pea & Mustard Soup)

Vegan Smörgåstårta (Swedish Sandwich Cake)

Chokladdarraksbolls (Chocolate & Aniseed Balls)

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Almond and Cranberry Semla

Jansson's Temptation (Creamy Potato Bake)

No-Knead Cardamom Braid 

Garlicy Field Mushrooms with Rödkål 

Swedish Cardamom Braid (No Kneading Needed!)

I love making my own bread. It feels so homely and satisfying! However, it also takes a bit of practice to get it right unfortunately. One of the things that I always used to struggle with is finding a nice warm spot in which to let the dough rise. If you also find this difficult then you should check out the solution that I've developed here. But if you have always shied away from making bread because you think it might be too hard - then this is the bread for you. It has no kneading involved, doesn't actually need to rise and it absolutely delicious.

Sweden has been a rather 'bready' month for me actually! I began by baking my own bread for the absolutely fantastic Smörgåstårta (click on that link just to check it out - seriously you'll be missing out if you don't!) and then I made my own little cardamom buns for the lovely Cranberry and Almond Semla. So this is the third bready instalment for this delicious month. I thought it was particularly delicious and I will be definitely making it again! I think I might trying to put some nuts or seeds in it next time to give it some crunch, or perhaps some dried fruit to make it a fruit loaf.

This recipe actually isn't mine, one of the very first recipes I've put up here that I haven't created myself. I found the recipe here when doing research for Swedish food month. I made some minor changes, but it is largely the same because I tend not to mess too much with bread recipes. If you start to diddle with the quantities of things or add or remove too many things then you run the risk of it simply not working.

Ingredients
Adapted from Vegetarian Times
2 cups almond milk
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tbsp dried yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cardamom
5 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

To Make
1.Stir together the almond milk, flaxseed, agave nectar, canola oil, yeast, salt and cardamom together in a non reactive bowl.
2. Add flour and mix well with a wooden spoon. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and leave to rest at room temperature for 4-6 hours. You can refrigerate it after the first few hours if you want, but I didn't find it necessary.
3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
4. Turn out the dough and divide into three equal portions. Roll into thick ropes about 40-50cm long.
5. Move the three pieces of dough onto the lined tray side by side. Pinch the ends together at the top and braid the ropes together, pinching the ends together when you get to them.
6. Cover the braided loaf with a tea towel and leave to rest for 30-40 mins.
7. While it is resting preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until nicely golden on top.

Makes 1 loaf.

This month I'm featuring lots of amazing recipes from Sweden!

Check out my other Swedish recipe posts:

Ärtsoppa (Split Pea & Mustard Soup)

Vegan Smörgåstårta (Swedish Sandwich Cake)

Chokladdarraksbolls (Chocolate & Aniseed Balls)

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Almond and Cranberry Semla

Jansson's Temptation (Creamy Potato Bake)

Kladdkaka (Gooey Chocolate Cake!)

Garlicy Field Mushrooms with Rödkål 

Vegan Jansson's Temptation (Creamy Potato Bake)

Jansson's Frestelse (Jansson's Temptation) is a Swedish potato bake which is traditionally flavoured with sprats, which are a type of salty preserved fish. In most Anglicised versions of this dish the sprats are replaced with anchovies (much more readily available). However, this is a vegan version - so it obviously doesn't use either sprats or anchovies. In their place I have used tangy salty capers, which were absolutely delicious - even if they're not that authentic!

A creamy potato bake is something which is generally missing in a vegan's repertoire! So, it's nice to have created this one to fill that void! It's delicious! Creamy potato with bursts of tangy capers all flavoured with a sprinkle of dill. Try this - it's easy and very satisfying!

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes, peeled and sliced (1 cm width)

1 lg onions, thinly sliced (still round)

400g silken tofu

1 cup blanched almonds (soaked in water for 30-60 mins, then drained)

1 clove garlic, crushed
4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp arrowroot
Pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 cups almond milk
2 tbsp chopped dill
1/3 cup capers

To Make
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Combine the the almonds, garlic, lemon juice and 1/2 cup almond milk in a food processor. Process until smooth and the almonds aren't gritty.
3. Add the tofu, salt, nutmeg, arrowroot and the rest of the almond milk. Process to form a smooth creamy sauce.
4. Layer half the sliced potatoes on the bottom of a large baking dish. Top this with a layer of the sliced onions.
5. Sprinkle the capers and the chopped dill over the top of the onions. Layer the remaining potatoes over the top.
6. Pour the creamy sauce over the top of all of it, covering all the potato evenly.
7. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender to pierce.
8. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the top is browned (if you have an oven with elements that separate then you may wish to switch it to a "top-only" setting to aid this). Serve.

Serves 4, or 6 as a side dish. Perfect to bring to a family gathering or a potluck!

This month I'm featuring lots of amazing recipes from Sweden!

Check out my other Swedish recipe posts:

Ärtsoppa (Split Pea & Mustard Soup)

Vegan Smörgåstårta (Swedish Sandwich Cake)

Chokladdarraksbolls (Chocolate & Aniseed Balls)

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Almond and Cranberry Semla

No-Knead Cardamom Braid 

Kladdkaka (Gooey Chocolate Cake!)

Garlicy Field Mushrooms with Rödkål 

Vegan Lingonberry and Almond Cream Buns (Swedish Semla)

I recently had the pleasure of catching up with a good friend who I hadn't seen for years! Amy and I constantly miss each other because we are both travel fanatics, so it seems that one of us is always overseas. Luckily we managed to find a time to finally have lunch together, and not surprisingly, we talked most of the time about travel.

Amy, conveniently, had spent six months studying in Sweden - so I was able to pick her brain a bit about Swedish food - which was well timed because August is Swedish food month on Gormandize. It has thus far been a delicious exploration of dishes - see the links at the bottom of this post for other recipes. Most of my past recipes have focused on the savoury side of Swedish cuisine. However, not including some amazing desserts would be doing Sweden an injustice, as Amy reports that the Swedes "have an insane sweet tooth".

During our catchup Amy raved about Semla. Cream buns filled with almond paste which are eaten in Sweden only during certain times of the year. Reportedly (by wikipedia - so likely it's false) King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died in 1771 of indigestion after consuming a feast which included fourteen servings of semla!

This recipe is dedicated to Amy then, and to all Swedes! I hope I did it justice - however, I have made some slight changes from the traditional. Firstly, I don't actually like almond paste - so there was no way I was going to put it in my buns, so I did something very un-traditional and opted for chopped almonds instead. Another fabulous friend of mine who lives in Sweden told me that sometimes Semla can be filled with lingonberry jam. You might not find it that easy to find, though. I am told that the best substitute is cranberry sauce, as it is tart and traditionally used in savoury dishes (as is lingonberry jam). So I went with Almond and Lingonberry Semla filled with vegan whipped coconut cream.

For a more authentic dish, fill with marzipan. 

Ingredients

(Adapted from The Vegan Swedes)

75g Nuttelex (or other vegan margarine)

250ml almond milk

1 tbsp dried yeast

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 3/4 cups plain white flour

1/4 cup whole almonds

8 tsp lingonberry jam (can substitute cranberry sauce)

1 can coconut cream, chilled in the fridge overnight (minimum- a few days is optimum)

1 tablespoons soft confectioners sugar

To Make
1. Melt the nuttelex in a small saucepan and add the almond milk. Heat until just warm and then remove from the heat. Add the yeast and set aside for a few moments.
2. Add the salt, sugar, cardamom and mix though.
3. Add most of the flour and mix through. Add enough of the flour that the dough clings together and doesn't stick to the bowl (don't add too much).
4. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for 45 minutes in a warm spot with no draught (not sure where this spot is or how to make it happen - read this post to get it right every time).
5. After 45 minutes it should have doubled in size (if not leave a little longer). Turn out onto a flour bench and gently knead it (add more flour if it is still sticking to your fingers).
6. Divide into 8 even round buns. Place on trays covered with baking paper, with plenty of space in between for them to rise again.
7. Cover over with a cloth and leave again in your nice warm spot for another 45 minutes, they should rise again to almost double their size.
8. Bake in an oven at 220 degrees C for 5 minutes, turning them halfway to ensure even cooking.
9. Remove and cool completely.
10. While they are cooling you can whip the cream -

Coconut Cream Topping:

1. When you open the tin you will notice that the top is a very solid thick cream. Scoop out all of the solid thick cream on top (you can reserve the rest of it to use in another meal – like a curry).

2. Put the thick cream into a bowl and mix well using a hand held electric mixer. Move the beaters up and down to try and get as much air into the cream as possible. Add the sugar and beat until it pretty much resembles thick cream.

11. Once the buns are completely cool, cut the tops off and scoop out the middle crumbs.
12. Chop up the almonds and mix them with some of the crumbs that you scooped out the middle.
13. Place a teaspoon of lingonberry jam in the cavity of each bun. Top this with as much of the almond and crumbs mix that you can cram on top.
14. Place big dollops of whipped cream on the top and place the top of the bun back on. Dust it with icing sugar and eat with joy!

Makes 8 Semla, best eaten on the day you make them.

This month I'm featuring lots of amazing recipes from Sweden!

Check out my other Swedish recipe posts:

Ärtsoppa (Split Pea & Mustard Soup)

Vegan Smörgåstårta (Swedish Sandwich Cake)

Chokladdarraksbolls (Chocolate & Aniseed Balls)

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Jansson's Temptation (Creamy Potato Bake)

No-Knead Cardamom Braid 

Kladdkaka (Gooey Chocolate Cake!)

Garlicy Field Mushrooms with Rödkål 

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

I apologise - this is not the best photo that I have ever posted! The main reason behind this is because I cooked these for a dinner party which meant that a) it was evening when I finished them - so the light was bad, and b) we just wanted to eat it and not wait around while I took glam shots. It's just meatballs with 'creamy' gravy anyway, so not the most glamorous subject to photograph!

When Sweden was requested as a country I was specifically asked to create a vegan meatball recipe, and here is my best shot! There are a couple of recipes on the net for vegan meatballs, I looked around a bit as I started. But none of them really looked good to me. Most of them were basically meatball recipes which used some sort of vegan "mince" product - i.e. heavily processed soy or TVP which generally costs more than actually buying meat. I prefer something a bit more original and a little less processed. I did find one recipe that used black beans, which I'm sure would have been delicious but I don't think would have been quite the right texture.

What I ended up was a completely original concoction which made surprisingly delicious meatballs! I'm not going to lie to you - they don't have exactly the same texture of meat meatballs. I'm not sure anything would have the same texture as meat meatballs. What I can say is that they were delicious! They also held together perfectly when I rolled them and fried them even with absolutely no "egg substitute", which just shows that you don't need one! Swedish meatballs are traditionally served with a creamy gravy, which I have managed to adapt here using almonds to create the creaminess

Nutmeat! In case you haven't met it yet!

I used nutmeat as one of the main elements of my meatballs. I'm not sure how familiar people out there are with nutmeat - I remember my father (not a vegetarian!) used to make a delicious vegetarian nutmeat bolognaise which I love so much that I preferred it to meaty bolognaise even as a child. It has a great flavour, and is very adaptable into any recipe in which you might use mince meat.

I love nutmeat. In fact, while I was living overseas in China, nutmeat was pretty much the only thing that I couldn't get my hands on. So, when my wonderful friend Paul came to visit me in the Middle Kingdom I asked him to bring me some nutneat so that we would make bolognaise. He carried the tin of nutmeat through Thailand, Vietnam and Laos before it arrive in China with me, a well travelled tin of nutmeat! If you'd like to see the photo journal of this then check it out here!

Ingredients

The Meatballs

1 x 415g can of nutmeat

1 cup burghul

1 1/2 cups boiling waters

1 tsp 'beef' stock powder (use a vegan brand, like Massel)

1 onion, diced

1 large field mushroom (about 150g), chopped

3 slices wholemeal plain bread

2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1-2 tbsp chopped continental parsley

1 tbsp soy sauce

Spray of vegetable oil for cooking.

The Gravy

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup flour

3 cups boiling water

2 heaped tsp 'beef' stock powder (Massel)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 cup blanched almonds, soaked in cold water for an hour or two and then drained

Juice of half a lemon

Pinch of nutmeg

To Make:
1. Mix burghul and stock powder. Add boiling water and leave for 15 minutes.
2. Pulse bread in a food processor to form fine soft breadcrumbs. Put in a mixing bowl.
3. Sauté onions and mushrooms in 1-2 tsp water until the onions are soft and transparent. Process in the food processor briefly and then add to the mixing bowl.
4. Process the nutmeat until it is a mince like texture. Put in mixing bowl.
5. Process the soaked burghul for 1-2 minutes and then add that to the bowl as well. Add the spices and parsley and mix well with your hands.

6. Form into meatballs with your hands. It should make about 35ish walnut sized meatballs.
7. Fry in batches until browned and then transfer to a baking/casserole dish.
8. Then, make the gravy:
9. Puree the almonds with the lemon juice until it forms a smooth paste.
10. Heat the oil in a small saucepan. When hot, add the flour and stir well. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
11. Add the stock powder and they soy sauce to the boiling water. Add this a little at a time to the flour in the saucepan, stirring vigorously the whole time to prevent lumps forming. Continue until you've added all the water. Add the pureed almonds and stir well. At your own discretion you can add more water if you want to make it thinner.
12. Pour the gravy all over the meatballs and serve immediately.

Serves 4-5 people.

This month I'm featuring lots of amazing recipes from Sweden!

Check out my other Swedish recipe posts:

Ärtsoppa (Split Pea & Mustard Soup)

Vegan Smörgåstårta (Swedish Sandwich Cake)

Chokladdarraksbolls (Chocolate & Aniseed Balls)

Almond and Cranberry Semla

Jansson's Temptation (Creamy Potato Bake)

No-Knead Cardamom Braid 

Kladdkaka (Gooey Chocolate Cake!)

Garlicy Field Mushrooms with Rödkål 

Chokladdarraksboll (Swedish Chocolate Aniseed Balls)

I can't say that I know any Swedish people personally (much as I'd love to!), however, it does appear that from all accounts they have a serious sweet tooth! If you just have a quick glance at the wikipedia page then you'll notice that the list of sweet dishes listed there is about double the size of the savoury dishes. So, taking that into account it was difficult to decide which sweet dishes to cook for Sweden. I had it narrowed to about eight ones that I wanted to try - but I really couldn't justify cooking (and eating!) that many sweets!

When I read about Chokladdbolls, I immediately knew I wanted to give them a try. They were simple and easy to make, but who doesn't love balls of chocolate? I love chocolate truffles of all kinds (check out all my other chocolate truffle posts here) so it was a no brainer to try this new type. So I firmly put them on the list and then kept reading. THEN I found something else.... Arraksbolls! Balls made of cake crumbs flavoured with arak (a Lebanese aniseed spirit). Now I couldn't decide! I loved the sound of both!

Then I came to an exciting realisation - I didn't have to choose between them! 

Chokladdbolls + Arraksbolls = Chokladdarraksbolls.

Easy as that!

Now comes the confession! I had a bit of a look around for some arak so that I could make these, but sadly none of the bottle shops anywhere near me stocked it :( They stocked Ouzo and Raki - but not Arak!

I happened to have half a bottle of Raki sitting in the cupboard from a Turkish dinner party I hosted quite a while ago, which I was very happy to use up. Raki, Ouzo and Arak are all essentially the same thing from different countries (I'm sure there will be some Lebanese, Greeks and Turks which will dispute this and I'd love to hear from you what the actual differences are!). Raki is Turkish, Ouzo is Greek and Arak is Lebanese - all are aniseed spirits.

So, on a technical note - these are actually Chokladdrakibolls. But lets not split hairs! I'm sure you can make these with any aniseed spirit that you can find - so give it a go!

Ingredients

(Adapted from The Vegan Swedes)

100g Nuttelex (or other dairy free margarine)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup castor sugar

1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats

100g dark chocolate, melted in a double boiler (or a metal bowl over a simmering pot of water)

3 tbsp arak (or raki...)

Chocolate sprinkles, to roll (you can also use dessicated coconut)

To Make

1. Measure the Nuttelex, vanilla, sugar and oats into a bowl. Mix together.

2. Melt the chocolate and add. 

3. Add the Arak (Raki) and stir well.

4. Using your hands, roll out walnut sized balls and roll them in the chocolate sprinkles. Continue until all the mixture is gone - should make 25-30 balls.

5. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour before eating (these are perfect made the night before and left to chill in the fridge over night).

Makes 25-30 balls.

This month I'm featuring lots of amazing recipes from Sweden!

Check out my other Swedish recipe posts:

Ärtsoppa (Split Pea & Mustard Soup)

Vegan Smörgåstårta (Swedish Sandwich Cake)

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Almond and Cranberry Semla

Jansson's Temptation (Creamy Potato Bake)

No-Knead Cardamom Braid 

Kladdkaka (Gooey Chocolate Cake!)

Garlicy Field Mushrooms with Rödkål