Chasing the Aurora Borealis & chunky Norwegian soup

WOW, WHAT AN ADVENTURE THIS WAS!  It may not have been the furthest, the most exotic, or the most popular travel destination I’ve ever been to.  But it sure was like nothing else – simply pure magic! 

In March, we took a trip past the Arctic Circle to the Norwegian city of Tromsø (aka: Paris of the North), to chase the Aurora Borealis (aka: Northern Lights).  Yes, in March – the month when “normal people” start welcoming Spring, celebrate the melting of the grey-ish slush once known as snow, and enjoy birds chirping, flowers blooming and sun shining (after all: they’ve been waiting for this for so long!).  Yep, that’s exactly when we went North.  North, where there is no melting, chirping or blooming, but instead a freezing, in-your-face reminder that in March Queen Winter still rules over large parts of Europe.

And I mean it when I say in-your-face.  The moment we opened the door of the Tromsø airport, we were hit by a snowstorm so dense, that we were instantly converted into snowmen, struggling to move in the strong icy breeze.  I was freezing to death and thinking to myself: who the hell wants to come here when there are tons of other, perfectly habitable destinations?!

Still, we came here with a purpose (plus, let’s be honest, nobody likes a wuss), so we got our act together, and on the very same evening went for a night walk in the blizzard.  Yep, two people, in complete darkness, in the wilderness, in a snowstorm, wearing… ah I think I need a new sentence to describe all the things we were wearing.  Starting with woolen thermal underwear (long-sleeve T-shirt & leggings), through layers of fleece jumpers, warm pants, ski pants on top, two pairs of woolen socks, a wind & water-proof jacket, ski goggles, ski scarf, hat, hood, two pairs of gloves, and sturdy winter boots.  

On top, the tourist office gave us (compulsory) double-padded overalls (!), Nordic walking poles, snow shoes (you know, these things looking like mini rackets) and head torch lights.  Pffff - it was a lot of stuff!  But boy was I happy to be wearing all of this!  Because this actually made walking in the snow blizzard a lot of fun!  We felt like first explorers of rough polar territories, like real adventurers in contact with the raw and harsh outdoors.  It was like nothing else!  And, believe me, hot tea honestly never tasted as good, as when we came back from this trip, and were served tea and cake near a cosy fireplace in a Norwegian hut!

The main attraction of the trip was without a doubt the sighting of Aurora Borealis!  This is a spectacular natural phenomenon, in a nutshell caused by clashed of solar winds and Earth's atmosphere.  For years, however, people believed these are spirits of the dead gathering in the sky in a majestic dance of colors, waves and flows.  and when you actually see the phenomenon, this non-scientific explanation looks very believable.

It is not so easy to spot the Northern Lights.  First, they are only visible in Tromsø during a few months.  They also depend in the solar activity - the more active the explosions on the Sun, the more spectacular effects you get.  Finally, you need a clear sky to be able to see anything at all - which is not easy during Winter months.  Consequently, just sitting and waiting for the light show is not he best solution.  It's best to go on a so-called "Aurora hunt", where people with proper meteorological equipment can tell where there is a clear sky and also monitor solar activity.

Our Aurora hunt took us close to the Finish border, where we set out camp in the middle of nowhere.  And then we waited and waited for hours...  It was around -20°C and despite all the layers we were wearing, it started getting very cold after a few hours.  We saw the Northern Lights, but because of low solar activity the effects were at first not spectacular - it looked more like a green glow or Batman sign ;)  But then suddenly, when our hope started fading, the show started.  A fascinating performance of dynamic, quickly changing green waves and shapes.  As breathtaking as Nature can get:) 

Tromsø itself is a charming little town, which has everything you need at a winter resort.  It has many cute shops, a pretty harbor, and consists of tons of colorful small houses, playfully scattered among the white mountain hills and plains.  Our hotel was located in the center of the city, near the harbor, and served the most amazing breakfast buffet I've ever seen.  With plenty of healthy/bio versions of muesli and dried fruit, delicious dark bread and an impressive selection of smoked fish.  The cold smoked salmon (see below) is so different in taste from the "popular" hot smoked salmon is honestly the best tasting smoked fish in the world.  

Tromsø also has plenty of restaurants, some traditional, some international.  One of the most traditional dishes we had was randier (see below), which is served medium rare with a cranberry sauce.

There are so many fun things to do up North!  One of the most characteristic activities of the Polar Circle region, are sleigh dog rides!  It's SO MUCH FUN!  The huskies are just adorable and very well trained.  You can lead your own sleigh without much effort, and the dogs follow the instructions flawlessly.  That is unless they are up for some frolicking in the snow with the other dogs, in which case you must remind them to get back into the line.  But that's just their happy, friendly nature that surfaces - so you really can't blame them (but feel like playing with them yourself ;-) ).  What is also so great about dog sleigh rides is also the close contact with nature.  You don't hear any motors, smell any polluted fumes, but just gracefully glide through the white snow dessert - magical.

Having said that, it's also a lot of fun to do the snow jet ski.  For the speed, snow fun, and possibility to cover longer distances and see so many breathtaking sights.  We went jet skiing in the Lyngen Alps - and the views were just spectacular.  A vast mountain range covered with a blanket of soft, fluffy snow - virgin white and untouched.  All in glorious sunshine, so strongly reflected in the snow, you really needed sunglasses to be able to see.

This fish soup is really delicious and super healthy!  I never would have guessed fish soup can be that good!  We had it during our Aurora hunting night, while standing around a big fireplace in the middle of nowhere.  It tasted phenomenal - especially in the biting cold of the outdoors.  We also had it a few more times, and it seems a popular dish up North. Nonetheless, I couldn't find a recipe online that would mirror what we had in Norway.  So I just improvised, and the result is exactly as I wanted!

Unlike in many fish soups, there is no cream added here.  Nonetheless, the soup is very thick, and actually more of a stew with big delicious chunks of vegetables and fish.  The tomato base gives it a certain sweetness and acidity, which goes particularly well with the meaty fish and big chunks of potato.  I added quite a few chili peppers to the soup (with pips included), which also made it very spicy.  If you prefer milder flavors, you can skip the chili, or add less and remove the pips (almost all of the heat comes from the pips, so if you get rid of them the soup will be much milder).

You can play around with the ingredients a little bit - adding you favorite veggies or removing others.  I think this combination is really great though, with a great diversity of flavors and textures.  I hope the soup will give you a taste of Norway, and inspire to explore its wild glorious beauty!

INGREDIENTS:

• 400 g white fish fillet (cod, halibut or any meaty white fish), cut in large chunks
• 4 medium/small potatoes, cut in quarters
• 3 carrots, cut in large chunky slices
• 1 fennel bulb, diced
• 1 red pepper, cut in chunky pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 baby cauliflowers (or approx. 1/3 of a full size cauliflower), cut in large chunks
• 1 can of peeled tomatoes
• 500 g of tomato puree
• 2 chili peppers, finely chopped (optional) (I added around 6-7 and the soup was SUPER HOT!)
• 200 ml of good quality, liquid fish stock
• olive oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 allspice berries
• salt / pepper
• boiling water
• lots of fresh parsley, chopped

METHOD:

[The overall cooking time depends on the size of your veg & fish.  You want the ingredients to be cooked but not overcooked - the veg needs to stay firm, and the fish can't get rubbery.  Check the veg during cooking, and adjust cooking time accordingly].

• Sauté the onions, garlic and chili peppers with some olive oil in a big non-stick soup pan, for about 4-5 minutes.
• Add all the chopped vegetables except for the cauliflower.  Stir well, then add the tomatoes, tomato puree, fish stock and boiling water, enough to coat the vegetables with 2-3 cm liquid.  Add the bay leaves and all spice, and season to taste.  Cover with a lid and let simmer (small/medium heat) for approx. 20 minutes.
• Add the cauliflower and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
• Finally add the fish, and cook for 5-7 more minutes until cooked through, but not overcooked.
• Serve with plenty of fresh parsley, and buttered bread.

Bon appetit!

Reactivation: almond & basil-crusted salmon

Hello world!  It's been a while since I posted here.  Obviously the circumstances are to blame - not me.  You are asking: how come?  Well, my inspiration for writing was brutally beheaded time after time by the changing aura.

First, I wanted to complain about the bad weather (not an infrequent inclination of mine :P)  And the weather got much better...  So then I wanted to write about the sun, hot weather, ice cream, running through fountains, pleasant evenings on the terrace, and lying on the grass waiting for that first sunburn -- pretty much your average summery stuff.  Before I got to that, however, the weather changed again.  It got chilly and rainy, and the possibility of catching sunburn was exchanged for the possibility of catching a cold.  Nonetheless, at that point it seemed pointless and so-oh passé to complain about the bad weather, and I was left without topic, yet again.

 

This whole (questionably interesting) inner debate brought me to the conclusion that maybe I shouldn't base my blog posts on weather descriptions -- as fascinating as they may be (...for grannies waiting for weather reports whilst finishing knitting new scarfs). After all, this blog is about so much more than weather (theoretically, at least).

I guess what I'm trying to say by this whole litany of excuses and boring weather talk: I missed this blog, and will make sure to start posting on a regular basis again! The good thing is that I managed to take an insane number of pictures in the meantime -- all of insanely delicious food -- so I have plenty of great resources to draw from.

 

Thanks for bearing with me. And hold on to your hats: the reaaaaally good stuff is just about to start!   

 

Speaking of really good stuff: this almond & basil-crusted salmon is packed with flavors and utterly delicious.  The freshness of the basil paired with zingy lemon zest and buttery roasted almonds makes a perfect combination.  When you are making the dish, the most amazing harmony of scents fills your kitchen and hungry housemates intrigued by the smell flock to you.  I also like the combination of textures - meaty salmon, crunchy almonds and delicate herbs -- it really melts in your mouth.

 

The dish is very easy to make, so you can prepare it for a simple weekday dinner.  At the same time, the perfect flavor blend and appealing presentation make it a sure winner for dinner parties with friends -- your guests will love it!

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless salmon fillets (approx. 600 g)
• 100 g of whole unsalted & unroasted almonds
• small bunch of fresh basil
• 1 lemon (juice + zest)
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt
• pepper

 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 180-200 °C.
• Chop the almonds coarsly and roast for a few minutes in a hot dry frying pan, until golden-brown.  Transfer to a bowl, add the lemon juice and lemon zest.  Let cool.
• Chop the basil and add to the almond mixture.  Add the butter and a bit of salt and pepper.
• Spread the crust on top of the salmon fillets.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes (check if your almonds are not burning -- if so decrease the heat).
• Serve with steamed veggies and/or garlic baked potatoes.

 

*I found the recipe (by doktorek) on a Polish discussion forum.

Bon appetit!

Glazed salmon with avocado-strawberry salsa

Allegedly, Eskimos have a lot of words for snow.  (I don't know if it's true, but it seems like a nice anecdote, so why not believe it and use at parties as a conversation starter.)  I imagine they distinguish between still falling and already fallen snow -- between virgin white & crisp and dirty slush -- between big majestic snowflakes dancing gracefully in the air and the small waterred-down ones dropping in a big rush. 

Similarly, North-Western Europeans should come up with a pretty impressive vocabulary on the types of rain.  After all, they have plenty of empirical evidence to go on.  Whole year long.

Instead of trying to list the fifty shades of grey the sky has had this week, I opted for a different way of coping with the gloomy weather.  Color on my plate!  And nothing adds color better than fresh fruit.

Before & after (FYI: these are avocados, not dragon eggs)

I decided to go for some strawberries, which always remind me of early summer.  I think of warm afternoons I spent at my grandparents' summer house as a kid.  Hiking in the forest or sunbathing near the lake, the gentle breeze of warm air in your hair, idyllic bird singing in the background, and delicious strawberries freshly picked in the orchard. The strawberries didn't look like much -- irregular in shape and not too big -- but the taste was a million times better than that of the store-bought perfectly shaped specimens.

With such memories at hand, it's easy to block out the rainy reality and create summer on your plate.

Fresh strawberries go very well with avocado.  The salsa is a combination of zingy, sweet & tart with creamy and rich.  Walnuts add the crunch and compliment the nuttiness of the avocado, chili flakes add heat, and the lime juice & walnut oil vinaigrette binds the flavors together.

This fresh salsa goes very well with glazed grilled salmon.  Any sweet glaze will work here (e.g. Teriyaki sauce).  The idea is to get some caramelization on the outer side of the salmon, so it does have to to be sweet.  The marinade I used is salty-sweet and smokey and brings out the best natural flavor of the salmon itself.

So go ahead and bring some color to your plate!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless salmon filets (around 700-800 g)
• 2 ripe avocados
• 5 large strawberries
• handful of walnuts (around 60-70 g), roughly chopped
• juice of 1/2 lime
• handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp of chili flakes
• 2 tbsp of walnut oil (can be replaced with olive oil)
• 5 tbsp of soy sauce
• 4 tbsp od muscovado syrup or molasses
• 2 tbsp of fig vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Directions:

• Whisk together the soy sauce, syrup and vinegars.  Pour over salmon filets and rub into the fish.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, ideally for 1.5h.
• Once soaked in the marinade, grill the salmon on a grill pan with a little bit of olive oil (a few minutes on each side).
• Peel the avocados and chop in big chunks.  Immediately drizzle with lime juice (half of what you have) -- this will prevent the avocado from turning brown.  Chop the strawberries finely (leaving a few slices for decoration like I did - if you want).  Add to avocado, together with the chopped walnuts and cilantro.
• Whisk walnut oil with remaining lime juice, chili flakes, salt and pepper.  Drizzle over the salsa.  Combine all salsa ingredients very gently, e.g., by using 2 forks -- be careful not to mash the avocado.  Serve with grilled salmon.

Bon appetit!

Grilled vegetables & lemon cod skewers

High time for something light and healthy!  After all the holiday binging I am eager to switch  to steamed veggies, soups and warm salads (the cold ones I'm not so fond of during winter time).  Vegetables are extremely versatile -- there are so many different kinds, and various different ways to prepare them.  

I like to take advantage of seasonal produce as much as possible, though in general just go with the flow and buy whatever looks fresh and tempting.  Quite often I end up with triple the amount of veggies that a normal person would eat.  But what else can you expect after letting a woman loose in a store: she's bound to buy too much...

 

When I went grocery shopping last week, I noticed these cute young carrots and little cauliflowers, and of course could not resist their charm.  (Luckily, I did not buy the mini cabbages, baby zucchinis or tiny leeks -- as my fridge was already packed with veggies, and I would probably have ended up throwing them away.)  A perfect choice for a winter meal -- filling and full of flavor.  I could just as well have used normal-sized vegetables, cut in smaller pieces.  No difference in taste, but the little ones were so damn cute! 

This dish is very easy and quick to prepare.  Trust me -- I'm a lawyer.  What I mean is: if I can prepare this after the usual 11h at the office, working on tough cases -- so can you.  It's ready in no time, taste really good, and is shamelessly good for you.  

Too good to be true, right?  Well -- just see for yourself!

Ingredients:

• 200 g of young carrots (can be replaced by full-grown ones)
• 4 baby cauliflowers, cut in half (can be replaced by full-grown ones)
• 150 g of young green asparagus
• 400 g cod filet
• 150 g of chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 chopped onion
• lemon juice
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.  Cut the cod in stripes or small pieces, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Put on skewers, alternating with pieces of asparagus.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.
• Put a big pan filled with salted water to a boil.  Put in the carrots and cauliflower in the pan just for a few minutes, to blanch.  
• Heat a little bit of olive oil in a grill pan and grill the asparagus, and blanched cauliflower and carrots.  Season with freshly ground salt and pepper.
• Glaze the chopped onions in a small pan with olive oil until golden.  Add chopped mushrooms.  Season with salt to taste once fried.
• Serve fish with vegetables.  Very good with a glass of wine (wine is healthy too)!

Bon appetit!