Lemon baked drumsticks with Tomato Polenta

These drumsticks are fun for the kids to eat because they can eat it and compare it to a lollipop.  Before baking I smother the chicken in herbs and lemon... so they are full of flavor and the polenta is a good substitute for rice, pasta or potatos.  Today I also served it with baby spinach, lemon and parmesean but it could be served with a nice salad or some other green.

What you will need for the CHICKEN is:

8 drumsticks

1 bunch tarragon (dragon, this is Swedish not a special kind of tarragon)

1 bunch sage (salvia)

3 gloves garlic

20 g butter

1 dl olive oil

peel of one lemon

salt & pepper

After peeling a lemon as shown below, dice into small pieces along with the herbs and the garlic.  Put everything in a bowl with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Scrape the skin down on the drumstick as shown.  Dip the drumstick in the herb mix and then place on tin foil which has a click of butter then wrap.  Place in oven for one hour at 175C.

For the POLENTA you will need:

2 dl polenta

1 can crushed tomatos

2 garlic gloves

3 slices of red chili

1/2 yellow onion

2 dl heavy cream

4 dl chicken stock

1/2 dl gradded parmesean

Dice and then fry the garlic onion and chili in some olive oil.  Add the can of crushed tomatos and the chicken stock and the heavy cream.  Let it cook up for 5 minutes.  Blend it till smooth and then add the polenta and cook for 8 more minutes on low heat, stirring frequently.  Add some olive oil and parmesean and salt and pepper toward the finish.  Done.

Pizza a la Tony

For those of you who do not live in Sweden, it may seem strange but pizza is as Swedish as it gets.  I saw in a documentary on Swedish food culture that pizza was brought over during the mid 1970's.  Now pizza is common place in pretty much every city and town.  Smaller cities that don't have sushi have pizza, cities that don't have Mexican or Thai food have pizza.  Pizza has become so big in Sweden that it is everywhere, almost to the point where it is EVERYWHERE.  For example in our little neighborhood we have four pizzarias with a 3 to 5 minute walk from each other (unfortunately none of them are great).  Do not get me wrong, the are a lot of great pizzarias in Stockholm just not in my neighborhood.

Pizza is actually easy to make.  It's a fun thing to do with the kids if you have the time and patience.    Another great thing about making your own is that you can put toppings on that maybe your local pizza joint doesn't carry.

To start make the dough.  You can even make the dough the night before to save time.

DOUGH

50g yeast

5 dl water

1 dl olive oil

12 dl flour

2 tblsp salt

In a food processor blend the yeast with room temperature water and olive oil.  Let it work for 1 or 2 minutes.  Add half the flour, let it work for 2 minutes.  Add salt and the rest of the flour.  Let it work for 15 minutes.  Then place a towel over the dough and let it rise, should take about 30 minutes.  Then take out the dough and make tennis size balls.  Place a wet towel over the dough/balls and let it rise for another 30 minutes.

While the yeast is doing it's thing make the tomato sauce.

TOMATO SAUCE

1 yellow onion

4 slices of red chili

3 garlic gloves

2 tblsp olive oil

1 bunch oregeno

1 tblsp sugar

2 cans whole tomato

salt / pepper

Sear the onion, chili, garlic and oregeno in olive oil.  Pour in the tomatos, let it cook for 15-20 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper and suger.  Mix it with hand mixer or blender.  Let it cool down.  

my kids made their own pizza tonight

Shape the dough into small pizzas.  Put on a warm baking tray.  Pour on sauce and garnish with your topping, cheese etc.  Today we used chedder and mozzarella,  olives, prociutto and mushrooms on one pizza and on the other goat cheese, mushrooms, figs and walnuts.  If using dried meats like prociutto I recommend placing it on the pizza when it is done same with ruccula, spinach and basil.

Cookies

Fork Cookies (sugar cookies)

There is an old fashioned tradition in Sweden which says that you should have seven different kinds of cookies to offer when someone comes for coffee.  So, I'm working on it!  Fork cookies are a simple classic, my wife says they are called sugar cookies in the U.S.

200g butter

4 tablesppons sugar

1.5 shredded coconut

3 dl wheat flour

Dice room temperature butter into small cubes.  Place into bowl and work in sugar, add coconut and then flour whilst stirring till dough is smooth.  Roll into small balls.  Put onto cookie sheet, then flatten with fork.  Bake in oven at 200C for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.  Done!  

Basic Bread

 Bread

This is a basic bread.  

50g yeast

5dl room temp water

1dl olive oil

13dl wheat flour

3tsp salt

2 tablespoons bread syrup

seasalt and sunflower seeds to garnish

Blend water with yeast and olive oil.  Add syrup followed by flour and salt.  Mix for about 15 minutes in a food processor.  Let it rise, takes about 20 minutes.  Take it out of bowl and work it by hand with some flour.  Place it in a form, brush it with a bit of water and then sprinkle it with seasalt and sunflower seeds and then let it rise for another 25 minutes.  Bake it ar 175C for 35 minutes.

These are basic instructions, you can add whatever you like into the mix, for example shredded carrotts, walnuts, another flour, honey or whatever you like.