Blóðmör - Icelandic blood sausage

Blood sausage is an ancient dish and can be found in many countries where domestic animals are kept and there are no taboos against eating blood. This is the Icelandic version.

Slátur is the collective name for blood sausage and liver sausage, and also for the necessary ingredients. "To take slátur" means to buy the ingredients and make the sausages, and in fact Icelandic supermarkets sell boxes with blood, livers, suet and stomachs (sometimes also the salt, cereals, thread and needles) in the autumn when the summer lambs are slaughtered.

2 litres sheep's blood
1 litre water
50 g coarse salt
1 kilo rye flour
200 g flour
400 g oatmeal
2 - 2 1/2 kilos sheep's suet

Some people add raisins or chopped Iceland moss to the stuffing. If using Iceland moss, use correspondingly less rye flour and a little more water in the stuffing. If using raisins, use correspondingly less suet.

Cut each stomach into 4-5 pieces suitable for stuffing, or use bags of sausage skin or even plastic cooking bags if you can't get stomachs or they don't appeal to you (sorry, the recipe does not state how many sheep stomachs are needed and I can't tell you because I always use sausage skin bags and make a much smaller recipe).

Strain the blood and mix with water and salt. Stir in the flour, rye flour and oatmeal. Chop the suet - taste will decide whether finely or coarsely, but make the pieces no larger than 1/2 cm across. Mix with the rest.

Take the pieces of stomach and sew bags out of them, using blanket stitch or overcasting stitch, leaving a hole for stuffing. Only stuff each bag a little more than half full. Stitch closed (use pure cotton thread).

To cook, drop the sausages into plenty of boiling salted water and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Turn over now and then, and prick gently if they look likely to burst. Remove from the water. If the sausages are to be served cold, let them cool in the skins. Store in the refrigerator.

Remove plastic cooking bags and sausage skins before serving. The stomach bag can be peeled off before serving or served and eaten with the stuffing.

Serving:
Serve hot with boiled or mashed potatoes.
Serve cold on the side with rice pudding or porridge or sliced on top of bread.
Fry and serve sprinkled with sugar and mashed potatoes on the side.
Pickle in whey for a month or more and serve cold. Blood sausage can actually go sour on its own, with a flavour similar to whey-pickling.

May be frozen if raw.

Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani)

How to make Butter Chicken/Murgh Makhani

Butter chicken or murgh makhani originates from the Mughal Empire in India and is eaten through out the world today.

There are different variations of butter chicken but the basic principles of cooking butter chicken are marinating the chicken in yogurt and spices, then cooking the chicken in butter and adding the cooked chicken to a smooth aromatic tomato based sauce.

Chefs tasty butter chicken recipe is very aromatic and easy to prepare, there are a lot of ingredients used in this recipe but do not worry, it is simply a matter of marinating the chicken, cooking a sauce then refrigerating both, then after a few hours the procedure of cooking the butter chicken is easy because the two main parts of the recipe have already been done.

Cream can be added to the dish at the end of cooking, Chef adds evaporated milk instead, the option is yours.

This butter chicken recipe will impress family and friends and make them feel like they have eaten in a restaurant.

Simply follow Chefs easy step-by-step instructions and enjoy this delightful and aromatic dish.

Or see Chefs How to make butter chicken/murgh makhani video recipe

Ingredients for butter chicken (murgh makhani)

For marinade

2-3 Chicken breasts (diced)
1 cup Yogurt
1/4 tsp Ground cardamom
1/4 tsp Garam masala
1 + 1/2 tsp Lemon juice
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Tomato puree
1 tsp Garlic puree
1 large tsp Fresh ginger (grated)

For the butter chicken sauce

1 large Onion (diced)
Oil
3-4 inch Fresh ginger (chopped)
4-5 large Garlic (chopped)
Handful dried methi leaves
Handful dried curry leaves
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
1 tsp Paprika
8-10 Whole green cardamoms (depends on size of pods)
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper/ Chili powder
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Sugar
Sprinkle black pepper
1 + 1/2 cup Sieved tomatoes/ Passata (or push some canned tomatoes through a sieve)

To finish

3 Tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Evaporated milk or Cream


Chefs Note... If using canned tomatoes try to use quality tomatoes that are thick in consistency, if the canned tomatoes are runny a little (1 Tbsp) tomato puree may be added.

Picture of green cardamoms, ground cloves, garam masala, cayenne pepper, paprika.

Picture of chopped fresh garlic and ginger.

Picture of butter melting in the pan.

How to make Butter Chicken / Murgh Makhani



Place all of the marinade ingredients except the chicken into a small bowl and mix.

Place chicken in a separate dish that it will be marinaded in.

Pour the yogurt marinade over the chicken.

Cover all of the chicken pieces in the marinade.

Cover the dish and place into the fridge for a few hours.

Heat up a large frying pan and drizzle in some oil. Add the onions and cook the onions for 5 minutes or until the onions soften.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a few more minutes stirring often so that the garlic does not burn.

Add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce, stir well and simmer for a few minutes.

Pour into a blender and pulse into a paste.

Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours.

When you are ready to cook the butter chicken remove the tomato base from the fridge and put through a sieve into a pan. This removes any little bits of cardamom shells and seeds that did not get blended in the food processor.

Pour the sauce into a small pan and gently heat on the lowest setting for 10-15 minutes stirring often. Do not boil the butter chicken sauce or else the spices will not be as aromatic and the tomatoes will burn, take your time.

In a large wok/pan add the butter on a medium/high heat.

Add the marinated chicken pieces.

Stir well and cook for a 5 minutes.

Pour the warmed up tomato base into the pan with the butter chicken.

Stir well, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Stir often so that the chicken cooks evenly.

Pour in the evaporated milk or cream, cook for another 2 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice, roti, naan bread.

Enjoy Chefs butter chicken recipe/ murgh makhani recipe.

See more of Chefs tasty Curry Recipes Here

FISH FRY DINNER

With very minor changes, you can enjoy fish that your children won’t feed to the cat.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 to 2 pounds of wild caught fresh or frozen fish of your choice, such as:
Flounder
Grouper
Red Snapper
Amberjack
White fish of all varieties
Note: Wild caught frozen fish, thawed, is perfectly acceptable, and very affordable.

3 to 4 tablespoons of coconut flour
Salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon pepper – choose your favorite seasonings
2 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil
Lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation:
1) When the rest of your dinner is prepared and your table is set, heat the coconut oil in a large skillet. (This process takes very little time, but requires your full attention.)

2) Lightly season your fish, and then dust or dredge in the coconut flour.
3) Sauté the fish in coconut oil over medium high heat for approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your fish, until the coating is golden brown and the fish is cooked, and flakes to the touch.
4) Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve immediately.

Important Note: See the blog about cookware.

ROASTED SHALLOT SALAD DRESSING

If I remember correctly, this recipe also came from my friend, Chantal, one of the best cooks I know. This salad dressing became a family favorite immediately. It is so nice to have a dressing that tastes "gourmet" but is ready and waiting in the fridge.
Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 Small Bag Shallots (6 to 8 count)
2 teaspoons Coconut Oil
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar, plus extra for deglazing
2 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1) Peel and slice the Shallots; then sauté them in Coconut Oil until they begin to caramelize.
2) Deglaze the pan with some balsamic vinegar, and remove from heat.
3) Pour the shallots and vinegar into a blender, and add more balsamic vinegar – approximately one cup.
4) Turn the blender on, at first to a low setting, and then increasing the speed as the shallots are incorporated.
5) Once the high setting has been established, stream in approximately two cups of olive oil, very slowly so the dressing will emulsify.
6) Taste. Add salt and pepper as needed.
Store in refrigerator

Shami kebab recipe

How to make shami kebabs

Shami kebab recipes can vary from place to place on which ingredients are used.

Traditionally shami kebabs are made using spices minced meat and chickpeas and are cooked in both India and Pakistan. A shami kebab is shaped like a round patty, unlike a seekh kebab which is shaped like a long sausage.

Chefs shami kebab recipe does not use chickpeas, instead sweet red peppers and onions are lightly fried along with fresh garlic, ginger and spices which give the kebabs a fabulous flavour.

These shami kebabs are easy to make and taste wonderful with pita bread, rice and fresh yogurt to dip the kebabs into.

Ingredients for shami kebabs

500g Extra lean minced beef or lamb
1 medium Onion (chopped extra fine)
1 medium Red capsicum/pepper
1 large tsp Garlic (minced)
1 large tsp Ginger (minced)
1 Tbsp Fresh coriander leaves (chopped fine)
1 tsp Butter/margarine
Pinch dried Methi leaves
Oil for frying

Spices

1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Garam masala
1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Salt
Pinch black pepper
1/2 tsp salt



Picture of Indian spices.



Picture of shami kebab cooking in the pan.





How to make shami kebabs


In a frying pan lightly fry the onions for s few minutes.

Add the peppers, garlic and ginger stir and cook for a few more minutes.

Switch off the heat and add the butter and spices and half a teaspoon of salt, stir well then place in a dish to cool.

Spreading the onion mixture on a flat plate helps it to cool down much quicker.

In a mixing bowl mix together 1/2 teaspoon of salt, methi leaves and minced meat.

Add the cooled down onions and fresh coriander, mix well.

The shami kebab mixture can be covered and placed in the fridge for a few hours or used right away.

Mould into patty shapes ready to cook, or mould into patty shapes and leave in the fridge for a few hours.

Heat up a large frying pan on a medium/high heat and pour in some vegetable oil. Place the shami kebabs into the pan and cook for a few minutes.

Do not turn the kebabs over until they have cooked a little on one side.

Turn the kebabs over and cook until the meat is cooked through.

The kebabs may need turning over once or twice more whilst cooking.

Serve the shami kebabs with fresh yogurt. Enjoy Chefs shami kebabs recipe.