Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I have heard about these potatoes from both Rikke and Ulla and decided that I had to make them for my first Danish dinner. I had some Desiree potatoes from my High Ground Organics CSA box. Perfect! 1-2 pounds of small potatoes 3 T organic granulated sugar 3 T butter Boil potatoes until just tender. Drain and let cool. Traditionally, Danes peel the potatoes, but I left the skin on mine.  In a large flat-bottomed pan, over medium heat, melt the sugar. When the sugar turns light brown around the edges, add the butter and stir until melted. Cook the potatoes, shaking the pan often, until the potatoes are evenly glazed and heated through, which will take about 10 minutes.

So far, with our virtual globe-trotting, I've dedicated one meal to each country. It's just enough to give the boys a taste of the cuisine and take a cursory look at the country's geography and culture. We are officially into the Ds and, in honor of two of my favorite gals who hail from Denmark, the first country on the list for 'D', I decided to try a series of different recipes. A little bit about my Danish pals...first off, there's Rikke. Bella Rikke. Here we are, on the ferry, crossing the Strait of Messina, in 2001. We met when we were both working in Rome as au pairs in the mid to late 90s. We both had school-aged children for whom we cared, so we would meet up everyday and see something or somethings new. With the number of churches and museums that dot that city, and despite our best efforts, we still didn't see it all. I can't imagine how people spend only a few days in Rome. Our friendship has transcended that experience with her c...

Everywhere I looked, a spiralizer seemed a must for raw foodies to make "pasta" out of carrots, zucchini, or anything like that. But the least expensive spiralizer was fifty bucks and it went up from there. Remember I'm not gadgety? Then I realized that if all I wanted was something to cut "pasta"-like strands out of my veggies, I just needed a really sharp knife and a lot of patience or I needed a julienne peeler. Today I found one and it was perfect for making zucchini "pasta"...and it only cost me twenty dollars. I julienned 4 zucchini and tossed my pasta salad with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, fresh thyme, fresh mint, and raw sliced almonds. I decided to link this up to Presto Pasta Nights #270. I know, I know, it doesn't actually include any real pasta as in pasta made with semolina wheat. But it's a great pasta alternative for any raw foodies or gluten-free pasta lovers! Click to read the original post invite...

Thinly slice the pineapple and arrange them on a platter. Drizzle the slices with 1 T rosewater, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and raw honey. Sprinkle with ground cardamom, red Alaea salt, and bee pollen.

This hardly qualifies as a recipe. But I decided to post it anyway because the flavors were outrageous. This tastes like summer. Sliced tomatoes, fresh chopped mint, black lava salt, and a generous dousing of olive oil. Make sure your tomatoes are ripe and your olive oil is a great quality, preferably a nice grassy one.

Carpaccio is, by definition, raw. The story I've heard is that carpaccio was invented at Harry's Bar in Venice and named for the Italian painter Vittore Carpaccio who was prone to using red in his paintings - the red of raw beef. So, the salad that bears his name is thinly sliced raw beef piled atop watercress or arugula, drizzled with a vinaigrette made with olive oil and lemon juice and topped with shaved parmesan cheese. Photo credit:  http://www.azerbaijanrugs.com/mp/vittore_carpaccio7.htm  I've been the Harry's Bar once, but I didn't have the carpaccio . Actually, I didn't have anything. I was on a strict budget with just enough in my wallet for an overnight stay, a kilo of tangerines, a wedge of cheese, and a bottle of cheap red wine. I just went in to Harry's and snapped a photo or two before heading on my to the convent on Giudecca where I was spending the night. So, carpaccio is also, by definition, red which avocados definit...

This is so easy and deceptively rich. I am not sure that it actually qualifies as RAW because to make a syrup you have to heat sugar higher than the 118 cut-off temperature of raw foodists. Oh, well. It is vegan. And it is delicious. 3 ripe avocados* 1 C ginger syrup 1 C unsweetened cocoa powder 1 T pure vanilla extract *'Ripe' for this recipe means that when you press the avocado, your finger makes an indentation. Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand blender to completely incorporate and whip all of the ingredients into a creamy consistency. Spoon the mixture into individual serving cups and chill until ready to serve. Riley thought that this might make a nice cupcake frosting. Hmmmm...it's possible. I'll have to give that some thought.