Swedish Wedding and Potato Sallad.

CLICK TO SEE THE FULL RECIPE

 

Mary and I were in Sweden recently for a wedding of two good friends of ours. In remembrance of this special day I created a one of a kind potato sallad for the reception smorgasbord.

Click on the photo to the left to download the recipe.

Below is a slideshow.

 

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

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19,000 Hits. Heading to Sweden on Thursday. One year ago.

Over nineteen thousand hits on this blog in a little over a year. That got me thinking about what I was doing a year ago.
This is where I was one year ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A small vineyard in Emilia-Romagna where the Trebbiano grape is converted into the the world’s finest Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio-Emilia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And after that this fellow, Renato Brancaleoni, explained to us how a very special cheese was made and aged in a hay filled hole in the ground as it has been done for hundreds of years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But we did not see the cheese hole until after we ate this:

Braised Rabbit.

CHECK OUT THIS OLD POST with video.

 

 

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First Baltimore Cooking Competition.

Swedish-Italian-American Vegetarian Chili.

I just entered my first Baltimore cooking competition. Celebrity Chef judges and everything. The Federal Hill South “Chili Cook-off”.

I am entering my personal favorite, “Chef Calle’s, Italian-Swedish-American Vegetarian Chili” made with Imported Italian Tomatoes, Umbrian Extra Virgin Oil di Oliva, Moroccan cumin which I brought back from Marrakesh and fresh cilantro from my window herb garden. Add some super secret Swedish ingredients and LOVE and you get a winner.

This Sunday 3-5 pm at the The Catholic Community School on Federal Hill. $5.00-BYOB. Come early and come often as my Chili will be going fast.

 

Something like this.

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2010 in review – 14,147 Hits to Date.

 

Class Photo.

This is a WordPress generated report on this blog for 2010.  14000 hits on 184 posts and more.

 

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

The average container ship can carry about 4,500 containers. This blog was viewed about 14,000 times in 2010. If each view were a shipping container, your blog would have filled about 3 fully loaded ships.

In 2010, there were 184 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 191 posts.

Fire Drill in Soho.

 

 

There were 1158 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 1gb. That’s about 3 pictures per day.

The busiest day of the year was October 2nd with 406 views. The most popular post that day was I’M BACK and BUSIEST DAY EVER..

Day One in New York.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were italianculinaryacademy.com, facebook.com, mail.live.com, mail.yahoo.com, and frenchculinary.blogspot.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for appendicitis, massimo spigaroli, italian chef lawyer, italian chef, and carl vahl.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

I’M BACK and BUSIEST DAY EVER. October 2010
6 comments

2

About the Author December 2009
6 comments

3

Photo Gallery April 2010
5 comments

4

A Cute, Appendicitis? April 2010
4 comments

5

Antica Corta Pallavicina, Restaurant Al Cavallino Bianco, Chef Massimo Spigaroli. June 2010
1 comment

Here are just a few of the fun photo’s from my exciting, life changing, gut wrenching, highly educational year with a group of great young people.

Chef Instructor Haley, NYC.

 

 

 

Sweetbread and Sweetwife, before the girlfriend shot.

Yankees Baseball. Thanks Greg!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A great kitchen partner.

Chef Guido!

 

Chef Bruno!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graduation!

The real Pete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The real Cip!

Always Smiling Robert.

The real Carl, with lamb testicle.

With Guest Chef Ricci.

Wife Mary and Sofia.

 

Sadie.

 

 

 

 

 

The Vin Cave.

 

 

Excursion to Venice!

 

 

 

 

Model worthy Eric!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More photos to come so stay tuned.

 

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Truffles Redux. Loop Fun-raiser and Kir Royal. For Flip.

Truffles can be looked at as a rich, creamy, caloric topic.  But who doesn’t enjoy a truffle. The truffle of which I am writing is not to be confused with the truffle, also rich, sometimes creamy but made of fungus rather than chocolate. 

According to Wiktionary the definition of truffle (plural truffles)

1. any of various ediblefungi, of the genusTuber, that grow in the soil in southern Europe; the earthnut or
   
2. a creamy chocolate confection, in the form of a ball, covered with cocoa powder.

 

Since only mother nature or if you rather God, can create #1 last night, I made #2. Rich, creamy, chocolate, flavored lightly with Chambord, the Raspberry Liqueur from the Loire Valley in France which is frequently but mistakenly used in the USA to make a Kir Royal. Of course, a true Kir Royal is made with crème de cassis a speciality of French Region of Burgundy, which has no raspberry in it at all. Rather, crème de cassis is made with the black currant and not just any black current, but rather the blood red, black current, not to be mistaken with the red current. And if you search the net you can find recipes for the Chambord Kir Royal which is no doubt great marketing for Chambord, as is this post, so if anyone who works for Chambord and Co. wants to mention me, that is okay with me.

Anyway, Mary and I love the Kir Royal. Sometimes we even use Chambord when Cassis is not available. We have come to be very fond of a Peche Kir Royal made with another French Liqueur, Mathilde Peche, but upon investigation the Mathilde is not linked to any region or process and it ingredients list sugar syrup,  so it is French but not “French” if you know what I mean. But it is good, sweet and fruity and complements a poor dry Champagne, Prosecco or Sparkling White wine quite nicely so you can have a great drink relatively inexpensively.

Now, back to the Truffle. Last night I experimented with 4 flavors. Chambord, Cardamom, Moroccan Ginger and organic toasted coconut. SUCCESS!

So look at these badboys!

They are actually “headerworthy” a new word not yet in the wicsionary, so the children’s baby photo’s and the Christmas tree have to go. And since none of the children have mentioned that they saw that I included their baby photo ornaments in my blog header I really don’t mind removing them because. quite frankly I prefer to use food in the header as this is a food blog after all and most of my readers probably didn’t know why I used  slice of a Christmas tree anyway.

Tonight Mary and I are hitting the Hill. Federal Hill in Baltimore that is. We are heading to a Loop Christmas Charitable fund-raising party and  for those of you who know Mary and I we love these fund-raising bashes because frequently, but not always you can have FUN  and raise FUNDS for a good cause or two at the same time.

And, we are donating an item for the auction. No it is not a bottle of Chambord, nor Cassis or even Mathilde. No, it isn’t a Truffle or even a box of Truffles, though that is a good idea. What we are donating is 3 hours of our time, a three hour “Introduction to Modern Italian Cuisine”. An interactive cooking lesson for 4 persons in the home of the winner. So thanks to Chef’s Bruno, Guido, Haley and Jessica and even Paolo, I will use his disdain for the term “rustic” in reference to Italian cuisine, and the knowledge and techniques I learned from all my Chef Instructors to teach some interested and most likely very wealthy Hillers with a gret deal of extra time on their hands, how to Julianne, blanch, chop and perhaps even learn them what a mirpoix is. I will teach them how to make fresh pasta, how to form a tortelli, how to roast a red pepper rather than buy them in the jar for 4-6 dollars for 10 cents worth of peppers. I can teach them that using the best extra virgin olive oil can make even a mediocre dish better. That using imported canned Italian tomatoes is almost always better than using allegedly fresh tomatoes in the off season in the USA. The value of the 3 hour lesson for 4 persons. $450.00 USD.

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Lutefisk. Love it or hate it? What is it? Funny Video.

It is Christmas time once again and for the first time in 10 years Mary and I are not hosting the annual Vahl Family Christmas, a tradition in our family since my fathers parents, Carl and Ruth married after separately immigrating from Sweden in the 1920’s. This  year my brother, Rick, short for Eric and his wife Jennifer are hosting. Because Christmas is such a busy time of year with so many competing events, family gatherings and the like we hold the party early because we want everyone to have no excuse not to come. This year it is the earliest ever December 12, 2010.

Mary and I are heading from cold but sunny Baltimore 6.5 hours northwest to 3+ feet of snow, really frigid temperatures outside to spend some really warm indoor time eating  mass quantities of Swedish food and drinking mass quantities of Glogg. Mary and I are especially looking forward to heading north tomorrow, we had planned to go today but we both felt sick and had trouble sleeping last night, because we have duel colonoscopies scheduled for Friday morning.  Tomorrow will not be pretty.

I volunteered this year to make the Lutefisk. The idea being that after eight months of culinary school in NYC and Italy I should be able to make the Lutefish edible. I know that comment will hurt my sister Cathy’s feelings as she has been making it for years. But it is not her fault for the Lutefisk not tasting so good because Lutefisk isn’t supposed to taste good.

Lutefisk is merely a “poor food” designed to provide very poor people, living  hundreds and even thousands of years ago a way to obtain some basic nutrition in the cold and dark of winter when the ice was too thick to catch fresh fish through and the snow was too deep to hunt game and because codfish were so plentiful in the summer and salt was scarce the preservation method of drying and soaking in lye was the only way to preserve the fish flesh to be eaten months later.

In Italy they had plenty of salt but no codfish so they traded salt for codfish beginning in the late 1700 and that started the continuing but confusing Italian tradition of eating Baccalà, (salted cod) literally everywhere in a country which is surrounded by warm water that has no codfish swimming in it,  that never freezes, where winters are mild and where fresh food is cherished.

There are actually many preparations for lutefisk. They vary from family to family. In the Vahl family we typically reconstitute the lutefisk, make a white sauce, (bechamel) seasoned with clove and white pepper, and sauce the lutefisk and boiled potatoes. We also, mix the lutefisk into the sauce and use it as a gravy for the potatoes.

What exactly is Lutefisk? Here are a couple of links for the interested. Lutefisk#1 and Lutefisk#2.

Here is a Lutefisk joke that Swedes find particularly funny now that their smaller brother’s, the Norwegians own all the oil in the North Sea.

One old swede says to another ” Well, we tried the lutefisk trick and the raccoons went away, but now we’ve got a family of Norwegians living under our house!”

Check out this video. If you have been eating lutefisk since childhood you will laugh hard about half way through the video.  Having watched the video myself I am not going to be able to doctor the lutefisk with bacon as I was considering.

I am still thinking of my method to recreate the lutefisk. A reciepe that holds to the traditions, the ingredients, the seasonings but one that looks, smells and tastes really good. Perhaps is will be the first recipe in my fist cook book entitled “Modern Swedish Cuisine”.

 

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I Have Arrived!

I have been meaning to post this for a month or so, ever since my good friend Flip hooked me up. I have heard about a restaurant named Vahls in California since I was a kid. A cousin of my grandfather Carl who literally came over on the boat with Carl from Sweden in 1928 married a woman and they had  restaurant in  San Jose California since the 1940’s. I didn’t know that the woman was Italian or that the restaurant was Italian until a month ago. Anyway, I suspect I should apply for a Job?

Take a look and check it out on facebook.Vahl’s Italian Restaurant.

By the way the cousin was name Erick. My Greatgrandfather was Erick and my brother is Eric.

Somehow I always know i was Swedish-Italian!!!!  Bring on the dried codfish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, DOC, 2007, Masciarelli.

There is nothing like a good ole American roast turkey with a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, DOC, 2007, Masciarelli 13%.

4 hours down and one to go for the turkey.

Roasting  a bird like this. 7 kilo’s, takes time and patience. But it is worth the wait.

 

 

 

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The First Swedish Chef!

 

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We Are Open For Business

Chef Calle’s, Baltimore Distinctive Home Dining is now open for business serving up some of the best food in the greater Baltimore area.

CHECK OUR WEBSITE: CLICK HERE for all the details on our in home dining services and how we can help customers with their holiday parties, office parties, fund raising events, birthday dinners, wedding rehersal dinners and many other special events.

We focus on: SPECIAL EVENTS.

While we are new to the Baltimore area, we are not new to the world of fine dining and entertaining. Chef Calle and Mary, our Event Director and Wine Specialist, guarantee an amazing fine dining experience. We prepare exciting food made with the finest ingredients, bought fresh on the day of your event and prepared exclusively for you and your guests. Nothing comes out of the freezer or cooler or is left over from a prior event.

Chef Calle spent 25 years in the court room where no detail was left to chance. He brings that same discipline and attention to detail to his cuisine and plating. Chef Calle guarantees you delicious, nutritious and artistic dishes focusing on fresh seasonal ingredients. However, ultimately our goal is to prepare and serve what you want to eat, whether it is modern Italian haute cuisine,  rustic, rich comfort food or anything in-between.  The choice is yours. Our pasta, gelato, sauces and almost everything we prepare is made by hand.

Every meal is unique and one to be remembered.  We will upon request create a one of a kind recipe for your special occasion. Tell us what ingredients, flavors, seasonings and preparations you enjoy most and we will design the perfect dish that you can prepare and serve at home for years to come.

Mary loves wine and is an amazing hostess. She will make the event flawless and virtually care free. During our initial meeting at your home we plan the menu and the flow of the event, suggest wine pairings and consult with you on decor, table organization and more.

SPECIAL OFFER: IF YOU SIGN OUR WEBSITE GUEST BOOK OR SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE ENTERED TO WIN 2 SEATS AT AN UPCOMING FINE DINING EVENT.

So don’t delay. Call or mail us today to schedule your event

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOW BOOKING HOLIDAY PARTIES

CALL OR EMAIL US TODAY.

CARLVAHLCHEF@MSN.COM

MARYVAHL@MSN.COM

410-244-5598
716-378-2931
716-378-5920

HOME OFFICE: 820 WILLIAMS STREET, APT 204
Baltimore Maryland 21230

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