From all my travels all over the world, I’ve always wondered what inspires tastes. It’s definitely not the same for each culture much less for each person. But one thing that everybody can agree on is that we all need to eat and nourish our body and it is best to eat when sharing it.
To kick things off here at The Supplement, I am starting my blog about my recent trip to Norrkoping, Sweden. The town has about a little over a hundred thousand people but despite it being a small city, there is a large student population. I visited this lovely town because my dearest and oldest friend, Joy is getting married to the love of her life and best friend, Marcus. And for the rehearsal dinner, we had inbakad oxfile (pronounced as in-BAH-kahd ox-FEE-leh) or in plain English, Beef Wellington… which is basically a kind of roast beef wrapped in a pastry with mushroom and ham paste. Both the bride and groom are great cooks and everything is prepared with love and care. I am stealing a picture from Joy’s blog from the first time they made this dinner but I guarantee you it looks just as good this time!
inbakad oxfile with roasted tomatoes
The mushroom paste adds a really bold flavor to the meat and the puff pastry around it absorbs the flavor of the paste and the aroma of the meat. It was buttery, flaky and salty… each bite was just in perfect harmony even though you really wouldn’t think so. I highly suggest to check out the full recipe here.
For their second evening as husband and wife, I offered to cook the newlyweds a fail-safe perfect American family dinner recipe: baked pasta with breaded chicken cutlet. When I say fail-safe, I mean really, it’s idiot proof since it is basically assembling things together. It’s something I learned how to make because I was a poor college student and I didn’t have enough time or money for grand meal without eating fast food. It is great to make ahead of time when people are coming over during the middle of the week and still impress your friends.
Baked Penne with Breaded Chicken Breast
You need a box of tube pasta, preferably ziti or penne boiled al dente, take your preferred jar pasta sauce and crushed tomatoes and mix them together. Once your pasta and sauce is mixed, let it cool on the side so that the pasta absorbs the sauce.You take a small container of ricotta and you mix it with salt, oregano, and basil. Then start layering the pasta with extra sauce and ricotta and mozzarella cheese. I prefer to make more sauce because if you decide to freeze the dish first, the pasta absorbs the sauce and by the time you bake it, the dish will not be dry. Once you are done layering, you can let it cool for a little bit (or freeze until dinner time). Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese on top melts and you can see the sauce bubbling. The chicken is also self-explanatory. Just make sure that the chicken breasts are even in thickness so it would cook evenly. Chicken. Salt. Pepper. Flour. Beaten Egg. Breadcrumbs. Fry. Done. Enjoy!
Two Cooks from Two Cities: Joy and Kristine united again!
THE SUPPLEMENT 