nok-i

it's cool that you can make chicken gnocchi for cheaper than a big mac meal.

roasted chicken and capers with gnocchi.

topped with arugula and fried chicken skin.

fridge cleaner: twice cooked pasta

we've all been there.  the fridge is nearly empty, and, usually out of sheer laziness, we have to just make something from what's left.

luckily i had some decent ingredients -- six to be exact: ground beef, cottage cheese, pasta, hot sauce, garlic and olive oil.  and salt, pepper and various herbs and spices, of course.

probably the first pasta dish i learned to make was my parents' "twice-cooked pasta."  basically you make pasta, then pan fry it in olive oil and garlic.  that's exactly what i did; except i cooked the ground beef first, added garlic, then fried the pasta in the mixture. delicious.

i was about to eat it when i got a brilliant idea.  i love cottage cheese on a warm omelette in the morning, which is usually what i make if i just have a variety of random items in the fridge, so why not on my pasta?  then, as i usually do with the omelette, topped it with some hot sauce -- in this case, chipotle tabasco.

it was actually quite good.  very good.  i would, and will, make it again, even when i have other options in my fridge.

københavn

bye oslo 

hi oslo

scandesign: bulletin board

check out this ingenious norwegian bulletin board i found in the entrance to my friend's apartment building -- no tape or pins needed.

spot check: olivia's

olivia's is a great italian cafe/restaurant.  they have two locations, one in majorstuen and the other in aker brygge, and both have great outdoor areas.

the pizza is also delicious.  my favorite, which is an idea i had thought of before but never seen executed, is carpaccio pizza.  that's right, carpaccio pizza.  the pizza is cooked first, then the thinly-sliced raw beef is added right before it is served.  the pecorino and lemon wedge -- two staples of carpaccio consumption -- bring the pizza to a whole new level.

half & half: picante chicken on the left/carpaccio on the right

halloween.

unfortunately, the costume was popped by the end of the night.

magnus as grapes.

more classics?

sliders with salad.

fusilli bolognese with salad.

american classics.

big mac slider-style and breakfast burrito (in the form of tacos).

jalapeños instead of pickles.

beef + onion + egg filling inside lomper "tortillas" topped with cottage cheese and tomato/cucumber "salsa."

the case of the fallen kebab.

i buy roll kebabs (wrapped like a burrito) so i can enjoy the bread with the filling... and so i don't need a fork.  others, like mr. benjamin kuban, prefer pita kebabs and enjoy the sauce-soaked bread after they have finished the filling.  this is a cautionary tale to those of you who prefer the pita kebabs...  don't get so excited when you get to the bread of your bislett kebab that you drop it on the sidewalk of  hegdehaugsveien...

fallen soldier.

look of despair.

kebab hats.

since roll kebabs are better than the pita variety, the only thing the little wraps are good for is making hats.  i dare you to find a better use.

(from left) paul, me, natalia

food.

breakfast sandwich (open-faced).  bread, tomato, green onion, 2 sunny-side-up eggs, feta, fresh salmon, and arugula.

a grandiosa is actually norway's most popular food.  it's a frozen pizza.  2 million (half the population of norway) grandiosas are sold on christmas day alone.  i added a twist with some feta, an egg, and some arugula.

the morning after...

...a night at la belle sole... that looked like this...

....

john waiting to be summoned into vip

...was made much better by this...

chili burger at the beach club in aker brygge.  the best burger i've had so far in oslo (that i didn't make).

found a wine from my friend valentina's parents' vineyard, marchesi di barolo, at druen.

this is the craziest butter i have seen at a restaurant.  went to one of trygve's favorite places to find some white bordeaux... i don't remember the name, but you could pick your own live lobster so i'm going back to eat as well. 

a closeup.  yes, it's butter, not butter cream.

fresh produce: mr. simo's boomcases

these are sick.  dominic odbert, aka mr. simo, takes old suitcases and turns them into portable sound systems.

ghetto blasters ain't got nothing on these bad boys.  they even have rechargeable batteries lasting around 9 hours and you can plug in anything with a headphone jack.

you can also have one custom made, check out the website by clicking here.

or order directly from mr. simo's etsy.

norwegian jumping fish

i noticed something interesting about my "fish browns" when i made them for breakfast the other day...


jumping fish cakes from Maxwell on Vimeo.

It's 28 degrees right now...

-2° celsius...

fresh produce: filson packer tin cloth coat

this will be my next big purchase... i just need to get a job first...

"the one-piece cape provides no-seam, double coverage for your chest, upper back and arms. four large front utility pockets, slotted pocket for instruments, unlined hand warmer pockets and an interior pocket. the heavy-duty, two-way brass zipper is backed up with a wind-guard in back and storm flap in front. adjustable cuffs, tab-closure neck, 100% virgin wool-lined collar. made in usa" - filson

a cheesy scandinavian brand

what's that quote about if you have to say you are something, you are most likely not...?

this is a really cheesy scandinavian boxing/martial arts equipment brand "fighter"... reminiscent of fubu's slogan "for us, by us."  i couldn't help but laugh.

more food

cooking is also really the only time i have to relax... also the only time i have to take pictures.  so there you go... more food:

pineapple-nut salmon, if you will: crusted in macadamia nuts and pan-fried in pineapple juice with pineapple chunks and jalapenos... salty, spicy and sweet.  the fried lomper made it somewhat of a taco.

what i call the semi-scrambled omelette, with chopped fish-browns (see below), tomatoes, jalapeno's and spring onions.  fried lomper w/ cream cheese to complete the breakfast taco.

this one's simple: salmon with balsamic sauteed broccoli and tomatoes, over pesto fusilli.

here's my favorite -- i eat this for breakfast almost daily: "fish browns"
diced fish cakes fried to the perfect golden brown crisp, mixed with chopped-then-fried lomper and spring onions.
topped with cottage cheese and varying other toppings (this time jalapenos and secret aardvark).

homemade ramen

it's a big statement... but this is one of the best dishes I've ever made.

semi-homemade beef-stock (that's right, bouillon) with egg noodles, poached salmon, sugar snap pies, broccoli and soy soft-boiled eggs.

broccoli and snap peas sauteed in oil and a little soy sauce for the perfect crispy texture.

the salmon was poached in the ramen stock.  the eggs were soft-boiled and marinated in chili-garlic infused soy sauce for 3 days.