A rare Lebanese treat in Malmö

I've been 'writing' this for over 2 weeks (more like not writing).  Studying for my final yoga teacher training module has rather taken over, so learning which muscles flex the hips, what the most important yoga sutras are and working on including meditation every day are at the top of my to-do list.  I do think this post is worth sharing, even if it is really late, so...here we go!

On Tuesday night, October 1st, I had a rare excuse to eat out.  In my first year here, I have learned that there are two categories of restaurant; the first is top notch and pricey enough to make it special occasion only; the second is cheap as chips pizza and kebab places.  There isn't much in between, which results in very occasional splurges, but no regular treats.  Sort of makes the special occasions even more special...

On October 1st, Mountain Man and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary.  It's hard to believe we've been in Sweden for just over a year!  Time flies...

I spent quite a while debating where we should go (thankfully Mountain Man takes a step back when it comes to big decisions like where to eat)  There are a few restaurants that we have yet to try, but in the end we landed on OCCO.  It's just around the corner from our first apartment in Malmö and I have been cycling or walking past it almost every day for a year.  There is a very discreet sign and beautifully intricate panels on the windows, screening your view inside.  For quite a while I was sure it was some exclusive members club that I would never be allowed into, but I was sure it was something special.

                                     

OCCO is a Lebanese restaurant, serving a choice of 3 meze - vegetarian, lebanese or lebanese with mixed grill.  Prices range from 290-390kr per person and there has to be a minimum of two people dining.  For a Tuesday night, I was surprised to see a table of 6 people already there and soon after 2 more tables of 2 were filled and finally a table of 12!  Midweek it may have been, but this place was buzzy and cosy.

We went for the mixed grill meze and got off to an amazing start with a whole artichoke served between us.  Oh, the flavour!  Lemony, garlicy succulent artichoke leaves to suck on.  Have you ever shared an artichoke this way?  Get ready for some sensual eating, that's all I can say! I adored it, but before we could finish it an incredible selection of dishes had arrived; divinely creamy hummous, baba ghanoush, seriously herby tabbouleh, the best falafel I've ever tasted with a gorgeous garlicy dip and a multitude of filled pastries and spiced yoghuts.  Oh my lord, I found it such a challenge to know what to eat first!  I did manage to go back to the artichoke a few times, so managed not to waste any... 

   

About 15 minutes later the mixed grill arrived; swoon!  Perfectly tender fillet steak, chicken marinaded in chilli and gorgeous kebab.  Neither of us managed to clean our plates, there was so much food!  Everything was so good and with discreet and super fast service the experience was wonderful.

Having been in Sweden for over a year now, I have yet to experience food or service like we had in OCCO.  The decor was perfect, luxurious and comfortable...ideal for a romantic evening together.  Most of the other tables were filled with groups though, so clearly not just a place for romance.

We finished with dessert...Mountain Man had a selection of ice-cream made in house, for once I didn't have food envy as I ordered the 'chocolate bar' which turned out to be a dense praline coated in dark chocolate, served with pomegranate seeds.  Small but perfectly formed ;-)  When we asked for the bill, we were given a little box of chocolate covered almonds, like I've never tasted before.  Top quality chocolate, big juicy almonds and a coating of dark cocoa.  WOW.  I'm already scheming to get back there soon.

  

Whenyouhaveacold Soup

I was in Ireland recently for a wedding.  It was a glorious occasion - the sun shone, the bride and groom were beautiful and the food was divine.  I didn't take any photos though, so I won't tease you with stories of the dinner in Dromoland Castle, nothing about all five courses, the sorbet, the petit fours...oooh no, it would be too much...

Instead I thought I'd share a soup recipe I got from my father in law.  He made and served it to Mountain Man and I on the day we left Ireland after the wedding, to come back home to Malmö.  It's the kind of soup you can make with whatever you have in the fridge, is terribly forgiving and will stretch to feed whoever happens to turn up (as we did).  We gulped it down half an hour before we had to be at the airport, after a manic weekend of wedding glamour and intense visiting.  It was so good I could have had 3 bowls and curled up in a corner, happy.

This week I have been suffering from a nasty head cold and so I dug out the recipe he had emailed me and made the soup, albeit with one or two ingredients missing or replaced with something else.  I figured it would cheer me up, boost my immune system and be a fairly easy lunch for the week.  It was.  My father in law calls it 'whatsleftoverveg soup', for me it's 'whenyouhaveacold soup'.

In a nutshell, you take a couple of cloves of garlic and an onion  and dice small.  Cube 3 carrots and a couple of sticks of celery (size matters, small is good, but whatever you decide, keep it consistent) and put them with the onion & garlic into a saucepan with a dash of good quality sunflower oil and a smidge of real butter.  Saute for 10 minutes or so, then add 1 litre of stock, half a tin of tomatoes and a teaspoon of each of the following spices - smoked paprika, cummin, ground black pepper - and 8-10 whole green cardamon pods.  If you like a bit of heat, now is the time to add in some chilli powder or harissa paste.  I added half a teaspoon as it needed to suit Mountain Man too.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, then add in half a tin of beans,  half a leek and a bunch of chopped parsley & coriander.  Continue simmering until the veg is al dente and serve up with some crusty bread and butter, or as I did some Swedish 'hard bread' or crackers (more on those in the next blog). 

You may notice there are lots of 'half' things here.  That's because I halved the recipe (apart from the tinned tomatoes, which I accidentally put in an entire tin of, hence the very very red soup) but if you want, double the recipe and freeze half the soup.  I also left out a potato, as I didn't have any, but I think it is a worthy addition, so do add it in. 

The onion, leek & garlic are fantastic cold fighters, natural antibiotics and great for your immune system generally.  I am definitely feeling the benefit of a bowl every day this week and it is dead easy to make.  When you do serve it up, adding a dollop of greek yoghurt and a squeeze of lime makes it particularly moreish.  It's all run out now, so I'll have to make more tomorrow, maybe with some ginger added, for extra ooomph.