capers — Wine & Dine

Who would've know that Olson's Scandinavian Delicatessen has been around since 1948? There are a lot of words to describe this place, but the only word I can think of is how LOVELY Olson's is. I've never had real Scandinavian food and the closest would be Ikea (love Ikea by the way). The deli is located close to the 10 freeway off Washington towards Fairfax. I'm just happy that I don't have to drive into Beverly Hills or West Hollywood.

5660 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019

Before ordering your food, take a moment to notice the decorations and the many items on sale. From candles, to books, to mugs, to bibs, sausages, and even Scandinavian candy! You can find the real Swedish fishies here.

Here are the dishes that we ordered:

There were many, but one of my favorites was their Grav Lax:

GRAV LAX is prepared with their own Dill Cured Salmon, Red Onions, Fresh Cucumbers and choice of Horseradish Lemon Sauce or Mustard Dill Sauce on Brioche Bun. This salmon was so different from your typical smoked salmon. Since this is cured, you get the subtle, beautiful sweetness of the salmon that is wrapped with the slight herbaceous flavors of the dill. The mustard dill sauce was also fabulous. There is also a poached egg added for an additional charge.

Also a fan of their Shrimp Spagen. This is the Lobster Roll of Scandinavia. Greenland Shrimp, mixed with Creme Fraiche, Dill, Shallots, Mayo, Golden Caviar stuffed in a Brioche Bun. The flavors are extremely luxurious especially because Creme Fraiche is used. All Sandwiches served with a side of pickled cucumber.

Make sure to check them out soon. It's not everyday we find a Scandinavian Delicatessen in Los Angeles.

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During Sunday, I had a weird epiphany that I was going to do a whole crap load of grocery shopping that will last throughout the next few weeks. This shopping consisted of purchasing a lot of protein from Costco which will be wrapped and tucked away in the freezer, and Veggies which will be purchased throughout the week if we run out. Not really sure what dishes I will create, but I wanted to prep some meals, without really prepping 5 daily meals in one day. With that said, I decided creating simple side dishes will be a leverage to assist me making home cooked meals throughout the week.

For a little over $1 a pound, you can get a huge bag of broccoli florets for around $4. That is extremely cheap. And since the florets are thoroughly washed, I literally place the whole bag in the microwave. 3 minutes on one side, flip, 3 minutes on the other. This will steam the broccoli getting the cooking process done quicker and less mess.

I take out a sheet tray and cram every single one evenly. I crushed about diced 5 cloves of garlic to top the broccoli. Drizzle with some olive oil, salt, and a little pepper. This was roasted in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Once you see some dark char on your florets, it's okay to take out, let it cool, and store in a giant container to be left in your fridge until ready to use.

For the Garlic mashed potatoes, I went to a local Albertsons and purchased one of those $2.99 bags of russet potatoes. These were peeled, diced, and then rinsed. The potatoes were boiled with about 6 large cloves of garlic until tender, as you would with your mashed potato recipes. You can always reduce the amount of garlic or completely remove it if you are not a fan. I can really taste the garlic with just 6 large cloves. After the potatoes are done, strain the water, add 1/2 a stick of butter and about 1 cup of milk. This really depends on the texture that you like your potatoes. I started mashing and seasoning the potatoes with salt and dried parsley. After you are happy with your potatoes, let it cool, and then store in your fridge until read to use.

Ok so I obviously made up the name. The seasoning I used was Herb De Provence which are obviously a a handful of herbs, but includes lavender. The lavender smell really stands out. The first time I purchased herb de provence, I was pretty intimidated by how it smells. But after trying it on chicken, I literally had a mind blown mouthgasm moment because I love putting that sh*t on everything now.

I seasoned both sides of the fish with Herb de Provence, garlic powder and salt. The fish was pan seared and finished with some capers. The mashed potatoes I made prior, was seared on both sides until golden brown. The broccoli was just heated and kissed with a little olive oil.

Going back to prepping your side dishes. It makes wanting to cook so much more convenient. Instead of frantically pulling out different pants, you might like I do, get discouraged to cook. But look at how you can transform delicious mashed potatoes into something even more heavenly.

Stay tuned for more recipes using prepped side dishes. You can either thank me now, or thank me later.

happy eating!

Daiisies

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Wine & Dine

Olson's Scandinavian Delicatessen - Los Angeles

Fish caper de provence