Demeyere SECONDS and Jeannes Swedish Salmon Soup

It's Jeanne here this week. I am back from the mad Christmas and January Sale rush that we experienced in the shops, so I hope you didn't miss me too much. Now, do I have a treat for you if you love good quality pans and have had your eye on Demeyere for a while, but just couldn't quite afford them because they are quite an investment.

The Demeyere Seconds Sale You've Been Waiting For
Every few years or so, we get a list from Zwilling J. Henckels (they distribute this fabulous Belgian brand) of Demeyere seconds or B Grades. The reason why we get so excited by this list is because the meaning of "seconds" for Maurits Demeyere and his son is just a visual imperfection! That is it! And sometimes we can't even find what the visual imperfection is! This is one reason out of many why I love Demeyere, they're perfectionists by a country mile and that speaks to me.

Until stocks last, we're selling these seconds at 30% off:
Demeyere Atlantis Proline Frying Pan 28cm
Demeyere Atlantis Proline Frying Pan 32cm
Demeyere Atlantis Saucepan (No Lid) 16cm, 18cm, 20cm
Demeyere Atlantis Stock Pot 20cm, 24cm
Demeyere Atlantis Casserole 28cm
Demeyere Atlantis Sauté Pan 24cm

Sadly, there were no sauciers on the list and as you can see, there were no saucepans with lids either. We sell glass lids separately and metal lids do exist but they're not cheap. Just to give you an idea, metal lids can contribute to around a third of the price of the pan! So, a lot.

Swedish Salmon Soup: Perfect for Your New Sauté Pan

Speaking of the sauté pan, I'll now talk about a recipe that mum discovered and has put on the website, but I've used it as a guide and gone off my memory of how she used to make it. Plus, along the way I've added things to it.
The dish is called Swedish Salmon Soup. Mum found the recipe from Valentine Warner and it uses something called Swedish curry powder. I didn't know it was a thing and it was something that mum couldn't find here in the UK when she first found the recipe. She had some Swedish friends from meeting at bread courses in Sweden, so mum being mum (which is not reserved at all) went on Facebook and asked her Swedish friends if they could send some Swedish curry powder to her. Within minutes someone replied saying they'd send her some. Anyway, we haven't had Swedish curry powder in years so I've been using a mix of curry powder, ras el hanout, garam masala and ground cumin. It sounds a bit over the top this list, but the results are seriously delicious.

We've always made this dish in the sauté pan but it can be done in the casseroles as well since it's the same construction, just one is half the height of the other. Now before I give my version of the recipe, just need to be mindful that we buy organic fruit & veg as much as possible and that means it's generally smaller than non-organic. Also, I'm not a very precise person—the quantities or amount change every time I make this but I will do my best to give you the amounts I generally use. Another thing is, I only know how to cook for an army so I'll half the measurements as I generally don't think you need to cook as much as I do. Lol. Click the link below to try it out.

Jeanne's Swedish Salmon Soup Recipe

One time I made this for Em and Andi and I didn't realise that we didn't have any frozen peas left. This felt like an absolute disaster because the peas really add to the colour and texture. I then found green beans in the fridge but because I had no time to cook them, I decided to slice them thinly, add to the pan and pray I didn't cock up the whole thing. It surprisingly worked. They were pretty crunchy but it did a good enough job as a substitute.

And One More Thing: Kiwis!

Before I sign off, something small and a bit odd, but bear with me. And that is kiwis! Kiwis you're wondering? What in god's name could I say about them? Did you know that there is a lot of goodness in the skin and that your gut absolutely LOVES the skin of kiwis? I used to always peel the skin, until I saw Em in Reigate eat them with the skin. It seemed like such an alien concept because I thought the skin would be unpleasant with how fluffy it is. So, I braved it and gave it a go and I was happily surprised that I couldn't feel the hairs much and it just mixed in with the flesh as I ate it.

Just like how Em surprised me, I surprised my colleague Debbie in Cobham one day. She is a big kiwi lover but still thought I was a bit looney as I took a chunk of the fruit with skin and just looked at her like it was normal and that everyone does it. I told her what I've just told you and she was a bit worried (like me) trying it with the skin. The next time I worked with her, I got her to try green and red kiwis and lo and behold, she was happily surprised by the texture just like I was.

You may know this already, but green kiwis have a thicker, chewier, and fluffier skin than golden and red kiwis do. So, if this is new to you and you want to try it but you're a bit worried you'll struggle with the texture of the green kiwi's skin, then give golden kiwis a go first and then try the green one. Now, I've only just discovered red kiwis. They're in Sainsbury's at the moment and depending on the variety, some have a redder flesh than others. The difference is it is a bit sweeter and has a berry taste to it as well.

Happy cooking (and kiwi eating)!

Jeanne