Hey guess what, we just got married! In a beautiful greenhouse in Rosendal’s Garden in Stockholm, surrounded by our closest family and friends (+ ALL their kids) and accompanied by live jazz music and gorgeous food. Even though I proposed to Luise in the back of a campervan on New Zealand almost three years ago, we pulled this wedding together – from idea to ”I do” – in less than five weeks. With three young kids, constantly overflowing mailboxes and an unhealthy always-need-to-be-in-control tendency, we realized that if we don’t do a quick and spontaneous wedding we probably won’t get hitched until we are retired. So instead of our dream wedding going on for three days and nights in the Italian country side, we aimed for an informal and cosy autumn gathering in one of our favorite Stockholm locations. It turned out so much better than we could ever have hoped for and we are now officially mr and mrs.
We let the chefs at Rosendal take care of all the food (which was a huge relief). Our only instructions for the lunch buffet (lunch is much easier if you want friends with kids to attend) was that we wanted hearty salads and food roughly in line with our own philosophy. Typically, we didn’t get any photos of the whole buffet table, but there were roasted vegetables, butter tossed potato and chanterelles, slaw with pickled mustard seeds, hummus, sourdough bread, sauerkraut, a goat’s cheese salad with shredded beets, herb sauces and lots and lots of cake. All seasonal and local, pretty decorated with fruit and flowers. And so good!
Another salad that they prepared was made with roasted pumpkin, cavolo nero and buckwheat and we have recreated our own version of it here below. We never got the exact recipe from the chef so this is a pretty loose interpretation of how we remembered it (after a couple of glasses of champagne). We are sharing that today along with a few snaps that David’s sister took at the wedding. Forget everything I’ve previously stated about marriage. This was fun! And I feel damn fortunate to marry the most beautiful woman I know.
Lots of love from us!
The kids were more interested in the fireplace than the camera …
These two guys were so good! Send me an email if you need Chet Baker-style jazz musicians in Stockholm and I’ll forward their contact info.
This is a gorgeous and rustic recipe perfect for this season. It would also be ideal for Christmas, maybe with some cinnamon added to the dressing. One of the things we really love about this is that you don’t need to peel the pumpkin (which always is a hassle), just cut into wedges and you can even keep the seeds on. Some of the seeds might get a little burnt but the one hanging on to the slices add a nice crunch. We cover the pumpkin wedges in dressing both before and after roasting to give them a delicious coating.
Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Cavolo Nero & Buckwheat
Serves 4
1 Hokkaido squash, Kent pumpkin or other small winter squash/pumpkin variety
200 g / 4 cups dinosaur kale (cavolo nero) or regular kale, thick stems removed
1 cup / 250 ml / 170 g raw buckwheat groats, rinsed
Dressing
125 ml / 1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp maple syrup
1-2 lemons, juice + zest
1 cm / 1/2 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
Sea salt & pepper
To serve
Pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup / 75 g toasted pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup / 150 g feta cheese
Set the oven to 200°C / 400°F fan mode. Divide the pumpkin in half and then cut it into wedges. Leave any seeds that are hanging on to the wedges and discard the rest. Stir together the dressing, taste and adjust the flavors. Pour about half of it in a bowl and toss the pumpkin slices in it (keep the remaining dressing in the bowl). Place on a baking tray and roast for about 25-30 minutes. We like it a little burnt towards the edges. When roasted, carefully loosen the wedges from the tray and brush them with the remaining dressing in the bowl.
While the pumpkin is roasting, cook the buckwheat groats in 2 cups water for 7-8 minutes until soft but not mushy. Drain any remaining water and leave to cool off a bit. Add the remaining half of the dressing to a large bowl. Tear the kale leaves into smaller pieces, place in the bowl and use your hands to massage them until they soften up. Add the buckwheat to the bowl and toss so it’s all mixed. Arrange the kale and buckwheat on the tray (or a serving plate) together with the pumpkin wedges. Scatter with pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds and crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy!
Wedding photos by Johanna Frenkel.
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