Live, love, laugh and eat.

Christmas Pudding - New Year's pudding

2011-12-31T11:20:00.021+01:00

I must just share this recipe. Perhaps you are still looking for a dessert for your New Year's day celebration dinner? Did you decide on a non traditional dessert on Christmas day and now regret it?
Well its not too late, you don't have to wait another year- all thanks to the Nan of Jamie Oliver!

This year my son had to prepare dessert for Christmas dinner. He was out on a limb cooking for the family of his girlfriend. He wanted to stay traditional with a Christmas pudding. I told him he was way too late deciding just a week before Christmas to make Christmas pudding. How wrong I was...
He had a helping hand in the kitchen- no other than Jamie Oliver.
My son was planning on making this pudding without a trial run on Christmas eve, how laid back is that? I convinced him to make the pudding a few days before Christmas, so we could approve it.(any kitchen activity in this house by others than myself has to be encouraged, since this is not a frequent occurence!) He halved the ingredients and it and knocked it up in no time. Of course, the only hassle is it needs to steam for three hours!
Jamie Oliver Says: "My Nan spent years perfecting this pudding recipe. It's quick, simple, tasty and it's not too heavy so you can eat more. I love it!"
He does admit to tweaking her recipe though! (don’t tell her!) According to Jamie you can make it the week before or the day before. An idiot can make it......No comment...!
It's the breadcrumbs that keep it light. While a traditional pudding is dense, dark, and heavy like a brick.....as Jamie so eloquently puts it, this one is much lighter and more popular with kids! One downside of the breadcrumbs is the colour, which is also light. It disturbed me but it did taste good. I did miss the nuts though, I'm just a nutty person. In addition, I would spice it up a bit!

The DVD JAMIE'S CHRISTMAS is a great help in planning Christmas dinner, with lots of tips, ideas, a Christmas countdown, and even a shopping list. Also recipe cards for smoked salmon and watercress salad, classic pork and chestnut stuffing, creamed corn, roast spicy squash, pigs in blankets, mashed veg, roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary and parsnips with thyme and honey, my favourite turkey, cranberry sauce, veg with flavoured butters (sugar snap peas with parsley, garlic and lemon butter. Purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy and rosemary butter. Brussel sprouts with bacon, sage and chestnut butter. Carrots with thyme, cumin and orange butter) the best mince pies and my Nan's Christmas pudding. I would recommend it, I actually have a copy over (a double present) still sealed, interested? 5euro.
The only thing is my son now wants a cheesy jumper just like the one Jamie Oliver got for Christmas! Any knitters out there?

The photographs taken are while using half the ingredients. The impressive part of a Christmas pudding is during the flaming. Heat your brandy (or other liquor) over a flame in a metal soup ladle. Pour carefully over the pudding, normally it begins to ignite itself otherwise help it with a match. Enjoy!

My Nan's Christmas pudding
serves 8 to 10 people
1 teaspoon softened butter, for greasing
1 large egg
150ml of milk
400g dried sultanas and raisins
100g dried cherries and cranberries
125g suet or butter
125g plain flour
125g golden caster sugar
125g breadcrumbs
125 dates, chopped up
2 tablespoons of brandy
a pinch of salt
zest of 1 orange
3 pieces stem ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Firstly rub 1.5 litre pudding bowl with butter.
In a separate bowl beat the egg and milk together and put to one side.
In a third bowl, mix all the other ingredients together.
Pour the egg and milk mixture into this bowl and stir or mix with your hands until everything is combined.
Spoon this mixture into the greased pudding bowl and cover with a layer of buttered greaseproof paper followed by a double layer of aluminium foil.
Tie these layers in place around the rim of the bowl using a piece of string. (we didn’t bother)
Place the pudding bowl in a large saucepan and put cold water in the pan until it comes half way up the side of the bowl.
Bring the water to the boil then cover with a lid and simmer for 3 hours.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Don’t forget to check the water regularly making sure that it doesn’t boil dry or the pan will burn and the bowl will crack.
When serving the pudding simply remove the cloth or the foil and turn it out on a plate.
Serve with brandy butter or nice thick custard.

It was a big hit with the girlfriend’s family.
This year I celebrated Christmas with a good friend. We had a lovely traditional English dinner,2 in 1 turkey AND roast beef! On Boxing day I cooked for my family. My Christmas 2011 menu: A salad with rolled ham with date and goat’s cheese stuffing decorated with a quail’s egg mango dressing and balsamic vinegar. Homemade beetroot and carrot crisps. Red onion and balsamic relish.
Roast sage chicken, roast butternut squash with red onion and fennel, roast potatoes and parsnips, cranberry sauce, Brussel sprouts with sage and orange, sage and onion stuffing, sausage and bacon rolls, cranberry sauce with orange and thyme.
Christmas pudding, with custard. Fruit with meringue and poached pear.

Eat, drink and be merry!

2011-12-25T13:26:00.004+01:00

Merry Christmas everyone!
And no it's not snowing in Holland. The photograph was taken last year!

Panforte, an Italian (Christmas) treat

2011-12-22T23:32:00.014+01:00

This is an Italian cake that looks so appetising I was sold the minute I set my eyes on it!
It kind of looks like nougat, come biscotti, come candybar, come fruitcate. Certainly more confection than cake or bread (translates literally as strong bread) It is almost a luxury nutty flapjack without the oats! It looks deliciously tempting.
I did however have one slight problem:it was not available in the shops, I had never before tasted Panforte, could I make one? I knew I had to try.
Panforte is according to wikipedia, a traditional Italian dessert containing fruits and nuts, and resembling fruitcake or Lebkuchen....
It contains no butter or eggs, very little flour. This could also easily be substituted for ground almonds, so ideal for those with dietery requirements, eg gluten free. However if you have a nut allergy- forget it!
Apparently, it keeps very well- the chance would be a fine thing in this household!
It is also very easy to make and ideal for those that don't have the time to make a traditional Christmas cake (like me last Christmas). It can be served after dinner (with a glass of sweet dessert wine), or as an accompaniment to cup of frothy cappuccino. Dipped in coffee it is soft and scrumptious. What’s more it is quite acceptable to eat it with your hands!
Originally a Christmas goodie...it can be enjoyed all year round. I have since discovered it is available at Sligro.
I wanted to make it as part of my Christmas dessert and on standby as necessary. It is very rich so I knew a little bit would go a long way. It is dense and chewy and oh so satisfying. I love it- have you noticed?
Being a chocoholic, I decided chocolate had to be of the party, and cranberries, because they are so festive, as well as having tartness to counteract the sweetness. I liked the idea of using figs, for their well... obvious properties, a bit of ginger (which I adore) and some grated orange- I think I was well on the way to coming up with seventeen ingredients that attribute to making aa authentic Panforte. Of course honey must be present, sugar, nuts. I wanted the full spice mix even a bit of the traditional pepper! I added a bit of Cointreau on a whim- couldn't resist it being the festive season and all that.
I initially searched the internet for a recipe but unable to find one that ticked all my boxes, concocted my own (what's new?) It was bit ominous since I had never tasted/made one before- but what the heck...
Here is what I came up with, feel free to adjust and use different fruits/ and nuts- I know I will. It is very adaptable to what you have available. You don't exactly taste the chocolate/cocoa but it does give it such a lovely dark rich colour. This particular type is referred to as Panforte nero.
You must work very quickly with the mix because it solidifies immediately it starts to cool. A spare pair of hands is a must! I lined my flan case first with a circle of greaseproof paper, oiled. and then with edible rice paper (see photo), and I'm glad I did- I think it otherwise would have been firmly stuck!
I apologise for the bad photos, I had a slight problem with my camera.

Panforte:
265gr toasted nuts ( I used 35gr sunflower seeds, 93gr hazelnuts,27gr brazil nuts,110gr almonds)
225gr dried fruit ( I used 25gr candied ginger peel, 50gr dried cranberries, 150gr dried figs)
75gr dark chocolate
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp all spice, ground
1/4 tsp ginger
5 ground cloves
pinch pepper
grated zest & juice of 1 orange
150gr honey
150gr sugar
75gr plain flour
2 tbsp Cointreau
20cm flan case
Icing sugar for dusting
oops-I exceeded the 17 ingredients! But it is well worth it.
Prepare your 20cm tin see above.
Prepare your nuts.

I prepared my nuts a day or so in advance. I removed the skins from the hazelnuts and almonds. To remove the skins from the hazelnuts I dry roast them in a pan for a few minutes. When they cool slightly rub them. Blanch the almonds- that is, pour boiling water over them and leave them briefly to soak for about 1-2 minutes and 'pop' the skins off. When they are completely dry I dry roast them in a pan
I then dry roasted all the nuts except the brazils. I also roasted the sunflower seeds briefly.
Preheat oven 160°C
Put all the nuts in a bowl. You could roughly chop but I like my nuts whole. I bashed just a few.
Roughly, cut the figs, and finely chop the ginger and add to the nuts with the cranberries. Melt the chocolate (I used a low microwave setting)
Grind the cloves (I used a pestle and mortar)
Remove the orange zest and juice.
Add the spices to the nut/fruit mix. Add the orange zest, flour, cocoa and stir.
Bring the honey and sugar gently to the boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for a few minutes.

Add the melted chocolate and then the sugary mixture to the bowl of fruit/nuts and stir well with a wooden spoon, working quickly to combine all the ingredients..
Stir in the cointreau.
Turn mixture out in the prepared tin and push firmly, flatten with the wooden spoon (or wet hands).
Bake for 40-45 minutes. It should start to bubble but not brown. Allow the cake to cool in the tin because it will be too soft to remove. As it cools slightly you can ease it around the edges and turn out. Dust with icing sugar. It will harden as it cools.
Apparently this cake will store well in an airtight tin. (It just didn't get the chance!)
This really makes make a perfect alternative to Christmas cake or Christmas pudding- I just know it will a regular on my (Christmas) menu.
Update: This is a blog I started writing last year but I never got around to sharing it. This Christmas I have made another Panforte, I used the same basic recipe above. Here and there a few changes in fruit and nuts, a few toasted pine nuts and cocktail cherries. I substituted the alcohol for liquid from the maraschino cherries.

It was a little more sticky this year and less chewy. If anything I would say it was even better! I can't wait to see what I come up with next year!

Homemade mincemeat

2011-12-20T20:03:00.006+01:00

Mince pies and Christmas go hand in hand. I always make my own mince pies but I dont always make my own mincemeat. This year however I did, and I must say it was very easy, the smell was extremely festive and the taste ...quite delicious. When I do buy the jars, at Tuckerbox, Leiden or in the UK, I usually end up adding extra ingredients anyway. Now I know just how simple it is I don’t think I need to, ever again.
Its not too late, hurry into the kitchen, grab your apron! It wont be Christmas without them!
I Kind of based my recipe on a few I found on the internet. I wanted to make mince pies the following day so couldn’t use a recipe that needed to stand for 24 hours. I wanted to use my favourite ingredients. This is what I came up with. It was deliciously moist, therefore the fruit was plump and full of flavour:

Mincemeat:
2 apples, finely diced, skins on (I only had Royal Gala so that had to do)
110gr suet (I suppose you could use butter)
120gr sultanas
110gr currants
100gr cherries, halved (I only had cocktail cherries but normally I would use glace)
75gr dried cranberries
100gr apricots (or you could be authentic and use candied peel)
175gr brown sugar
grated zest and juice 1 lemon
grated zest and juice 1 orange
1 heaped tbsp mixed spice/ (I used Dutch speculaas spice)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
good pinch nutmeg
50ml cranberry juice
3 tbsp brandy
45gr walnuts, chopped

In a pan combine and mix all (except nuts and brandy) ingredients well. Bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the nuts and brandy and stir well. When cooled store in a clean pot in the refrigerator.
I reckon this makes enough for about 40 mince pies. I like to fill mine generously.

I actually made two batches this year. I tried the Jamie Oliver ones that are open but somehow my pastry just wasn't as crisp as it normally is and somehow they didn't look quite like right..My second attempt was with 200gr plain flour, &100gr whole wheat flour etc see recipe here and were so much nicer, and healthier.
Traditionally mince pies are served warm with brandy butter or a dollop of cream.

A box of goodies

2011-12-18T22:14:00.010+01:00

It's hamper time again! Or kerstpakket as we call it. Is it my imagination or are the Christmas staff hampers getting smaller? The enthusiasm is certainly less than in years gone by..... The Albert Heijn staff hamper 2011 contains the following items:

Sweet goodies: cupcake mix (just add milk, egg, butter, oil....what i exactly is in this packet? flour?) cinnamon meringue, chocolate chip cookies (Fair-trade), strawberry- hazelnut chocolates, bar of mocha chocolate.
Savoury: cheesy biscuits, Pumpkin soup (organic), lemon-olive oil, Balsamic vinegar,
Non food: Two cookery books (clever tactics- encouraging the sale of produce), make-up mirror lip-gloss and nail vanish (for the girls) face wash (for the boys!) serviettes and 'kerst' 'Christmas' candles (very colourful).
That’s all folks.

Cheats plum/ Christmas pudding...when a cake becomes a pudding.

2011-12-18T10:37:00.019+01:00

No not a disaster in the kitchen, on the contrary....a recipe to save the day.
It is Christmas related, not even strictly a recipe, more a improvisation of ingredients put together to create an almost authentic dish, but please bear with me- if I don't post it now I know I never will. A plum pudding or as many call it Christmas pudding is a rich fruity English dessert traditionally eaten on Christmas day.
It was December 2010 I was in a dilemma, as what to choose for my Christmas dinner.
While I love a traditional British Christmas dinner, turkey with all the trimmings followed by Christmas pudding, because I live in Holland it is not always possible to come by all the ingredients or they are extremely expensive.
Of course many things you can be made completely from scratch, (my mother always makes her own), but when you are dithering about whether to return to the UK for Christmas or not, time is running away...
I had a small Christmas pudding a la mama (if you make a batch you can have them throughout the year- they only improve with age!) but not nearly enough to serve all my guests. I decided on a trio of desserts but I still wasn't happy that each person would get no more than a teaspoon or two of plum pudding. At Tuckerbox, leiden they were asking 17,50euro for Christmas puddings! No way!....I do see cheaper ones on their website this year.
I'm taking you back to Christmas morning and my brain was working over time. Hmm What if.......
Yes and in minutes, I concocted up a cheats pudding- and what is more, no one would ever have noticed the difference!
I had a fairly stale- well pretty dry fruitcake and some mincemeat (left over from my mince pies) I roughly crumbled the cake added the mincemeat and a good dose of whisky. I stamped the mixture into a glass pudding basin, covered it with greaseproof paper and steamed it for two hours in a large saucepan.
I nervously turned it upside down hoping it would flop out, waiting with baited breathe...it did. Of course, we just had to flame it prior to serving. Part one of my dessert was ready.

The proof of the pudding is in the tasting...
It was amazing...really. Moist and soft. Perhaps I had added a little too much liquor ;-)
So if you have a fruit cake that no one want to eat- mix it together with some mincemeat, a glug of spirit, and you'll have yourself a winner- all year round!
Poached pears were the second part of my trio of desserts. I favour whole pears for a special dessert simply because they look so elegant. The poached water/wine becomes a thick delicious wine sauce packed full of flavour. The pears balance out the heaviness of plum pudding.

Poached pears:

1 kilo cooking pears (try to pick ones out with the stalk intact)
250ml red wine
lemon juice
lemon peel strip x3
water
Star anise
1 cinnamon stick
3 tbsp. brown sugar
Scrub the lemon and cut three strips of peel.

Peel the pears and cut the bottom off so they will stand. Rub in lemon juice (to prevent browning- I just squeeze and rub the lemon halves over the pears).
Place in a pan, add the wine and top up with just enough water so they are almost covered. Add the cinnamon, star anise, lemon peel and sugar. Bring up to the boil and simmer for just over one hour. (test the pears for tenderness or continue to simmer until done).
Remove the pears and lemon strips, cinnamon and star anise and boil the remaining liquid until it is substantially reduced. It will be a thick delicious sauce.
Serve the pears warm or cold with the wine sauce.
Enjoy!

I wasn't very organised last Christmas (haha am I ever?) and didn't know if I would be here in Holland for Christmas, the thought of making a traditional English Christmas Cake hadn't even crossed my mind. This is a rich fruit cake with lots of dried fruit, nuts and spices, made well in advance (before November) usually stored upside down and regularly moistened or 'fed' with brandy or other liquor before being covered in marzipan and icing.
So there I was a week before Christmas without Turkey, Christmas pudding or Christmas cake- what kind of cook is this you may well ask yourself! I wracked my brains once again and came upon a wonderful idea-
I would make a Panforte, a traditional Italian fruitcake. It is a beautiful spicy, nutty cake. According to wikipedia The original name of panforte was "panpepato" (peppered bread). This was to become the third element in my trio of dessert.

Only a very slight problem- I had never tasted one let alone made one! This would be rather a challenge! One I was prepared to take though.
I don't particularly make things easy for myself either- instead of using an existing recipe- I made one up!
The recipe will follow….soon. HERE!

Caraway seed cake

2011-08-23T11:30:00.013+02:00

It is summer- hard to believe I know, as I am writing I can hear thunder and lightning, I see rain and I feel cold! It is not even a summer storm!
Around ten days ago we braved the elements and carried on with the planned BBQ organised by my friend Breda. Dutch weather was not going to spoil our evening!
The theme was Eastern European and I while I wanted to make Dillisk (Irish seaweed) soda bread (recipe to follow) I also wanted to keep within the theme. I did a quick Google search and came up with caraway seeds. Hmmm
The thought of caraway seeds stirred memories- of years ago...of my humble beginnings in Holland. The time of no luxuries, I am not going to tell you I had no running water but I certainly didn’t have a fully equipped kitchen- heck I didn't even have a kitchen! It was a time when it was not common for the average Dutch household to have an oven. I was surprised (and horrified) that almost everything went in a pool of fat in een braadpan on the gas hob! I was, however, lucky enough to get hold of a Tefal mini grill-oven. It kept my sanity. I was able, when urge arose, (remember I am English!) to cook a traditional roast! The oven was small, not everything fitted in at the same time mind, and I remember (now in amusement, then it was pure frustration) how I used to partially cook the food and keep it warm on top of the oven covered in silver foil and then rotate everything! I got it to a T! I also remember having to 'hammer' baking tins to size in order for them to fit in with the oven door closed! I also remember how my baking, on more than one occasion, awoke my sleeping husband! Haha those were the times!
When I had family visitors I also used this oven to bake a cake, I kept it simple, one cake I remember regularly baking is the Seed Cake.
The recipe came out an old Marguarite Patten cookery book: Every Day Cook Book, one I no doubt ´borrowed´ from my mother. It is a book filled with, as it suggests, basic recipes, 1,000 to be exact!
I love caraway seeds and I use them in many dishes savoury (Pak Choi) and sweet alike.
This seed cake is based on the Traditional Madeira cake simply with the addition of caraway seeds. The measurements are lb and oz but I have translated. I used a 20cm cake tin but the recipe calls for a 18cm, in the old days I used a loaf tin which also worked fine.

Seed Cake
Cooking time 1 1/2hours
Oven temperature 325-350F, gas mark 3, 170C
(6 oz) 175gr butter
(6-7 oz) 185gr castor sugar
3 large eggs
(8 oz) 250gr flour, preferably plain
1 teaspoon baking powder with plain flour
approximately 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon caraway seeds (a little more or less according to personal taste)
To decorate: 1 tablespoon sugar. (I find the coarser the better- roughly bashing sugar cubes work well for a crispy top)

Cream the butter and sugar until soft and light, the larger amount of sugar helps to give a very fine texture. Beat the eggs and add gradually to the creamed butter mixture. Should this show signs of curdling, fold in a little sieved flour. Fold in sieved flour and caraway seeds, then the milk. Pour in a greased and floured 7 inch (18cm) cake tin, sprinkle the sugar on top. Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours in a very moderate oven. Cover if necessary with a piece of greaseproof paper to prevent it becoming dry or burned. Test the cake with a small skewer, if it comes out clean it is ready. Cool on a wire rack. 12- 14 portions.
I served it as a dessert with marinated(Balsamic)strawberries and cream.
This blog is especially for the BBQ guests that requested the recipe- always a sign of success!
Other interesting dishes included Russian 'sunflower' salads, Ukraine Shashlick, pickled tomatoes and....vodka! Cheers!

My 7 Links:

2011-08-13T14:28:00.079+02:00

I was quite surprised to be tagged for the meme My 7 links since I’m not a very active blogger. I started with all good intentions (as we all do) I rather naively thought blogging would help organise my chaotic collection of hand written recipes as well as sharing my latest finds. It is harder work that I ever imagined and unfortunately, I am still left with masses of illegible recipes, (unfinished blog)notes, plus hundreds of photo’s to boot!
Paola is the person that actually inspired me to start blogging. I was in awe of her knowledge, and her enthusiasm was overwhelming! She has developed by leaps and bounds, not afraid of following her heart, believe me, she is one talented lady!
Blogging certainly makes the world a smaller place! We are able to unite across the miles, distance posing no boundary. This is an excellent link-building project and I am happy to participate. Yeah I did at first have my reservations- I don't do chain letters/ emails but this is harmless fun. I say lets blow new life into old forgotten posts.

Here are my 7 links:

1. My most beautiful post:

Global artichoke- getting to the heart of things

photo, courtesy of wikipedia
The artichoke is a beautiful creature, unfortunately one that is never able to reach its full potential- if our appetites are to be satisfied. I am tempted to grow artichokes in my own garden in order to see the vivid purple flower in all its full glory. But... I know it would remain a dilemma: would I feed the stomach or could I wait and feed the soul...? mmm temptation...

2. My most popular post:

Banoffee pie with dulche de leche

I have had been inundated with requests to make this time after time. What is the matter with you guys- too scared yourselves?
Whether it is served as the traditional English dessert or with chocolate genache it is always a winner!

3. My most controversial post:

Simple Desserts: 10 minute tiramisu and a quick trifle

I am not a particularly controversial person, hmm, I guess the nearest I come, would be my post on my 10 minute Tiramisu.
A great deal of controversy still surrounds the issue of whether it’s safe to eat raw eggs.

I am (raw) egg phobic. It does not matter how fresh the eggs are I just cannot get around eating them raw!
Shame on me, I know I am denying myself. I came up with a cheats Tirimasu, and also eggless Cheesecake.
Of course, an egg-free Tiramisu should not even bear the name. I do NOT apologise since I love my egg free 'cheats' Tiramisu!

4. My most helpful post:

Thai themed dinner party
one of my first Thai curries
I not only managed to convince myself to appreciate Thai cuisine, but I have taught my friends how to knock up a delicious Thai curry in just minutes! They are very appreciative, now realising just how simple it is.
How was it not always a favourite of mine I now ask myself weekly, but for me it was certainly an acquired taste. Try it!

5. A post that surprised me:

From sticky rice to perfect risotto

one of the many risotto's I can now make problem free!
This posting more than anything surprised the people immediately around me but mostly myself! I have had a rice issue for as long as I care to remember. This was all about conquering my culinary fears!

6. A post that didn’t get the attention it deserved:

Fig and brie toast

This lunch recipe is simple but quite delicious. Since no one has commented, I presume it has gone unnoticed- a grave injustice! I initially re-posted it from Sara Mae. Try it, you will not be disappointed!

7. The post I am most proud of:
Surprise sponge pudding

Like mother like daughter, Mums dessert/ surprise pudding.
This one isn't out the archives but what the heck. I couldn't pick anything else!
It will be no surprise to hear where my love of cooking comes from. As a child, my sister and I were encouraged to mix, beat, bake and generally cause havoc in the kitchen! My father is a food traditionalist- so only good British ‘grub’ for him, with the emphasis on 'meat-and-two-veg'! It will therefore be no surprise to hear my mother is a no nonsense cook. She however has had her limitations over the years, with numerous food allergies / intolerances but still comes up with the goods! Well done!

I would now like to invite and encourage 5 other bloggers to dig into their archives and refresh us with a blast from the past. Choose to accept the challenge if you wish, no pressure at all.
Dutch Girl Cooking
Claudia's Kitchen Creations
My Little Expat Kitchen
Cooked by Sara Mae
The Dutch Baker's Daughter

Surprise sponge pudding

2011-07-06T10:54:00.022+02:00

I love surprises, who doesn’t?
This old-fashioned dessert is an all round winner. Not only is it popular with everyone in our family, it also features in the charity cookery book Pie in the Sky.
The recipe, a self saucing lemon sponge was submitted by my mother for this fundraising cookery book to support the East Anglian Air Ambulance in 2010.

The first section is for the generously donated recipes from some celebrities oa the hairy bikers thus using the same formula as here. Another section is dedicated to the local people, in form of a competition, entrants were encouraged to come up with a dessert using local produce, and lastly recipes were collected from the local chefs of some of the best eating places in the East Anglian region.
My mother was a lucky prize winner receiving a copy of the book containing numerous delicious desserts. A couple of months later she was most surprised to see her entry featured in the local newspaper helping to promote sale of the book!
It has a very unusual method requiring boiling water to be poured over an uncooked sponge pudding! It yields a surprisingly good dessert- resulting in a light cake like topping and a 'surprise' tangy sauce. So good in fact, my mother and I cooked it two consecutive days during her recent stay with us! Not only is it delicious, it is also very easy to prepare, the ingredients easy to remember, and furthermore can be popped in the oven with a roast. The first day she prepared it in a round glass 18cm dish, the second day I largely prepared it, this time in an oblong dish 17 x 25cm.

Surprise Sponge Pudding

Base:
25gr soft butter
25gr soft brown sugar
juice and flesh of one lemon

Sponge Topping:
110gr butter
110gr caster sugar
110 gr self raising flour, sifted (I used plain flour with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)
zest of one lemon
full cream milk (I needed about 2 tbsp)

to serve, plenty of cream

Method:

Take an oblong ovenproof dish and grease well.
Preheat oven to 180c.
Dot the butter over the dish, sprinkle in the lemon juice and flesh as well as the brown sugar.
Fill an electric kettle and put on to boil.
Using an electric food mixer (or hand as I did) to make the sponge topping, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Next beat in the eggs a little at a time. add in the flour and zest, folding in well. Finally drizzle in sufficient milk until it becomes a thick dropping consistency.
Put spoonfuls of the topping over the base of the dish gently and level out. Slowly and very carefully pour over a half pint (240ml) of boiling water.
Cook for 30 minutes or until cooked- the top will look browned and bounce back when gently pushed. Served with your choice of fresh cream, perhaps clotted or Chantilly (whipped up with icing sugar).
Serves 6 dessert portions.

Lime ginger scallops, Ginger asparagus with cashews and Coconut 'panna cotta'

2011-06-01T17:13:00.048+02:00

When I was invited for scallops and prawns- I couldn't have been happier- but I was also quite intrigued, since I have never before cooked or even eaten scallops! The host is a California 'girl' (she will love me for that- but really, we are all young at heart!) with Italian roots and also happens to be a great cook!
I offered to make dessert-, which was rather a challenge because it had to be a low-carb dish! One of the guests was following the infamous Atkins diet. What ? A low carb dessert where even fruit is taboo. How's that possible? I put my thinking cap on and came up with a panna cotta made with coconut milk and buttermilk. I used very little sugar- the barest minimum, and combined coconut milk with buttermilk for a nice fresh, light taste.
We had a brilliant evening. We did a bit of prep. work beforehand, the cooking itself was very quick and we were soon enjoying a delicious feast! It all seemed very luxurious! Scallops, prawns, asparagus, coconut milk....mmmm

This was our menu:
Prawns, with a hot and spicy dipping sauce
Lime ginger scallop sauté (the recipe serves 2 so double up as you wish)
Ginger asparagus with cashews (serves 4)
Salad
Coconut 'panna cotta'

Lime ginger scallop sauté
For the Scallops (serves 2)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound sea scallops, patted dry
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons Lime Ginger Butter (recipe follows), chilled
1/3 cup walnut halves, lightly toasted
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
For the Lime Ginger Butter
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add the scallops and stir until golden, about 2 minutes. Pour off the fat.
2. Stir in the lime juice and cook 1 minute. Lower the heat and stir in the Lime Ginger Butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Cook just until a thick sauce forms. Stir in the walnuts, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Lime Ginger Butter Stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Shape into a cylinder 2.5 inches in diameter, and wrap in foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Makes: About 5 tablespoons

Ginger asparagus with cashews.

1 tablespoon peanut or safflower oil
! pound asparagus about 16, halved
!/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
!/2 cup chopped cashews, toasted in a dry skillet
Grated zest of one unwaxed orange
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Serves four
Heat the oil in a wok, add the asparagus and ginger and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
Add the cashews, orange zest, soy sauce and sesame oil and continue cooking for one minute. Transfer to warm plates and serve immediately.

We actually added some courgette, which also worked well.
This combined great with a lovely fresh salad and the prawns with was served with a delicious home-made spicy, dipping sauce. It was divine.

Coconut-buttermilk 'panna cotta'
Of course not a true 'panna cotta', which actually means'cooked cream', but a much lighter version of the Italian classic.

400ml coconut milk (I used Fair trade)
250ml buttermilk (I used Arla organic buttermilk)
30- 40gr palm sugar- the pale kind (30 is the barest minimun)
4 gelatine sheets
1 vanilla pod (I used one Indonesian vanilla)
3 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 tbsp brown sugar
optional sauce for serving see below.

Heat the coconut milk in a pan. Add sugar and vanilla pod (scrape out the inside).
Do not boil; we don’t want to risk curdling the milk. Allow to ‘just’ reach simmering point. Let the vanilla seep for more flavour, I'm afraid I was out of time so to be fair I can't judge the quality of the Indonesian vanilla based on this dish.
Soak the gelatine in the buttermilk for 10 minutes.
Cool the coconut milk slightly, romove the pod and add the gelatine one at a time mixing (or whisking) thoroughly.
Add the buttermilk and stir well. Pour in the dishes. I made 8 small desserts.
Cool and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
Toast the coconut in a dry pan. Add brown sugar.
Sprinkle this mix over the 'panna cotta'.

For a bit of extra taste (for those not following the Atkins diet):
I thought the dessert was lacking somewhat- especially because I had keep the sweetness down. I dissolved 2 tbsp. sugar in a little boiling water, allowed to cool befire adding 2 tbsp. Malibu. This time I turned out the dessert, (by carefully running a knife around the edge and turn upside down)
Pour the Malibu mix over the dessert before sprinkling with coconut/sugar. Enjoy.

The Globe Artichoke- getting to the heart of things

2011-04-17T22:55:00.043+02:00

Everyone knows my love for inverted flowers (figs) now time for edible flower buds- artichokes.
These vegetables, or should we call them 'immature thistles' can seem quite intimidating- how one cooks and eats an artichoke is not at all obvious from its appearance. The truth is, they are actually quite easy, if rather time consuming, to prepare.
I tasted my first artichoke as a teenager, and I have been eating them sporadically ever since, getting my 'fix' whenever I feel the urge. During visits to Italy I eat them as often as possible, even be it as Pizza topping.
Due to its unusual appearance, an artichoke has certain wow factor. I served them to my children a few years ago when my husband was at work knowing he would not appreciate artichoke. They were very interested and amused by the content of their plates.
Of course preparing an artichoke is a little more time consuming than throwing a bunch of vegetables together in a stir-fry. Look at it as a labour of love. Underneath it's thorny exterior is a delicious soft and delicious centre- it’s heart. It has a delicate taste difficult to describe, a mix of avocado, asparagus and pea...?
A couple of weeks ago a friend gave me four artichokes. She asked me to cook them and write a post.
The best way to eat an artichoke is of course the simplest method. Cook it whole and peel away its petals one by one (dip them in melted butter, mayonnaise, hollandaise or vinaigrette) and scrape the leaves against your lower teeth until you reach your reward- its heart.
Artichokes can be roasted or grilled, though they tend to be less tender and moist. Alternatively, they can be stuffed and steamed. (Or finish off in the oven)
Preparation:
Artichokes discolour rapidly, if you're going to keep them for any length of time before cooking, soak in water with a couple of lemon slices.
You can remove the hairy choke before or after cooking, I prefer afterwards.
1. Soak the artichokes to clean thoroughly.
2. Slice about 2cm of the top off with a sharp knife.
3. Take a pair of scissors and remove the spiky ends.
4. Remove the inedible, smaller leaves off the base.
5. Leave a short stem on the artichoke. You can peel the remainder stem and cook it along with the artichokes. It is however more fibrous, some people discard it, but I do not like waste.
6. Rinse the artichokes and sprinkle or rub with lemon juice. (I used fresh lemon and placed this on top of the artichokes)

Basic cooking:
Place in a large saucepan stalk side down, with several cm of water, (add a little salt and sugar) and boil for 25 - 45 minutes depending on the size. (Mine were done in 30min)
Artichokes are ready when you can easily pull out a leaf.
Turn the artichokes and drain to remove any extra water and serve warm.
Pull off the outer petals one at a time and dip them in your sauce of choice. Turn the petal dip side down in your mouth and remove the flesh by scraping along your lower teeth. Discard the petal. Continue until all petals are removed. You are now left with a hairy 'choke' and the heart. The choke should be removed by cutting and scraping away. Cut the heart in pieces and continue dipping.

I rifled through my cookery books and found a classic artichoke recipe with a selection of dipping sauces. It was from the book Topkoks voor Thuiskoks 2. It is part of a serie of four books discussed here
I omitted the mashed potatoes.
The recipe is rather vague with no measurements, so it is up to you find what suits you taste. I was rather intrigued by the east meets west combination of balsamic vinegar and sambal.

Artichokes with vinaigrette, garlic mayonnaise and parmesan cheese- Ronald van der Donk
to serve four:
4 large artichokes
1 lemon
garlic, crushed
mayonnaise
chives, finely sliced
grated parmesan cheese
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
red wine vinegar
sambal
soy sauce
chopped onion
chopped shallot
chopped red onion
garlic, crushed
parsley, chopped
mashed potato

Cut the artichokes at the base and remove the outside leaves. Cook them in water with the lemon pieces until tender. (I removed the zest and used it in my main course)
Allow them to drain and serve them with mashed potato.
Mix the mayonnaise with the garlic and chives.
Make a dressing with the olive oil,the two types of vinegar, sambal, soy sauce, onion, shallot, garlic, and parsley.
Serve the artichokes with the dips and cheese.
Wine suggestions:
Viognier Lés Gres,
Vin de Pays d'Oc, 2006,
mild and ripe with white fruit,
delicate

I served as main course a Mediterranean mix of sausages, vegetables and couscous, adding the artichoke stalks at the end. As we were eating our appetiser, the couscous was soaking.
Hubby looked rather bemused- he was this time of the party. He stated that he had more on his plate than when he had started! It certainly works well as an appetiser- he was ready for the main course! He cannot understand why one would go to so much trouble when they are available in jars!
Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean region. My artichokes came from Italy- a friend is able to order them. They are quite a nutritional powerhouse, http://nutrition.about.com/od/fruitsandvegetables/p/artichokes.htm so as long as you do not overdo the fat level in the dips they should be healthy too!

Unusual facts:
Artichoke lover: Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jean at the time, was crowned Castroville's (California, USA) first Artichoke Queen in 1947. The city itself is known as the "Artichoke Center of the World"
Wine killers: Artichoke has the peculiar property of altering the taste buds in most people .This natural chemical change causes food and drink consumed after artichokes to taste sweeter- ruining the true flavour of your chosen wine! This can be easily be taken into consideration by selecting an acidic wine. This is only true of fresh artichoke and it does not apply to the jars.

Artichokes were in abundance at the Leiden market two weeks ago. It was a beautiful day, the first real warm sunshine in Holland this year. The miss match of winter coats and short skirts were a result of this period of transition. The terraces were filling, the market traders were busy and smiling, love was certainly in the air and on the canal you could even spot the odd boat passing by.

BTW It was me wearing the winter coat ;-) and very much regretting it!
Ending on a rather thoughtful note- what was that first person thinking who decided to eat this thorny creature? And how sad that artichokes are never allowed to reach their full potential...life is strange.

Souvenirs from Java / Bali, Indonesia

2011-03-29T01:42:00.047+02:00

I guess the perfect holiday is to relax and explore the beautiful country you are visiting. Finding a balance is very important to the success of a holiday. Our latest holiday, while being very enjoyable, left us with the feeling of needing a holiday to recover! OK jetlag was a major factor, crossing 7 time zones really has a negative effect on one's body, and the fact that we had two stops also took its toll.
We took a round trip starting in Jakarta, Java ending in Sanur, Bali. We have seen and experienced many things- with increasingly widened eyes. Travel is certainly a teacher- our knowledge and awareness considerably expands with each new holiday destination. A review will follow.
We usually favour round trips, ending with a couple of relaxation days on the beach but this time it was not enough. It was a case of planes, trains, buses, a ferry and a motorbike! I hardly had time to sunbathe let alone visit the local supermarket!
In a quick dash I raced around a supermarket and grabbed just a couple of cooking souvenirs:

I love fresh vanilla and since Indonesia is the second largest producer I couldn't resist buying a packet. It looks pretty impressive, the pods are long and they certainly feel good, now I only have to sample the quality and from what I've been told, it is of particularly high standard.
I coudn't resist palm sugar / gula melaka, after seeing it being collected from the trees. This will be explained in the review. It seems darker in colour than the Thai palm sugar. It certainly tastes heavenly. Shame I couldn't bring more but I knew I was pushing the weight limit (next time I am going to reduce the clothes I take by half! Who needs four bikini's? Three cardigans, four pairs of shoes…)
Luckily I had already purchased kemiri nuts (candlenuts) from the local market. These nuts have a high oil content, they are used mostly ground as a thickening and stabilising agent in curries and taste/ look similar to the macadamia nut.

They are mildly toxic however, if eaten raw. Various parts, bark/leaves/oil have been used in traditional medicine in most of the areas where it is native. To name two: The oil produced had many beauty properties, ie hair conditioner. It can also be used a laxative.
The candlenut, due to its high oil content, was used as a measure of time. Each nut burns for 15minutes. I tried it!

While coffee is available is numerous types and enticing packaging we did not appreciate the Indonesian coffee and left it on the supermarket shelf!
Oh yes, a bottle of Pepsi Blue jumped into the trolley, just for novelty value. Apparently, it was an enormous flop in the US (2002-2004) and I am not surprised at all- it tastes awful!
Also some delicious Cassave crisps- well everyone likes to snack- even I do!

Although I was overall rather disappointed in the Indonesian cuisine/ restaurants, I was inspired by one or two dishes. Thailand/ Greece remains jointly at nr 1/2.
Everyone must be familiar with Sambal and know its potency, but Sambal does not need to be overly hot. One of my best holiday meals was a dish served with two different types of Sambal. One was moderately hot, the other mild.
Today I tried to reproduce it by what I tasted. It was pretty damn good. Look it as being a kind of Asian pesto. You could of course use this same paste as a basic to cook with in a chicken/ shrimp dish.

Lemongrass Sambal- Asian Pesto:
approx 6 kemiri / candlenuts
3 rawit peppers (1 green, 2 red) with or without seeds
1 lemongrass*, finely chopped (fresh) or pureed
1 small piece fresh galangal*
1 small piece fresh ginger*
1/4 tsp salt
small piece palm sugar
lime juice
olive oil
Of course you could add shallot, trassi/shrimp paste, garlic….whatever you fancy.

Gently dry roast the candle nuts for a few minutes.
Finely chop the inner part of the lemongrass discarding the dry outer leaves. Finely chop the galangal, ginger and peppers.
Grind the toasted nuts in the mortar and pestle, add the galangal, ginger, peppers, salt and sugar and continue to blend, allowing all the juices to come out of the peppers.
Add a tbsp limejuice and olive oil. Add more olive oil until the required texture has been reached. Taste and add more lime/ salt/ sugar to personal taste.
I served mine on the side with noodles but it is equally delicious for dipping.

* Of course you can buy jars of galangal and lemongrass and that works fine but I prefer to use 'fresh', or frozen in my case. I buy sticks of lemongrass, galangal and ginger from the Toko. It can successfully be stored in the freezer until use. (You can actually buy lemongrass in the freezer section at the Toko) lemongrass need no special instructions just pop it in the freezer and take out as required. As for the galangal and ginger, I remove the skin and chop in varying sized pieces and store in a plastic bag/ container. It can be removed and directly chopped while still frozen, and used immediately.

Starter: Marinated salmon tartar with avocado and lettuce

2011-01-17T16:58:00.030+01:00

This starter is one of the 'world-class recipes' taken from the cookery book ‘Topkoks voor Thuiskoks No 3.' 'Top cooks for Home cooks 3'
The cookery book contains fifty two favourite recipes provided by fifty two national and international chefs. Each contributor was asked to donate a recipe suitable for the home cook.
It is however not just a cookbook; TNT Post partnered with WTP* (World Food programme) to realise this book and all proceeds go to WFP towards providing nourishing meals for schoolchildren. The raised money of each copy sold will enable 40 children to receive a nutritious meal at school in Malawi.
At 9,95euro, it makes an ideal gift. This is the third edition; the fourth is now available. I understand availability in the English language is very limited.

It is a beautifully illustrated cookbook with a selection of starter, main courses and desserts- to provide inspiration every week, for a whole year!
The "topkoks' / 'Top Chefs' include: Ferran Adrià- restaurant El Bulli, Spain, Herman den Blijker-tv chef- Herrie in de keuken, The Netherlands, Filip Claeys- Restaurant De Jonkman, Belgium, Ramon Beuk- TV chef 'Born2cook' The Netherlands, Sergio Herman- Restaurant Oud Sluis, The Netherlands.

I actually made this dish at a 'Drive and Cooking' event organised by Lexus. It was a perfect afternoon out- a combination of test driving Lexus Hybrid cars and cooking. The workshop took place at de Kookerij in Noordwijkerhout. The cars were impressive- and fast! The cooking part was also very well organised, the location beautiful- modern and well equipped. Part of the enjoyment was eating the food we prepared.
We didn't buy the car but ended up as proud owners of the cookbook!

de Kookerij in Noordwijkerhout

My Christmas dinner this year wasn't exactly traditional. I opted for the salmon tartar as starter.
The recipe we put together differed slightly to the one in the book, as does the tartar we made at the workshop, but it was quite delicious. The salmon needs to be very fresh since it is served raw. You could of course substitute with smoked salmon.

Marinated salmon tartar with avocado and lettuce- donated by Steffen Henssler, Restaurant ONO, Germany
Ingredients- 4 person
150gr salmon filet, cubed in small
1/2 ripe avocado, chopped finely
1 spring onion
2 el coriander, finely chopped
2 tsp chili sauce
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
a dash of lime juice
1/2 iceberg lettuce
2 lemons, squeezed
2 oranges, squeezed
100g cream
100g crème fraiche
4 tbsp sugar

1 Mix the salmon with the avocado, spring onion and the coriander. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chili sauce, the olive oil and the lime juice and mix carefully.
2 Wash the lettuce, dry in a salad spinner and cut in bite size pieces. Mix the lemon and orange juice together. Add the cream and Crème fraiche. Season with salt and sugar.
Pour over the lettuce, toss and serve with the salmon tartar.

Of course I had to tweak. I reduced the sugar in the dressing- the quantity is also very generous, you could easily half the dressing ingredients. If you follow the instructions, you will make a kind of lettuce 'coleslaw'. I used mixed salad leaves, drizzled the dressing and left the jug on the table so everyone could help themselves. At the workshop we served the tartar with reconstituted sun dried tomato that were incredible!
I also have two non-fish eaters here, so it was necessary to improvise; I made two smoked chicken tartars with roughly the same ingredients, but used red onion instead of spring onion and added chopped tomatoes.

Smoked chicken tartar

It was Christmas so I had promised not to spend an awful lot of time shooting photo's! It was also quite chaotic in the kitchen, so the tartar is probably not as pretty as it could be, but it tasted good!
Salmon Tartar was not just on our Christmas menu, fellow Blogger Claudia had her own version.

* The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children. (source: wikipedia)

Another recipe here.

Zaatah, a tasty dip made with sesame seeds and Samak:

2011-01-15T23:13:00.054+01:00

A couple of week ago a friend told me she had made one of my recipes- and she laughed, saying "well I thought it was a recipe but when I got started it was a bit of this..., approx so much of that..., sugar to taste...!" Yes, that sounds about right.
I regard recipes purely as indications- you must use your instincts to guide you to fill in the blanks.
Take tea (or coffee) for example- something so simple but how many different ways can you serve it?
With milk and sugar, black no sugar, black one sugar, black two sugars, with milk no sugar, with milk one sugar, with milk two sugars, with milk and one sweetener........
It is a question of personal preference. However, one thing is sure- everyone knows exactly how they like their tea! (milk, no sugar thank you)
As I have said before: I don't often measure ingredients but work to 'feel', a pinch of this and a handful of that. Often salt and pepper is added to taste: I firmly believe that this should apply to many other ingredients. Everyone’s taste buds are different and can tolerate and/ or desire a lesser or higher degree of spiciness or sweetness. While I am guilty of spicing things up, I often reduce the amount of sugar. (OK baking is an exact science and a cake recipe a scientific formula that one should adhere to for good results.)
I dare you- the next time you plan to follow a recipe, be flexible, and think: how could I improve this to suit my own taste buds. Proceed with ‘feel’, make a substitution or two or add less sugar. These days we call it 'tweaking'. Everyone should be doing it- without any feelings of guilt! Actually tweaking is handy, you not only match your personal taste but also your pantry!
It is all very much a matter of taste.
This of course can apply to many aspects of everyday life, take the latest fashion- you surely wouldn't wear something just because it's the ‘in thing ‘, would you? You would first try it on and see if it is 'you'. You would then pick out the colour that is kind to your complexion. You learn to choose the kind of clothes to flatter you own figure.
A television must be adjusted to your personal preference, brightness, colour, sharpness, contrast- who wants to watch someone looking like a lobster? Some people do...you would be surprised!

You do have to know where to start, an idea or some ingredients. You may get inspiration from cookbooks, internet, magazines or from just starting to cook.
This is one of the reasons I started writing a blog. I have made up so many dishes in my time but because previously, I never made written notes I had difficulty reproducing my 'masterpieces!'
If a finished dish is amazing, it is a shame to have to work on a trial and error basis to recreate the same dish because I no longer could remember what I had used!
Sometimes not sharing a recipe is a grave crime! I therefore started taking notes- and because my little bundle of notes is mostly illegible, (a scrambled mix of Dutch and English) I decided to begin a blog.

I hope to inspire others with my enthusiasm.
It looks like I have results- instead of opening a bottle of mulled wine my friend made it herself to her own taste, and by all accounts it was pretty damn good. recipe

A good place to start is by making your own dressings or dips.
This is a dip I came across and I think it is pretty good.
For quite a while now, I have had a packet of Sumac / Sumak/ Sumach / Sumaq in my spice cupboard- haha the world becomes a smaller place as my herb and spice collection expand!

Sumak? I didn't quite know what to do with it. I bought it purely out of curiosity. Looking at the packet, I could see it originated in Turkey. The colour is red but not spicy hot as one usually associates with red colouring. The taste was very unusual, acidic, tart like lemon. Although the best before date was not yet exceeded I decide to do some research.
It is a Middle Eastern spice, derived from red berries, hence the colour, from the shrub Rhus Coriaria. The small-ripened fruits are dried and ground to make Sumak.
It is used as a condiment and can be sprinkled over many dishes, basically anything you might squeeze lemon juice over. Salads, rice, chicken, fish, kebab.

I ended up making my own Zaatah, which includes Sumak as an ingredient. It is a blend of seasoning that can be bought 'mixed' or you can make it yourself.. Zaatar comprises of herbs (Thyme/ marjoram or oregano), sesame seeds, salt, pepper and sumak.
It can be sprinkled over foods, or made into a dip with yohurt or olive oil. Or served the traditional way; simply dip your pita (or any flatbread) in olive oil and then in the Zaatah mix.

Zaatah blended with a little olive oil

Zaatah like Sumak has many spelling variations include: Zather, Zatar, Zahtar Za'atar, Zartar Zaartar to name just a few!
But I certainly plan to try the Egyptian variant called Dukka/ Du'a / Dukkah.
I don’t recall having Dukka in Egypt!
Dukka is primarily made with corriander and also contains roasted sesame seeds, a variety of nuts (pistachio, almond, cashew, walnuts, hazelnut, Macadamia or Brazil nuts) a little ground chilli, salt, pepper and Sumak. Other variations may include cumin, cinnamon, sunflower/pumpkin seeds, fennel or even coconut. I can't wait to try lots of flavour combinations!

I have made Zaatah a couple of times. I adore it.
The first time I kept the sesame seeds whole but the second time I bashed them around in the mortar and pestle, which improved the flavour.

I also added some Tahin / Tahini (sesame paste).
You can also vary by using part (1/2) black sesame seeds as I did. They are available at the oriental supermarket.

To this particular dip I added tahini and black sesame seeds.

Zaatah Dip
sesame seeds
oregano or thyme, dried (or a mix)
sumak
pinch salt and pepper
olive oil

Dry roast in a pan (or toast) the sesame seeds, roughly bash them in a mortar and pestle (or pulse in a grinder)
Start off with equal amounts of sesame seeds/ herbs/ and sumak, add a pinch of salt and a little black pepper.
Taste and adjust until you get the taste you like!
Enjoy!

What to do with a tin of unsweetened chestnut puree:

2011-01-12T11:56:00.014+01:00

After a little break- and don't think for one moment I haven't been eating- in fact I have been eating, drinking, as well as being my normal jolly self during the festive period. It's important to keep smiling- no matter what life dishes out. And to keep cooking. I cook when I am happy, I cook when I am sad. It relaxes me if I am stressed. It is the stability in my life.
I hope to get back on track with one or two postings in the next few days. I have lots of notes, photo's and now just need to find the time. Coming up: salmon tartare, Panforte (Italian cake), truffle risotto, cheats Christmas pudding. But for now Chestnut soup.
For a whole year (since Christmas 2009 to be exact) I have had a tin can of chestnut puree with no plans to use it. OK the date did not expire for some time to come but who wants to be left sitting on the shelf! Anyway how long should you have a product taking up precious space in an already overfull kitchen cupboard?
When I have leftovers I often opt for soup This occasion it was no different.

I made this soup in the week coming up to Christmas. The Chestnut puree was the Clement Faugier kind- the unsweetened one. The snow was on the ground and the scene was set.
It is a festive soup with an earthy wholesome taste.
I was inspired by the Chestnut and goats cheese soup I ate in a restaurant in Amsterdam last year and I wanted to replicate it. It will be no surprise to hear I ended up going my own way. It is quite unusual, but none the less quite delicious.
Here is what I came up with:
Chestnut soup with goats cheese:
1 tin pureed chestnut ( 439gr)
oil for frying
2 onions, chopped
2 potatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 sticks celery (you can also use the green tops)
100ml evaporated milk (I used ‘koffie melk’)
approx 11 chestnut mushrooms
5cm piece galangal, finely chopped (or tinned)
5cm piece ginger, finely chopped (or use ground)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander, ground
chicken stock cube
knob of butter
120gr goats cheese & crispy bacon
2 cans water (volume of the tin can)
Serves 4-6

Heat the oil and fry the onion and celery. Add the ground spices, the roots, garlic, potato and mushrooms. When it starts sticking add a little of the water. Cook until tender.
Add the chestnut puree and remaining water, stock cube, and evaporated milk and bring up to the boil. Mash or puree as desired. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Add a large knob of butter.
Because the chestnut is quite solid it does remain together which results in the occasional mouthful of chestnut taste which certainly adds to ones enjoyment, bringing out the flavour.
Serve with goats cheese and crispy bacon.

Cider and cheese soup / Mulled cider

2010-12-13T01:04:00.032+01:00

This is another double blog- perhaps it reflects my personality quite well- easily side-tracked?
I also had to laugh at this blog, there I was feeling a bit overindulged- and came up with a boozy, creamy soup and some mulled cider- is it the Nigella in me?! Well the two recipes do share a common denominator- CIDER.

If you didn't realise already I love good food and drink- but believe me too much of a good think can be bad. In fact it can be very bad leaving one very worse for wear- and we still have Christmas to look forward to! I have been guilty of overindulging, which has resulted in a (temporary) loss of inspiration and appetite.
Yesterday I didn't quite know what I fancied, and decided to eat absolutely nothing but a few Kettle Balsamic vinegar crisps. We don’t have the real salt n vinegar crisps here sob sob. But a person has to eat 'proper' food so after careful consideration I opted for soup- one I made at school to be exact, must be a sure case of hungering for comfort food. Cheese and cider soup.
The only problem was I didn't actually have a recipe. No worries- with Google everything is possible- isn't it?
I had suggested making this soup several times before, only to let hubby put a dampers on it. He just couldn't see it working- we are talking about a man that used to throw a wobbly at seeing pieces of pinapple on a pizza- what does he know! The sweet and savoury thing was absolute taboo- but gradually he is opening up to the idea. And in any case he wasn't here to talk me out of it this time- and if he is hungry he eats (nearly) anything.
But another reason for waiting so long to make this soup was that cider just wasn't available here in Holland. Sob sob. In fact I was quite excited to see in the shops. First Savanna Dry at the Sligro, Dutch food wholesaler. And then a little over a year ago, Jillz and Strongbow Gold on the shelves of my Albert Heijn supermarket. Thank you Heineken.
Strongbow Gold is slightly different to English cider- I can't quite put my finger on it (I do enjoy this kind of research mind). I checked out the labels and it seems that the English Strongbow contains artificial sweeteners while Strongbow Gold does not. English Strongbow is also a little more alcoholic 5.3% vol opposed to the Gold 5% vol.
Jillz is a fruity cider-beer alcoholic beverage that incidentally does not contain 'hops' (that give beer it's bitter taste) It's aim is obviously to tempt the female beer drinkers amongst us.

Back on track. My Google search was not very yielding so I would have to improvise. Hmm what do I remember of my vintage soup- that it contains cider, cheese, onions, potato and milk/ or cream. Did I really make this at school? Alcohol on school premises seems quite unlikely? Maybe my memory is failing me- everyone knows cider is alcoholic, don't they? Well actually NO- one of my best friends didn't realise and had a very good evening 'cider tasting' (but a very bad morning after) I mention no name.
If anyone has a recipe I would be so pleased to hear.
Here is what I came up with.

Cheese and cider soup:

2 onions, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, finely diced
3 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped
oil for frying, olive or arachide (peanut) oil that I generally use these days
300gr vegetables (I used a packet of mixed vegetables- leek, carrot, celery leaf, cauliflower)
2 small celery sticks, finely diced
1 liter cider (I suppose you could use apple juice)
1 small carton 200ml cream (I used UHT)
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper
stock cube (since we are using no liquid stock)
125gr cheddar cheese, grated
large knob of butter
little water

Fry the onions in the oil for a few minutes. Add potato and garlic and cook for several minutes.
Stir in the coriander, cumin, nutmeg. Add the vegetables, stir and add a little water (the potatoes will be sticking slightly.
Braise the vegetables until tender. Add the cider and a stock cube and heat until almost boiling point. DO NOT BOIL- the alcohol will evaporate!
Add cream, salt and pepper and puree if desired ( I usually opt for half as I like a bit of a bite) with an immersion blender.
Add cheese and a knob of butter and stir until melted increasing heat as necessary. Do not boil or this will toughen cheese.
Alternatively you could add cheese in individual soup dish.
I nearly added bread and cheese à la French onion soup style but quickly remembered my hubby detests French onion soup.
BTW he did enjoy his cider and cheese soup!

After last week’s mulled wine, and with cider on my mind (I think I am recovered) I decided to make some mulled cider or hot cider punch- whatever you care to call it.
My friend Breda made this for us at a Halloween gathering a couple of years ago and boy was it good! It warms the cockles of your heart and makes your whole house smell delicious.

This was roughly the recipe- she is, like me a cook that tweaks everything.

Mulled Cider

1 liter cider
sugar brown/ white or honey whatever you prefer, start with 3 - 4 tbsp.
2 Clementine’s, sliced
1 tsp all spice berries
1 piece cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
100ml whisky (or spirit of your choice- rum, brandy)
marmalade, 1 tbsp approx (optional)

You could also use other ingredients like fresh ginger, star anise, even whole peppercorns!

In a large pan add everything except the whisky and heat, stir until the sugar has dissolved. When steam is rising turn it down. DO NOT BOIL.
Turn off heat and allow to 'mull' for a minimum of an hour so all the flavours of the spices can infuse in the liquid.
Reheat just before serving. Add whisky, Serve with a slice of orange.
Cheers!
For anyone living locally, Tucker Box, Leiden offers a wide selection of ciders and other drinks.

A box of groceries

2010-12-11T15:09:00.015+01:00

Yes it's that time of year again. Visualise four people crowding around and excitedly packing out a box of groceries. Hamper time has arrived!
Funny how all year round nobody shows interest in doing the weekly shopping- let alone helping to pack it out!
The recession is evident, if the faces around me are anything to go by- everyone is slightly less enthusiastic than normal.
So what goodies does the Albert Heijn Christmas hamper 2010 contain?
Well yes lots of fillers. There are plenty of snacks in stock that's for sure:
Savoury: crisps, savoury nibbles, tapenade (looks more like salsa) and nuts with caramalised red onion.
Sweet: chocolate-hazelnut cookies, meringue, Christmas shaped cookies and sweets, chocolate 'coffee beans'.
Drinks: Fair-trade tea- rooibos and spices, organic coffee (who still uses coffee these days? I thought everyone uses Senseo pads or Nespresso cups)
Amé, an elderberry and lemon soft drink.
Other items: A packet of soup, shower gel, body lotion.
A game similar to Jenga, with mini glasses instead of bricks. (Yes we couldn't resist to have a game)

Where have all the luxury items disappeared to? Mustn't sound ungrateful mind. Setting aside the fact that it is all free- there is a lot of work and effort gone into putting together these items. Someone has had to create an interesting box of groceries on a budget, someone else had to do all the packing.
We certainly enjoyed packing it out and I guess someone will enjoy eating it. Thank you Albert Heijn.
And now time for me to go away, have a good think about coming up with creative ways to get family members as enthusiastic about the weekly shopping…!

Getting into the festive spirit- Mulled Wine.

2010-12-09T12:59:00.032+01:00

In The Netherlands the festive season begins when a rather tall gentleman enters the country, his name-
Sinterklaas.
I know I'm a little late - (it's the story of my life) Sinterklaas is traditionally celebrated on 5th December, but none the less let me share with you my Sinterklaas evening and a delve a little into the background as to who/ what Sinterklaas is and exactly why he is so dear in the hearts of the Dutch. I won’t get into the history- google ‘St Nicholas’- it’s an interesting story.
I have been in The Netherlands for some time and Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) and his Zwarte Pieten (helpers) have really won me over. At first I couldn't quite understand it all, why were the Dutch stubbornly insisting on celebrating at the beginning of December while everyone celebrated at the end! I wrongly assumed Sinterklaas and Santa Claus were one and the same! Much to my husband / his family’s annoyance I insisted my Christmas tree was ready on time for Sinterklaas! To this day so does my mother- she always makes sure my Christmas card arrives 'on time'- (despite explaining year after year) the other day she asked me if my tree was up!
Almost immediately I was swept along by the festivities, and I became equally fond of this tall white haired man with a beard, especially when I had children of my own- it is a very children orientated celebration. But adults alike just can't help getting carried away - I too was guilty of enthusiastically waving and shouting at a passing Sinterklaas, and his Pieten! Hubby burst my bubble by saying "Vanessa- he isn't real". On another occasion one of the blackened faced Piets shouted greetings at my husband and I looked wide eyed in awe at him: "WOW you actually know one of the Zwarte Pieten?...."- haha!
We were just talking the other day about what an impact he actually has on everyone, young and old alike, even visitors from abroad are intrigued by him and his black face Peters. Everyone in Holland can sing a Sinterklaas song- even someone suffering with memory loss can often find joy and recognition upon hearing an all so familiar Sinterklaas melody.
I just mentioned foreigners- initially they may raise their eyebrows at the Zwarte Pieten but honestly no harm is meant and no one should be offended. Even the newspaper salesmen at the our local supermarkets like to dress up and sing along.
Sinterklaas is a Saint that arrives in Holland by steam boat from Spain, at the end of November to be welcomed by no-less the mayor, and warmly greeted by scores of children. Each year he arrives at a different port of entry. This year it was Harderwijk.
His presence will be evident in shop displays and in music playing at many locations. In nearly every town and village there will be a welcoming parade though the streets, children waiting along the route, braving all weather conditions, for a glimpse and perhaps a handful of cookies/ sweets. In the days leading up to 5th December (and the celebration of his birthday) he will visit many children, at school, at home, (sports)clubs, in shopping centers but even in the local supermarket. He will bring sweets, cookies and sometimes small presents (low budget). In the evenings just before bedtime, chilren often sing and leave their shoes by fireplaces or more often the backdoor with perhaps a carrot for the white horse of Sinterklaas. In return the next morning, they will find a treat (candy/ toy) in their shoes.
5th December
All this excitement leads up to a really special family celebration held on pakjesavond (parcelevening). Sinterklaas and his helpers have a very busy schedule visiting families across Holland in one evening delivering goods to all the well-behaved children. If the children are lucky they will get a personal visit, if not they will get a loud banging on the window and lo and behold a sack of goodies will appear as if by magic, dropped off on the doorstep to wide eyed, excited, and sometimes frightened children.
As the children get a little older and wiser, things change slightly and gifts come in the form of 'surprises' this is a well thought out 'package' with gift(s) inside and (usually ) a poem, which has relation to the person and the gift. This can be quite hilarious (Sinterklaas knows everything- he has ears and eyes everywhere). It is a way of having a bit of harmless fun with your loved ones.

Just after Sinterklaas arrives in the country the names of all participating persons are drawn out of a hat like a lottery and a budget is set. Everyone is responsible for making one 'surprise' and is the reciever of one 'surprise'.
Dutch Treats
With the Sinterklaas celebration comes a lot of delicious food related sweet goodies:

Pepernoten or kruidnoten are tiny round spiced cookies. Sometimes coated in chocolate.

Taai Taai are soft aniseed flavoured gingerbread.
Speculaas (spiced cookie). Gevulde Speculaas ( filled speculaas) is a spiced cake filled with almond filling (amandelspijs).

Further there are various treats in the form of letters. Large chocolate letters ( a-z ) are available in white/ plain / milk chocolate or Banketletters, a sweet pastry with almond filling in the shape of a I, M or S.
Also candy plays an important role often mixed with kruidnoten/pepernoten generously handed out by the Zwarte Pieten, as well as mandarin oranges.
Marsepein (marzipan) is widely available in all shapes/ colurs and forms.

Pakjesavond doesn't actually center around a traditional meal although gourmet has become quite popular making it a little more special.
As far as drinks are concerned hot chocolatemilk is popular for the children and mulled wine for the adults.
It is a tradition at our house to celebrate with cheese fondue. This is an ideal meal, very social, easy to prepare and little cleaning up work afterwards paving the way ready for an evening of entertainment as well as present opening. The 'surprises' are opened one for one, first the 'tongue in cheek' poem is read aloud, and then the package is opened to reveal the gift(s). The exchange of regular presents is equally commonplace. The presents are not generally extravagant but this does not in any way detract from the occasion. On the contrary my husband has been shocked to see the way Christmas presents are opened in England. In just minutes flat parcels are ripped open with increasing frenzy, the contents, carelessly tossed aside without a glance. He was also astonished to find out that a visit to Santa Claus (if he could be found) was relatively expensive. Actually he was quite disillusioned with 'Christmas'.
Once I understood the essence of Sinterklaas I couldn't help but want to participate. In the beginning, not being able to rhyme in Dutch, I actually wrote poems to my husband and children in English! My family also love Sinterklaas, and from the moment we each know who our 'culprit' is there is a positive air of excitement. In utmost secrecy everyone is busy with making their ‘surprises’. We have had some pretty spectacular 'surprises'- each year it is a challenge to come up with new ideas and creations. The standard of poems is exceptional- obviously everyone is equally enthusiastic.
We actually celebrated Sinterklaas on the 6th this year- and broke the rule. On the morning of 6th Dec Sinterklaas retreats back to Spain and all signs are erased only to be replaced by everything Christmas related including de kerstman (Santa Claus).
Here is a summary of the fun we had:

The 'bottom' had to have been the topper of the evening. It doesn't really need explaining but the present (or part of) was hidden inside an edible cake. It was made by a colleague of Martin. Here is the website. The cake didn't just look fantastic, with its beautiful intricate detail, it tasted absolutely delicious, light and sweet but well balanced with chocolate butter icing.

Mulled wine
You could of course buy a bottle but believe me it's just as easy to make your own- and the smell of freshly made Mulled wine is heavenly. The heady aroma really sets the atmosphere.
Drinking warm spiced wine is like having all the festive spices in one glass. You are free to add all your favourites. I actually also have some mulled wine sachets (like teabags) which are ideal if you like 'clear' wine. Start with 1/4 tsp of your chosen spices. You could wrap your spices in a bit of muslin or use a tea infuser or just strain before serving. I don't mind pieces floating in my mulled wine.

I use a liter bottle of red wine. Doesn't have to be expensive- you will be heating it (so shame to spoil an expensive wine), the spices and sweetness will lift a less good wine- so as long as it is of good colour and full bodied it should be ok.
Recipe for Mulled wine:
1 ltr of red wine
Sugar to taste, a good few tablespoons. Use white or light brown sugar, dark sugar tends to spoil the colour. Honey is also possible.
approx 200ml of water
Orange, lemon or lime, halved, spiked with a few cloves (4-6)
1-2 cinnamon stick
Optional extras: a piece of fresh/ ground ginger, a vanilla pod, star anise, cardomon pods, allspice, nutmeg (pinch) The choice is yours, try not to use everything though.
approx 125ml alcohol of choice- rum, brandy, whiskey.

Heat the wine and water in a large pan with a few tbsp. sugar, the fruit, and spices until the sugar is dissolved and steam is rising. DO NOT BOIL. We don't want the alcohol to evaporate!
Turn off the heat and let it 'sit' for at least 10 minutes preferably longer but up to about 30 minutes.
Remove the fruit and spices. Or leave if you like a pronounced taste.
Give the mulled wine its 'punch' by adding the alcohol of choice and reheat- DO NOT BOIL. Check and adjust the sweetness level and serve steaming hot. Enjoy.

Recipe request: Churros

2010-11-22T14:56:00.027+01:00

I am the one generally responsible for what is on our daily menu at home. Sometimes it can be a bit daunting, trying to come up with interesting variation in the diet and not falling back to my all time favourites. I am not only open, but encourage suggestions but they all seem happy to leave the task to me.
It is that I know that my family are quite satisfied with what I come up with, because my 'boys' are not exactly generous with their compliments. Sadly, in general I only hear when something doesn't go down too well- typical men! Comments about the dishes are not often made unless I initiate. Usually with a simple Dutch "lekker?" don't ask me to translate- it isn't really 'tasty' that is smakelijk, it isn't 'nice' that is more leuk. But on the other hand, contented faces- and empty plates speak volumes. And they have been known to lick their plates- something I don't encourage!
Recently I got a recipe request from my youngest son that I became quite intrigued by- Churros. These are Spanish dough-snacks in the form of sticks that I had never actually eaten. The very next time I saw them on a street stall I immediately bought a portion- purely for research mind- not because I actually wanted to eat these sweet smelling long fluted sticks. It was interesting watching them being made by the street vendor and judging by the long queue, they are pretty popular. They are made per customer request so piping hot and fresh. I wasn't disappointed- these 'doughnuts' were quite pleasant, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and coated in cinnamon sugar- delicious.
Before I had the chance to try to reproduce Churros myself my son decided with a group of friends to try it himself. I think they turned out pretty ok- apart from a (my) ripped piping bag that is.

I did a bit of research and discovered that Churros are found all over Spain and often eaten as a breakfast treat with a cup of chocolate milk (thicker than we are accustomed to drinking) The ultimate experience is, so they say, to dunk your Churros!
The dough is prepared similar to choux pastry. The snacks can be straight or curled, and often made with wheat four or alternatively potato. It seems that they are becoming quite popular at festivals, fairs, and at (Disney) attraction parks. They are not only found in Spain but also Mexico and other Latin American countries, as well as USA, and is also available in the form of a 'mix'.
The best way to eat them is hot and fresh from the fryer- they can't really be re-heated- but don't worry- there will probably be none leftover anyway!
Next time you spot them try them and experience a part of Spanish culture and then try making them yourself . They are absolutely delicious but be warned- quite more-ish. You'll be craving for your next 'fix' soon enough.

A photo taken by my other son last week in Spain. A high calorie breakfast with real Spanish Churros central.

As you would expect from any fried snack- Churros are not a dish for the health conscious or weight-watchers among us!
To be honest I actually forgot my promise to replicate the Churros- (is this why they don't make requests?) until the other day. I was watching Nigella's kitchen she was true to form,- it is an absolute a joy to watch her indulge on calorie rich food. Guess what was on the menu? Yes! Churros!
Her recipe was so simple with minimal ingredients- I decided to try it at the next opportunity. The dough/ batter is literally made in minutes. It then needs to be squeezed out of piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle to become long fluted sticks. This is what ensures that the Churrros are of the correct texture (crispy outside/ soft inside)
I was quite surprised that her recipe was eggless and googled to discover that authentic Spanish Churros doesn't actually contain egg. Or cinnamon.
The indulgent Nigella paired her Churros up with chocolate sauce- I didn't. (this time) I haphazardly mixed a bit of caster sugar with some cinnamon- you have to draw the line somewhere- they is too much of a good thing.
Although they actually turned out quite well and they are quite fun and simple to prepare- I will try adding a bit of butter and maybe an egg next time for a bit of nutrition and variation. Or even a grated lemon/ orange or perhaps a savoury version. They would certainly be a great party pleasers. Cheap and cheerful.
Where does the name Churros come from you may wonder- well the Navajo-Churro sheep of course- take a look at these horns! The recipe was developed by shepherds tending their sheep.
Luckily I found the Nigella recipe here so no need to have to jot everything down while pausing the video recorder!
If you want to go the whole way click over to Nigella and enjoy dunking your Churros in chocolate. If you want to keep it simple this time read on.

Nigella's Churros
125g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp olive oil
250ml freshly boiled water
A mix of caster sugar and cinnamon to your own taste.

Method:
To make the churros, put the flour into a bowl and stir in the baking powder, then beat in the olive oil and freshly boiled water from a kettle. Keep mixing until you have a warm, sticky dough, and leave to rest for about 10 minutes or for as long as it takes for the corn (or vegetable) oil to heat up.
When you are ready, load up a piping bag with a large star-shaped nozzl and fill with the churros dough. In my opinion the star nozzle I used wasn't quite big enough. And can you believe I actually ripped another brand new piping bag! I may use my aluminum cookie gun next time.
Squeeze short lengths (I made longer ones than Nigella) of dough into the hot oil, snipping them off with a pair of scissors as you go.
I turned them once during cooking. Once they turn a rich golden-brown, fish them out of the oil with a slotted spoon, spatula or tongs onto a baking sheet lined with some kitchen roll.
Nigella recommends: To keep the cooked churros warm while you fry the remaining dough, blot with kitchen roll, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in a low oven (100C/220F/Gas ¼). Even if you want to eat them immediately, they do need 5–10 minutes to rest before you eat them, to allow them to set inside.
(As it is such a small batch I didn't bother)
Just before serving, toss all the hot churros in the sugar and cinnamon mixture and shake them about to get a good covering.

Apologies for the awful photo's- the Churros were gobbled up before I could get a good shot of them!
The best laugh of the day was that hubby misunderstood me- he thought he heard me say I was making 'Gyros' instead of 'Churros'. Being a meat lover he was needless to say rather disappointed......can't please everyone....

From sticky rice to perfect risotto

2010-11-06T00:16:00.038+01:00

What is your biggest fear in the kitchen? Everyone surely must have something, a dish or ingredient that constantly goes wrong. I certainly do, or dare I say I did. Don't asume it is something elaborate like a Soufflé but one of the all time basics- RICE, YES really! Sticky / gooey/ wet or worse unevenly cooked- believe me- my family has experienced it all!
But what is more satisfying than facing up to your culinary fears (how could one possible scrap rice from the diet being a staple food for nearly one half of the world's population!?) and finding the skills to conquer them!
I used to have a big problem with Quiches which I quite successfully managed to overcome but as far as rice is concerned, just when I think I've mastered it and I'm used to turning out light, fluffy, perfect separate grained rice, I go and spoil it by producing a batch that makes me what to go and hang my head in shame!
Last year I held a Indian themed dinner party- it was a great success- apart from my Basmati rice- which was an absolute disaster! Overcooked and mushy on the bottom but hard on the top! OK it hasn't happened since but it shouldn't happen at all! How difficult can it be? The fault was in the pan (don't believe the saying a good craftsman never blames his tools!), because I was catering for a large group I used a different pan with a thinner bottom than I am accustomed to using.
For those who still struggle with rice see below for the absolute foolproof way of cooking rice. (as long as you use the right pan that is ;-) )

Something I very much enjoy is a Risotto. Because of my rice phobia I had for a long time I avoided making Risotto. The thought alone made me nervous! I had only ever made it a handful of times but now it is almost weekly on the menu!
A bit worrying is the saying: "risotto waits for no one" It must be cooked, served and eaten at once! Failure to do so will result in disappointment and disaster- as it continues to cook in it's own heat and become sticky and dry. I've often wondered how they are prepared to such perfection in restaurants, I understand they are 'half' cooked and finished off to order.
Risotto making is quite labour intensive (but not nearly as bad a polenta) It does require constant attention and regular stirring however- stick to this and all will be well (how do you like my positive thinking?!) I have made very bad risotto in the past, but with my new found confidence with rice, it now turns out perfect every time!.
I became particularly fond of Risotto during my visits to Italy. Not surprising since it originates from Northern Italy. It has restaurant status there. You can usually choose in every restaurant out of a wide range on the menu. It is so creamy, flavourful and satisfying. It a wonderful comfort' food, ideal at this time of the year.

The type of rice to use in risotto is the medium/short round grain. Varieties include: Carnaroli, Vialone Nano and the more common Arborio. Strange enough the first two are the easiest to cook but a little more expensive. Risotto can be made with many kinds of vegetables, meats and herbs.
If you adhere to a few simple steps & add a ladle full of patience then YOU could be turning out the prima donna of Italian cuisine!.
Firstly:
Always use 'risotto' rice.
Never wash the rice prior to cooking!
Fry the rice in butter/oil before adding stock. Always use hot stock. Add the stock one ladle at a time, make use nearly all the water has been absorbed before adding more. Don't worry if you don't need all the liquid and if you don't have enough just boil some extra water.

Basic method for Risotto:
1. Start with the 'Soffritto' which is a mixture finely chopped vegetables, such as onions, garlic, and celery, that is sautéed in butter/olive oil and used as a base for many Italian dishes. Use a large wide pan and heat the oil/butter. Add the finely chopped onions and sweat them for several minutes (do not brown) Add garlic finely chopped celery or other vegetables.
2. Vegetables or meat that require longer cooking times should be added at this stage. (Sausage/ pumpkin/ butternut squash/ fennel /mushrooms/peppers)
3.Add the rice, increase the heat and fry for approx 4 minutes stirring well. This is known as 'toasting the rice' the rice should be fully coated with oil, and warmed through, and appear translucent (not brown!)
4. Add the wine/ vermouth, the alcohol will cook out quickly but the delicious essence will be left behind. And smell like heaven!
5. Once the wine/ vermouth has become absorbed, begin adding the hot stock. The water used to reconstitute dried mushrooms can also be used. Ladle for ladle Your pot should be at a constant, moderate heat throughout. As each addition of liquid becomes absorbed/ evaporates add more. You may have stock over or you may need to boil more water- no worries.
6. Add any vegetables, seafood, or meat that need short cooking heating though accordingly. (cooked/ smoked chicken/shrimps/ tomatoes/peas)
7.After 17 minutes begin tasting the rice at regular intervals, reduce the quantity of stock towards the end ( to 1/2 ladle) Generally it should be ready in 20 minutes. You are looking for 'al dente' rice but certainly not hard. It should have a creamy consistency.
8. Once you are satisfied with the rice and sauce you are ready for the final stage: 'mantecatura'. Turn off the heat and add a large knob of butter and parmesan cheese (if not using fish), stir well and let it sit for a few minutes.
9. Add extra herbs if desired i.e. parsley.
10. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and serve immediately.

This versatile recipe is easily adaptable to suit many ingredients. Once you have mastered the basic technique you are open to many delicious flavour combinations. Keep it simple with not too many flavours- very typical of Italian cuisine and it will be at it's very best. I have done a run on sausage meat, strange enough I'm not a great lover of sausages! You could also use (smoked)chicken, or bacon, prawns even left over meats or even go vegetarian. Further recipes coming soon. Great combinations are so easy to come up with. Let a particular herb lead the taste or try the flavourful gorgonzola cheese as basis. I certainly will never bore of Risotto.
I use fresh herbs. I am lucky enough to have Thyme, Sage and Rosemary available all year round in my garden. You could of course substitute dried herbs.

Sausage thyme risotto
Sorry no photo's of this one, these were on the laptop that got stolen. This is a fairly basic recipe flavoured with fresh Thyme. I think this was one of my first risotto successes.

Serves 4
300gr Arborio rice
850ml stock, hot
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1-2 sticks celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
olive oil
500gr sausages, skin removed cut in slices/pieces
100ml vermouth
few sprigs of fresh thyme
chopped parsley about 1 tbsp.
40gr butter
40gr parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Follow the steps for basic Risotto above adding chopped/skinned sauages at step 2 and cook for a few minutes. Add thyme leaves stripped of the stalks.
Continue until step 10 with adding parsley/extra thyme at step 9
Serve with a sprig of thyme.

Chirozo thyme risotto with cherry tomatoes
The sausages I used in this recipe were bought in AH, (five in a packet) This is certainly one of my favourites. The cherry tomatoes add a little explosion of flavour. (don't forget to pierce them or they will literally ‘explode’ when you try to fork them)

Serves 4
300gr Arborio rice
850ml stock, hot
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1-2 sticks celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
paprika powder (sweet)
350gr Chirozo sausage, skin removed cut in slices/pieces
150ml vermouth
8-10 cherry tomatoes, kept whole but pierced
few sprigs of fresh thyme
chopped parsley, approx 1-2 tbsp.
40gr butter
40gr parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Follow the steps for basic Risotto above adding chopped/skinned chirozo at step 2 and cook for a few minutes. Add thyme leaves stripped of the stalks and paprika.
Continue with the steps, adding the whole tomatoes when the risotto is almost cooked. Add parsley/extra thyme at step 9
Serve with a sprig of thyme and a sprinkling of parsley.

Butternut squash risotto with sage
I love pumpkin and butter nut squash. This year I even managed to grow a few in my garden. As I did with the pumpkin pasta I chopped the butter nut in varying sizes In this way you get a creamy sauce with an occasional bite of pumpkin. Pumpkin and sage go very well indeed. Don't forget to crisp the sage leaves for topping prior to cooking. This is a lovely colourful creamy risotto. My photographs (still learning to work with my new camera) certainly does it no justice at all. The colours are vibrant in real life!

Serves 4
300gr Arborio
1 onion, diced
1 small butternut squash (or small pumpkin), peel and dice in varying sized cubes
3 sausages, skinned, cut into slices
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
150ml vermouth
850ml stock, hot
sage leaves, washed and thoroughly dried or dried sage (I used about 20 small leaves)
knob butter
100ml creme fraiche
30gr parmesan (I use Grana Padano)
salt and pepper
chili flakes
olive oil / Excellent chili oil
pine nuts (optional) toasted in a dry pan

Heat a little oil in a pan and gently fry about 9 of the (washed and thoroughly dried) sage leaves until crisp. Place on a piece of kitchen roll.
Using the same pan, add a little more olive oil and begin with the steps for basic risotto.
When you get to Step 2 add first the butternut squash fry for a few minutes, then add the sausages, remaining sage leaves, finely chopped and a shake of chili flakes.
Proceed through the Steps, at Stage 8 (add the creme fraiche with the butter and cheese) until completed.
Serve with the crispy sage leaves, sprinkle with parmesan and chili oil. Pine nuts optional.

Rosemary Chirozo Risotto
This time chirozo combined with rosemary. You could use wine or vermouth but this time I opted for balsamic vinegar/ red wine vinegar. The crispy rosemary on top is absolutely delicious.

Serves 4
300gr Arborio rice
1 liter stock, hot
olive oil
5 chirozo sausages, skinned and sliced
2 red onions, finely diced
2 celery sticks finely diced
rosemary, handful, washed and thoroughly dried
4 small garlic, sliced finely
1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum) finely diced
paprika pepper (sweet)
4-5 tomatoes (or 9 whole cherry tomatoes pierced)
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
20gr parmesan
20gr butter
20gr pine nuts
olive oil/ Excellent chili olive oil

Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for a few minutes (don't leave them- like I always do! They will burn quickly) Leave to cool.
Pick out 4 rosemary stalks. Heat a little oil in a pan and gently fry the (washed and thoroughly dried) rosemary until crisp. Place on a piece of kitchen roll.
Using the same pan, add a little more olive oil and begin with the steps for basic risotto.
When you get to Step 2 add the chirozo sausages, remaining rosemary, finely chopped, red pepper and paprika.
At Step 4 substitute vermouth/ wine for balsamic/ red wine vinegar.
Add tomatoes about 5 minutes before you anticipate the rice will be cooked.
Serve with the crispy rosemary, pine nuts and a sprinkling of parmesan and chili oil if desired.

Perfect Basmati rice
From one type of rice to another.
If we are eating Indian I use Basmati rice and follow the "absorption method" this works for me, is simple and reliable. It is where just sufficient water is added to the rice resulting in all the water being fully absorbed by the rice. No wet sticky rice hooray. There is a ratio of 1 cup rice to 1 1/2 cups water.
You also need a fairly thick flat bottomed pan with a tight fitting lid. The rice will considerably increase in volume so make sure the pan is large enough. I love plain white rice, it is simple and fragrant, I never add salt or fats to the rice. Whether I rinse the rice prior to cooking or not depends on the directions on the packaging. Sometimes I soak the rice which does give good results if you have the time, but not absolutely necessary. The measured rice and water is brought to the boil, stirred the lid is placed in position, the temperature reduced and now you must resist peeking for 10 minutes. Try the rice, cook if necessary for a couple of minutes more but ten minutes is usually fine. Let stand for a minimum of ten minutes with the lid firmly in place and just before serving 'fluff' the rice.
If we are eating Thai, then I use Pandan rice which is stickier than Basmati. I still follow the absorption method as above.

And remember- if at first you don't succeed.....
The more you learn and practice, the more confident you will become.
Good Luck!

Dalmatian panna cotta and 'dog' bone cookies- Halloween

2010-10-31T21:26:00.044+01:00

We kept up with tradition and this year celebrated Halloween once again at our Irish friends house. And I was, once again, elected to cater for dessert. We decided to add an element of fun and do fancy dress. I decided go as Cruella de Vil and to follow the theme down through the dessert. I already had my inspiration: a few weeks ago I had participated in an Italian Workshop, hosted by Victor Russo. Passione Italia. The dessert was Panna cotta.
It is a traditional Italian dessert, originating from Piemonte (North Italy) but eaten all over Italy. Panna cotta is Italian for 'cooked cream'. It is made from simmering cream and sugar, mixing in gelatine and allowing to cool until set. It is often served with a fruit sauce or topping. It is a very easy dessert with few ingredients. The key to making a good Panna cotta is getting the consistency just right. We are aiming for a soft velvety textured dessert with a slight wobble but certainly not rubbery! It should melt in your mouth but hold its form when taken out of its mould. The gelatine demands good mixing for a smooth even texture.
I decided to opt for Dalmatian panna cotta with dog bone cookies. It is a very simple dish to make especially if you are catering for a large group of people. I made 24 individual desserts.
Recipe
I heated 1.5 litre cream with 120gr sugar to simmering point and stirred until the sugar was dissolved. I scraped out the seeds from 2 vanilla pods. (by slicing it lengthwise and using a knife to run along and collect the beans/seeds)

Don't be alarmed by the red chopping board- I don't use this one for meat!
You could of course use vanilla essence. I then added the pods and seeds to the cream. In the meantime I took 10 gelatine sheets (one extra than the original recipe, see below, to ensure speedy setting) and soaked them for around 5-10 minutes in a little cold milk (enough to cover them) halfway though the time I turned them around ensuring they were completely submerged.
I mixed the cream mixture to disperse the seeds evenly. I used a whisk but didn't 'whisk' as such but just stirred. I turned the heat off and allowed it to cool slightly.
I squeezed the gelatine sheets one for one and added them to the vanilla cream stirring thoroughly each time until all the gelatine was used. I discarded the milk.
Unfortunately I was running late. The panna cotta needs 5 hours in the refrigerator and it was 15:00! I therefore decided to cheat and speeded up the cooling process by placing the pan over ice cold water, stirring frequently. When it was beginning to thicken I divided the mixture into individual glass/plastic pots/cups. I made 24. Because I didn't have any room in my refrigerator and because of time pressure I decided to place the panna cotta in the top of my chest freezer hoping this wouldn't have any adverse effects on the setting process (formation of crystals or such) I needn't have worried (phew!) the panna cotta was perfectly set in time for the party. Lastly I sprinkled currants on the desserts as a finishing touch, completing the Dalmatian panna cotta.

I used the same recipe as last Halloween to make the dog bone cookies. Last year we had severed fingers.
Dog bone cookies
225gr butter, softened
110gr caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp almond essence
1 tsp vanilla essence
275gr plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
a good pinch salt

Beat butter, sugar, egg, almond essence and vanilla essence. I use the Magimix. Beat in flour, baking powder, and salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (I put mine in the freezer for a short while). Working with a quarter of the dough at one time (keeping the remainder cool) shape the cookies. Use some flour on your fingers and take a small piece and make a roll, making cuts with scissors in each end. Form the ends into bone shapes and place on a baking sheet with baking paper. Bake in an oven 160°C. for about 20 minutes. They should stay as white as possible. I made 42.

We served the panna cotta with a bone in the cups but the traditional way is to 'turn' them out onto a flat plate. You need to loosen the edge carefully with a knife and turn them upside down and they should pop out. Decorate as desired. You could serve with a fruit coulis or a drizzle of Crema di Balsamico. I actually intended to make a wine sauce but had run out of time!

Here is the original recipe:
Panna cotta
0, 5L cream
40 gr icing sugar
3 sheets gelatine
1 vanilla pod

Heat the cream with the sugar and cut open the vanilla pod and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes to draw out the flavour.
Soak the gelatine for about 5 minutes in a little cold milk.
Squeeze the gelatine and stir well into the vanilla cream (heat is switched off!). Allow the vanilla cream to cool stirring frequently. Pour the cream into the vanilla pudding molds and allow to cool. Refrigerate for about 5 hours. Serve the panna cotta with balsamic sauce and the wine sauce and three of jams in the range of Passione Italia, Katwijk (organic pears from Tuscany jam, peach jam and strawberry jam. Also vailable from his webwinkel.
Buon appetito

Broccoli and basil soup / Carrot, orange and thyme soup

2010-10-26T10:08:00.034+02:00

I hate waste. I rarely throw anything away. Having said that I love eating fresh ingredients. So what do I do with that piece of broccoli that has been left in the fridge for a few days? Well I make soup of course!
In the summer I love salads but once the weather changes out comes my soup pan. Practically every weekend I will have a pan of homemade soup ready at hand. The nice thing about most soups is they can be made in the time it takes to locate a can opener! (since mine is usually jammed up in my overfull kitchen drawer) And think of all that added salt not to mention all the other additives found in tin soup! I admit on occasions I do eat tin soup- but even then I just can't leave it alone- a dash of olive oil here- for great looks, a few chopped fresh tomatoes there- for a fresh taste!
Soup is great way for using up vegetables that are just past their best, as was my broccoli- don't worry, if the broccoli has turned yellow I DO throw it away!
I have a large American side by side refrigerator and sometimes there can be a few 'lost' veggies lingering. Perhaps not quite enough left of any one vegetable to make a complete dish for a family of four, a leek, a few carrots, a piece of cauliflower, a few tomatoes- but ideal to contribute in making a vegetable soup.
There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of steaming soup and a chunk of Focaccia on a cold day. My favourites include mustard, lentil, pumpkin or butternut squash, carrot, and broccoli. The soup I least care for is tomato soup! And I know the Dutch are crazy about tiny meatballs in their soup- but I'm not!
I'm not great at food presentation but I love my soups to look pretty. Toppings include fresh herbs, croutons, a drizzle of flavoured olive oil, or a swirl of crème fraise these all make a difference to appearance as well as taste. These two soups are fairly simple and a splash of flavoured oil really help to lift them.

I eyed my piece of broccoli, I wanted to make a quickie soup. It is often paired with (blue)cheese, mainly Stilton- nothing wrong with that but I wanted something different. I still had some fresh basil in my kitchen and I picked what was left of my home grown basil in the garden and went to work to make my delicious and very healthy soup. Broccoli is vitamin rich (A, B, C & K complex), contains nutrients like potassium, magnesium, iron, and calcium, is high in fiber and even has anti-cancer properties. Combined with basil it produces a fragrant but delicate tasting creamy soup.

Broccoli and Basil Soup

Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 large potatoes
Broccoli
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
Approx 750ml water or stock
200ml cream, I used UHT cream which I always have on hand.
large bunch of Basil
small bunch parsley
pesto
salt and pepper
croutons
olive oil or basil flavoured olive oil ( available at AH- Excellent)

Preparation:
Peel potatoes and chop them into cubes. Chop onion and garlic (don't bother to crush it because the soup will be pureed anyway). Chop the broccoli stalks in cubes and make florets from the broccoli. Boil a kettle of water.

Method:
In a large pan heat some olive oil (approx 2 tbsp.) Add the chopped onion and fry for a few minutes. Add garlic and potatoes. Cook slowly for about 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and stir fry for a few minutes. Add approx 3 mugs of boiling water (or stock). Stir and bring to the boil, then simmer until the broccoli is cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat, add the roughly chopped basil (reserve some whole leaves for garnish), parsley and cream. Blend with the immersion blender. Add pesto to taste (couple of table spoons) Re-heat but do not boil. Serve with a few croutons, basil leaves, a dollop of pesto and a dash of basil/ olive oil. You could add a sprinkling of parmesan and a few pine nuts.

Another all time favourite in our household is carrot soup- you know you are on a winner when you get requests for carrot soup!
I grew up hating carrots, we're not talking about those lovely sweet little carrots like I buy now a days- I mean those big strong 'tasting monsters that are even unpleasant to eat raw!
Because I loathed carrots so much and we were always 'encouraged' to finish our plates, I introduced my own children to small portions. I would offer them each a carrot to eat raw while I was preparing dinner. Later they started expecting one- I was on the right track!
It obviously worked because not only do my two eat their 'greens' they actually enjoy them.
This soup is sweet and fragrant. Cumin and thyme are perfect with carrots. I quickly made it as part of testing out MY NEW Magimix- yes I finally did it! (A Magimix blog will be coming soon) so it is a simple no fuss soup but lovely none the less. Unfortunately my camera let me down on this day so I apologise for the poor quality pics.
I have Thyme in my herb garden. It is a perennial, so winter hardy. It is available all year round, obviously it is at it's best in the summer months. It does stop growing in the colder monthsso should be only harvested lighly.

Carrot, Orange and Thyme Soup

Serves 4
Ingredients:
8 small carrots/ Dutch worteltjes (Approx 400gr)
2 small red onions
olive oil
1 red pepper (capsicum)
2 garlic cloves
200ml orange juice
1 tbsp. ground cumin
a shake of chili flakes
salt and pepper
2 tsp honey (or sugar)
several sprigs of thyme
small bunch of parsley
approx 750ml water/stock
large knob of butter
Olive oil/ chili oil ( AH excellent) to serve

Method:
I grated the two red onions and garlic in the Magimix You could of course chop manually. Hear the olive oil in a large pan and add the onions/garlic.
Grate the carrots and grate/slice the red pepper. After a few minutes add this to the pan together with the cumin, chili flakes and thyme- stripped from their woody stems.
Add your sweetener (honey or sugar), the water/stock and bring up to the boil. Simmer the carrots until tender- they won't need long because the carrots are grated.
Turn off the heat, add the orange juice and roughly blend with an immersion blender- I personally like some bite in my soup. Bring up to the boil, add the chopped parsley (gives a fresh taste), a large knob of butter, seasoning and serve with a sprig of thyme and a drizzle of (chili) olive oil.

Albert Heijn 'Excellent' flavoured olive oil.
These flavoured olive oils are an excellent addition to any dish; risotto, soup, pasta, omelette, or simply over vegetables. Available in bottles of 250ml.

Fig and Brie Toast

2010-10-07T20:16:00.039+02:00

I have had a whole month to be angry at the thoughtless thief that invaded my space. I have felt extremely down which has resulted in me taking my frustration out on others, namely my telephone provider Vodafone. I can assure you I have sulked and even mourned about the loss of precious photo's. My appetite suffered. But enough is enough. My passion for food was back the minute I spotted fresh figs on the shelves of the supermarket.
Figs: Food of the gods. Simply delicious. It is even suggested that the fig was the 'forbidden fruit' in the garden of Eden, which would make sense since Adam and Eve used fig leaves to cover their...well...'nakedness'.
On the outside they are not exactly the most attractive 'fruit', in fact rather dull looking, but cut them open to reveal a hidden exotic beauty- a luscious pink fleshy centre which actually happens to be an inverted flower! I love edible flowers.
If you have never tried fresh figs then I urge you to try them- they are nothing at all like dried figs. Give them a chance- forget the 'laxative' stigma (who else remembers 'Fig Rolls' as a child ;-) ) often associated with figs- just enjoy. The flavour is unique, delicate, sweet but not overly so. They 'marry' well with the salty taste of raw cured ham and many types of cheese like brie and goat.

The 'fruit' is packed with fiber and a good source of potassium, calcium, and iron.
Furthermore they couldn't be easier to prepare- no peeling or de-seeding necessary. Versatile too, use them as a starter, dessert: Or a salad on the side. I personally love my figs in salads.

This particular recipe is one I spotted about a year ago on the blog of Sara Mae, New York (isn't internet wonderful?). I couldn't wait to try it- and I wasn't disappointed.
A good friend spotted my photograph and couldn't wait to try it too. We had to be very patient and wait for figs to come into season by which time Sara Mae's blog was offline! Luckily the recipe was simple and thus easy to remember. Yesterday was the big day:

Fig and Brie Toast:
per person
2 thick slices of bread, I used AH Liefde & Passie Pain Tradition
Brie
1 fresh fig
extra virgin olive oil
drizzle of honey
handful mint leaves

Preparation: Wash and pat dry the mint. Slice fig(s), Slice bread. Slice brie.
Method:
Rub extra virgin olive oil on one side of bread and toast under grill, turn and repeat. When the bread is nicely browned turn off the grill. Place the slices of brie on the toast. Place under the (still) warm switched off grill for a couple of minutes- the heat will be enough to slightly melt the brie. Top with slices of fig, the mint leaves and a drizzle of honey. I served mine with a small salad, Enjoy.

Thank you Sara Mae- you created something very special. I hope you will forgive me for 'stealing' your recipe. I would be committing a crime not sharing this recipe on internet! It really does melt in ones mouth. I categorise this as 'simply delicious' (simple & delicious) I would even go as far to say that this combination would win a person over who doesn't normally care for Brie.
Figs can be found at the supermarkets for just a limited time. Can you believe the girl at the checkout didn’t even know what they were!
Before you know it, the fig season is over so hurry up. They are very perishable so handle them with extreme care.
They don't store well (don't refrigerate them) so buy only up to one day before you actually intend to use them.
So if anyone wants to buy me a bunch of flowers- I'll have the fig variety thank you- but please don't be offended when I eat them!

While we were sleeping...

2010-09-09T11:59:00.005+02:00

In the early hours of Tuesday morning the unthinkable happened- someone broke into our house, a man rummaged through our belongings and personal things were removed- all while we were sleeping....
Clearly he didn't care if anyone was home or not. Shameful how they have no concern or respect for the feelings of others.
This is the second time this year we have been victim to crime. Earlier this year our bank card was skimmed during our holiday in Brazil. On this occasion it was shocking but it doesn't nearly compare to having your own home invaded by strangers and losing precious, personal possessions.
Our laptop, camera's, mobile telephones, sunglasses and wallets/purses (only to be left discarded minus cash, outside) were taken, stolen. The worse thing- my photo's, ones recently taken still on the SD card in my beloved camera and all my photo's on the laptop- priceless to me, of no value to anyone else. We have had to change passwords because many were set to an 'auto fill' option on the laptop- you think you are safe in your own home.
Yes it could have been worse, we could have woken up and disturbed the thief, he could have come searching upstairs....I shudder to think....
But still, it is truly disturbing, I feel violated.
For a fraction of a second I forget- I start to look something up in the laptop, I want to grab my camera for a photo, I want to send a text....everything is gone. My world has been invaded.

Take precautions, learn from our mistakes, don't like us, be lulled into a false sense of security. It can happen to you! Make sure your home is safe. Ensure you make a back-up for your photo's and computer files and keep it up-dated!
In the last few weeks I had been busy with various blog postings but now all my supporting photo's are gone.
My appetite has suffered, I haven't cooked for two days and that speak volumes...
I am rapidly losing faith in the human race.

Holiday Inspiration. 3 words Olive oil, Saffron, honey- which country?

2010-08-18T23:09:00.026+02:00

With the holiday season rapidly drawing to a close it is perhaps a little premature to consider next year’s plans... Some of us may still be savouring the lingering taste of scrumptious foreign delights (more in our minds than on our palate), while others may be suffering the familiar holiday perils: extra pounds, uncomfortable sun burn or overspending- but you all have undoubtedly experienced new things and have precious memories to cherish. Travel is so broadening.
There is nothing so blissful as a holiday. Being in the branch ourselves unfortunately, we are unable to get away at this time of year. We have to hang off the words and experiences of others! It is amazing what a change a vacation break can make- our customers may leave with big smiles in their 'holiday home on wheels' excited yes, but often showing slight signs of apprehension, (at the prospect of driving such an awesome sized vehicle?) and often still attempting to tie up work related loose ends and other commitments (the joys of mobile phones). The quality time spent with family and the chosen path must work wonders because everyone returns recharged, relaxed, sun-tanned and brimming with stories to tell. We even have 'regulars' so we obviously must be doing something right.
Choosing a holiday destination can be exciting but somewhat daunting. The world is a large place, so should you discover new territories or do you return to a known and treasured location that has already stolen your heart? Every country has its charms, be it the hot sun and cocktails of Brazil, the flora and fauna of Costa Rica, the great food and wine of Italy, the impressive temples and Nile sunsets of Egypt or the warm, friendly caring nature of Thailand.
It is personal choice but often there is one country that stand head and shoulders above the rest for its overall appeal. For me it is the answer to the three clues........Greece. Did you guess correctly? My dream holiday would be to take a camper and drive down to Italy take a ferry and explore as much Greece as possible.

Three years ago I visited Greece for the very first time, I choose the largest of the Greek islands- beautiful Crete. In fact Vai beach, Crete is the film location of the Bounty chocolate bar of the 90's- so it really is a taste of paradise.
It was a fabulous vacation, I did the usual touristic things but was also lucky enough to experience a glimpse of real Crete. It is a country with many different faces. The Northern part is where you'll find the bigger holiday resorts (including the prime destination for party goers- Hersonissos / Chersonissos) but also picturesque towns like Rethymnon, and in Southern Crete it is much less developed and rockier. It has a good balance of old world and modern comforts. The climate is perfect.

It is quite stunning, it has lakes, mountains, crystal clear, strikingly blue waters and skies, with beaches to suit all tastes- sandy, pebble, rocky, lively or secluded. You'll find wildlife and beautiful species of flowers, plants and trees. Throw in catchy Greek music, very good food and intoxicating cocktails! With names like 'Sex on the beach' or 'Greek Passion'- how can you possibly resist?! The main challenge is not how many you can drink, but not to blush when you order!

The people are warm and friendly. They are very much 'traditionalists'. Especially in the villages the Cretans like to retain the 'old' way of life. They are content and show little interest or desire to leave their paradise- but they are happy to show you their beautiful country.

In the summer months the emphasis is largely on the tourist industry. After the last charter flight leaves in October, Crete is devoted to farming and agriculture. They harvest their olives, oranges and other products. There are no direct flights at all to Crete during this period (only via Athens), but in March the flights resume and tourism becomes important once more.
Every family is encouraged to produce and tend their very own olive groves. It is therefore not surprising to hear the ratio is 60 olive trees to each inhabitant! Because families gather their olives and process their olive oil, they are lucky enough to have their own personal supply! Usually there is one type, a kind of 'house oil- I guess- an all purpose oil, used for both hot and cold dishes, savoury or sweet. When I left Crete I was given some in a 1 1/2 liter 'soda' bottle- it was lovely, very pure tasting olive oil.
I too felt happy and very content in Crete, the way of life is relaxed. Their motto: work to live and not live to work. It is that simple. Are you ready to give up the Rat Race?
I always try to find a holiday destination that will inspire me on a culinary level. Of course it is difficult to always appreciate 'mass produced' food in Hotels. But my general opinion of Greek food is good. The wine is another story- the local wines taste more like fortified wine. Stick to the cocktails!
The Cretan diet is famous for being very healthy, tasty and nutritious, the rich soil ensure an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, which they prepare in simple but delicious ways, honey is important not to mention fish. All this is washed down with copious amounts of olive oil! (on average 25 liters per person annually!) The Greeks love to grill, be it vegetables or meat. Although you can expect a variety of different meats/ fish, I believe the huge quantity of meat often served in Greek restaurants in Holland is largely to cater for the Dutch people and is not particularly representative of Greek cuisine.
The down side of my introduction to Greek olive oil was it spoiled me somewhat, being the best olives / oil I had ever tasted, I now much prefer Olive Oil from Crete on my salads or just dipping.

I do use other types of (olive) oil for cooking- which are actually processed oils- from the likes of Bertolli and Carbonell. My tip: Carefully read the labels with much suspicion. You may think you are getting good olive oil but even 'pure' olive oil is the term for refined oil (processed) that has been mixed with Virgin olive oil!
Don't be misled. Olive oil that has been bottled in say Italy doesn't say anything about the origin of the olives/oil in question! There are a lot of dubious practices regarding olive oil...welcome to the oil business! There are too many cases of olive oil being 'adulterated'- that is, olive oil diluted with olives originating from other countries or even with other (much cheaper) oil types! Further olive oil is often chemically manipulated to altered the acidity levels and even artificially 'coloured'.
I am especially disturbed by misleading labeling- there is a definite a lack of overall regulation. It needs to be addressed and standarised. It's quite scandalous. We, the consumers are being cheated, not only out of our money but our health! I will be doing a blog on olive oil in the future. Watch this space.
Cretan olive oil is a top quality oil with very low acidity (0-1), largely hand harvested, and traditionally produced. For as long as it remains in the hands of the 'people' and not the 'industry' it will retain it's superior quality. The extra Virgin Olive oil I use has a golden slightly green colour, and a exceptionally fine taste and aroma reflective of the good climate, fertile soil and ideal conditions for the prime development of the olive trees.
Greece rank 3rd place (18%) in world production after Spain (30%) and Italy (24%).
My next important find was Saffron-

This is the most precious, colourful, and expensive spice in the world. Saffron are the stigmas from the Crocus Sativus flower. Krokos Kozanis (produced in mainland Greece) or Greek Red Saffron is a superior quality Saffron. Saffron is expensive because it is very labour intensive to grow as well as harvest. The stigmata is extracted by hand and dried, each flower contains a mere 3 filaments- 150 crocus flowers yield only 1 gram of dried saffron!

Saffron is not just a fragrant, colourful food enhancer it has many therapeutic qualities. It aids digestion, asthma, is anti cancer / anti oxidant and even boosts your sexual energy!
The much cheaper safflower flowers can be used to offer some colour to foods but no flavour. Safflower is frequently confused with and sometimes passed off as saffron. Make sure buy your saffron from a reputable source! We were once cheated in Egypt- we were offered the real thing to sample but were sold or 'fobbed off' with safflower! It wasn't until we were home and unpacked it that we became aware of the deceit. The difference is that whereas Saffron consists of loose red filaments, safflower often is 'clumped' and often yellow/orange in colour.

Saffron dissolves well in oil, water, milk, lemon juice or even alcohol! (apparently vodka yields extremely good results I have yet to try- but I will!) I have been all too often disappointed with the colour produced by my saffron- not really knowing quite what do with it or how much to use. I had once read that large doses of saffron can be lethal! I now realise it would have to be of unaffordable quantities!
I now use a little warm water and soak the strands for anything from 15minutes to two hours, then I press them with a spoon, it is amazing how much colour will be released.
Saffron rice:

Other finds include olives, honey, in particular- Thyme honey (and wild flower)- yet again high quality and acclaimed as being one of the best in the world. But don't be alarmed it doesn't taste strongly of Thyme! The honey is rich in the aroma and flavour of pollen collected by bees from the wild Thyme (and wild flowers) growing abundantly on the island. It is often sold in pretty glass jars with mixed nuts.

I also purchased various dried herbs- these are often served on a Greek salad and mixes for making authentic tzatziki. And of course some real Feta cheese. Rich and creamy, salty, moist and slightly sour, semi-solid and certainly not hard and tasteless like you often find here.
Also I was intrigued by a number of non food products. Natural sponges and olive oil based skin products. Olive soap, but also face moisturisers, toners, cleansers, shampoos and even sun tan lotion. We opted for this natural sun screen (of course not totally chemical free) and it was superb.
Add these little goodies to a couple of bottles of Ouzo and you have one happy lady!
It will be no surprise to hear that one year later I returned to Crete to stock up on my supplies- and I actively encourage other family member to visit Greece (with my shopping list) in order to satisfy my passion.

I was so inspired in Crete that I immediately threw a Greek themed party on my return.
My BBQ menu included Feta filled burgers. Souvlaki (chunks of meat with herbs and spices cooked and served on skewers) I used the sweetest tasting lamb. Greek chicken, bread, Greek salad and Bourekakia (Feta cheese/ spinach filled triangle pastries) Fresh fruit including pineapple and water melon and cocktails!
Unfortunately I have no photo's of the food but here are the cocktails:

The Feta filled burger- otherwise known as Biftekia Yemista or Biftekia Gemista
This has since become a firm favourite in our household. Who doesn't love oozing cheese? These are minced meat/cheese burgers but without the bread bun and with the cheese on the inside- lets be kinder and call them meat patties.
I was inspired by this recipe
You can vary the type of mince, the herbs and cooking methods (BBQ, grill, oven or frying pan!) and even try different cheeses.
I have tried all sorts, including with and without breadcrumbs and egg- all with excellent results. Photo to follow.

I hope you have found inspiration during your vacations and wish you lots of happy holidays in the future.
PS If you are heading in the direction of Greece feel free to mail me for my shopping list.....;-)

Pumpkin/ butternut squash with pasta

2010-06-26T16:14:00.016+02:00

I'm a pumpkin fan, and as I've already mentioned I'm always looking for new and interesting ways of serving it. Unfortunately the love of pumpkin never came naturally to the rest of the family- although I do believe they are beginning to warm up to it.
It transforms any meal with its vibrant colour and it's healthy too! And isn't it great that it is no longer just an autumn vegetable.
So if you have a pumpkin or butternut squash sitting on the shelf what about combining it with pasta as part of a main meal?
Pumpkin is actually a traditional filling for Ravioli in Italy. I will be doing a blog about fresh pasta and homemade ravioli but today I wanted a quick meal for three so I used packet pasta. My recipe is all about the things I love, so not Italian just my recipe, so nothing exact just go with the flow. I used purple basil because I could- it is home grown and I thought the colour would be amazing. But traditional basil will do fine. Basil is one of my favourite herbs, but dried basil will just not cut it!

I used AH fresh pesto but you could make your own. In fact nothing beats homemade. Only when you make your own do you get the traditional pesto alla genovese with authentic ingredients like fresh basil, fresh parsley, pine nuts, crushed garlic, grated hard cheese- Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) /Grana Padano or Pecorino and olive oil. Too often walnuts or cashew nuts substitute the pine nuts (or partly), not to forget use of cheaper oils. There is nothing wrong with experimenting using different nuts (try almond too) but what is wrong is the manufactures claiming the pesto is ‘traditional’ when clearly substitutes have been made. The main ingredients in the AH Pesto I used were 27% olive oil, 22% fresh basil, 20% rapeseed oil, 11% cheese, and merely 7% pine nuts.
This is fresh pesto:

Pumpkin/ butternut squash with pasta (pesto, pinenuts and purple basil)

Serves 3, (adjust accordingly)
220gr pasta
Oil for frying
1 small organic pumpkin, diced (or butternut squash)
1 onion
1 stick celery, finely diced
bacon/ salami (I used a mixture of both but use what you prefer)
1 ball mozzarella, roughly chopped (If you don't have any I'm pretty sure mascarpone would be great too and add a sprinkling of Grana Padano before serving)
butter
1 heaped tsp cumin ground (optional- I love this spice with pumpkin)
chili flakes
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp pesto (green)
purple basil
pine nuts
salt pepper

Remove pumpkin skin and discard seeds. Dice into small pieces (uneven sizes). I liked the idea to get a kind of half puree/ half pumpkin pieces so I chopped uneven pieces to get a good texture.
Cook pasta. Dry-roast the pine nuts in a saucepan. Don't let them burn!
Fry first the bacon and then add the salami in a little oil until crispy. Set aside. In the same oil brown onion. Add pumpkin, celery and 1 tsp cumin and fry for a few minutes. Add some chili flakes and garlic.
Reduce heat and cook gently until tender. Add a big dollop of butter (or olive oil) and the bacon/salami, pesto, pasta and mozzarella cheese heat through.
Serve with a sprinkling of pine nuts and basil leaves.

A Thai themed dinner party

2010-05-30T21:21:00.120+02:00

The reason of this posting has numerous purposes and is therefore longer than the ones I am accustomed to writing. I hope you will bear with me and perhaps the colourful photo's will somehow make up for it.
I hope to encourage those who are not yet familiar with Thai cuisine- perhaps even inspire (a reluctant) someone to prepare some Thai food at home.
I hope to give ideas and tips on how to host a Thai themed evening.
It is in reply to my guests who have requested the recipes. (scroll down)
And lastly it is to torture the absentees of my Thai dinner party- I am so sorry you guys couldn’t make it- and who knows perhaps I may even be convinced to organise another evening- Thai food is easy, tasty and healthy!

Last year Indian, this year Thai:
Once a year I hold a themed dinner party. Often we have girly get together and mostly do the ‘pot luck’ thing but during the themed evenings the guys are invited- and we are talking about men with large appetites! Last year we enjoyed a taste of India, and this year it just had to be spicy Thai. The essence of Thai cuisine is in the use of simple, fresh ingredients, cut into bite sized pieces and cooked to perfection.

I felt I had mastered the art of good authentic Thai food after being inspired by my holiday in Thailand last year and I felt confident enough to cater to the needs of 15 friends- but could I pull it off...? I did indeed- but I couldn't have done it without my two Bodum wok pans- they are fantastic. And in particular the help of one friend- I even forgive her for throwing olive oil over my kitchen floor in the process!
Asian food (apart from Indian) never really hit the spot as far as I was concerned up until my recent holiday that is. My eldest son has an allergy to MonoSodium Glutamate, often added to Asian foods, so we avoided eating at Chinese/ Indonesian restaurants at all costs.
We have however always eaten Indian food on a regular basis. When I first came to Holland, many years ago, I was taught to cook authentic Indian cuisine by a family where I worked as au pair. It has always remained a favourite.

Thai food:
I didn't really expect to enjoy Thai cuisine but was curious. I had once attempted to cook a Thai curry with little success. The sauce was thin (I didn’t realise it should be- can you believe I actually thickened it with corn flour!) and it separated. I also found it hard to get past using =fish sauce in a chicken curry- and oh boy it was HOT!
The Thai people are food obsessive and seem to be eating, (warm) dishes, every moment of the day- be it early morning or late at night!
Thai food can be very hot but in general they will honour your wishes if you request a milder curry. Ask for ‘mai pet'.

I must say it did take me a few days to get over the fish sauce thing. I really didn't care to taste fish in my chicken curry! But there is no salt used in Thai cuisine, the curries are 'salted' with fish sauce, and I must say I did get used to it.
The key to great Thai food is about getting the balance right: hot(spicy), sour, sweet, salty and bitter. Flavours should complement one another.
Often the food is a work of art, the appearance is beautiful and often the garnishes are lavish. Thai food is often served with masterfully carved fruits and vegetables.

Rice is a staple component of Thai cuisine. The food is often served with plain steamed rice to tone the spicy food down and soak up the abundant (thin) sauce. Jasmine (or Pandan) is a slightly sticky but very fragrant rice. It is traditional to start every meal with a mouthful of rice out of respect.
Chopsticks are rarely used, in favour are a spoon and fork. Thai food is further served with one or two condiments.
The food is 'shared-' an unusual concept for us but we soon became used to it as the food was always placed centrally and we sampled each other’s choices. There are no 'courses' as such, you eat the food as it arrives.
Important ingredients are coconut milk, chilies, garlic, galangal (also known as Galanga, Blue Ginger or Laos) ginger, lemon grass, palm sugar, lime juice, kaffir leaves, shallots, spring onions, Thai Basil, coriander, turmeric, and Thai curry paste.
Often the ingredients are added to 'feel', not accurately weighed, later it is adjusted accordingly by tasting.
I always have two pots of the basic curry paste: green and red on hand. (I haven’t tried yellow as yet) Basically it is a ground mix of lemongrass, red (for red curry paste) or green chili (for green curry paste) garlic, galangal, onion, salt, bergamot and coriander. You certainly don't have to feel guilty using paste since it is quite accepted, although you could start from scratch. I use paste and extra fresh ingredients, and am more than happy with the results.*
Often the meat of a Thai curry is ‘poached’ in coconut milk- doesn’t sound very appetizing does it? There are one or two ways of preparing a curry. You can start off with frying the curry paste, then adding the coconut milk and then ‘poaching’ the meat but I prefer the method of heating a little coconut milk, adding the curry paste and then the meat.
Note: A proper Thai curry should have a sheen of (coconut) oil on top. I hope I have given you some insight on Thai food.

Menu:
I started planning my meals by scouring through my cookery books. I had one small Thai cookery book, one wok book and I purchased an extra 'Easy Thai Cookbook' because it came with a CD featuring traditional Thai music.
I happened to come across a Thai water melon salad in a Jamie Oliver book and on sight I knew instantly one of my choices was made.

I wanted to make a basic Thai green curry and a Thai red curry. I choose chicken to complement the green and fish for the red. Further I wanted a beef dish and opted for a dish with coconut milk and peanuts. I opted for mushrooms in a oyster sauce. A Thai evening wouldn't be complete without loempia's (spring rolls)and for a vegetable dish, I decided on pak choi. (pak soi) Further I couldn't leave out the vivid colours of butternut squash and the topper had to be the tiger prawns- that is sure a dish to impress! I also prepared some freshly toasted salted coconut pieces.
Dessert was tapioca pudding with coconut milk and lime juice, and a selection of fresh fruits.
We served rose / white wine, a selection of fruit juice and Thai 'Singha' beer.
Dishes:
Scroll down for recipes.
Green Thai chicken curry with Thai 'pea' aubergines and bamboo shoots
Red Thai pangasius fish and prawns with red onion, cherry tomatoes and oyster mushrooms
Beef with sweet (but spicy) peanut sauce
Dried mushrooms in oyster sauce
Pak choi with caraway seeds
Tiger prawns with chili and mustard seeds
Spiced butternut squash in coconut cream
Coconut crisps
Loempia's/ springrolls (thanks to Gail-10/10)

Pandan rice (thanks to Paula- 10/10)
Salads: Thai water melon (thanks to Gail)
Cucumber and coriander (thanks to Breda)
Mixed green salad (thanks to Iryna)
Snacks and kroepoek (thanks to Iryna and Rob)
Various dipping sauces: Incl Thai sweet chili sauce (see photo)
Dessert:
Tapioca in coconut milk served with lime juice
Fresh fruits:
Pineapple and mango marinated in caramel, star aniseed and brandy
Dragon fruit
Seaweed desserts (thanks to Rob)
The Durian is the king of Thai fruit. We actually didn’t serve the fruit but did have a Durian fruit ‘sausage’ (Thanks to Rob). It is has a spiky thorn like appearance, has a unique taste and texture and is relatively expensive. The Durian however, is famous for its strong and offensive odour that has even led to it being banned from many hotels, airports and public places. I didn’t find it offensive at all, I found it to be very fragrant and pleasant- once I got past the unusual texture.

Decor: We brightened up the dining/livingroom with a few simple props. A giant fan, a parasol, some (artifical)orchids (don't tell anyone!)and some draped scalves really set the scene.
Tablecloths were just lengths of material. I made some ice lanterns and scattered a few pebbles. I used scallop shells as serving plates and oriental pots for various condiments
We burnt some insense to get the mood right. As a finishing touch we had ordered via internet 5 Thai lanterns. Here is an example, not of ours but you'll get an idea. These were a great success, they really have something magical- make a wish, you never know it may well come true!
We provided chopsticks and made a few food decorations. The Thai garnishes are made are quite simple, you can peel a tomato in one long piece and wrap in into the shape of a beautiful rose. You can also make cuts into a radish, make a flower from a chili, fine slices in a spring onion or fans out of pieces of cucumber. To get the onion, chili and radish to curl, plunge in into ice cold water.
I set the table, 15 settings, as I like to be seated and there was a strict policy- no childern! The meal was buffet style- self service! We also had a salad bar, a dessert bar and a juice/ drinks bar.
Fortune cookies brought a fun element at the end of the meal.
We played Thai music and had planned to do a spot of karaoke- very populair in Thailand, later in the evening but decided to relax outside by the open fire instead.

Preparation:
Setting the menu was half the work. Last year I prepared a lot of the dishes the day before because Indian food just gets better. I like my Thai food freshly cooked so I planned to do most of the cooking on the day itself. I did however cook the coconut pieces, the tapioca, cut the fruit (and marinated it) and the pumpkin dish one day before.
I started doing the dried mushroom in the morning because they obviously need soaking. The peanut sauce I prepared early on and cooled down, as I added the steak very last minute. The two red/green curries I cooked late in the afternoon. The pak choi was also made last minute- I want crunch! And to really get the best out of the prawns I cooked them after the guests had arrived!
We served the prawns and spring rolls as starters.

RECIPES:

Green Thai chicken curry.
Note: I made the green curry using 1250gr chicken and 1 litre coconut milk but I normally make a curry with approx 600gr chicken and 400ml coconut milk. This is a fairly basic curry so I don’t actually follow a recipe. I used the smaller Thai chili peppers (Rawits) Below is roughly my standard Green Curry recipe.

500-600gr chicken breast, cut in small pieces/ cubes (or any meat of choice)
400ml coconut milk
2-3 tbsp green Thai curry paste
Piece ginger and galangal, grated
1-2 sticks lemon grass, bruised and bashed (brings out the flavour) alternately you could use minced lemon grass from a jar.
1 green Thai chili, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed/grated
1-2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar/ or a small piece of palm sugar
Juice of one small lime
Kaffir leaves (or a little lime zest)
Thai sweet basil, fresh
1-2 Spring onion, sliced
Vegetables of choice: I used bamboo shoots and baby ‘pea’Thai aubergines

Heat a wok and add nearly half of the coconut milk. Heat and stir until the coconut boils and starts to separate. Add the green curry paste and stir for a few minutes- this brings out the flavor- When it appears a little ‘oily’ add your fresh ingredients (if using- see notes above*) lemon grass, garlic, galangal and ginger. Add chicken pieces and stir occasionally. Add sugar, lime juice and kaffir leaves.
After a few minutes add the remaining coconut milk. Cook until the chicken is tender. Add the vegetables for the last few minutes. The pea aubergines only need a few minutes.
Taste and adjust accordingly- add more sugar if too hot. Add more green curry paste for more flavour. Add a little lime juice if necessary or fish sauce.
Just before serving add the fresh basil leaves and spring onion to garnish.

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Red Thai pangasius fish and prawns with red onion, cherry tomatoes and oyster mushrooms:

Note: The method is basically the same as the green curry, except the fish is poached towards the end.
I used 1000gr pangasius fish, and a handful of prawns, 1 liter of coconut milk. I used the smaller (fresh)Thai chili peppers (Rawits) Here is a recipe for a basic Red Thai curry

500-600gr fish of choice, cut in small pieces (or meat of choice ie beef)
Oyster mushrooms
400ml coconut milk
2-3 tbsp red Thai curry paste
Piece ginger and galangal, grated
2 sticks lemon grass, bruised and bashed (brings out the flavour) alternately you could use minced lemon grass in a jar
1 red chili, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed/grated
1-2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar/ or a small piece of palm sugar
Juice of one small lime
Kaffir leaves, (or a little lime zest)
Thai sweet basil, fresh
1-2 Spring onion, sliced
Coriander, chopped
Vegetables of choice: I used 1 yellow capsicum, red onions and mini tomatoes.

Heat a wok and add nearly half of the coconut milk. Heat and stir until the coconut boils and starts to separate. Add the red curry paste and stir for a few minutes- this brings out the flavour- When it appears a little ‘oily’ add your fresh ingredients (if using- see notes above*) lemon grass, garlic, galangal and ginger. Add sugar, lime juice and kaffir leaves.
After a few minutes add the remaining coconut milk. Add the oyster mushrooms, the fish and prawns accordingly and cook until just done. Add the vegetables, remembering they will only need a few minutes.
Taste and adjust accordingly- add more sugar if too hot. Add more red curry paste for more flavour. Add a little lime juice if necessary or fish sauce.
Just before serving add the coriander and garnish with the fresh basil leaves and spring onion.

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Beef with sweet (but spicy) peanut sauce:
(adapted from the cookery book 'Het Beste van Thailand')
NOTE: I doubled the quantity of the ingredients. I also always use an extra handful of peanuts.
I made the sauce earlier on (with peanuts) and added the beef just before serving.But beware- it did become a little greasy as a result.
I didn’t garnish with Ducks eggs. I used the smaller Thai chilies (Rawits) Here is the original recipe.

4-6 servings
6dl coconut milk
3 tbsp red Thai curry paste
3 el fish sauce
2 tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
2 sticks lemongrass, bruised
450gr beef (good quality steak) thinly sliced
75gr roasted peanuts , ground
2 red Spanish peppers, thinly sliced in rings
5 kaffir lime leaves, ripped
10-15 Thai basil leaves
2 salted duck eggs (optional)

Heat half of the coconut milk in a wok , stirring until it boils and separates.
Add the curry paste and cook a few minutes. Add the fish sauce, sugar and lemon grass.
Allow everything to simmer until the sauce becomes darker in colour. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir. Bring to the boil. Add the slices of beef and the peanuts. Stir well and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes, the sauce will be reduced as the steam evapourates.
Add the peppers and the Kaffir leaves. Garnish with the basil and salted boiled ducks eggs.

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Dried mushrooms with oyster sauce:
I used monkey mushrooms (about 225gr dry weight, if I remember correctly)I washed the mushrooms and placed them in a bowl with warm water for about ½ hour. I placed a saucer over them to weigh them down- as they tend to float.

NOTE:The following ingredients are roughly what I used and should only be used as a guideline.
You can improvise by using ground ginger/ ginger syrup. If you have no rice vinegar then use sherry or even (basamic) vinegar.

Reconstituted mushrooms, (see above) patted dry
1 red onion, diced
Oil for frying
1 piece of ginger, finely chopped
1 piece of galangal (optional)
2 gloves of garlic
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
Approx 2 -3 tbsp oyster sauce
2-3 tbsp.soy sauce (I used the sweet ketjap manis)
Fish sauce
1 tsp. Sesame seed oil
2 small Thai chilies chilies
1-2 tsp (brown) sugar/ palm sugar
Sweet Thai chili sauce
2-3 tbsp rice wine (I used Japanese Sake)
Water and corn flour to thicken
Spring onion, sliced

Fry the red onion in a little oil. Add finely chopped garlic, ginger, galangal and 1 finely chopped (Thai) chilli. Add the mushrooms and stir fry. Add oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, a squeeze of Thai sweet chili sauce, soy sauce / ketjap manis and a splash of fish sauce. Simmer until the mushrooms are tender. Add the rice wine and corn flour (dissolved in water) and bring to boil to thicken. Taste and adjust adding more sugar/ salt(or fish sauce). Add more water if too thick.
Place is a serving dish and garnish with spring onion and remaining chili cut in small strips.

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Pak Choi with caraway seed.
Note: Not strictly a Thai dish but I thought it would be perfect.I doubled the ingredients.

Packet/ head pak choi
1 small (red)onion, chopped
Few tsp. sugar
Large knob butter
Caraway seeds, heaped tsp
Salt and pepper
Chili flakes
Cornflour/ arrowroot

Firstly caramelise some sugar. Use a dry saucepan, and add a few teaspoons of sugar, heat gently and watch in amazement how it will turn liquid. Keep stirring (do not leave!) until all the sugar is dissolved and it has a nice brown colour. Cool slightly then add a large knob of butter (I love butter- I never use margarine, though I suppose you could or vegetable oil). When melted add one finely chopped onion, and cooked for a few minutes, then add one heaped teasp. of caraway seeds a good pinch of salt and pepper and chili flakes, the white pieces (sliced) of the pak choi. Stir fry for just a few minutes. Lastly add the roughly chopped green tops and stir until wilted.

Thicken the sauce by making a paste with a little cornflour and water. Add it at the end and bring quickly to the boil.Even better remove the pak Choi first and then thicken the liquid, as I did slightly overcook mine on this occasion.

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Prawns with chili and mustard seeds:
( adapted from the cookery book 'Snelle Wokgerechten')
Note: I used 30+ Black Tiger prawns and adapted the recipe accordingly. These shouldn’t be cooked ahead of time. You can however prepare them up to rubbing them in with turmeric and chili peppers. I made mine after the gusests had arrived. Here is the original recipe:

20 large raw prawns (1 kilo)
¼ tsp gound turmeric
2 fresh Thai chili peppers, seeds removed an finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp black mustard seeds
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

Peel the prawns. You can leave the tail on. You can also make a cut in the back and flatten them slightly if desired. (I took the tail off and left them otherwise intact)
Rub the prawns in with turmeric and chili peppers.
Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the mustard seeds and garlic until they start popping.
Add the prawns and toss them until they turn a lovely pink colour.
Mix the coriander through and serve directly. Looks like I could have chopped my coriander a little finer!

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Coconut crisps:
(recipe from 'Easy Thai Cookbook- Sallie Morris')

1 large fresh coconut
2 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Break the coconut open. Carefully remove the outer shell. With a potato peeler remove the hard brown skin.
Make thin slices with a food processor or if you, like me, don’t have one the potato peeler works fine. Mine, this one OXO did anyway.
Place the thin coconut slices on a baking tray, sprinkle with salt and bake for 30 minutes. Turn at least twice to ensure even baking. Cool before serving.

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Spiced butternut in coconut cream:

This I choose for the vibrant colour and because it is an all time favourite of mine.
There isn't really a recipe. I just prepared the flesh of the butternut squash (pumpkin is also fine to use) and added a good sprinkling (be very heavy handed) of spices (coriander, ground cumin, cumin seeds, dried chili flakes and any other spices you wish) Add cloves of garlic to your personal taste, rough sliced red onions and salt and pepper. Mix. Drizzle lavishly with (mild olive)oil and bake in the oven until tender. I baked mine at 170°C with the coconut. Towards the end of the cooking time stir in 1 sachet of creamed coconut (50gr).

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Thai watermelon salad:
(recipe Jamie Oliver's Family Dinners)
Note: This was a delicious salad and complemented the food perfectly, the combination of the watermelon-mint-rocket was fantastic! There was more than enough dressing. We used peanuts.

Salad:
1/4 watermelon
2 handfuls of fresh coriander leaves
2 handfuls of rocket
2 handfuls of fresh mint leaves
1 small bunch of radishes, finely sliced
a handful of peanuts or sunflower seeds
120gr feta cheese

Dressing:
a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
juice of 3 or 4 limes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove the skin from the watermelon and cut the flesh into small cubes, removing as many seeds as you can.
When you pick the coriander leaves, remove the stringier part of the stalks but keep the finer ones, as they are nice to eat. Place in a bowl with the rocket, mint, watermelon and radishes. Put the ginger, chilli, soy sauce, olive oil and sesame oil into a smaller bowl and add just enough lime juice to cut through the oil--the number of limes you use will depend on how juicy they are. Season to taste and make sure the dressing is well balanced.
Place your peanuts or sunflower seeds in the oven or in a pan and warm through, then roughly pound them up in a pestle and mortar or in a metal bowl using the end of a rolling pin. Dress the salad really quickly. (You can use more dressing if you wish, but any left over is great to keep in the fridge to use the next day). Divide between the plates, sprinkle over the hot peanuts or sunflower seeds and crumble the feta cheese over the top.

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Tapioca with coconut milk and served with lime juice:
(recipe is adapted from cookery book 'Het Beste van Thailand')
Note: Tapioca- like Durian fruit, is an acquired taste, a lot of the problem has to be the slimy texture- 'Frogspawn'! I had a youth trauma from Tapioca- vividly remembering it from school dinners but suddenly years later I had a fancy for it. Now it is a firm favourite on our menu.
This recipe is one I make quite a lot- I always use more coconut milk (a tin of 400ml- I adjust the water accordingly) and less sugar. On the Thai evening I tripled the quantity (I used 1 liter coconut milk) but reduced the sugar content. I served it cold with marinated fruit. See below.
I find it particularly delicious with a splash of lime juice.

For 4 person
115gr tapioca
4,75dl water
175gr sugar
2,5dl coconut milk
Pinch salt
Thin slices of 1 lime
250gr tropical fruit, peeled and cut

Soak the tapioca for 1 hour in warm water. Drain.
Bring the water to the boil. Stir in the sugar and the salt.
Add the tapioca and coconut milk and bring to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes, until the tapioca becomes transparent.
Serve warm with the tropical fruit and garnish with lime slices.

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Fresh fruit marinated in caramel, star anise and brandy:

2 pineapples
3 mango’s
3 star anise
Sugar

I prepared the fruit, then I caramilised some sugar. Waited until it cooled slightly added some butter , a little water and the star anise. I heated it for a few minutes, cooled slightly added a good dash of brandy and poured over the fruit. I marinated it overnight.

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Time to clear up:

Sage, courgette and pasta with pine nuts

2010-05-27T19:32:00.012+02:00

Sage is one of the herbs that positively thrives in my garden, it has even moved house with us! And it has been replanted on several occasions.
Apart from pairing it off with onion (sage & onion stuffing) and chicken until recently I didn't really know quite what else to do with it.
Sage is a perennial herb with a very strong flavour that tends to overide everything else- so a little bit goes a long way- perhaps if the truth been known I was a little bit afraid of it!
It was after a Italian cookery workshop given by Victor Russo (I will be doing a blog on Italian cooking soon) that I really started using the herb on a regular basis in my kitchen. We didn't actually use it in the workshop on the evening self. But there was something about the look on his face when he described the taste of fried sage with pasta and the words 'Mamma mia' that just days later had me rushing out into my garden to pluck a handful of sage leaves. I always choose the smaller young leaves, they are flavourful and tender. I then wash them and dry them. You can fry them in butter or olive oil. They become crisp and delicate, the taste is aromatic and simply amazing- spot on Victor!
Fried sage, courgette pasta for two:
Today I was preparing a meal for two and because I wanted something simple, quick and tasty I opted for sage and pasta. I love Italian food and creamy rich sauces but sometimes simplicity is perfection. It was a wholesome and satisfying meal.
I started to cook about 150gr of dried whole wheat pasta.
And grated some (parmesan) cheese that I put in a dish.
I toasted a handful of pine nuts in a dry pan for a few minutes and left aside.
I then heated a little olive oil and fried the (washed and dried) sage leaves (handful), roughly ripped if they are large. They will be done in just a few minutes. These also went to one side.
In the same pan I browned several bacon rashes (chopped) I lastly added a clove of garlic and a spring onion and cooked briefly and set aside.
Using the same pan I stir fried a whole (medium sized) courgette finely diced. When it was done (still al dente) I added a little white wine, and seasoning. (use lemon juice if you prefer)
I drained the pasta which was now ready and added this to the courgette with nearly all the pine nuts and sage (reserve some for garnishing), the bacon/onion and most of the cheese.
Stir carefully and serve. Sprinkle the remaining cheese, pine nuts and sage leaves and drizzle with virgin olive oil. Mamma mia!

This was a bit haphazard but a rough list of ingredients:
fresh Sage leaves
150gr Pasta
several bacon rashers (or pieces)
parmesan cheese
Olive oil/ utter
pine nuts, about 30gr
1 medium courgette
70-100ml wine oo dash lemon juice/ zest
salt pepper, virgin olive oil

Now I just hope I'm not going to get 'pine nut syndrome' or 'pine mouth' as it's widely referred to- an intriguing taste disorder, occurring 1-3 days after consumption of certain pine nuts and lasting anything up to two weeks! The symptoms are a bitter metal taste in the mouth making practically all other food and drink unpalatable! Even water tastes likes battery acid!
How very odd! It's something I luckily haven't (yet) experienced. Even stranger while some people get this taste disturbance, others do not, even though they have eaten from the same batch of nuts. So perhaps there is a genetic factor involved and I am just one of the lucky ones. I do get a very disagreeable odour when I eat asparagus- but it doesn't stop me eating it!
While 'pine mouth' sounds very unpleasant it doesn't actually seem to be harmful so I am carrying on risking it!

Apparently the 'culprits' are largely from China so try and stick with ones that you know the origin of- (European nuts are claimed to be fine) although obviously it is difficult when ordering in a restaurant to know the source of the seeds.
It is unclear whether or not toasting/roasting the nuts makes a difference- but I always toast mine.
It can be extremely upsetting for the sufferers since the cause is not immediately apparent and these symptoms can suggest anything from Diabetes, brain tumors and liver failure! But thank goodness for Google: the link to pine nuts can soon be made. (it is so widespread)
But there are still people unaware of the unpleasant side effects of pine nuts and for this reason I am mentioning it on my blog- I would hate to put anyone off their food! I can hardly imagine it myself- fancy all food and drink tasting vile- even chocolate!
Apparently if you are unfortunate to fall victim the best thing to mask the taste is spicy food, another reason to keep checking my blog- coming soon recipe's from my Thai themed evening.

Riding down the path of life- to the Oriental supermarket.

2010-05-24T00:49:00.035+02:00

A few days ago during a motorbike trip my mind couldn't help but stray back to a journey I made about a month ago.
Riding pillion is exhilarating and you experience and see things from a different perspective but sometimes I find myself sitting on the edge of my seat! I am much more aware of the dangers than I was a few years ago. I view every parked car as a potential hazard- imagining the door suddenly flying open. It is in your best interest to stay alert and every maneuver has to be thought out carefully. I obviously trust my husbands judgment because I was relaxed enough to wander with my thoughts. I viewed my surroundings with interest and amusement, the trees all standing in a row as if welcoming passersby with a salute!
I was suddenly back to the day we picked up our Harley Davidson bike a few weeks ago- bought on Ebay! The landscape then was very different but oh so familiar- yes it was in England.

A lot of what you have you take for granted, and they say when you lose something you only then realise it's true value. Well I can relate with this- It wasn't until I had left England that I appreciated its beauty. Let’s just say I started seeing things with new eyes. Funny when I lived there I thought it was 'flat' and boring- it wasn't until I returned some months later that I realised the countryside was beautiful and undulating. Suddenly the trees were interesting and they are not all standing in line! There are natural unruly looking 'forests' sprouting all over. (note the newly planted trees in the first picture above)

Generally the English trees are a chaotic mix and the colours are vivid. When I left England I thought the grass was greener on the other side but in actual fact the opposite is true- the English grass is by far greener as are the trees! (Possibly all the rain?!)
Back in present time with a jolt I suddenly glanced up and lo and behold a familiar blue and white plane was flying low- something up unto recently also taken very much for granted- the day previous all flights were yet again cancelled due to the volcanic ash.
I didn't have my camera so I was unable to take pictures of my trip to Amsterdam but I still have photo's from my trip to beautiful England. We were lucky enough to pick out a fine day. We were picked up at the train station In Braintree, Essex and travelled to the most quaint village of Finchingfield. We breakfasted in a beautiful Tea room called Bosworth's situated on the village green.

We ordered a 'full English' and a cup of tea (hubby ordered coffee).

Often people ask if the Brits really eat this rather heavy breakfast on a daily basis, I always laugh and say no not daily- well not everyone only the (un)lucky few. As I have already said I was brought up on a healthy diet of plenty. My mother made sure I was lacking in nothing. Even in the morning she would make sure I had a good breakfast before I left for school despite my many protests. Just before nipping off to work she would prepare me a cooked breakfast and on many occasions I would dispose it the minute she was out the door! (don't worry she doesn't read my blog). Also I would insist on just two slices of bread for my paced up lunch- because we had unsliced bread my mother cut 'doorsteps' for me so I didn't go hungry! I wonder how many regular slices these doorsteps were equivalent to!? My mother was so sneaky- when I decided to becomes a vegetarian she enticed me back by making all my favourite 'meat' dishes.

After breakfast we viewed the bike, the lady seller was very friendly and we shared experiences over a laugh and a cup of tea!

The winding countryside was a challenge for hubby's somewhat 'rusty' riding skills. We visited family who lived locally and shared a lovely traditional 'Sunday Lunch'. We were even treated to the first asparagus of the year! My uncle has an allotment and grows his own produce. We had some delicious roasted veggies- something else that I now appreciate but didn't way back.
We decided to spring a surprise visit on the parents and began our 1 1/2 hour journey. I took out my camera and snapped happily away.
We passed beautiful yellow fields of rapeseed and gently undulating countryside.

We rode through picturesque villages and quaint little towns.

I smiled as we passed the Sugar Beet factory in Bury St Edmunds where I was born and went to school. Funnily enough I refer to this town as 'home' but I have never actually lived there!

Often people ask me "don't you miss your home?" Well where is home? Where the heart is? Where you live don't necessary guarantee happiness, just as someone else cannot make you happy- it has to come from within. I learnt a long time ago that home is nothing to do with bricks and mortar that's just a house.
I have now lived longer in Holland than in England- that is weird.. I am Dutch but will always remain British. What does it matter, I don't feel like I need a label. I am both- a Dutch Brit.
So what was the purpose of my journey to Amsterdam you may well ask. Well I went here: Wah Nam Hong Supermarket.

I was planning a Thai dinner party and needed to stock up. I have never been to this Toko before and it is very favourably situated near the Sligro, Makro and Amazing Oriental.
My goodies included: Fresh Thai basil, coriander, butternut squash, galangal, ginger, rawit (Thai) peppers, limes, spring onions, Thai aubergines, a small coconut, solo garlic, coconut milk, tamarinde paste, oyster sauce, dried monkey mushrooms, palm sugar, lychees, bamboo shoots, black and white sesame seeds and spices. I couldn't go too overboard because we had to fit everything in the limited space of the motorbike cases! Can you believe in the good old days, when the motorbike was our sole means of transport, we actually conducted our weekly shopping on the bike?!
I will be doing a write up about my very successful Thai evening (held Saturday 22nd) so keep posted!

Eggs-traordinary Discovery

2010-05-13T18:05:00.007+02:00

A while ago I praised the many uses of the humble egg. I suggested uses in the garden Quote:"eggshell (fine) can enrich compost with calcium and scattered eggshells deters not only snails but also cats."
Recently I planted some basil seeds and decided to use the left over eggshell halves as mini pots.
You will be amazed at the difference it made in the growth of the little seedlings. With a little extra nourishment the basil plants growing in the eggshells have positively flourished! I was so taken back that I consider it Blog-worthy!
Isn't it fantastic?!
So do you have plans to plant seedling?- then get cracking!

PS If you were wondering what it is growing in the background- Purple Ruffles, sweet basil, purple red. Or Ocimum basilicum purpureum to be precise.

This product contains nuts.

2010-05-09T12:24:00.028+02:00

Every family seems to have at least one recipe that tends to be passed around within the family. In our case this has not, as yet, been passed down through the generations but I'm sure it will be. No, it is not the best Chili con carne, sausage casserole or meatloaf but cookies. Peanut butter cookies to be exact. A simple recipe that works every time. Don't turn your nose up and say: but I don't like peanut butter because even person who claims to utterly detest peanut butter can't resist these cookies! It is love at first bite.
As a child we always were encouraged to bake and would often turn out a batch or two! When my sister left home the recipe disappeared (and I'm talking about the times before one could do a quick search on Google) It wasn't until a few years later that I had the recipe (in my sisters handwriting) in my possession.
Funny enough I believe it is not a British but an American recipe. In America they are wild about peanut butter and it is often eaten in unusual combinations.
While we may speak the same language the differences between the two countries are immense. The first difference is in the name. Are 'cookies' and 'biscuits' one and the same? Well maybe I have been living outside the UK too long because i am beginning to see the difference. I see rich tea (the Dutch call these Biskwie) and digestive as biscuits. And chocolate chip and peanut butter as cookies. In general I feel cookies are sweeter and of softer texture while biscuits are more plain and crisper. (Am I beginning to think like the Dutch)
Just to confuse matters, you can also buy Beschuit here which is what we in England refer to as 'Dutch toast' but then in a round shape (see photo below)also known as Holland rusk . Funny enough the regular square 'Dutch Toast' is available in Holland but here it is called 'Engelse Toast'! Yes- you've guessed it- English toast!
The 'consistency' of a cookie/biscuit also plays a role, or rather the 'crispiness' factor. An American cookie is considered fresh when it is soft but stale when it is crisp, whereas a British cookie should be crisp, if it is in the least bit soft it is regarded stale!
I think this is a matter of personal taste and the desired result can be achieved with careful baking: i.e. bake until crisp or just long enough that they remain soft.
I actually made these cookies on a whim for Easter but have been extremely busy. I have lots of posting/ pictures and hope now to keep on track with blogging.

What is worse than planning a batch of peanut butter cookies and discovering someone has eaten all the peanut butter!? However this isn't a problem if there are peanuts in the house. Yes! And so I decided to make my own peanut butter. It is so easy.
Homemade peanut butter.
I just blended salted peanuts (so I didn't add salt) with a little arachide/peanut oil, a little sesame oil, a little brown sugar and voila. Just add enough oil until you have the desired consistency. If you prefer crunchy then just add a few finely chopped nuts at the end.

'Beschuit' with homemade peanut butter.

I have never made peanut butter before, it is so cheap and easy available but at least if you make your own you know exactly what's in it. I would like to start from the beginning and shell and roast my own nuts. I like the idea of keeping the red skins on. Or perhaps I'll try using cashews or hazelnuts. What about adding a dash of honey or ginger syrup instead of the sugar. Hmm...I'm on a runaway train of ideas again! Back on track!
The recipe I believe was originally in American (cups), has been converted to English (ounces) and here (the grams) in brackets are what I use.

Peanut butter cookies:

Recipe:
4oz butter (125gr)
1/2 cup (4oz) sugar (125gr)
1/2 cup (3oz) brown sugar (87gr)
1/2 cup peanut butter (128gr)
1 egg
1 1/4 cup (5oz) plain flour(150gr)
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt

Yield 36
Oven temperature 375-400°F (190-200°C)
Method:
Cream butter, sugars and peanut butter in a mixing bowl. Add beaten egg and mix well. Sift and stir in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Chill dough.
Roll into balls the size of large walnuts. place 3 inches (7.5cm) apart on greased baking trays. Flatten with a fork dipped in flour, criss-cross fashion. Bake in a moderately hot oven for 10-12 * minutes. Cool for a few minutes on baking trays before removing to a cooling tray.

*Don't brown because they will lose flavour.
They will keep for a few days but don't worry there will be none left to become stale! Next time you may well be making a double batch!

The Versatile Egg. Recipes: Mushroom Quiche and Pumpkin Omelette, Thai style

2010-04-03T21:42:00.030+02:00

Eggs are versatile, nutritious, low cost and what’s more easy to cook*. I think everyone must keep a supply of eggs in stock. They are great on their own but also an important part in many dishes; sweet or savoury, from the boiled egg to elaborate cakes to the all time Dutch favourites: pancakes and meatballs. Eggs must never be underestimated. It's not until you stop and think for a moment that you realise just how amazing the egg really is.
Whether it be breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner eggs are equally at ease on the menu. From the simplest of dishes: fried/scrambled/boiled/poached egg to impressive soufflés with smoked salmon the egg is the food for any occasion!
Furthermore they can be used to decorate a dish, add colour to a salad or to glaze pastries and bread. While the egg white alone can add structure and lightness, the yolk helps to thicken a number of sauces or keep ingredients from separating.
They are handy to have on hand as an emergency meal if one has forgotten to defrost the meat. I'm thinking boiled egg curry, a delicious but simple meal or the all time favourite bacon and eggs, Of as a more complete and substantial dish like Spanish omelette.
* According to the expression if you 'can't even boil an egg' then you are absolutely clueless in the kitchen! This isn't completely true in my opinion as boiling the perfect egg is quite complex. (I use Delia's method Nr 2) It sounds easy but in practice the first stumbling block is often: should I use cold or boiling water. And timing is the most important factor if you want a runny yolk. The number of times I have been disappointed is too numerous to mention!
Boiling (Quail) eggs in Thailand.

Today I did stop for a minute or two to think about the importance of the egg and realised the many culinary uses. My list is quite impressive:
Binding: meatballs/omelette.
Coating-food protection: fish before bread crumbing/battering and frying/potato croquette .
Thickening: sauces Zabaglione (custard)/ lemon curd.
Emulsifier: mayonnaise/ Hollandaise sauce.
Leavening/aerating: soufflé/cakes.
Glaze: pastries/bread.
Clarify: soups/stocks
Enriching-flavour: pasta/ sweet bread types i.e. Chelsea buns.
Colour/garnish: salads/ rolled omelette used in Asian garnishing.
But don't just stop at culinary, there are plenty of other uses in and around the home.
They can be beneficial in beauty treatments- homemade face masks or hair rinses!
Or art and crafts- works as an excellent paper glue.
Inside the home- as leather cleaner, and the shell makes a perfect drain cleaner if you wash away fine eggshells.
In the garden- eggshell (fine) can enrich compost with calcium and scattered eggshells deters not only snails but also cats.
Even car repair- as egg white can even temporarily act as a' plug ' is a minor radiator leak!
Impressed?
Quiches.

One of my favourite egg based dishes is 'Quiche'. Baking quiches didn't however come natural to me. I recall some of my earlier attempts as being anything but successful, which resulted in a few hysterical moments. This was at school long before I had mastered the art of perfect pastry. We had a lovely teacher called Miss Holland ( what a coincidence!) and I loved the home economics lessons although my skills were not yet fully developed. I still cringe when I remember the moment I realised my 'baked blind' pastry shell had shrunk so much there was nothing left to fill! I still had some pastry (but no time) left over. I lined my flan dish with 'raw' pastry and quickly packed it away (with the intention of finishing it at home). I may have got away with it if Miss Holland hadn't asked to see my 'quiche'! The look on her face gazing at the uncooked shell was priceless! I had to witness that look on one or two more occasions, one time being when she asked to see my Lasagna but that's another story. Watch this space I'm sure I will tell it one day...
On another day, and yet another attempt at perfecting my quiche the whole class were busily going about their kitchen duties. Suddenly all pupils were silenced as Miss Holland loudly clapped her hands to get our attention: "excuse me but who's oven is this" she asked pointing at MY oven. We all looked in horror as Miss Holland continued "because someone's quiche is trying to escape...." I fell though the ground in shame as I saw the huge puddle in front of the oven- my quiche filling was leaking on the floor! I still to this day, don't know what exactly happened perhaps i overfilled the quiche but for many a year I had 'quiche phobia'.
I eventually mastered the art of good pastry and years later made only the occasional quiche because the kids didn't eat eggs. A few years ago a good friend celebrated an important birthday and I offered to help make the food. I was actually quite horrified when I was handed the 'order' (I still have that piece of paper!) 2x Mushroom quiches and 3x Quiche Lorraine! It was time to stand up and face my fears but- 5 quiches- would I pull it off? I did and they were perfect.
A couple of weeks ago I needed to prepare a lunch for some family guests. I decided to make 5 quiches. I made salmon and broccoli, cheese and onion, traditional Quiche Lorraine, bacon, cheese and onion, and the basic mushroom quiche. I made my quiches the evening before and served them with homemade tomato soup and a fresh salad.
The Mushroom quiche recipe I use comes out of a cook book. The one both my friend and I came to Holland with- the reason we survived in the kitchen! The First-time cookbook, Evelyn and Judi Rose. I still have it although by now it is held together with cellotape!
Although it is called 'Basic' the name does it no justice. It is the beautiful combination of flavours: butter, lemon juice and sherry that transforms the mushroom quiche and it smells delicious too.

Basic Mushroom quiche:
Serves 4
1 baked case (see below)
1/4 onion or 4 small spring onions
25gr butter
125gr mushrooms
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon
1 tbsp sherry
Savoury custard
1 tbsp cornflour
2 large eggs
150ml single cream or 175 can evaporated milk
pinch each of salt and nutmeg
5 grinds black pepper
Topping 25gr or 3 tbsp grated cheddar cheese
nut of butter
Method:
1. Finely chop the onion or slice the spring onions.
2. Melt the butter in the frying pan, add the onion and cook for 2 minutes then add the mushrooms (sliced 6mm thick), the salt, lemon juice and sherry.
3. Cover and cook gently for 5 minutes, uncover and cook briskly until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are beginning to fry in the butter.
4. Now make the savoury custard: put the cornflour in the bowl, add the cream or evaporated milk slowly whisking, then add the eggs and seasonings and whisk together until just smooth.
5. Add the mushroom mixture to the savoury custard, then pour into the quiche case.
6. Scatter with grated cheese and dot with tiny bits of butter.
7. Bake at 190c for 25 minutes, then at 180 for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed. The flan will remain puffed for 30 minutes.
8. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes as it is nicer warm rather than hot.

Quiche pastry case, makes 1 shallow 25cm or 1 deeper 20cm one: (Or you can just use your own recipe- like I do, no icing sugar!)
150gr plain flour
pinch salt
1 level tsp icing sugar
75gr butter
2-3 tbsp ice-cold water
Make the pastry in the traditional way rubbing the fat into the flour and using just enough water so that the dry ingredients can be gathered into a dough. Wrap the dough in Clingfilm and refrigerate for one hour. This helps prevent shrinking!
Sprinkle the work surface with flour and roll the pastry out to fit the flan case. You can use whatever kind you prefer or have on hand- ceramic, glass, or a loose bottomed metal. Lift the pastry over the case with the aid of the rolling pin and gently line the dish being very careful not to stretch. Trim the edges if necessary. prick the bottom with a fork (this will help prevent it rising and put a piece of greaseproof paper with baking beans or a piece of tin foil. "Bake blind" in a preheated oven (200C) for about 12 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180c, remove paper/foil and cook for another few minutes until the base is dry.

Easter has fallen early this year and although we want to think of spring and warm weather the temperatures outside are telling us otherwise. brr
Last week I had a pumpkin waiting to be used and although we tend to associate pumpkin with autumn I kind of like the combination of pumpkin and eggs. I decided to make a kind of Spanish style omelette but with a Thai twist. It kind of looks yellow and well Easter-like.
So if you still have pumpkins around and want to eat your eggs in a different way keep reading. Pumpkin goes great with a mix of cumin, coriander, ginger and garlic but you could add a mix of any spices/herbs you fancy. By adding a bit of galanga(l) (laos) and Thai basil I went a bit Thai but feel free to go whichever way you like. Replace the herbs/spices with Mediterranean herbs/spices and add some mozzarella/Feta cheese and some sundried tomatoes/olives.

Pumpkin Omelette- Thai Influenced:
1/2 pumpkin (Biological) skin removed/ de-seeded/chopped.
Oil for frying
1 red onion, slices
Chili flakes
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
Small piece of ginger and galanga (If you don't have fresh just add 1 tsp ground ginger)
Salt (or a dash of fish sauce if you have) and pepper
1 clove of garlic, crushed
3 small tomatoes
1 small spring onion, chopped
few Thai basil leaves
5 eggs
water
Beat 5 eggs with a couple of tablespoons of water.
Heat a couple of tbsp. oil (whatever you prefer I used rapeseed oil but you could use olive) in a large frying pan. Fry 1/2 biological pumpkin chopped with a some sliced red onion. I added some chili flakes, 1 heaped tsp cumin, 1 heaped tsp coriander a small piece each of ginger and galanga and finely chopped. salt and pepper. I added 1 crushed glove garlic. I cooked until the pumpkin was just tender. I then added 3 small tomatoes chopped (I intended to add a chopped spring onion- I forgot but will add it next time!)
Add the eggs and sprinkle with the basil leaves, cook until just set. Serve cut in wedges.

Tagliatelle with Black Garlic

2010-03-29T23:58:00.009+02:00

I couldn't wait any longer- after yesterday's post about black garlic curiosity got the better of me, I had to try cooking the garlic. I decided to take an easy path and made a quick pasta. How I love pasta.
I cooked 300gr tagliatelle. Fried 250gr diced bacon, added 1 finely chopped onion, until it was just begining to brown. I added several mushrooms, 4 cloves of black garlic sliced, a few freeze dried Spanish pepers, a few chopped black olives, about 2 tsp capers and some sundried tomato (in oil). When the pasta was just cooked I added a little olive oil and about 150gr Philadelphia cheese (original), 25gr Gran padano salt and pepper and mixed thoroughly. I carefully put the two together.
I served it with a stir fry of Italian vegetables and a side salad. How I love my vegetables and salads.

Oh my, the garlic was divine, next time I won't be afraid to add more. The balance was good although I don't usually use so many ingredients in one dish. By omitting regular garlic I was afraid I wouldn't get the full taste! I didn't miss it at all and I certainly didn't miss smelly fingers!

Aged Black Garlic- The New Black

2010-03-28T22:30:00.023+02:00

I love garlic and lots of it! So when I read an article in 'Exclusief' the monthly magazine of Sligro (number 2) I became very excited and intrigued- I knew I would have to try some- evidently I'm not the only one since I bought the very last packet! (the power of clever marketing?)
It certainly looks odd- light brown in colour and ‘papery’ with inky black cloves, actually not at all appealing to the eye, but don't let appearance put you off- black garlic is a big hit and is well on the way to becoming the latest trend.

The 'Sligro' garlic comes in sealed plastic packaging with a packet of Silica-gel. There are just two bulbs of 'Aged Black Garlic' or 36gr. The garlic was actually ‘invented' by Scott Kim and manufactured in Korea. It is distributed by Black Garlic inc. (Los Angeles) On the packaging is a chart showing the nutrition facts. 40calories per serving(18gr). It cost around 5euro.

But what exactly is black garlic?- No it isn't a newly discovered variety but simply regular garlic that has been fermented in a process using high levels of heat treatment and controlled humidity for roughly a period of 21 days.
Initially it was developed by Scott Kim to be marketed as yet another super food with its many positive health properties (It is extremely high in antioxidants/anti cancer) these are however, 'alleged' claims, I'm unsure if there is supporting medical evidence. But the product took a turn when it was picked up in America and has since become very popular in the culinary world especially in high-end restaurants and TV cooking programmes.
In England it became very sought after featuring in Something for the Weekend a BBC 2 TV programme.

What is so positive about black garlic?- well how about all the taste but none of the 'nasties'. What do you think of being able to eat cooked or even raw garlic with no heartburn or garlic breath!? (So if you are looking to ward off vampires- forget it!) Black garlic contains considerably more antioxidants (antioxidants absorb 'free radicals' which are unstable molecules which can cause cell and tissue damage) than regular garlic.
Regular garlic's health benefits and medicinal properties have long been known and have been clinically proven. It helps to protect against heart disease, lowers blood pressure / cholesterol and helps prevent blood clots forming. It's antibacterial/ antiviral properties also helps the body to fight off infections including colds and acne! Further test show that it may neutralise cancer-causing chemicals and thus reduce the risk of tumours. For those who dislike the taste/want to avoid 'garlic breath' but don't want to miss out on the therapeutic qualities, garlic has been available as a 'artificial' supplement in capsule form but now Black garlic could be the 'natural' answer.
Black or aged garlic as it is often referred to- is entirely natural, so no preservatives or added chemicals! No additives at all- you get pure garlic (so please disregard anything you hear suggesting Soy is used in the production) Just don't forget to discard the little packet of Silicagel!

The taste is sweet and subtle. Unique because it is sweet and savoury alike, the taste has been described as anything from tamarind, to balsamic vinegar, from licorice to dark soy sauce as well as figs and dates. It is said to resemble roasted garlic with earthy and even chocolate undertones.
I thought it tasted very much like appelstroop (apple syrup) and 'solid' balsamic vinegar although the structure is soft and mouth watering. It is mild but at the same time there is a depth of flavour. I couldn't help wonder if I would have even recognised ‘garlic’ if I hadn't known what I was sampling. For this reason I conducted a 'blind' tasting with a few friends. The reactions? (all positive) 'licorice?' 'plum?' and yes---- 'garlic?'

How can you use black garlic, can dishes calling for classic garlic be substituted? To a certain extent yes, but remember it is a more subtle flavour and black garlic has its own unique taste so you should experiment. It can be eaten raw or cooked. On the packaging the serving suggestions are Pizza, Pasta, Steak, Hotdog, Berger?? (Burger?) or Asian food! So everything American and Asian food- hmm…
A recipe suggestion in the Sligro magazine is baked banana. Mix chocolate with finely chopped black garlic, honey or sugar and rum and pour over a banana sliced lengthways. Bake in foil for 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven 180c.
I have even read that there is a chocolate variant available or being introduced soon! Can't wait!

For me it was love at first bite. I was charmed by it- but the rest of the family had mixed reactions.
While it's looks may not be top notch it certainly packs a punch! I feel it is an ingredient with lots of potential. I can't wait developing recipes incorporating 'Black Magic' Garlic. I'm thinking the obvious; in a salad, mushroom risotto or in pasta recipe here. Maybe with roast chicken, or perhaps just keep it simple- black garlic butter or Aioli but I'll also be trying it with chocolate and ice-cream!
While I don't think I'll be consuming the amount required for reaping the health benefits mainly due to its limited availability, I will be buying it regularly.
Does it have a future or will it be a flash in the pan? I do have a feeling it will be a stayer rather than a novelty. Apparentely there is a patent on the production technique/machine that fermentates the garlic, although it is beyond me how this production can be patented since it 'just' needs the right dose of heat and humidity- how difficult could that be?
I have no doubt it will shortly available at the major supermarkets.

Banoffee Pie with Dulce de Leche- scary stuff!

2010-03-23T11:28:00.024+01:00

Ban(ana) +(T)offee + pie=
Banoffee Pie is an indulgent but simple, no cook British dessert made from bananas, cream, chocolate and *Dulce de Leche on a base of either pastry or cookie crumbs. It's just one of those flavour combinations that work like a dream.
This is something that I had been meaning to make for a long time. Although Banoffee has become a classic English dessert, *Dulce de leche originates from South America so quite possibly my recent holiday to Brazil stirred a desire in me to taste once again the rich sweet taste of Banoffee Pie.
* Dulce de leche is a toffee/caramel like substance make from heating (for 3 hours!) tinned sweetened condensed milk until it thickens and reaches a golden colour. This itself is a daunting task- they are many warnings about exploding tins :-(....but you should be ok as long as you adhere to certain rules.
So the weekend before last, I risked life, limb and my kitchen units in order to satisfy my craving.
How to make Dulce de Leche:
Place the unopened can(s) of condensed milk in a(n old) large saucepan and cover it completely with water. The advice is to use an old pan but I didn't and my pan was fine. It is an idea to boil more cans at one time as it does store well in the closed tin can or in a sealed (sterilised) container in the fridge- if you can leave it alone- it is very hard to resist just spooning it out of the jar! (You will regret it afterwards)

Bring the water to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Place the pan lid on and cook the can, turning every so often, (I set my alarm for 30minute intervals) topping up with water as necessary for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. CAUTION: It is vital that the cans remain completely covered. When the time is up drain rain off the water and allow the cans to cool.
Do not try to open until the can is completely cool so make well in advance. it will be lovely and thick. I used just one can but if you really want to be indulgent use 1 1/2 cans per pie.
In the meantime you can make the crust of choice. I used ginger cookies with cinnamon. It isn't necessary to add extra sugar due to the sweetness of the filling.
RECIPE 1
Banoffee Pie:
180gr ginger cookies (or any cookies like digestive)
85gr butter
heaped tsp cinnamon
1 tin (397 gr)condensed milk ( I used Friesche Vlag from AH)
banana's sliced (I used 5 small)
200ml cream, whipped
cocoa for dusting plus grated plain chocolate.
Spring form, lined with a piece of greaseproof paper
Bash the cookies in a clean bag with a rolling pin or pestle. Heat butter in small pan until just melted. Add crumbs and mix. Press in the base and slightly on the sides of a spring form (mine was 24cm) with a spoon. Cool in a refrigerator.
Whip cream. Now it is a matter of just putting it together, layer of toffee (it will be thick and difficult to spread but don't be tempted to add milk, I did but it doesn't hold its shape good)- banana and cream (or banana- toffee and cream) Cool, just before serving sprinkle lavishly with cacao and grated plain chocolate. Enjoy!

Banoffee Pie even has film star status: It features briefly in one of the all time classic films: Love Actually, in the the painstaking scene where Juliet suddenly realises the true nature of Marks feelings...watch the continuality flaws the box containing the pie changes position several times on the TV stand and even disappears! Here

RECIPE 2
I still had a can over- but no worries, it didn't hang around for long! I fancied something a little different. I love the combination of banana and toffee but wanted a slight change. As I am a confessed chocoholic it didn't take me long to decide what twist to take on the Banoffee Pie - a Choco-Banoffe. I added a layer of rich chocolate *ganache but to conteract the sweetness I decided to make a bitter cocoa pastry base. It gives the pie a rich dark colour.
* Ganache is a French term is an icing or filling for pastries and glazings made from chocolate and cream. It is normally made by heating heavy/double cream, then pouring it over chopped dark chocolate. Note if you use milk chocolate it will not set properly! It should cut like butter.
I adjusted the Jamie Oliver Simple Chocolate Tart by halving the ingredients for the filling. I used my own base.

This photo actually doen't do it any justice, it looks a bit runny, look here

Choco Banoffee:
Pastry:
300gr plain flour/ cocoa to taste (not more than 50gr cocoa 250gr flour)
2 heaped tsp sugar
pinch salt
150gr butter
1 egg, beaten
little water as necessary
24cm spring form/ flan tin, lined with greasproof paper.

Add salt to flour, sprinkle in sugar. Rub the butter in to the flour, add (beaten) egg and enough water (very little) to form a dough. Handle as little as possible. Refrigerate for about an hour, this will rest the dough, it will be easier to handle and is less likely to shrink. Prewarm oven 180c /350f / gas 4
Roll out large enough to line the tin (including sides) Ideally this should rest again- pop it into the fridge for 10 minutes if you have time.
Bake "blind". Place baking beans on greaseproof paper (if you don't have beans carefully prick the pastry case with a fork not piercing completely through the pastry) and cook for 15minutes, remove greaseproof paper/beans and allow to cook for about another 10minutes. It is a fairly thick pastry so needs longer than normal. Leave to cool.
Spread one can of Dulce de Luche on the flan. Add 3 sliced Banana's.

Ganache:
157ml cream
1 level tablespoon caster sugar
pinch of salt
57gr butter softened
227gr dark chocolate
50ml milk
cocoa powder for dusting

Place the cream, sugar and a pinch of salt in a pan and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture has boiled, remove from the heat and add the butter and chocolate. Stir until it has completely melted. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, stirring in the cold milk until smooth and shiny. Sometimes this mixture looks like it has split. Allow it to cool down a bit more and whisk in a little extra cold milk until smooth. Scrape all the mixture into the pastry shell on top of the bananas. Shake the tart to even it out and allow it to cool. Dust with the cocoa powder.
If you really want to push the boat out serve with a dollop of cream. It won't be overly sweet due to the bitter pastry, it balances very well. I have wierd taste buds and added a drizzle of Crema di balsamico.

You could make lots of variations, what about serving as a dessert in individual glasses with a tart fruit (I'm thinking cranberries) on the bottom, then a layer of dulce de Leche and chocolate. Or a bottom layer of sponge soaked in brandy/ liqueur. Or add a topping of toasted and chopped hazelnuts. Or alternatively you could flavour the Dulce de leche with coffee.

So if YOU are looking for a bit of adventure in the kitchen, grab a couple of cans of condensed milk next time you are in your local supermarket and give it a go. You will be richly rewarded.

Kitchen Equipment

2010-03-16T01:59:00.023+01:00

A food blog is nothing without pictures- on holiday in Brazil we had two camera's with us and both only just made it to the end of the holiday . My own camera has since given very poor quality photo's, somehow the setting were all over the place. It doesn't help that I am 'camera illiterate!' But I have given it a good clean, changed the settings, with the manual close at hand (in English- but it may has well been in Chinese) and now finger’s crossed I hope the problem is solved and I am back!
Tools of the trade.
How well is your kitchen equipped?
There is a saying that a good craftsman never blames his tools but is the same true in the kitchen? How important is the equipment and how important are the skills?
A bit of both perhaps- good and quality utensils won't necessary make a good cook out of you- and it is possible to create a culinary delight on a simple camp fire!. But good equipment help to make your life somewhat easier and will greatly assist you, whether you are working on a true masterpiece, making a simple omelet- or even opening a tin can!
To simplify things, a sharp knife is so much easier to work with, not to mention safer, than a blunt one! I believe quality and durability is very important as far as kitchenware goes (as it is regarding most other things) But equally important is of course the quality of the ingredients as well as some skill and knowledge- and practice does make perfect!
You need to 'know' your ingredients and you learn to use your 'tools'. Which explains how you may whip up a gourmet meal at home and struggle miserably in someone else’s kitchen.
I think my kitchen reflect my style fairly accurately - fusion cooking- a mix and match of different flavours. I make what pleases me, I don't stick to rules or recipes. I cook to feel. My equipment is equally diverse, from an old fashioned wooden citrus reamer / juicer to a Jamie Oliver flavour shaker and from a pestle and mortar to pasta machine.
As far as equipping your kitchen I would say go for quality, shop around and try to buy 'versatile' kitchenware.
As far as knives go- it is very much a personal thing. They must feel good in your hands. My favourite knife is not even an expensive one- brand: Kitchen devils by Fiskars- it is small and I can manage it good. (I guiltily admit to not being able to handle a cooks knife like the chefs do)
You can however go way over the top equipping your kitchen and this often only results in over full cupboards, jammed drawers and cluttered work surfaces! My general rule is not having to move more than three things in order to reach something at the back of a cupboard. And it works for me.
You can get by with just the basics. I try to avoid too many cooking helps and steer away from gadgets that have just a single use. I look always for items that can multi function: I have for example a large Tupperware (NO-I am NOT a Tupperware freak) bowl with lid that can be used for storage, as a lettuce spinner as well as an independent colander. Don't buy those cute little ramekins if you know they'll only be collecting dust and taking up precious space at the back of your kitchen unit. Keep your head and your commonsense. Those beautiful decorated plates may well look fantastic on their own but may clash horribly when filled with food! I favour white tableware, it is better to have a 'blank canvas' to work with- the focus will be on the food and not on the dinnerware. And don't be lead astray- round plates are fine- and fit nicely in the dishwasher!
All those 'amazing discoveries' may look handy but by the time you have located them at the back of your cupboard, assembled them (and washed them up after use) you may well find you would have been quicker using a knife and be left with much less food waste. I'm thinking of the various cutting devices available. How many do you have? And do you use them- be honest now...
You don't always need to opt for the top end- I use inexpensive wine glasses because I know they have a short life expectancy in my household.
My all time favourites:
I have a few items in the kitchen that I couldn't possibly live without- one is my Zyliss cheese grater- There is nothing so good as freshly grated (hard)cheese. I had one for years, it was extremely durable but it eventually broke but luckily I managed to find a new one, the design was roughly the same- only the colour had changed from black to white.
One thing I can do without is a food processor. I seem to manage with a hand held mixer to whisk and a stick mixer to blend. I like the hands on approach and get satisfaction from a simple whisk or kneading with my bare hands call me a sucker for punishment but I find it therapeutic.
I have a decent set of saucepans (and rarely opt to use my non-stick ones).
I am a huge fan of Bodum- 'make taste not waste'- is their current slogan. Visit their website- their new catalogue is worth flicking through- it all seems very well thought out- and it's fun! I have a beautiful Bodum wok pan that I use a lot. It is cast iron so is extremely heavy and I do have to wash it up by hand- but that is a small price to pay. It makes a perfect Thai curry. It has a 'stable' flat bottom but visually resembles a wok. I also have a Bodum griddle pan- a 'grilled' steak with the characteristic ‘stripes’ always tastes better somehow.

I often use my Bodum glass dishes with plastic lids which I bought in France- but given the chance I would buy many more. They are very versatile and go from fridge to microwave to table to dishwasher and can even go in the freezer. Yes they are made of glass but after 5 years not only are they going strong they are 100% intact.
Disappointed in a product.*
Sadly Bodum has recently fallen off the pedestal as far as I am concerned. After 15 years of using Cole and Mason salt and pepper mills- (the salt/pepper grinder specialist in the UK) last year I went over to Bodum. (bad decision) True the design is beautiful, and it does what it should but the pepper mill has unsightly hairline cracks in the acrylic body and the lacquer of both is blistering very slightly. Perhaps it is a flaw in the design since the cracks have appeared at the same position as the tiny screws but I don't know because as yet Bodum haven't even given me the courtesy of a reply! The 'Nissen' mills do have a 10 year guarantee- but I no longer have a receipt. I hoped for quality but didn’t even get run of the ' mill '! Very disappointing, especially when you are used to high standards from such a reputable company.
* Update: I have since received a replacement pepper mill from Bodum.

While I am on the subject of guarantee- if a piece of equipment has a ‘Lifetime Guarantee’ then take it with a pinch of salt. It doesn't mean your lifetime- it is the 'products lifetime' -basically the number of years that the article is reasonably expected to last- so very vague indeed! I think this is something that should be addressed.
Oil and vinegar.
It took me quite a while to find a decent oil and vinegar set- I've been through a few in my day, being eventually tossed aside because they don't quite make the grade. I love my salads and must always have (Cretan) olive oil and balsamic vinegar on hand. I now use a set by Cole and Mason, these not only look beautiful they do function quite well. They are not completely anti-drip but they do have a lot of advantages- easy to dose, easy to fill, the contents are stored fairly dark and sealed, easy to clean (in the dishwasher), large and easy opening to add flavours like peppers/herbs/ garlic.
A fairly recent new addition is a sturdy (vegetable) peeler from a make called OXO. It is American, nothing to do with the British OXO (if you were wondering)...their mission: "OXO is dedicated to providing innovative consumer products that make everyday living easier." They also offer a Satisfaction Guarantee- which shows confidence that surely must reflect from good and quality products. I like their style and so far love their goods. Website.
Mepal is also a great brand. Great for storage and they make a handy mixing spoon with a hole in the middle I use a lot. Sometimes it can be a bit 'top heavy' but that doesn't put me off only slightly annoyed as I am scrapping food of the kitchen units.
Searching for the perfect garlic press.
Another little kitchen help that has caused me a certain amount of problems is a garlic press- I have tried so many all with dissatisfaction, leaving more discarded goods in my path to perfection… Or it is too small, or the garlic escapes through the edges or the results just don't justify scraping out the device with my fingers- the cleaning sucks! Basically they leave me with a bad taste in my mouth as well as smelly hands! I currently have two (rejects) and what did I favour - a simple grater!
Things were about to change. Recently I was invited to a special evening in Den Haag. It was an initiative and coming together of three organisations who share common ground of enjoying good food and drink and making life as harmonious as possible in the kitchen (and bathroom). Marthijn, Bas and Misha.
It took place after regular hours at Bas Hogervorst a shop selling quality bathroom/ cookware/ & tableware. Brands include Bodum, Menu, Eva Solo, Zyliss. The atmosphere was very relaxed we were free to wander through the shop at our leisure gazing at all the beautiful, luxury and (mostly) practical products on display. (feeling like a child in sweet shop!) We were offered a discount but no pushy sales pitch. There were cooking demonstrations (and tasting) and we could sample the delicious Italian specialities offered by Food Valley Import cheeses and salami....and where there is good food there are of course good wines- the wine tasting was organised by Marthijn Loof from Porte Reffe. For more info. see my blog here.
Bad buy.
While scouring the shelves I did keep in the back of my mind the fact that I had just sold my Nespresso and Philips juicer (the wonder of www.marktplaats.nl ) in order to create more work surface. Just like weeding ones garden one must regularly access your kitchen aids and make the redundancies known. As great as the Nespresso tastes I couldn't justify what I had to exchange- valuable working space! It was the Senseo or the Nespresso. While the Nespresso has an certain air of 'exclusiveness', I like to have a supply of coffee capsules without having to remember to place an order. Call me down to earth- but I think it ridiculous that you have to join the somewhat elite Nespresso "club" in order to get a supply of your favourite coffee. Then take into consideration minimum orders, postal charges and delivery times....Senseo won hands down. Same goes for the Philips juicer- while you may envisage yourself drinking lots of healthy concoctions- in practice you don't. The washing up part is the big put off- although it all can go into the dishwasher. I used mine what twice in six months. Great tasting juice- true but I actually prefer eating my fruit and vegetables whole and I have gladly claimed back my work surface. The one I only recently obtained and was so readily willingly to fill! We extended our kitchen surface because my actual workspace measured a mere 95cm! Not enough for me!

Back on subject- on the evening I was good, my control was admirable- I came away with a healthy glow to my cheeks, a bottle of my favourite wine of the evening, a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano and my best find- my latest garlic press.

It was from OXO a brand that already gave me some confidence knowing the peeler had become an true asset in my kitchen.
This is a one good looking garlic press but what is it like in practice?- well while I am in am very positive I'm still not 100% happy. I'm a hard girl to please! One of the reasons for choosing this particular garlic press is because of the extra large chamber. I love garlic and use a lot of single clove garlic (also known as pearl /solo garlic). This kind is easier to use if you grate garlic. While the press is large enough to accommodate a whole garlic it was however difficult to press. It is clearly a man’s tool! I did try it with a couple of small cloves though and it worked fine.
As for cleaning it does come up trumps. It has a special 'cleaner' which does actually work. Just flip the handle over, and the residue of garlic ‘pulp’ peels out in one piece like a skin, rinse with cold water and it is (almost) clean. It can even go in the dishwasher.
An accurate measuring jug is a must in every kitchen- and that is not a joke. I have one measuring jug that is not accurate at all! It's almost too unbelievable to be true. So beware if your recipe is repeatedly too wet- view your jug with suspicion and get it checked for accuracy!
We have come a long way.
I was just thinking of how things have changed since granny's old basin, wooden spoon and a piece of muslin cloth! Style has come into the kitchen area. When did this happen? Was this a natural progression in the modern world- one that sees men not just at ease but excelling in the kitchen or was it the influence of the celebrity chefs?
It is indeed the power of the media that has enabled Jamie Oliver to single handedly change English school dinners for ever. His quirky use of language with catchphrases like 'pukka' and 'lovely jubbly' and his 'wicked' sense of humour has been his recipe to success. Notable is his natural ability to relate to, inspire (and I hope educate) the younger audience. He has even brought out a whole own line of kitchenware.
Delia Smith with her simple style has encouraged the beginner cooks and even caused massive sell-outs of particular ingredients and utensils across the UK after episodes of her TV series. She has even earned herself a place in the English dictionary with "do-a-delia"!
Charismatic Nigella Lawson has taken glamour into the kitchen. She has gained remarkable achievement as celebrity chef, food writer and presenter even more impressive considering she has no formal chef training.
Gordon Ramsay may have an unconventional approach and rather hostile demeanor but his Michelin stars reflect his exceptional culinary abilities.
Maybe the world has become a smaller place what with today’s easiness to travel the globe and the ever expanding internet.
Where we used to go out for 'foreign foods' or ‘take a ways’ we now skillfully prepare authentic Indian, Chinese or even French cuisine in the home. We are more open to new things, we have been introduced to many new ingredients/ dishes; Couscous and Bulgur, are just examples of recent new foods trends.
Our supermarkets continue to offer us a better and wider selection of products, once considered exotic foods. The increase in readymade meals is however rather worrying but I hope they are an occasional sunstitution and not a total replacement to healthy home cooked meals. Perhaps I am being naive because the statistics show otherwise. Convienience foods have had a bad effect on our diets. But hopefully the tide is turning. We are more aware of our dietary needs and that is positive because to put it simple- we are what we eat!
Our kitchens may well have gone from practical to design workspace. The methods of food preparation may have altered, as labour saving devices continue to make our life easier. Large refrigerator and freezers have replaced pantries, steam ovens have speeded up the slow process of steaming. Microwaves and dishwashers have become the essential appliances in the modern day kitchen. Internet has made it possible for us to now order online and have our groceries delivered! We have come a long way but one thing remains: the nutritional value must remain the major factor in our choice of food intake if we want to achieve optimum health.
It is regretful that obesity has been allowed to reach such epidemic proportions.
Here Jamie Oliver tries to get the message across to the Americans- I hope he succeeds. Go Jamie go.

Brazil...not quite the taste of paradise

2010-02-03T22:24:00.066+01:00

Due to our camper business we are unable to get away from April til October. We spend several months waving other people off on their holidays, so around January-February it's time to make our 'getaway'.
In order to find some half decent weather we have to look a little further afield than France of Greece. This year we opted for some Brazilian sunshine and as always some food inspiration. After my previous holiday, experiencing for the first time a taste of Thailand, I went on to master the most wonderful aromatic Thai curries. I couldn't wait to develop my South American kitchen skills- sadly I was left slightly disappointed.
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. The people are a diverse mix of colour and race, there is no typical Brazilian face and therefore no single Brazilian cuisine but rather a collection of regional flavours . Local specialities are reflected in the ingredients available as well as influence (Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, German, or African) It seems to me Brazil is the land of plenty. But to be honest I found the food somewhat lacking, perhaps I visited the wrong area. I expected spicy- exotic certainly not unimaginative. We arrived in Natal and travelled South as far as Recife.
The first week we were doing a round trip with a group of 22 so largely I expected buffet. No I'm definitely no fan of buffet, is anyone? I find it mostly uninspiring and often cold! Some of the buffets were just that, others pretty good, Sushi was even on offer and Feijouda/ Feijoada. This is about the nearest Brazil come to a national dish, it is a meat/bean stew. I envisioned this dish as being yummy and rich but was quite shocked to discover (animal) pieces I didn't recognise or care to eat. It certainly wasn't spicy but rather salty. I quickly lost my appetite.
The first week I appeased myself by filling up on desserts and fruit - and these were way better than any I had eaten in Egypt or Thailand. They are made of sweet ingredients like condensed milk and sugar. They also like to make use of coconut in many desserts and Doce de leite (milky caramel). Quindim flan is an example of a typical Brazilian dessert(see photo). Basically as long as it is a creamy milky sweet concoction it qualifies. They also make perfect cakes, these were equally served for breakfast, lunch as dinner and I couldn't make out if they were home-baked or shop bought they were so good. The texture is open but light, it is moist, but non greasy. Bread is another story (very processed).
Our (buffet) breakfast generally consisted of soft bread, cheese, ham, sausages, boiled or fried egg/ omelette. A wide selection of cakes and fruit. Juices. Cereals and milk. Coffee and tea.
At one hotel (at breakfast time) we were treated to Tapioca pancakes- this was a shell with various fillings of choice including ham, cheese, coconut. The preparation was very interesting to watch. A fine layer of Tapioca (cassave) flour was sprinkled in the frying pan and this was cooked until set, the filling was added and then it was flipped making an envelope (kind of like a toasty) delicious and very filling.
Lunch and dinner were almost identical, the Brazilians like the Thais, enjoy their warm meals and take plenty of time to relax and enjoy. They are a social folk and love eating out.
The staple diet is one of meat, beans,(American)rice,(sweet)potatoes or cassave. But all rather plainly prepared.
Frango (Chicken) is mostly served without a sauce, lightly seasoned, moderately salted.
Salted meat is readily available but tough dry and in my opinion unpleasant.
Examples of vegetables on the menu were beetroot, carrot, broccoli and the same salad was served wherever you went(finely diced tomato & onion in a simple vinegarette dressing).
A side dish that kept popping up on the table was Farofa, a toasted manioc (cassave) flour sautéed in butter with various bits i.e. bacon or beef pieces and onion, which you sprinkle over your food.
I didn't once see ‘dendê oil‘(orange/red palm oil)which I had read about, (I have no idea if I have sampled it).
You can forget about spicing up your dish with condiments (it is already heavily salted) and pepper you'll be very lucky to find! Pepper pots are filled- but with cocktail sticks!
We also sampled BBQ or the Brazilian 'Churrasco'- no BBQ sauce in sight! There is an abundance of quality meat mostly cooked on large skewers over a grill. Often the 'servers' bring the large skewers and carve at the table directly on your plate. I was quite surprised to see a little row of 'hearts' being offered- yuk! Not for me- I don't do offal.
A la carte:
Certainly meat in general, was in abundance, in Holland you get a minuscule steak, here you get at least two a piece if not more, of succulent meat! The quality is extremely good, (just ask the happy little 'beach' dog outside Hotel Morro do Careca, Ponta Negra) and they are cooked to absolute perfection.
But how much meat can one eat? I would have preferred a little more tender care with the vegetables.
Our best meal has got to be filets of medallions (of beef) wrapped in bacon and served with Madeira sauce (two each!). Shame it was spoilt by the broccoli ‘pieces’ (not even florets) that was carelessly tossed through the rice. Vegetables seem to be an afterthought.
There is a lot of fish available and we tried a fish menu which was rather uninspiring. Plenty of large fish 'steaks' were served with a tasteless drab 'paste/mash' of something unrecognisable and the coconut milk based sauce was bland (to be kind).
During one meal I thought I caught a faint taste of fresh coriander, but it could have been wishful thinking.
We ate a an Mexican restaurant hoping for spicy- it wasn’t. This was about our worse meal in Brazil.
Once we were shocked to discover instant mashed potato on our plates! This was one of the better restaurants.
One evening our meal was spoiled by two unruly Brazilian children, literally having a food fight in the middle of the restaurant- and being totally blanked by the parents! And I thought Dutch children were the 'free spirits'...
Street/Beach Vendors:
I did eat the famous 'Camarão'(shrimps) from a beach vendor and boy they were the best I have ever eaten! And I didn't get sick!
The street/ beach vendors are amazing, they show such skill in impossible conditions like hot temperatures (32°C)and very limited facilities. I also ate a beach lunch of corn on the cob. And a light lunch of freshly cooked cashew nuts. Everything is brought to the comfort of your relax chair be it chips, fruit, ice-cream, shrimps, fish, skewers of meat or cocktails, or whatever your stomach desires.
Funny how we were easily eating two warm meals (lunch and dinner with dessert) the first week, albeit late (lunch around 2pm, dinner around 8:30pm) and by the second week we were struggling! Sometimes we snacked other times we skipped lunch altogether, forgetting to eat!
One day we couldn't face another warm lunch so opted for a lighter meal. We decided to 'snack' on interesting little cheesy filled balls called Pão de Queijo, these are little puffs of dough (cassave flour/ tapioca starch) to keep it simple- kind of like choux pastry filled with gooey cheese. They are also available sweet, I couldn't resist one filled with doce de leite (dulce de leche). mmm Heaven! You can make your own Dulche de Leche recipes can be found here.
Another day we just ordered a portion of Macaxeira Fritas, no not Batatas chipped potatoes- we opted for 'cassave chips'. A chunky, crispy starchy snack, without mayonaise, or even salt and pepper!
In the evening we carefully selected a restaurant but never made it to dessert! You could negotiate where to eat by bartering for free Caipirinha's.
What Brazil is lacking in food it makes up in the drink department whether it be alcoholic beverages or fruit juices.
Certainly one of the better things about Brazil was the cocktails, available any time, any place, anywhere....
Caipirinha made of a liquor called cachaça, sugar, crushed ice and chopped, 'muddled' limes, (very much like mojito without the mint). They are very easy to drink but must never be underestimated- they contain a potent kick. To cater for the international taste the cachaça can be substituted by vodka making a Caipiroska or (Bacardi) rum and it becomes a Caipirissima. All are simply divine, even when served in plastic cups by the poolside or on the beach!
If you prefer non alcohol, just ask for 'sem álcool' my favourite juice was Maracujá, the yellow variety of passion fruit (larger than the purple ones) which was deliciously refreshing. They often add sugar (or sweeteners) but they don't taste overly sweet.
Fruit juices (Sucos) are very important, generally you have a choice of three types at breakfast time. I believe they use modern juicers to extract the juice as it has a froth on top and the juicers are readily available in the shops there. You can choose from anything ranging from mango, orange, pineapple, Açerola, (a cherry like fruit juice rich in vitamin C), papaya or Cajú (this is the fruit from where the cashew nut grows, the fruit is generally only made into juice and not eaten)
The cashew is very interesting because per fruit only one Cashew 'nut' is produced.
Sometimes the juices can taste rather sour/bitter. I sweetened mine with one or two drops of liquid sweetener which is readily available in Brazil in the hotels/restaurants and much cheaper at the supermarkets than here in Holland. I will just add I normally avoid sweetener at all costs, as a rule no diet drinks for me but in this case it just took the bitterness away without any aftertaste.
Another drink that I particularly enjoyed was Guarana. This is popular fruit flavoured fizzy drink that gives Coca Cola a run for its money in Brazil. It's very refreshing and claims to have many health properties. It is made of Amazonian berries. It contains a stimulant substance very similar to caffeine. I found it to taste a bit like a fruity, sweet ginger ale. It is also available as Zero (low calorie) like cola.*
If you just prefer beer then order a Cerveja, most often than not you will be served a Skol- a light but refreshing lager. To keep it cool it is often served in a polystyrene casing.
Brazilian wine is ok, but nothing to write home about. You can better order import- or stick to the cocktails.

Sometimes there is nothing that can quench your thirst like an aqua de coco. This is 'coconut water' obtained from green (unripe) coconuts. These coconuts are readily available. They are served chilled and 'fresh' (they are skillfully opened in front of you) and you suck out the juice with a straw. My 'first' was in Thailand last year. Similar to my first taste of Dorian fruit, your 'first' is an experience that lives with you- nothing can prepare you! It tastes a little bit like what you would imagine oral rehydration salts would taste. Let’s just say it's an acquired taste- it grows on you. And it hydrates you like nothing else.
Brazilian coffee is served as a potent shot of espresso, any time of the day. I don't normally take sugar in my coffee (or tea) but I did there! It is a match made in heaven. Drink it when you need to be 'picked up'.
To counteract the lacking of the dish, you may well find the 'surprise element' on your bill:
'Couvert' is a small appetizer which is offered at the start of a meal. It can be very good, we had a aubergine dish which was excellent. It can be simple like a portion of olives or elaborate. However it is not complimentary. You can refuse it- just ask the waiter to take it away. If you eat it you will be charged, usually per person! So just like you may see 'coperto' (bread) as an extra on your bill in Italy, here you will find the word 'couvert'.

At river beach Jacaré,Cabedelo, João Pessoa there is a daily performance by Jurandy do Sax, who arrives at a restaurant playing “Bolero de Ravel” with his saxophone, as the sun sets. This promises to be a very moving, unfortunately on this day it was rainy!
Or 'couvert artistico'; If there is live music (be it one performer or a band)you will almost certainly be expected to make a small contribution- you will be charged for it per person (around 4 Brazilian Real) on your bill!
You will however not be expected to leave a tip- simply because you will have already have been billed for it! 10% service charge is nearly always automatically included at the end of bill.
Often they work on minimum wages so tips are appreciated.
To be fair you do get value for money and in general you can get a 'good' meal for two for 25euro.
Perhaps I am being rather unkind. I do think the weather had something to do with our lack of appetite. But when faced with a string of restaurants and I start yearning for my own home cooking then something isn't quite right. When oversized meat dishes are on offer and we sneak off to an Italian for a pizza and a Spaghetti Carbonara then something must be wrong! We couldn't even empty our plates there!
Browsing though a supermarket didn’t happen either- the nearest supermarket was a bus ride away- I’m not surprised the Brazilians favours eating out! We only managed to find a small convenient store.

If you read through the lines you will see I breakfasted on cake, drank cocktails throughout the day- feasted on quality cuts of meat, oh it certainly wasn't all that bad. It is just that it has the potential to be so much more. The ingredients are readily available, the blandness of the food just isn’t necessary.
Don’t get me wrong we had a good holiday:

We felt the wind in our hair blasting through the dunes in a beach buggy.
We were exhilarated riding over rugged terrain in our quad and the adrenaline flowed while hanging on the roof of a jeep!
I mastered the art of the hammock, and hubby learnt to walk in flip-flops!
We took a stroll through the jungle and sheltered from a tropical rain shower.
We chased away giant frogs and reenacted the last supper in full attire!
We had breakfast with the monkeys and struggled to communicate with the locals.
But the land itself didn’t exceed in charming us. It was messy, bad roads, worse pavement, many buildings are standing in a state of demolition, not to mention the piles of litter- all very unsightly.
There is little or no English spoken, (and I mean even at the hotel reception) which does little to generate the promotion of tourism!
And the topping? We fell victim to Brazils criminal activities- this more than anything left an unpleasant taste in the mouth that the caipirinha just couldn't wash away.
And next year? I’ve heard that Peruvian cuisine is one of the best in the world…on the other hand I’d just as happily take a camper to Greece…but in February brr?...perhaps then back to the east- maybe Vietnam? Any ideas?
More photo's (160 selected)here .

UPDATE: 11 February- The postcards still haven't arrived!
UPDATE: 16 March- Not a single postcard has arrived!
UPDATE: 1 May- Yes! One postcard arrived today- just when I had given up all hope!
Update: 11 May- Yes! All the postcards have now arrived! I have been getting calls from family and friends all week checking up on me, thinking I had sneaked off to Brazil again!

*Update jan 2011: Guarana is now available here in The Netherlands in the form of Pisang Ambon Guarana Lime.
I also recently discovered it is a component of the creamy banana/coconut alcoholic drink Boswandeling.

Wine Tasting in Den Haag

2010-01-10T13:57:00.032+01:00

On Friday I was kindly invited for a wine tasting session with a friend that has helped educate me in the field of wines. I gladly accepted, not only do I have a thirst for good wines but also for knowledge.
While I enjoy a glass of wine, I always drink in moderation because unfortunately wine isn't very kind to me.
I used to only drink white wines until it became impossible to enjoy, knowing fully well what the implications would be: a day long hangover. The hangovers were bad and each time I vowed never to touch another drop- but each time I would give in to temptation....
I'm not even talking binge drinking here but sometimes as little as 2-3 glasses are enough to leave me feeling poorly. Since I have a tendency to suffer from cystitis I am especially careful not to dehydrate my body. I drink water in between and always avoid drinking on an empty stomach.
Sometime ago I decided to switch to red wines. Interestingly enough, most people react worse with red wines but I found them much kinder. Now I only drink white wine with (certain) food, rosé on a warm terrace and red on all other occasions.

The wine tasting was held at a modern and very colourful wine shop called Porte Reffe Wijn en Zo Javastraat 90, Den Haag.* It's decor is simple but beautiful and the bottles of wine are displayed very nicely. Porte Reffe specialises in European wines.
You may just pop in for a bottle of wine but if you become a 'Club member' (cost 120euro) you not only receive a complimentary bottle of wine but other benefits like 10% shop discount, free tasting every month, and furthermore you may bring an introducee to the tastings. It was a honour to be the introducee on this evening.
The tasting took place in a small group, in a very relaxed atmosphere with a distinct international feel. Ambiance is important but quality wines are what we were there for- we were not disappointed.
Marthijn welcomed us in to his shop and his enthusiasm and passion for wines was present as he talked about each and every wine giving us some interesting information. We were provided with a sheet of paper with the wine details, year, prices and an order list. I used my paper to jot down my thoughts on each wine. In a three hour period people wandered in and out, they were welcomed like old friends. You were free to sample and enjoy the different wines at your own leisure in whichever order you desired. There was no strict rules over sniffing the wines or spitting them out, although I guess you could if you wanted...

This time we were focusing on Italian wines, 5 whites, 4 reds and 3 dessert. The prices ranged between 8euro and 32euro.
White wines:

Casale Marchese
Frascati Superiore 2008 doc

L'Agreste
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 'Classico Superiore '2007 doc

Vinosia
Fiao di Avellino 2008 docg

Vinosia
Falanghina 2008 IGT

Feudo Antico
Tullum 2008 doc

Red wines:

Fontenera
Negroamaro del Salento 2008 IGT

Fontenera
Primitivo del Salento IGT

Montezovo
Valpolicella Superiore- metodo Ripasso- 2005 doc

Montezovo
Amarone della Valpolicella 2006 doc

Dessert wines:

San Giovanni
Offida Passerina Passito 2002 doc

Cantina Lavorata
Greco di Bianco 2007

Quignones
Anèr, Vino Passito Rosso

To accompany the wine Marthijn put together two old friends 'wine and cheese' and provided us with an interesting selection of cheeses. Types ranging from goats to soft 'brie style' cheese, and hard 'gran padano style'. Not just Italian cheeses but also from Texel, Holland and France. The cheeses paired well and complimented the wines beautifully and was served with fresh bread.

I just closed my eyes and for a moment I was back in Bella Italia. My personal favourite wines were Casale Marchese Frascati Superiore 2008 at 10euro a bottle and Fontenera Primitivo del Salento at 8euro a bottle.
I guess I still have a lot to learn since I favoured the cheaper wine, but I could also appreciate the more expensive Montezovo Amarone della Valpolicella 2006.
If it is good wines with personal service you are looking for then I would certainly suggest you call in to Porte Reffe. Marthijn is ready and willing to share his knowledge and advise you on a perfect choice.
I would also recommend becoming a Club Member, it seems like a pretty good deal to me. A good and accommodating wine supplier. A monthly evening out sampling fine wines with good conversation. Especially if you are new to the Netherlands it is a great way of meeting new people.
I'm certainly considering becoming a regular, who knows maybe I will see you there?
*2011: Porte Reffe has now moved from the Javastraat to new premises. The address is Vlierboomstraat 582 - 584
2564 JN Den Haag
Please contact Marthijn via his website for actual information on becoming a club member, the prices/conditions may have changed.

These are a few of my favorite things

2010-01-09T15:38:00.014+01:00

Welcome to 2010.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with plenty of laughter, cheer and good food.
For Christmas dinner I cooked a traditional 'Sunday roast beef'.
Starter: Creamy leek, potato and celery soup with a topping of smoked mackerel.
Two roasts with balsamic and red wine sauce/gravy.
Roast fennel/ parsnips/ carrots/butternut squash and red onion.
Brussel sprouts with walnut and cranberries and thyme.
Yorkshire puddings.
Roast potatoes.
Sausages wrapped in bacon.
Dessert: Christmas pudding with steamed pears and cream.
We quickly had to pack in because we were leaving early the next morning for England.
I was looking forward to seeing family but also to visiting the local supermarkets!
When I came to Holland I missed many English foods that were just not available here. Times have changed and now practically everything is obtainable, at the local supermarket, online or in the English shop in Leiden. I have also, to some degree adapted and have found similar Dutch products that equally meet my needs.
Initially the selection in the Dutch supermarkets were very limited. I remember there being two flavour crisps available ready salted and paprika! I have noticed the Dutch have become more open to foreign foods (other than Suriname or Indonesian) and now the shelves are full with many package foods (the Dutch love their packaged foods) tempting us to try new dishes. (I did notice in the English supermarkets the availability of many fresh ready for the oven meals. Especially suitable for people living alone. It couldn't be easier!)
Almost every Dutch supermarket now offers a selection of English and American foods and there are almost as many pasta shapes and colours available as in Italy.
But put me in an English supermarket and I still feel like a child in a candy shop. I still bring a wide range of products with me from England.
This time it was Tea (no matter how many Dutch teas claim to be English ONLY the tea purchased (albeit without strings) in England hits the spot.
Real pickled onions!
Mince pies, malt loaf and biscuits.
Marmite- the large jar beats those silly mini jars available here.
English chocolate- forget Belgium chocolate- I like the rich creaminess of English chocolate. Quality Street, Roses, Maltesers, Dime, Double Decker (my childhood favourite candy bar), Crunchie and a box of chocolate Terry's All Gold (milk chocolate).
Oxo and Bisto- for the best gravy ever.
Condensed milk.
Salt and vinegar crisps, and Twiglets (with yeast extract-similar to Marmite)
Stuffing mix- yes you can make your own but handy to have.
Birds custard powder- I just like it better.
Harltley's Jelly- for vodka jelly shots, or English trifle or just a fancy for childhood treat.
Clotted cream- in a jar for a special occasion.
Patak garlic pickle- a most wonderful pickle for spicing up a sandwich, pizza or curry. This sporadically available here in the Toko's and I have found the only supermarket to stock it in England- Waitrose (the posh supermarket!). I usually empty the shelves. This time it was just three!
Alka-Seltzer- for those occasions when you have over indulged on food or drink!
Colman's Mustard powder- the strong stuff for clearing your sinuses.
Dr Oeter almond and vanilla natural extracts- (unlike the artificial ones available here)
Angostura bitters- after much searching I found this on the shelf at Sainsbury's. Great for use in (alcoholic) cocktails but also for soups, salads, puddings.
Monin pure sugar cane- for making your very own Mojito (white rum) cocktails. Unfortunately Monin Grenadine Syrup (the real Grenadine for cocktail and dessert making) was out of stock.
Cheeses, sausages and joints of meat.
Parsnips.
And last but not least, my prize catch this time were two bottles of oils. A pity that I couldn't visit any famers markets but I discovered on the shelf at Tesco's:
Organic Rapeseed Oil £2.85 1 litre. I became fascinated by this product after my many visits to England, watching with fascination the fields of brightly yellow flowers for as far as the eye could see. Nigella is also very taken with it and I was determined to find some too. Interestingly enough it is linked with both positive as negative health properties. It can reduce cholesterol levels, but possibly can have adverse effects on asthma and hay-fever sufferers.
Here you can read a little more about rapeseed oil from a fellow blogger.
My oil is slightly cloudy and not overly yellow, similar to the Arachis (peanut) oil I sometimes use. I find the taste very light and subtle. I think it will be equally as good for use in cooking as a substitute for mild olive oil that I generally use.
Grapeseed Oil- £3.10 1 litre. We are used to consuming grapes in the form of wine but did you know about the by-product of wine making? A green edible vegetable oil that is extracted from the grapeseed. And what is more, after developing seedless varieties of grapes to appease difficult consumers, researchers are now discovering that many of the health properties of grapes may actually come from the seeds themselves! They have many beneficial health properties (and possibly anti-disease properties) and are especially high in antioxidants.
Grapeseed oil can be used in dressings as well as cooking (being very heat stable). It has a pleasant but delicate taste, that won't overpower delicate foods like extra virgin oil sometimes can, I think it would be great for making mayonaise.
I also bought back Strongbow cider and Guinness beer. Luckily cider has recently become available here, but I saw cider on offer at a price I couldn't refuse!
I normally bring other goodies back such as Branston Pickle, mint sauce and even disinfectant but I still had a supply. I am very happy with my purchases and can't wait until my next trip.
If you ask me what the one thing is that I can't do without then it has to be salt and vinegar crisps, every now and then I get an overpowering urge for this flavour crisps. Yes you can buy Pringles in AH but they just don't compare to the real McCoy, or Walkers.
I always get a kick of visiting foreign supermarkets and with a bit of luck, I will very shortly be browsing the supermarkets of Natal, Brazil!

Merry Christmas everyone.

2009-12-24T15:38:00.031+01:00

Windmill at Voorhout, The Netherlands.
Name: 'De hoop doet leven' translated 'If there's hope, there's life' *

More Photo's of the winter wonderland, are here.
Although I'm not actually having turkey this year Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Cranberry Sauce. It's just one of the traditions like Mince Pies, that a Brit just cannot do without!
So I made some fresh cranberry sauce, and it is so good. I used:
340gr Fresh cranberries
grated the rind and juice of an orange
just over 100gr sugar, (to taste, sounds a lot but they are so sour!)
good pinch all spice.
good pinch rommelkruid (a spice mix consisting of aniseed, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, licorice)
water.
arrowroot
It is so simple almost quicker than opening a jar- damn jars! Wash cranberries, place in a saucepan with the spices and orange juice/peel, add boiling water (about 150-200ml) Bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until nearly all the cranberries have popped open. Keep the lid on!
Make a paste with arrowroot and a little cold water and add to the cranberries, it will thicken immediately. Add more sugar if necessary. Enjoy!

I couldn't resist but to eat some of mine with a slice of Chocolate Crunch or some of you will know it as Chocolate Concrete. Remember from school dinners? I'm still trying to perfect the recipe so watch this space!

* The windmill was built in 1783 in Rijnsburg, The Netherlands. Due to expansion of the FloraHolland flower auction the mill was relocated, in 1999, to the Elsgeesterpolder near Voorhout.

A Box of Delights

2009-12-22T20:32:00.014+01:00

It's that time of year when your employer shows his appreciation for a year’s hard work in the token of a box of goodies, in other words it's Hamper Time.
I don't actually get one myself, running an own business, but I am allowed to share someone else’s :-)
Put together a cardboard box and the element of surprise and you get our full attention every time. Picture this scene: my son came in, all big smiles, and we were all huddle excitedly around a box!- four pairs of childlike eyes are eager to see what was in store, which wonderful treats would be revealed- and what totally useless items! (I don't mean to sound ungrateful but you sometimes get some pretty useless things in a hamper)
The all time favourites are present: vol au vent, this year in the shape of Christmas trees, with good old ragout filling,
The usual potato chip/ nut snacks, lots of very welcome chocolate in all shapes and forms including Dutch Droste.
Cookies and candy even some Christmas tree shaped marshmallow.
But what is this: a bake mix (oh that is so Dutch, literally everything is available in a packet form!) for making Christmas cookies, just add water- well I never!
Senseo coffee pads and an interesting flavour tea bags: Turkish, with apple, fig and date.
The customary bottle of wine seem to have been replaced (thank goodness I am very off wine at the moment ;-) by Le sirop de Monin 'Chocolate Cookie' syrup. For use in chocolate milk, Tiramisu or cocktails- I feel some inspiration coming along.

But where is the Christmas tree shaped pasta?
Replaced perhaps by two bottles of shower gel?
There are even Fortune cookies- will they give us a hint of what the new year will hold?
All in all a pretty useable hamper, not overly luxury but certainly enough to keep everyone happily munching through Christmas.
And what is even better, both my sons work part-time at the local supermarket so not do we have one, but we are doubly pleased!
Thank you Albert Heijn for allowing us to get so excited over a box of groceries.

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

2009-12-22T00:35:00.015+01:00

Doesn't the snow just adds to the feel of Christmas like nothing else, despite an actual 'White Christmas' being few and far between. I remember as a child it was rather more common, as the other song goes "just like the ones I used to know". Perhaps that 's why I suddenly got the urge to run into the kitchen late yesterday evening to bake my mince pies. Well it certainly wouldn't be Christmas without them!
Mince pies:
Mince pies are not available in the supermarkets here and anyway shop bought mince pies are ok but are nothing compared to the homemade version. It is actually so easy and such a joy to do.
We are actually spending Christmas day here and traveling across to the UK on Boxing day (weather permitting I must add).
I was lucky enough to have some mincemeat on hand but if you haven't it is easy enough to make. This looks just as good as anything around, if you cannot get access to suet or choose to make vegetarian no worries, look here.
I couldn't resist 'tarting' my mincemeat up: a handful of roughly chopped nuts here, and a good dash of cointreau there, not forgetting a heaped teaspoon of speculaas for added spice. Oh it was so fragrant, almost homemade!
I used a pretty standard pastry, preferring shortcrust over flaky/puff.
300 gram plain flour, pinch salt
150 gram butter
4 or 5 heaped tsp sugar
1 egg yolk
little water
egg white with a little icing sugar for glazing.
I jar 410gr mincemeat
optional: few walnuts, speculaas, good dash of cointreau.
Icing sugar for dusting
Makes 18 mince pies.
The secret for good crisp pastry as everyone knows is to handle as little as possible and use very little water.
Rub the butter in the flour, stir in the sugar. Add the egg yolk and a very little water just enough to bring the pastry together (it should still be very crumbly). Place in the fridge for as long as you can (ideally 2 hours). Mine got 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven 190C. Grease your tin.
Roll out and cut out with pastry cutters or glasses. Size: 8 and 6.5cm.
Re-roll any 'trimmings'. You should aim for 18. Push the pastry 'bottoms' into the tins gently. Fill with mincemeat. Moisten the edges of the 'lids' and press firmly over the mincemeat sealing the edges. I cut the shape of a star and made two 'vents', this allows the heat to escape. Otherwise they may burst open.
Beat the egg white with a little icing sugar and glaze the pies. You could just use water or milk of course.
Cook them for around 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve warm with a dollop of cream, brandy butter or some Dutch vla.
I had a little mincemeat over so decided today to make some more! A Brit can never too many mince pies in the home at Christmas.
This time I made the half and used part whole meal flour (volkoren) and added some dried cranberries and a dash of brandy.
I also omitted the egg. They were quite delicious, the pastry was so light. Beautiful and rather rustic looking. See picture above, front right front.
More pictures of the snow:
On the road:
The proof Holland is flat:
And yes we do have windmills:

Laugh

2009-12-16T13:07:00.010+01:00

Meet my caricature- can you see the likeness? Isn’t it amazing? Sketched by René van Hooren in just a few minutes. I was at a works end of year party on Saturday and this caricaturist was present. He was excellent and certainly entertained the guests not only with his sketches, but also as magician.
It was fascinating to watch him in action. It was amusing to see the faces and reactions of people coming eye to eye with their caricature for the first time!

And for those of you wondering if the party girl went dressed in apron carrying kitchen utensils- well no, I didn't!
The artist at work.

My confessions: Ready-made food and chips!

2009-12-09T15:30:00.007+01:00

I apologise for my absence in the blogging world, no I haven't wasted away. I have been cooking (and eating- honestly!) but just haven't found the time to put anything together. And I haven't just been eating packaged foods and chips as the title may suggest, but take yesterday for example we fancied a fry up, hardly blogging material but satisfying none the less. Often it is good to have a little of whatever you fancy despite it being easy.
Last weekend we celebrated Sinterklaas and I did what I do every year: a cheese fondue. I also make mulled wine which nicely sets the atmosphere. It has become somewhat of a tradition. I readily admit to using readymade packets of cheese fondue, it is just as good and anyway there isn't an awful lot of talent in melting cheese, because basically, this is all it is. On occasions I have made my own, with cider or wine and it is delicious but in the traditional recipe Kirsch is called for, and I can't justify buying a bottle of Kirsch for just one use in a cheese fondue. I'm sure I could come up with recipes, but really I am quite satisfied with the easiness, and taste of Swiss cheese fondue ready-made. Be sure to slightly allow for more than the suggested serving on the packets. One packet of 400gr should serve 2 persons but we used 4 packets for 6 persons. We don't only dip bread but all kinds of vegetables (raw cauliflower, celery, carrot, tomatoes, cucumber) and fruit (apple, pineapple, dried dates, figs, apricot). We serve this with various salads, nuts, smoked salmon, sausages, olives. Actually it is quite a good and fun way of eating vegetables. If you are looking for something different, and a mess free meal (no grease to clear up afterwards unlike with traditional oil fondue or gourmet) then you really can't go wrong even with large numbers so try it.
Now you are all going to be terribly disappointed with me but Sunday at my house isn't as you would expect Roast Dinner day but rather Chip Day! Yes really- the deep fat fryer rears its ugly head nearly every Sunday evening! Why? Well we do like to keep things easy on lazy Sundays but I guess when 3 people are telling me that they want CHIPS & SNACKS regularly then I have to listen. Not only do they eat chips covered in different sauce concoctions but also greasy Frikadel and Kroket. I watch in disgust, I thought I had educated them, how wrong can you be! I avoid all of that processed stuff, that in my opinion doesn't even resemble meat (apart from its sausage shape) let alone taste like- well anything in particular. So generally I only eat a few plain chips, sometimes with a dollop of mayonnaise, perhaps a slice or two of ham, I may even eat a cheese soufflé from time to time (so stodgy!) and occasionally I bake myself a salmon steak.
Sometimes I sneak in some of my own chipped potatoes and often I introduce different vegetables in chip form. For example we have eaten chipped pumpkin, celeriac, and sweet potatoes all with great success and turnip (koolraap) with less success as it tasted rather too much like vegetables!
In order to get perfect results you should twice fry your vegetables. Once at a lower heat to cook through, (then raise) and then wait for the higher temperature and fry until for crispy. To guarantee a crisp result then shake the vegetable chips in a little flour, cornflour or semolina before frying.

Simple Desserts: 10 minute Tiramisu and a quick Trifle

2009-11-28T23:08:00.029+01:00

I've been fancying a lot of desserts recently, many that go as far back as my childhood, some are even school dinners! At the time not something you cared to admit to enjoy, except of course ‘chocolate crunch and chocolate custard ‘ everyone's favourite. But my recent urges are for suet puddings (spotted dick or jam roly-poly), jellies and milk puddings (rice puddings and tapioca) something that I didn’t particularly like at all. And a bit more up market, and things that I have always enjoyed: cheesecakes, lemon meringue pie, and (English) trifles.
Now it's time for a 'pick-me- up' the literal translation of: Tiramisu, an Italian dessert, it’s name referring to the boost you get from the stimulants (caffeine) coffee and (theobromine / phenethylamine)cocoa plus it's high sugar content, giving a burst of energy. Well as I have already mentioned I am a bit ‘egg phobic’. I couldn't even contemplate making an authentic ‘Tiramisu’ which in order to to bear the name, must contain (amongst other ingredients) eggs and Massala (a type of fortified wine). Other ingredients include mascarpone, cream, sponge fingers (savoiardi) strong coffee and cocoa. However I do love this wonderful dessert and have almost certainly (albeit unknowingly) eaten raw eggs before now- and what is more I have survived to tell the tale!
It can be made in individual glasses or in any dish, a glass trifle or even an lasagna dish. It should be made in layers but I wanted to get mine made and in the fridge as quickly as possible, and eaten even quicker! So I choose to make one layer of each ingredient.
I searched the internet for a nontraditional recipe without eggs and a bit less fattening than the usual. I wanted all the taste but as few calories as possible. In the end I based it on a good friends recipe who always makes delicious Tiramisu. I was quite proud of guessing her ‘secret’ ingredient- Vla.
This is a Dutch cold custard and it is ideal for making Tiramisu. It certainly takes all the fuss away. I love cooking but I am all for shortcuts.
The success of a Tiramisu is in the consistency, you have to find the balance between it not being too runny or too dry, you must experiment- oh dear that means it has to be a regular on the menu ;-) The same rule applies to the cookie fingers as flour, they are ’inconsistent’ (different types of flour have different absorptive properties), so the amount of liquid is always very much about 'feel'. Although it is rather a cheat recipe I justify that it is an Italian dessert and Italian cooking is all about simply things, minimum ingredients but maximum taste, and as they say the proof is in the pudding....

Dutch influenced 10 minute Tiramisu
Make a strong cup (about 150-200ml) of espresso coffee (or instant if you prefer)
100ml Tia Maria (or any alcoholic beverage you desire)
250gr mascarpone
250ml vanille vla (Dutch cold custard)
Lady's fingers/ lange fingers/ (about 130gr)
3 heaped tsp sugar
Cocoa
Almonds
Serves 8

Make the coffee and dissolve the sugar. Add the alcoholic beverage. Dip the cookies one for one and lay them on the bottom of your dish (or individual glasses) a large glass salad bowl is the traditional way of serving Tiramisu. Feel the cookies and drip on extra liquid if necessary.
Beat the mascarpone until smooth and combine with the vla, beat until smooth. Add an extra dash of alcohol to the mascarpone/vla if you wish (I did!).
Ensure the lady’s fingers are completely cool. Pour the mascarpone/vla over the cookies. I made one level but you could make two or more depending on your serving dish.
Smooth the surface over and generously dust with cocoa and/or chocolate shavings.
Add nuts for an even more luxorious look. Unfortunately my photo's were lost but when I make it again I'll be sure to post.
Refrigerate for a few hours. Enjoy!

Tiramisu is also great in the summer with fresh raspberries or strawberries. December 12th 2009: Here is a Strawberry Tiramisu I made today, I used layers and you can see how pretty it can look made in individual glasses. This time I used Kahlua (coffee) liqueur.

Trifle
A trifle is actually quite similar to a Tiramisu, in that it's a layered dessert consisting of (sponge)cake soaked in liquor (sherry). Normally with fruit/ jelly, custard, cream and normally lavishly decorated. It is great if you have some (sponge) cake to use up. Or you have some frozen fruit lurking in the freezer.
This one is very easy but quite authentic tasting, with just one layer of each ingredient. You could make more layers. An alternative is to set the jelly and then 'chop' it up, this makes layering the dessert much easier.
I love mascarpone and used it instead of cream but you could of course use (whipped)cream instead. Because I used frozen fruit it set very quickly. It certainly doesn’t have to be left overnight, within an hour it had set.

Quick Trifle
1 jelly (or 10gr gelatine and sugar/ fruit juice to taste, avoiding kiwi, pineapple, papaya, these are fruits that interfere with the setting process)
200gr sponge cake
250gr forest fruits (frozen)
250gr mascarpone
2-3 tbsp custard powder
milk 400-500ml
sugar to sweeten (couple of tsp should be sufficient)
vanille vla
jam
100ml sherry
amaretto cookies (optional)
Decorations (nuts, sprinkles)
Serves 8

Dissolve jelly cubes in 250ml boiling water. Top up to 500ml (with ice cubes)
Cut cake into slices and place on bottom of glass dish. Pour over sherry and leave until soaked in.
Spread the frozen fruit (reserving a few for decoration) over cake and spread a little jam. By now the (jelly) liquid should be cold.
Pour slowly over fruit. Place in fridge, it should set very quickly due to frozen fruit.
Make custard, a bit thicker than you normally would. You could use part thick custard and part add Dutch vanilla vla like I did, this would speed up the cooling process. Bear in mind that it will thicken as it cools. If the custard is too thick add a bit more vla.
If your custard is too thin add some amaretto cookies. Leave your custard to cool, 'cover' with cling film to avoid the formation of surface skin which will lead to lumpy custard.
I added some amaretto cookies to give it some more flavour.
When the custard is cool, carefully spread over jelly. Beat mascarpone in a bowl with a little vla (couple tbsp) and spread on top of the trifle . Decorate with the reserved fruit, or nuts, sprinkles as you wish. Refrigerate.

These desserts certainly look impressive, only you have to know just how easy they are!