Spinaziesalade met Balsamico champignons

Een eenvoudige herfstsalade als lunch op een regenachtige dag, met ijzer voor de weerstand. Bak een halve bak in plakjes gesneden champignons in 1 el olijfolie in de koekenpan, voeg na een minuutje een geperste teen knoflook toe en de blaadjes van een takje tijm. Als de champignons bijna klaar zijn blus je af met 1 el balsamicoazijn, bak nog heel even om en dan het vuur uit. Op smaak brengen met peper en zout.

Intussen 1 hand spinazie op een bord, als dressing alleen 1 tl olijfolie. Champignons er overheen en 1 el pijnboompitten. Eet smakelijk.

Kippenbouten, Pompoen en een salade van Andijvie en Avocado

Nieuwe berichten hebben even op zich laten wachten de laatste tijd, maar het plan is het vanaf nu weer op te pakken. Door zwangerschapsverlof meer tijd om handen om lekkers op tafel te zetten. Dat heb ik de afgelopen tijd dan ook veelvuldig gedaan, alleen niet de tijd genomen het ook op te schrijven of te fotograferen. Het plan is daar nu weer mee te beginnen.

Het nieuwe voornemen beginnen we met een maaltijd van producten uit de geliefde krat. Kippenbouten uit de oven, geroosterde pompoen en een salade van andijvie en avocado.

De 2 kippenbouten moeten nog even marineren, die maken we dus als eerste klaar. Maak een marinade van de sap van 1/2 citroen, de blaadjes van 2 takjes tijm, 1 teen knoflook uit de pers, 1 gesnipperd sjalotje, 1 chilipeper uit de vijzel, 1/2 tl oregano, 3 el olijfolie en natuurlijk peper en zout. Wrijf de kippenbouten er mee in, leg ze in de ovenschaal, afdekken met aluminiumfolie en zet ze weg voor ongeveer een half uur. Intussen de oven voorverwarmen op 200 graden.

Intussen kun je verder met de pompoen. Snij 1/2 pompoen in 2 kwarten, haal de zaden er uit met een lepen. Snij de kwarten in schijven van zo'n 3 cm dik. Maak de marinade van 1 tl gedroogde koriander, 1 tl oregano, 1 teen knoflook uit de pers, de blaadjes van 2 takjes tijm, 2 el olijfolie en grof zeezout. Smeer de pompoen er mee in en zet weg tot ze bij de kip in de oven mogen.

Zet de kip, afgedekt met de folie, 20 minuten in de oven. Zet de temperatuur na 20 minuten terug naar 175 graden, haal de folie er af. De pompoen mag ook in de oven. Alles nog een keer 20 minuten in de oven, de pompoen halverwege even omdraaien.

Voor de salade snijden we van de bovenkant van de andijvie ongeveer 2 volle handen. Snij de andijvie heel erg fijn. Andijvie is erg hard, maar fijngesneden ook juist knapperig en kan een lekkere dressing goed hebben zonder zacht te worden. Klop voor de dressing de sap van 1/4 limoen los met 1 el grove mosterd en 1 el honing. Daarna 1 el olijfolie er doorheen kloppen en 1 el zonnebloemolie. Op smaak brengen met peper en zout en over de andijvie gieten. Een halve avocado in blokjes er overheen en 1 el (ongeroosterde) pijnboompitten.

Kip uit de oven, pompoen uit de oven en even omscheppen, salade er naast en klaar! Lekker met een snee brood om in de jus van de kip te dopen.

Couscous with feta, tomatoes and coriander

Bring 100 ml of broth  with a tbsp of olive oil and crushed chilli to the boiling. Remove the pan from the heat as it cooks and add 100 g couscous and a knob of butter. Heat gently for more three minutes as you stir it with a fork.

Put the cooked couscous in a bowl and add the other ingredients: 6 small tomatoes in quarters, handfull of chopped coriander, 75 gr of feta in small cubes, a slices spring onion and a tbsp of capers. 


If necessary add some more olive oil, salt or pepper.

Eastbourne

When you don't mind the elderly Eastbourne is a lovely place to spend a day. After a couple of hectic days in London at a wedding we have one spare day before travelling back to Amsterdam and decide to spend it near the South Coast of the UK. Inittially the plan was to stay in Brighton, but since it's the first of May it's very hard to find an affordable place to sleep at the last moment.We end up at the Best Western hotel that's more like a retirement home, which is kind of an experience on it's own, travelling back in time. The girls shake up the breakfast room the next morning, but all the grey heads are woken up afterwards...

Eastbournes Pier gives the same experience: back in time, but so nice. We've had a full English breakfast, but some day I will definately be back for a high tea on Eastbournes Pier!Or a fresh fish from the Friendly Fisherman at the end of the Pier...

2nd day of Easter

 

First the big Easter breakfast with my Parents in Naarden and than paying a visit to the open farmersdays in Oudekerk aan de Amstel. Learning the city kid a bit about farmerslife :) They have lambs and  calves that were born today, so cute!

Lamb Chops on the BBQ

After the huge Easter brunch we almost didn't have to eat for the rest of the day, but I had some lovely Lamb Chops from De Krat in the fridge so the BBQ was used again for a simple Easter dinner. Lamb Chops  marinated in some Olive Oil and fresh Thyme with Sea Salt and Black Pepper for half an hour. Then BBQ-ed for 8 minutes, left over Baguette put next to it. Dressed some Lettuce with vinaigrette of Red Wine Vinegar and Olive Oil. Other ingredients on top: Cherry Tomatoes cut in half, Pine Nuts roasted for a couple of minutes, Spring Onion in slices and some fresh cut Mint.

Full Easter Breakfast @TheHague

A big Easter breakfast with family-in-law at The Hague. Smoked Salmon, Lots of cheeses, Home made tomato soup & bread, Fresh juices and of course: Eggs

Easter Eve BBQ with a Grilled Veg and a Sunny Salad

Although the weather wasn't very helpful these last couple of days we decided to have an Easter Eve BBQ, if only because De Krat was so full off lovely ingredient screaming to invite some guests. Only ingredients we had to add for a 6 person BBQ with salads and bread were some steaks, 1 avocado, pinenuts and some fresh basil and thyme. Alright, and some merquez sausages.

Salad 1: Grilled Veg Salad
Slice 1 Courgette and 1 yellow Pepper, brush the slices with olive oil and grill for a couple of minutes on each side. Mix it up with a chopped peace of Garlic, chopped Basil, a squeeze of Lime juice and some salt and pepper. Put aside. Fry some Pine nuts, cut some Cherry Tomatoes in half. Mix up 1 tbsp Red WineVinegar with 3 tbsp Olive Oil for the vinaigrette. Dress 3 hands full of fresh Spinach with the vinaigrette and put all the other ingredients on top. Finish of with some salt, pepper  and fresh Basil



Salad 2: Sunny Salad
This salad was solely based on the fact De Krat brought me pansies to use in the kitchen, so we had to make them into salad that added a little sunshine to our Easter Eve BBQ. All you need to do for this salad is slice and mix and its ready.
Cut and wash (a) Green Lettuce, slice an Avocado, cut Cherry Tomatoes in half, slice up half a Yellow Pepper. Slice a Leek  into thin rings, put in a bowl and pour some boiling water over, put aside. Make a dressing of 1 tbsp (Fennel) Vinegar, 3 tbsp Olive oil, 1 tsp (Spring) Mustard, 1 tsp  Honey and s+p. Dress the lettuce and put on a plate. Drain the leek and put on top, together with the other ingredients. Finish of with the Pansies, some Fresh Herbs (I used fresh Mint and Perilla) and maybe some Pine Nuts.


For the rest we needed some meat and bread. Where else to get your steaks than from butchery Louman (http://www.louman-jordaan.nl/) who truly sell the best steaks you can get in Amsterdam. Their Merquez Merquez sausages are also not to sneeze at by the way.
Bread of course from De Krat, who brought us some nice Walnut bread from Menno this week. And also got some brown Baguette at the Vlaams Broodhuys.

Despite the low temperature it was a very successful Easter Eve BBQ with thanks to De Krat en butchery Louman!

Spicy Oriental Soup for 1

What you need:

Sunflower oil 

Piece of Ginger - chopped

Clove of Garlic - chopped

1 small leek - sliced

Small Chilli pepper - grinded

Fish sauce

1 egg

50 gr of shrimp

1 spring onion - sliced

500 ml broth

1/2 small bok choy - sliced

Bit of chopped Parsley

How to make it
Fry the garlic and ginger in a bit of oil. Add the leek and a little sip of broth, fry for a couple of minutes. then add the pepper and the rest of the broth. Softly boil while preparing the other ingredients.
Whisk the egg with some pepper and bake a thin omelet in some oil. Roll the omelet and slice it. Then bake the shrimp in the left over oil of the egg.
Put the bok choy in with the broth, season with a dash of fish oil and bring to a boiling point. In the mean time put the shrimp, omelet, spring onion and parsley in a bowl. Pour the soup in the bowl when boiling and ready is your one person spicy soup!

Noordzeestrand

Hotchpotch with Chinese Cabbage (Stamppot met Chinese Kool)

Hotchpotch time it is, second time in a row it's on the menu! This time we're making a version with Chinese Cabbage and Mushrooms, since I have a whole of cabbage waiting to be made into dishes laying in the backyard.

Needed:

Make the mash the same as yesterday, except no lime and this time cook a clove of garlic with the potatoes and use it in the mash.

1 tbsp oil

1 shallot, chopped

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 Chinese cabbage in small strips

pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp dried cilantro

1/2 tsp cumin

10 gr butter

250 gr mushrooms

Saute 1/2 shallot in the oil, put the garlic in when it gets soft. Then put in the coriander, nutmeg and cumin and add the cabbage. Fry for a couple of minutes and put aside. Saute the other 1/2 of the shallot in the butter and add the mushroom as soon as its soft. Season after they're done.

Stir the cabbage through the mash, add mushrooms on top and maybe some fresh herbs like basil or parsley

 

Hotchpotch with Brussels sprouts and Lime (Stamppot met Spruitjes en limoen)

 Since the stormy weather has started and the holidays are over the craving for real winter food has put. I've made almost every average Dutch hotchpotch there is and I've got a whole lot of Brussels sprouts laying in the backyard. Although I don't find them as disgusting as when a child, they're still not my favorite. Hadn't found an ideal recipe for them, until now! The mash tempers the bitter taste they have and the lime makes them even kind of fresh.

Needed:

350 gr of Brussels Sprouts

500 gr potatoes

50 ml stock

olive oil

15 gr butter

zest and juice of 1/2 lime

Cook the sprouts for about 10 minutes and cut them into quarters. Cook the potatoes, drain them but save the boiling water. Mash the potatoes with the butter, stock and a big dash of olive oil. If still to dry, stir boiling water trough until it's moist enough. Then add the lime and Brussels sprout with maybe a pinch of black pepper and give it a good stir.

Add some sausage and your good to go. A really good place to get your smoked sausage is at Koopman Worstmakerij at the Elandsgracht. The also home make really great pate, last Saturday we had some autumn pate with whole hazelnuts.

The old Year

New Years even with a couple of good friends, resolution for 2012 is to eat less meat. So the evening of the year there are steaks on the menu. And of course not any steak, but the nice good ecological steak by "Siem van der Gragt". Accompanied by mushrooms, croquettes of potato, small potatoes, avocado tomato salad and a fennel and pomegranate salad. A real feast. And please people of Amsterdam, get your meat at Siem van der Gragt! Delicious meat and no animal had to suffer.  

http://www.siemvandergragt.nl/

Pre New Years Party

Pre New Years Eve Party of hubbies office. Wonderful located in a gallery on the Nieuwezijdsvoorburgwal, completely decorated for the occasion. Chapeau for hostess Afke for arranging everything on short notice for the 40 people attending. Although the fish soup as a started didn't have much taste, the rest of the meal (wonderful salad, loved the roasted onion, turkey was good and the nuts on the desert delicious) as well as the evening were great. Also much appreciation for the burlesque dancer. It was just, the wine, this wine was not my best friend the next morning ouch ouch. Mummy and daddy are not used to going to bed at four thirty in the morning :-s

Salad with Figs and Parma

What you need: 

Bunch of Mint

Bunch of Watercress

2 spoons of Hazelnuts

6 dried figs

150 gr of Parma Ham

1 apple into cubes

Dressing: 100 vanilla yoghurt, juice + zest of 1 lime, peper&salt, mix everything then stir 3 spoons of hazelnut oil through

How to make it:

Mix all the ingredients together and poor over the dressing: bon apetit

Christmas Breakfast

Needed: subscription to De Krat, because the deliver the loveliest and most delicious salmon from Frank. It's been so long since I had some smoked salmon by Frank (except for Christmas Eve) and I missed it!

Scrabbled eggs with salmon, best breakfast ever. Want to try? Puccini ins the Staalstraat has the best scrambled eggs if go there before twelve.

Day 2: the Culinary by Dad Dinner

Dad always cooks a multiple course dinner every Christmas for our family, my granny, aunt and uncle. This year my brother couldn't be there because he celebrates Christmas at the beach of Bali, the bastard. So it was just the 10 of us. He usually cooks from the magazine the Allerhande, so I'll put a link with each foto towards the recipe.

Bonbon of Rib eye with Herb Salad and Lemon Zest

http://www.ah.nl/allerhande/#/recepten/775510/bonbon-van-ribeye-met-kruidensalade?rq=ribeye&course=voorgerecht

Tomato Creme Soup with whole Tomatoes

http://www.ah.nl/allerhande/#/recepten/775616/tomaten-cremesoep?rq=tomaten&course=voorgerecht

Coquilles with Chicory in a cream sauce

http://www.ah.nl/allerhande/#/recepten/775636/st-jakobsschelpen-witlof-ham-kaas?rq=witlof&course=voorgerecht

Cocktails of Shrimp from Stellendam and Grapefruit

http://www.ah.nl/allerhande/#/recepten/534952/garnalen-met-grapefruit?rq=grapefruit+garnalen

Canard a l'orange

http://www.ah.nl/allerhande/#/recepten/775612/canard-a-l-orange?rq=eendenborst+sinaasappel

Supertrifle with Berries

http://www.ah.nl/allerhande/#/recepten/775540/supertrifle-met-bessen?rq=trifle

Merry Christmas!

Day 1: the comfort food dinner

Christmas has started I love it. We were supposed to spends the holidays with hubbies family in London, but couldn't get the dog in because of some blood tests which the UK will abolish from the 1st of January and that's a week to go. Too bad, but it give us the opportunity to spend Christmas eve with one of our favorite people in the world: Bennie!
Ben invited us to his house boat for an easy comfort food diner, and that was all we needed. Appetizer: taco chips with melted cheese guacamole, chili and creme fraiche. We really attacked the plate! Diner course 2: home made wonderful delicious tomato red paprika soup with lots of chili and lots of ginger. This is my favorite soup in the world (want to try it: go to Puccini's where Ben is in the kitchen or book a night at his houseboat and he might just make you some). So delicious we had 2 big bowls! Main course: warm smoked salmon salad with grilled mini potatoes and grilled green asparagus. yum yum. Salmon came from the very, very best place in Amsterdam to get smoked stuff: Franks Smoke House. Once you've tasted his salmon you will not be wanting any other! I made braised pears with ice cream for desert, but we were really to full to eat another bite. Just some cheese and red port and the evening was complete. Thank you Ben!

http://www.bensboatandbreakfast.nl/

 http://www.smokehouse.nl/

Mackerel with Mustard Sauce (Makreel met Mostersaus)

I've eaten a lot of smoked mackerels, bur never had a fresh peace in my hands. Until De Krat brought me one, or actually two fillets. Including a recipe, which I tried immediately as fish should be eaten as fresh as possible. What I particularly likes about the dish is the crispy skin and the nice solid texture of the fish.

Needed:

2 mackerel fillets with skin

1 red onion, chopped

Fresh Parsley

100 ml white wine 

1 bay leaf

2 el mustard

30 g butter, cold and chopped

Preheat the oven at 250ْ  C, season the mackerel with some salt and black pepper. Create, in the middle of a baking dish, a mound of the onion, bay leaf and parsley (keep a bit aside for the garnish). Put the fillets on top with the skin side up, pour the wine over and put in the oven. Cook for 7-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Put the fillets aside on a warm serving dish as soon as they're done, cover with some aluminum foil to keep warm.
Strain the cooking liquid from the baking dish in a small saucepan and boil for a couple of minutes to concentrate. Add the mustard and stir, the whisk the butter through and let it simmer for about 3 minutes. Pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with same parsley.
Very nice with some skin cooked potatoes and a green salad. Very light, the fish is oily enough by itself.

Decorated the Christmas tree

View at the IJ

My office has a view on the west side of the IJ. We have a lot of windows so the view is often magnificent.

Today the light was amazing, dark clouds with the sun coming through and lighting everything almost orange

Bakkerswinkel

 At the wonderful Westergasterrein is best best Bakkerswinkel of the lot. Decorated beautifully, a lot of space and a great environment. One of our favorite places on the Sunday morning, they open at 10 which is the best time to enter, just before the families with their children arrive around eleven and it gets really crowded. First a stroll with the dog over the free dog walk terrain and then a big breakfast at the Bakkerswinkel. The westergasfabrieksontbijt with eggs and ham is when you're really really hungry, but I would recommend sharing a bakkersontbijt with two persons and then order some additional scones (with cranberries for example) If only so you can try all the different jams that are in jars on the tables, like the lemon curd, pineapple and basil or just raspberry.

http://www.debakkerswinkel.nl/amsterdam-west

Cathedral of Madrid

A good place to flee the city and have a moment of peace and quiet for a little while. If you don't mind the horde of tourists. 

El Jardin Secreto

After a couple of days of eating tapas, we were craving for a lot of vege. Or anyway, I was. El Jardin Secreto is a lovely and cozy place especially known for all their different hot chocolates and chocolaty deserts, but we're very happy with their salads and burgers. Also lovely is the wide range of non-alcoholic drinks, among which violet drink. They dress their meals and drinks with flowers as if it is a real garden. Specially a good place for a romantic being together.

Stop Madrid

Madrid of course is full of tapas bars, but we really wanted to have some old fashioned tapas. On our way to our hotel we already spotted Stop Madrid, bur unfortunately it was closed as we wanted to visit at our cocktail hour (7 o'clock) and opens again at Spanish hours around eight.

Delicious old fashioned tapas at Stop Madrid, with your beer you already get some bread with tomatoes and you can't visit Madrid without having some proper manchego and iberico: Stop Madrid is the place to be!

Mercado de San Miguel

A good place to try a little of a lot that Spain has to offer. A large covered market, with all kinds of stalls where you can get tapas, paellas, oysters, tortillas, jamon, manchego, chocolat, wines, beers...everybody gets what he likes and then you eat it at one of the bars or many tables. 

A real tourist attraction, which is not surprising because you have a bit of everything, but also a whole lot of Spanish people that lunch here or have a drink in the afternoon accompanied with some nice snacks.

http://www.mercadodesanmiguel.es/

La Mallorquina

Taking a break to visit Madrid for a couple of days because the husband has to go there for work. Packed my sunglasses, shorts, sunburn...not necessary at all! Madrid this time of year is just like Amsterdam in the fall: raining and 10 degrees. No worries, enough to see and do and every sunbeam is a reason to take a walk.

Our apartment is in the middle of the center, right near Puerta del Sol. Perfect to be if you didn't book a place that includes breakfast,  because on Puerta del Sol you've got La Mallorquina. A small pastry place, downstairs is the shop where, but upstairs is the breakfast room. Packed with people, but with a quick turn around, so you don't have to wait to long for a table. The waiters are just running around carrying trays with breakfast. They don't have a menu, so first have a look downstairs or just order napolitanas, which they have in a cream version or a chocolate one. Croissants, Orange Juice and some Café con Leche and your good to go.

Salad from De Krat

Just made a simple but delicious salad today with the lovely mixed tomatoes from De Krat

Some fresh spinach, tomatoes, tore some mozzarella, made some fresh pesto with the basil from De Krat et voila! 

Badhuis Javaplein

Meeting up with a friend who lives at IJburg we mostly end up somewhere in the Eastern part of Amsterdam. One of the parts of Amsterdam I've never lived and therefore don't really know. An upcoming neighborhood with lovely restaurants and bars popping up. I've been eating at Wilde Zwijnen behind the Badhuis, very good, but closed for lunch. So this time meeting in the Badhuis.

A very easy going place, with a lovely, very kind staff. You can easily sit at one of their couches or reading table for a whole afternoon. Only thing is: hygiene is not a high value. Don't mind tallow :)

Melted Cheese sandwich: very good, and again a very very nice staff.

http://www.badhuis-javaplein.nl/

Plaice Fillet with New Zealand Spinach (gebakken Scholfilet met Nieuw Zeelandse Spinazie)

"De Krat" has been delivered today, a whole bunch of fresh ingredients to cook with!
From De Krat:

2 Plaice fillets

1/2 Granny Smith apple - Thin Slices

500 gr of Newzealand Spinach

1 shallot - Chopped

1 clove of garlic - Chopped

1/2 lime in 4 pieces

Olive oil

Butter

Flour

Saute the Garlic and Shallot in the olive until they're soft (about 5 min.) Than put the spinach in hand by hand, it will shrink very much. Heat the butter in another frying pan until the foam had gone. Put salt and pepper on the fish and, at the last moment, put flour on them. Fry them on both sides for 2-3 minutes. 

In the mean time the spinach should be done, sprinkle the juice of 2 pieces of the lime on and season with some salt and pepper.

Spinach on the plate, apple on the side and fish on top. Finish with a bit of pepper and a slice of lime on top