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.

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.

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

Deer Stew with Parsnip and Jerusalem Artichoke puree (Hertenstoof met Pastinaak en Topinamboerpuree)

Again a night of Cooking from De Krat. Tonight I'm using some ingredients for the very first time, one of the reasons why I have De Krat in the first place. Ingredients from De Krat I'm using tonight: Venison, Parsnip, Jerusalem Artichoke, Chicory, Mushrooms and Apples.

For the stew: (based on the recipe delivered by De Krat)

400 gr Deer

100 gr Mushrooms

1 shallot & 1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 table spoon of thyme leaves

50 gr butter

40 gr bacon

350 ml stock

50 ml red wine vinegar

100 ml red wine

2 cloves & 1 bay leaf

Pinch of Chili Pepper

1 table spoon of dessert wine

Fry the bacon in half the butter, add shallot, garlic and thyme and bake for about 5 min until its soft. Fry the Deer until its brown in a Casserole in the rest of the butter, than add the onion mixture. Turn the heat high and add the vinegar, let it boil for a couple of minutes. Add the red wine and also let this boil for a while. Add 3/4 of the boiling stock to the pan, together with the Bay Leaf and Cloves. Let it softly boil for 1 hour, stir every now and then and add some stock if necessary. Than add the Dessert Wine and Mushrooms and cook for another 15 minutes. Season with some salt and pepper if necessary.

Side Dishes: 

Jerusalem Artichoke Puree - Peel 500 gr of artichokes, boil them for about 15 minutes. Mash together with a teaspoon of mustard and a tablespoon of creme fraiche, salt&pepper and some fresh thyme. If Necessary add some cooking cream to make it smoother.

Parsnip - Peel them, cut them in pieces of about 5 cm long and put them in water with lemon. Cook for about 15 minutes, drain, add salt pepper and olive oil.

Chicory Salad - Peel and chop 1 apple. Mix it with 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of mustard, some olive oil and some lime juice, salt&pepper. Put in a couple of sliced pickled onions and 2 stumps of chopped chicory.

Tagliatelle with Purslane (Tagliatelle met Postelein)

2 hands full of Purslane (washed and dried)

200 gr Tagliatelle

100 ml Cooking Cream

50 gr Butter

Zest and juice of 1 Lemon

2 table spoons of chopped Parsley

100 gr Parmesan


Cook the Tagliatelle according the instructions. Heat the Cream slowly in a big pan. Add the Butter, Zest and Lemon Juice, keep stirring till the butter is completely melted and than turn of the fire. Add the Tagliatelle and the Purslane to the warm cream, stir, cover with the Parsley and Parmesan and ready!

Chicken from the oven (kip uit de oven)

One of my favorite, very simple, chicken recipes. Just put the chicken legs in a pan with some potatoes (not peeled, just cut in pieces), cherry tomatoes (cut in half), cloves of garlic (about 8) and a whole lot of fresh basil. Salt, pepper and olive oil on top:

Shove it in the oven for 1.5 hours on 180 C. Stir the tomatoes every half hour and voila:

Very nice with some green bean salad and fresh bread