Michiel and Jeen

Prosciutto e Melone

14 July 2021

Is it an ancient recipe combining wet and cold (melon) with dry and hot (cooked meat, later cured ham)? Is it an invention of famous author Pellegrino Artusi? Is it a typical sixties dish? Or is it the ideal starter for a lazy chef?

Regardless what it is, the success is the result of the quality of the ingredients. You need an excellent melon, preferably a cantaloupe. Ripe and sweet, one that fills the room with honey. And you need the best ever cured ham. Could be from Italy or Spain, as long as it paper thinly sliced with nice layers of marbled fat.

Sweet and salty, moist and dry, soft and with texture, intense aromas and long-lasting flavours. Every aspect you can think of is on your plate. No need to add anything, no ricotta, no salad, no balsamic vinegar, no pesto. It’s about the combination of two very different yet beautiful products.

Wine Pairing

Enjoy your Prosciutto e Melone with a light, refreshing wine that reflects summer. A glass of prosecco, bubbly, refined and with a touch of sweetness. But if you want to open a bottle of rosé, please do so!

What You Need

A ripe Melon (Cantaloupe)
Dry-Cured Ham (Prosciutto or Serrano)

What You Do

The melon must be cold, the ham should be at room temperature.
Slice the melon, probably in eight wedges. Remove the seeds. Use a sharp knife to cut off the rind. Wrap each wedge of melon with a slice of prosciutto, making sure you can still see the melon at the ends.

PS

It’s definitely not a recipe from Pellegrino Artusi. He describes the combination of fresh green peas (also sweet and moist) with Prosciutto.

Cantaloupe Melon ©cadwu — Prosciutto e Melone ©cadwu

Field Peas with Summer Savory

7 July 2021

Seasonal products, we simply love them! Fresh field peas are available for a few weeks in June and July only. They are easy to recognise by their purple pod. An old and forgotten vegetable, perhaps because the (older) peas tend to be starchy and not very tasteful.
Young field peas, however, are sweet and moist with a good texture. Combining them with summer savory is a great idea, but if you want to give your field peas a more modern twist, then replace the savory with fresh oregano.
Field peas, different from fresh green peas, require some fat or oil. The combination with for instance crispy fried pork belly works really well. Simple, a bit old fashioned and delicious.

Wine Pairing

We combined our field peas with pork fillet. The dish is robust, so we decided to drink a red wine from the Dão region in Portugal, to be more precise we enjoyed a glass of Prunus as produced by Gotawine. One of our favourites! It has lots of dark fruit (plums, blackberries, cherries), it is lightly oaked and its taste is fruity, long and well balanced. Grapes include Jaen (also known as Menci), Tempranillo and Touriga Nacional. In general you’re looking for a medium bodied, not too complex, yet elegant red wine.

What You Need

Fresh Field Peas
Sprigs of Summer Savory
Olive Oil

What You Do

Shell the peas and steam them for 4 minutes maximum. Let cool and set aside. Heat a small skillet, add olive oil, reduce heat and very gently fry the peas. Add some finely chopped summer savory. Mix. Just before serving add the remaining chopped savory, mix and serve.

If you combine the field peas with pork fillet, then use excellent organic fillet only. Fry the fillet in a heavy iron skillet until nearly done. Wrap in foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Add the meat juices to the pan, add some mustard and (vegetable, veal or chicken) stock. Reduce. Add some cold water to help the emulsification. Slice the fillet. It should be a touch pink. Serve with some black pepper and the jus.

Field Peas with Summer Savory ©cadwu
Fresh Field Peas ©cadwu
Prunus Label ©cadwu

All Our Recipes For You

1 July 2021

A few years ago we created an overview of recipes per season, simply because it’s such a good idea to enjoy what is available in the season. Nice to eat strawberries in Winter, but isn’t it a much better idea to enjoy seasonal slow cooked pears?

We then introduced overviews per course, ranging from side dish to lunch. The categories didn’t always make sense, so we added a few more, making our admin more complicated, especially when we updated a recipe or a picture.

The obvious thing happened: we lost track of recipes, noticed some links were broken and the overviews became incomplete.

So how to organise this blog?

After much debate and intense workshops (not really) we’re pleased to present to you an old fashioned, up to date and very easy to use (and maintain) index of All Our Recipes For You!

Asparagus with Basil and Olives

23 June 2021

End of June means end-of-season for asparagus, morels and ramson (wild garlic). But let’s not be sad! It’s also the beginning of Summer; time to dine al fresco and serve vibrant, light flavours. We combine the very last white asparagus with green asparagus, black olives and basil. Feel free to use green asparagus only. The dish will lose some of its bitterness and complexity but it’s still a great combination of flavours and aromas.

Wine Pairing

Best to enjoy with a full bodied and elegant red wine. Flavour-wise you’re looking for lots of fruit, mild tannins and a touch of wood. We enjoyed our asparagus with a glass of Cantine Due Palme Salento Il Passo Nero 2019. This wine from Puglia (Italy) is made from late harvested negroamaro grapes. Dark berry fruit, medium full tannins and a beautiful deep colour.

What You Need

Asparagus
- Equal Amount of White and Green Asparagus
- Basil
- Black Olives (preferably Cailletier or Taggiasca)
- Olive oil
Lamb Chops
- Olive Oil
- Thyme
- Garlic
- Black Pepper

What You Do

Peel the white asparagus and cut of the end. Wash the green asparagus and cut of the end. Slice the asparagus in nice chunks (4 centimetres or so). Combine the asparagus with olive oil and a nice amount of black olives. Transfer to the refrigerator.
When ready for your al fresco dinner, heat your oven to 190˚- 200˚ Celsius (or 375˚- 390˚ Fahrenheit). Mix after 10 minutes and again after 20 minutes. The asparagus should now be ready (if not, another 10 minutes should do the trick). Add half of the basil leaves.

If you serve the asparagus with lamb chops: leave the chops to marinate in olive oil, crushed garlic and thyme for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Remove thyme. Heat a heavy iron skillet and fry the chops in olive oil (4 minutes depending on the size). When ready keep the chops warm in aluminium foil. Fry the thyme in the remaining oil. In parallel add more basil leaves to the asparagus and mix.

Asparagus with Basil and Olives ©cadwu
Ingredients of Asparagus with Basil and Olives © cadwu
Asparagus with Basil and Olives Ready to go into the Oven© cadwu

Daube Provençale

16 June 2021

On a warm summer’s evening, sitting on your terrace, relaxing and sipping rosé, you wonder what to eat. Perhaps something that will make you think of the beautiful Cote d’Azur, with the chirping of cicadas and aromas of pine trees? A Salade Niçoise or something more substantial?
That’s the moment to dive into your freezer and look for that last portion of Daube Provençale. Excellent beef, stewed in red wine and packed with flavours, olives and mushrooms.

Fortunately preparing Daube Provençale is not too much work (and it keeps well in the freezer). You can also be fairly flexible with the recipe. Well known chef Hélène Barale (La Cuisine Niçoise, Mes 106 Recettes) uses beef, veal and pork with tomatoes and dried mushrooms, Hilaire Walden (French Provincial Cooking) suggests marinating the beef in red wine and also adds orange peel and olives whereas the classic La Cuisinière Provençale published in 1897 and written by Jean-Baptiste Reboul suggests adding vinegar to the marinade but doesn’t use tomatoes, mushrooms or olives.

Wine Pairing

We prepared our daube with red wine from France, made from Cabernet Franc grapes and produced by La Tour Beaumont. In general you need a full bodied, fruity red wine, with a good structure. You could of course enjoy the daube with the same red wine, but the daube is flexible. Just remember that the flavours and aromas are intense.

What You Need (for 4)

750 grams of Excellent Marbled Beef (Blade Steak for instance)
½ Carrot
Shallot
3 Garlic Gloves
250 grams of Mushrooms
50 grams of Black Olives (Kalamata or Taggiasca)
Olive Oil
Bouquet Garni (Bay Leaf, Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Parsley, Chives and/or Sage)
500 ml Red Wine

What You Do

Slice the meat into nice, big cubes
Heat a heavy large pot through and through, add olive oil and fry the meat until brown
Probably you need to do this in two or more batches
Set the meat aside
Fry the chopped shallot, the carrot and the garlic until smooth
Transfer the meat to the pot, stir well, add the red wine, the (halved) olives and the bouquet garni
Keep on low heat for 2 hours
Clean the mushrooms and add these to the pan
Keep on low heat for another two hours
Check if the meat is soft and tender
Quickly cool the pot and transfer the content to the refrigerator
The next day label off some of the fat (we prefer not to do this, but feel free to do so)
You could divide the daube in two portions. One for the freezer, the other one to enjoy today
Warm the daube
Option 1: remove some of the bigger mushrooms and four tablespoons of cooking liquid. Blender the liquid and mushrooms very fine and transfer back to the pan. This mixture will thicken the cooking liquid
Option 2: combine 15 grams of flour with 15 grams of butter until it’s a smooth paste. Add this to the daube, making sure it’s fully dissollved. This way of thickening is called Beurre Manié
Leave the daube to gently simmer for an hour.
If the sauce has not yet reached the right consistency, then transfer cooking liquid to a separate pan and reduce on medium to high heat. Transfer back to the main pan and combine.
Serve with red bell pepper salad, pasta, polenta or boiled potatoes.

Daube Provençale ©cadwu
Ingredients of Daube Provençale ©cadwu
Daube Provençale ready to be stewed ©cadwu

Duck with Soy Sauce and Mushrooms

9 June 2021

In his book Yamazato, Kaiseki Recipes: Secrets of the Japanese Cuisine, author and Michelin Award winning chef Akira Oshima includes a recipe for breast of duck, marinated in a soy-based sauce, served with Belgian endive (chicory) and karashi (Japanese mustard). A mouth-watering dish. The book contains some 20 recipes that are technically challenging (at least, we think so) and well written.

In general the combination of duck and soy sauce works really well. It’s all about sweetness and umami. The Japanese mushrooms (shiitake, enoki, nameko and/or shimeji) add nuttiness and texture to the dish.
We use soy sauce and tsuyu: a mix of soy sauce, mirin and dashi, ideal for making a tempura dip and great to give extra flavor to the sauce.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our duck with a glass of gewurztraminer (full bodied and long lasting with aromas of lychees and roses) but there are many options in this case. Perhaps a nice rosé or a sake with a touch of sweetness?

What You Need

Breast of Duck
Japanese Mushrooms
Soy Sauce (preferably with less salt)
Tsuyu
Chicken Stock
(Olive) Oil
Mirin
(optional) Sake

What You Do

Start by cleaning the breast of duck
Heat a non-stick pan
Fry the duck, straight from the fridge, for 12 minutes on the skin-side and 2 minutes on the meat-side in a non-stick pan
Wrap in foil, making sure the skin is not covered.
Clean the pan with kitchen paper and fry the sliced mushrooms for 5 minutes or so in oil until ready
Set aside and keep warm
Add soy sauce, tsuyu and chicken stock to the pan and reduce
Add a splash of sake and some mirin
Add liquid of the duck
Let simmer for a few minutes, add the mushrooms and make sure they are coated with the sauce
Let simmer for 5 minutes
Slice the duck, add liquid to the sauce, stir and serve.

Duck with Soy Sauce and Mushrooms ©cadwu

Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese

2 June 2021

We enjoyed this dish as a starter when in Milan, on a beautiful evening, eating al fresco and enjoying the wonderful combination of the sweetness and bitterness of the asparagus, the slightly caramelised sugars as a result of grilling the asparagus and the salty and sweet cheese. A glass of Pinot Grigio was all we wanted.
In Milan we enjoyed grilled green asparagus, but it works equally well with white asparagus.
This is typically a dish to prepare when the asparagus season is at its high and outside temperatures feel like summer.

Wine Pairing

Serve with a glass of Pinot Grigio, a Muscat or Pinot Gris from the Alsace region or a rosé with character. The wine needs to combine with a range of very diverse flavors so it should be a bit complex.

What You Need

3 Asparagus per person
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Black Pepper

What You Do

Peel the asparagus and cook or steam until slightly tender
Depending on the size we would say 10-15 minutes in the Russel Hobss steamer
Leave and let cool
Take a plate, add some oil to the plate and use it to coat the asparagus with oil
Heat the pan and grill the asparagus for 4*1 minute, making sure you have a lovely brown (not too dark) pattern
Or use a contact grill for 2*2 minutes
Serve on a plate, add some grated Parmesan cheese and pepper
Add a generous drizzle of very excellent olive oil.

grilled asparagus ©cadwu — White Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese (c) cadwu

white asparagus with parmesan cheese — White Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese (c) cadwu

Fairy Ring Mushroom with Pork Chops

26 May 2021

Spring brings us several edible or even delicious mushrooms, such as the Fairy Ring Mushroom, Morels and the Mushroom of Saint George.

The Fairy Ring Mushroom is a very common mushroom in many countries. The name is not very helpful since many mushrooms grow in the pattern of a ring. The German and Dutch names (Rasen-Schwindling and Weidekringzwam) are more helpful; these refer to the fact that they grow in meadows and lawns.

In France the Mushroom of Saint George is called mousseron and the Fairy Ring Mushroom faux mousseron. But because of the limited availability of the Mushroom of Saint George the faux (false) is dropped in the second name and the Fairy Ring Mushroom is often referred to and sold as mousseron.

It’s a small, very edible mushroom, available from early spring until late autumn. Its taste is a bit sweet and perhaps that’s why some people suggest using them to make sweet cookies. Hm, we think you can do better than that!

We combine the Fairy Ring Mushroom with excellent organic pork (also a touch of sweetness), cream, white wine, fresh sage and a splash of cognac to give the dish a nutty component.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our Fairy Ring Mushrooms and pork with a glass of Austrian Zweigelt, produced by Weingut Prechtl. This red wine is fruity and elegant with notes of blackberry and cherry. The tannins are well structured but not overly present. In general you’re looking for a full bodied red wine with fruit and not too much acidity.

What You Need

2 Organic Pork Chops with lots of nice fat (Sirloin or Shoulder)
100 gram of Fairy Ring Mushroom
Half a glass of Dry White Wine
Fresh Sage
Chicken Stock
Crème Fraîche
Splash of Cognac
Olive Oil

What You Do

Start by cleaning the mushrooms with kitchen paper. Remove the stems. Fry the caps in olive oil. When the liquid has evaporated, add some dry white wine and two finely chopped leaves of sage. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes or so. Add some crème fraîche and a few moments later a splash of cognac. Stir and leave to simmer for another 5 minutes. In parallel fry the pork chops until brown and leave to rest in aluminium foil. Remove the pork fat from the pan and deglaze with chicken stock. Reduce. Now add the liquid from the pan to the mushrooms, add more finely chopped sage and some black pepper.

Zweigelt made by Weingut Prechtl

Asparagus with Scrambled Eggs and Shrimps

19 May 2021

Asparagus and eggs, it’s a match made in heaven. For instance à la Flamande (with boiled egg, butter, parsley and ham) or more exotic with Kimizu or with scrambled eggs, chives and shrimps.

Shrimps?

Indeed, with small excellent shrimps, preferably freshly peeled; not used as an ingredient but as an element of flavour. The first time we tasted this combination we were surprised by the role of the shrimps. The salty, intense taste, balanced with the very rich eggs and the sweet-bitter asparagus is a very clever idea. The chives in the scrambled eggs lift the dish to a higher level.
Unfortunately we don’t know who created it, so we offer the recipe with a caveat.

Scrambled eggs?

Preparing scrambled eggs, it seems obvious and simple, but actually we are looking for a version that is more like a sauce. Gordon Ramsey’s instructive and hilarious video shows you how to make scrambled eggs, so no need for us to explain. You need to stop a bit earlier, given it needs to have a sauce-like consistency.

Wine Pairing

We decided to drink a glass of Rivaner from the house Gales in Luxembourg. The aroma made us think of grapefruit, ripe melon and apple. The taste is elegant with a touch of sweetness, acidity and minerality. Ideal with our dish! The sweetness with the asparagus, the acidity in combination with the scrambled eggs and chives, the minerality with the shrimps. And the taste is surprisingly long lasting, which is perfect with such a rich dish.

What You Need

6 White Asparagus
2 Eggs
Butter
Chives
Crème Fraiche
White Pepper
A Few Small (unpeeled) Shrimps

What You Do

Peel the asparagus and steam for 20 minutes or so. They should have a bite. Prepare scrambled eggs à la Ramsay. Serve the asparagus with the scrambled eggs and just a few shrimps. Done!

White Asparagus with Scrambled Eggs and Shrimps © cadwu

White Asparagus, Chives, Shrimps and Eggs © cadwu

Saint George’s Mushroom with Pasta

12 May 2021

Spring brings us several edible or even delicious mushrooms, such as the Mushroom of Saint George, Morels and the Fairy Ring Mushroom.

The mushroom of Saint George (Calocybe gambosa) is usually the first edible mushroom to appear. Its name derives from St George’s Day, 23rd April, by which date it can be found in the UK. Its French and Italian name (for instance Tricholome de la Saint-Georges in France) also refer to this day. Its Dutch name (Voorjaarspronkridder) and its Swedish name (Vårmusseron meaning spring mushroom) refer to the fact that the mushroom is available for a short period only.

Famous chef and author Jane Grigson isn’t a fan of the mushroom. In her classic book The Mushroom Feast she writes “I have omitted one or two which our mushroom books follow each other in praising too highly. One of these is the Saint George’s Mushroom.”

Perhaps because the smell is so rare? Some say the mushroom smells of cucumber; others say melon rind or refer to a mealy scent. We think it’s more like overripe zucchini or even ghee that is a bit offish. In all cases, a not-very-pleasant-smell to remember. The good news is that the smell disappears as soon as you heat the mushrooms.

The mushroom of Saint George is clearly a spring-mushroom, but we think that you will have some reminiscence of autumn when eating this dish. A hint of earthiness. Intense but not overwhelming. However, the combination of ramson (wild garlic) and Saint George’s mushroom is 100% spring.

Confused? Perhaps that’s part of the fun of eating Saint George’s mushroom.

Wine Pairing

We suggest an oaked chardonnay, for instance Domaine De La Prade from the Languedoc region in France. The wine has a pale, yellow colour, aromas of ripe tropical fruit and its taste is intense, buttery and comes with a touch of oak. The wine has a long lasting taste.

Feel free to go for a US or Australian Chardonnay. A full-bodied, gently oaked chardonnay will go very well with the mushroom and the udon.

What You Need

1 bunch of Udon
150 grams of Saint George’s Mushroom
Fresh Ramson (or Wild Garlic, 5 Leaves and Flowers)
Chicken Stock
Black Pepper
Crème Fraîche
4 Slices of Excellent Pancetta
Olive Oil

What You Do

Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper and if necessary clean the stems with a sharp knife.
Slice the pancetta in small slices.
Heat a heavy iron skillet, add olive oil and quickly fry the pancetta.
Transfer to a plate with kitchen paper and keep in the oven on 60° Celsius or 140° Fahrenheit.
Slice the mushrooms, fry them gently in the pan and reduce the heat.
Add chicken stock.
Add some crème fraiche.
In parallel cook the udon for 10 minutes.
Drain the udon and keep some of the cooking liquid.
Add the udon to the mushrooms in the pan, add black pepper and stir gently, making sure all pasta is covered.
Add some cooking liquid to make sure it’s nice and moist.
Add the pancetta and the sliced leaves (lengthwise, remove the vein) of ramson, mix and serve immediately.
Decorate with a ramson flower.

The Art of Flavours

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

PS

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

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What You Do

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What You Need (for 4)

What You Do

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What You Need

What You Do

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What You Need

What You Do

Wine Pairing

What You Need

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Shrimps?

Scrambled eggs?

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do