Category: starter

Easy Mushroom Pie

4 September 2025

Hurray! The mushroom season has started! Last Friday we bought beautiful golden chanterelles (girolles) and white beech mushrooms (shimeji). It’s the time of year to enjoy wonderful dishes such as Cèpes à la Bordelaise or Salad with Mushrooms and Smoked Duck. Will there be bay boletes this year? Or the intriguing Japanese Matsutake? It’s been some time since we last saw these on the market, and we would really love to make Matsutake with Spinach and Ginger again.
We decided to celebrate the start of the season by making an easy Mushroom Pie, packed with rich flavours, nuttiness and a touch of autumn.

Wine Pairing

We treated ourselves to a bottle of Pinot Noir from the Elzas region, made by Sophie Schaal. She produces wine in France and South Africa. The grapes are handpicked and then naturally fermented before ageing in French oak barrels for 10 months. The result is a wine with a deep ruby colour. The aromas suggest black fruit and a touch of vanilla. The taste is well balanced with soft tannins and length.
In general, you’re looking for a wine with red fruit and refined tannins. Some earthiness will match very well with the mushrooms and the taleggio.

What You Need
  • For the Pastry
    • 100 grams of Flour
    • 50 grams of Water
    • 10 grams of Olive Oil
    • 1 gram of Salt
  • For the Filling
    • 250 grams of firm Mushrooms (shiitake, golden chanterelles, beech mushrooms, button mushrooms)
    • 1 Organic Egg
    • 50 grams of Taleggio
    • 50 ml Double Cream
    • Thyme
    • 1 small Garlic Clove
    • Black Pepper
    • Olive Oil
    • 2 slices of Bacon (optional)
What You Do
  1. Combine flour, salt, water and olive oil
  2. Kneed for a minute and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Clean the mushrooms and slice if necessary
  4. (Optional) Fry the bacon, let dry on kitchen paper and crumble. Add to the egg mixture (step 11)
  5. Lightly fry the mushrooms in a heavy iron skillet
  6. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and let cool
  7. After 30 minutes: preheat the oven to 180 ˚ C or 355 ˚ F
  8. Combine the egg with the cream
  9. Add lots of thyme and black pepper
  10. Add grated garlic
  11. Add the mushrooms
  12. Slice small cubes of taleggio
  13. Add the cheese to the mixture
  14. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.
  15. Coat a 22 cm or 9-inch round baking tin with oil or butter
  16. Place the dough in the baking tin
  17. Add the mixture and distribute evenly
  18. Transfer to the oven for 35-40 minutes or until nice and golden
  19. Allow to cool for a few minutes
  20. Remove from the tin and let cool on a wire rack
  21. Serve lukewarm
PS

It tastes even better the next day!

An easy to make mushroom pie with rich flavours
Mushroom Pie ©cadwu

Fried Prawns with Garlic and Samphire

24 July 2025

Shrimps and prawns are subtle, delicate and tasty. Popular food in many countries, just think shrimp cocktail, stuffed eggs with shrimps and of course, fried prawns with garlic and lemon.
For this recipe you need large, wild or organic prawns. We strongly suggest using ones that are not yet cleaned. It’s not difficult to clean shrimps and they taste much better than factory cleaned shrimps.
We serve the prawns with samphire. It’s a crunchy and salty vegetable that brings lots of colour and flavour to the plate. It can be eaten raw but it’s better to cook or steam it for a minute or two. The history of samphire goes back to the 14thcentury when the ashes of the marsh samphire (rich on sodium carbonate) were used to make glass. 

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our Prawns with a glass of Picpoul de Pinet produced by Gérard Bertrand. A dry white wine, with a pale straw yellow color. It has aromas of citrus and gooseberries. The wine is full and round with minerality which is typical for a Picpoul de Pinet.
Recently we combined the prawns with a white wine made by Casa Relvas in Portugal. The wine is made with antão vaz and viognier grapes. Subtle aromas, gentle acidity and a nice finish.
You could also combine the prawns with a glass of Chablis, Verdejo or Soave.

What You Need
  • Six large Prawns
  • Garlic
  • Olive Oil
  • Black Pepper
  • 50 grams of Samphire
  • Crusted Bread
  • Lemon (optional)
What You Do
  1. Use scissors to cut the shell of the prawn. Start behind the head and cut towards the tail. Just before the tail turn 90 degrees and make a cut around the prawn
  2. Remove the head, the shell and the legs of the body. Keep the tail on the prawn.
  3. Remove the black vein (the prawn’s intestines) and the slurry (if any)
  4. Wipe clean with kitchen paper
  5. Transfer the prawns to the refrigerator
  6. Wash the samphire
  7. Coarsely slice the garlic
  8. Heat a pan with water
  9. Dry the prawns and fry them in a skillet in olive oil (depending on the size maximum 4 minutes in total) on both sides and on the back.
  10. When the prawns begin to colour, add the garlic and reduce the heat
  11. Coat the prawns with the oil and the garlic in the pan
  12. Cook the samphire for one minute maximum (or steam for two minutes)
  13. Drain the samphire
  14. Serve on warm plates with some black pepper and lemon (if using)
  15. Enjoy with crusted bread
Fried prawns with Garlic and Samphire ©cadwu
Fried prawns with Garlic and Samphire ©cadwu

Asparagus with Beurre Blanc

12 June 2025

Nearly the end of the asparagus season in the Netherlands so we wanted to make a very special dish. One that combines the sweetness and the bitterness of the asparagus with freshness, the structure of the al dente asparagus with a velvety, rich mouthfeel. What better sauce to make than Beurre Blanc: a remarkable light French butter sauce.

The starting point of a Beurre Blanc is similar to that of Hollandaise and Béarnaise: a reduction made with shallot, vinegar, tarragon, black pepper and white wine. Inspired by Dutch chef Erik van Loo we added some Noilly Prat to the castric.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our Asparagus with a glass of white Rioja. The wine is made by Vivanco with three Spanish grapes: Viura, Tempranillo Blanco (a grape discovered in 1988) and Maturana Blanca (a local grape that goes back to 1622). The result is a bright, intense white wine with aromas of citrus fruit and green apples. Fresh, tasty and a great match with the flavours of the asparagus and Beurre Blanc.
In general, we suggest a non-oaked, fresh, dry white wine, with clear acidity. 

What You Need
  • For the Castric (25 ml)
    • 5 ml White Vinegar
    • 50 ml dry White Wine
    • 20 ml Noilly Prat
    • One coarsely crushed corn of Black Pepper
  • For the Beurre Blanc
    • 25 ml Castric
    • 60 grams of cold Butter
  • 6 Asparagus
What You Do
  1. Start by making the Castric
  2. Chop the shallot
  3. Combine all ingredients and leave to reduce by 2/3 on low heat
  4. Pass through a sieve; try to capture the juices of the shallot
  5. Set aside
  6. Peel the asparagus and remove one centimetre from the bottom
  7. Steam for 15 – 20 minutes
  8. Remove the asparagus from the steamer and allow to rest for 5 minutes
  9. Make the Beurre Blanc
    • Warm the Castric
    • Dice the butter
    • Add the butter, one by one, to the Castric
    • Whisk (either by hand or by using a hand blender)
    • Make sure the butter has completely dissolved before you add the next dice of butter
    • Whisk and repeat
  10. Serve the asparagus with the sauce on a luke warm plate
Asparagus with Beurre Blanc
Asparagus with Beurre Blanc ©cadwu

Pasta with Duck

5 June 2025

A few weeks ago we enjoyed Pappardelle al Ragù d’Anatra at restaurant Rigatoni in Haarlem. We loved the combination of pasta and duck so we decided to look into this Italian classic. We found a recipe in La Scienza in Cucina e l’Arte di Mangiar Bene by Pellegrino Artusi, published in 1891. His recipe (number 272) combines a whole duck with celery stalk, parsley, carrot and onion. When everything is nicely cooked, he removes the duck from the pan, passes the sauce through a sieve, removes the duck fat and adds some butter. The duck is served with Pappardelle and Parmesan cheese. The vegetables are served separately.

We decided to use orecchiette and fresh duck leg. Orecchiette is a pasta typical for the very south of Italy whereas Pappardelle al Ragù d’Anatra is typical for Venice. Using orecchiette is probably not-done from an Italian point of view, but we simply love the way it combines with this duck-based sauce.

Wine Pairing

The restaurant served the dish with a glass of Corvina, which we think was an excellent choice. The wine is made in the Veneto region, not far from Venice, with 100% corvina grapes. In general, we suggest a light to medium bodied, unoaked, red wine with aromas of red fruit. Its taste should be pleasant and warm with good acidity. A red wine that should be served slightly chilled.

What You Need
  • Duck leg
  • Olive Oil
  • Carrot
  • Celery stalk
  • Onion
  • Bay Leaf
  • White wine
  • Tomatoes
  • Stock
  • Orecchiette
  • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Start by preparing the duck.
  2. Preheat the oven to 150 °C or 300 °F
  3. Heat a skillet and fry both sides of the leg until golden.
  4. Transfer the duck to the oven for one hour, skin on top
  5. After an hour, check if the duck is well done and moist
  6. Let cool
  7. Remove the skin from the meat and the meat from the bones
  8. Very coarsely chop (or pull) the meat.
  9. Set the skin aside
  10. Chop onion, finely chop carrot, thinly slice the celery stalk
  11. Heat a large pan, add olive oil and gently fry onion, carrot and celery.
  12. After 5 minutes add the duck meat and the bay leaf
  13. Add a splash of white wine and allow to evaporate
  14. Add the tomatoes (if using fresh tomatoes, then peeled and deseeded)
  15. Add stock
  16. Cook for 60 minutes
  17. Add more stock if required
  18. In parallel
    • Cook the orecchiette al dente
    • Heat a small skillet
    • Add some olive oil
    • Slice small squares of the skin of the duck
    • Fry these until crispy
    • Add some black pepper and Parmesan cheese to the ragù
  19. Serve the pasta with the sauce and decorate with the crispy duck skin and grated Parmesan cheese
PS
  • You can skip steps 1 to 6 by using Confit of Duck. We tried it, even though we assumed it would be too salty or its flavour not suitable. But we were wrong, it worked very well.
  • Some recipes use breast of duck, which we think is too lean for a ragù.
Orecchiette al Ragù d’Anatra ©cadwu
Pasta with Duck ©cadwu

Asparagus Salad with Basil and Olives

22 May 2025

Over the years we posted a range of recipes with asparagus, such as classic asparagus with ham and eggs, Mediterranean grilled asparagus with Parmesan cheese or Asian asparagus with miso. During one of the first warm evenings of this year we prepared a very tasty, simple salad with green asparagus, basil and black olives. A very limited list of ingredients, but there is no need to add anything else. The olives bring umami, the asparagus sweetness and bitterness, the basil is aromatic, sweet and a touch peppery. A very uplifting combination.

Wine Pairing

Best to enjoy with a nice glass of Rosé: dry, crisp, floral and flavourful. For instance Monte del Frà Bardolino Chiaretto. It’s a wine with delicate scents of berries accompanied by light and refreshing hints of green apples and subtle spicy tones. On the palate the wine reveals juicy sensations of red berries along with an appealing and refreshing acidity.

What You Need
  • Green Asparagus
  • Black Olives
  • Basil
  • Black Pepper
  • Olive Oil
What You Do
  1. Wash the asparagus and dry
  2. Remove the bottom of the asparagus. Be generous, you don’t want to serve a chewy salad
  3. Heat a heavy iron pan, add olive oil
  4. Slice the asparagus and transfer to the pan. Don’t add the tips
  5. Stir.
  6. After 5 minutes add the tips
  7. After another 5 minutes the asparagus will be ready. Taste and leave on medium heat if you feel they need more time
  8. Let cool
  9. Halve the olives
  10. Combine the asparagus with olives, basil and black pepper
Asparagus Salad ©cadwu
Asparagus Salad ©cadwu

Cod with Miso

3 April 2025

Marinating is such an interesting way of preparing food. It can be used to make food (meat) softer, to add flavour or colour, it can be acidic, it can be enzymatic, sometimes it requires only a few minutes, sometimes it takes days.

One of our favourite recipes by Antonio Carlucci is a salad made with maitake, fresh scallops, crab and shrimps. It’s an amazing result, with lots of pleasant flavours, also thanks to the cilantro, dill and parsley. Part of the fun is that the scallops are not seared but prepared with a marinade of lemon, a process that takes a few minutes only.

In this case we want to add flavour (and a bit of colour) to already very tasty cod. The duration depends on the shape of the fillet, in our case it was 30 minutes. You will taste delicious cod with a touch of umami and sweetness and you will smell the aromas of the marinade. The pickles will give the dish a crunchy and briny touch.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of our favourite sake: Junmai Taru Sake as produced by Kiku-Masamune. The sake is matured in barrels made of the finest Yoshino cedar, which is reflected in its aroma and flavor. The sake will clear your palate and allow for the more intense taste of the marinated cod.

If you decide to pair the dish with a white wine, then we suggest an aromatic, fresh and fruity wine, with aromas of citrus and apple. The wine should be uplifting and juicy with a light character.

What You Need
  • Fillet of Cod
  • 1 tablespoon of Miso
  • 1 tablespoon of Mirin
  • ¼ tablespoon Soy Sauce (preferably with less salt)
  • ½ tablespoon of Rice Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon of Sesame Oil
  • Pickled Cucumber
What You Do
  1. Combine miso, mirin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and mustard. Be careful with the soy sauce, you’re looking for a balanced mixture.
  2. Dry the cod and leave to marinate in the mixture for 30 minutes.
  3. Transfer the cod without excess marinade and fry in a warm pan until done.
    • The fish should be opaque and flaky. Its internal temperature 60 – 63 °C or 140 – 145 °F
    • The sugars in the marinade burn easily, so the pan shouldn’t be too warm.
  4. Serve on a warm plate with the pickles.
Variations

You can also prepare this dish with haddock (although it’s perhaps too delicate), ling or pollack.
If you want a spicier marinade, then add grated fresh ginger. Crushed cilantro seeds will add more depth to the taste.

Cod with Miso ©cadwu
Cod with Miso ©cadwu

King Oyster Mushrooms

27 February 2025

The King Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus Eryngii, also known as Eryngi, King Trumpet Mushroom, Pleurote de Panicaut and Seta de Cardo) is a very tasty, large oyster mushroom with a great meaty texture. 
One of its Dutch names is intriguing: Kruisdisteloesterzwam. The name consists of two parts: the second half is obvious, but why the reference to a plant called Kruisdistel? The King Oyster Mushroom is a parasite on the roots of plants, in general on herbaceous plants and especially on the roots of the Kruisdistel (Eryngium campestre) which brings us nicely back to the name Eryngi.
We often buy Eryngi at our local Asian Supermarket, so we assumed the mushroom is native to China or Japan. Much to our surprise it turns out to be a native to the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and North Africa. Its Italian name is Cardoncello and it’s common in regions such as Calabria and Puglia. Cardoncello is combined with tomatoes and served with orecchiette. Sounds like a delicious dish to us!
But it does raise the question why they’re often sold in Asian supermarkets and why so many recipes combine it with Asian ingredients. Anyone?
We decided to combine Eryngi with very different ingredients, including fried polenta and grilled pancetta. The result is a delicious combination with lots of textures and flavours.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed the combination with a glass of Rosé, produced by Lionel Osmin, from the Fronton area just north of the French city of Toulouse. The grape used to make this wine was the négrette, a grape that has been used to produce red and rosé wines in the Fronton region since perhaps the 12th century. The wine was low in acidity and had aromas such as violet and strawberry. It was a supple, fruity, balanced wine. In general we would suggest a relatively easy wine, but the wine must have sufficient character, thinking of the different flavours in the dish.

What You Need
  • For the Mash
    • Green Peas
    • Parsley
    • Olive Oil
    • White Pepper
    • Pinch of Salt
  • For the Fried Polenta
    • Polenta
    • (optional) Parmesan Cheese
    • (optional) Vegetable Stock
  • For the Mushrooms
    • King Oyster Mushrooms
    • Olive Oil
    • Black Pepper
  • Pancetta or Speck
What You Do
  1. Cook the polenta (in vegetable stock) according to the package until ready. You could add Parmesan Cheese.
  2. Pour the polenta onto a plate and smooth it into an even layer (1,5 centimetres) with a spatula.
  3. Cool to room temperature.
  4. Cover with plastic foil and transfer to the refrigerator for use the next day.
  5. Cook the peas for one or two minutes in water or vegetable stock (preferred). They should have a bite.
  6. Chop the parsley and combine drained peas with parsley, white pepper and a pinch of salt.
  7. Blender. Add olive oil and mix. Taste and adjust. The mash can be prepared in advance.
  8. Turn out the polenta onto a cutting board.
  9. Cut it into a shape you like (strips, triangles, circles).
  10. Fry in a generous amount of relatively hot olive oil in a non-stick pan until golden, probably 2*3 minutes. 
  11. In parallel clean the mushroom and slice (not too thin). Some suggest slicing the mushroom horizontally, but then you lose its impressive shape.
  12. Fry in olive oil until golden brown, probably 2*5 minutes.
  13. Add just a hint of black pepper before serving.
  14. Warm the mash.
  15. Also in parallel: grill speck or pancetta for 3 minutes until crispy.
  16. Assemble and serve on a warm plate. 
King Oyster Mushrooms ©cadwu
King Oyster Mushrooms © Holger Krisp

Scallop Gratin

13 February 2025

Scallops (or Coquilles Saint-Jacques) are a seasonal product. In France they are available from October 1st until May 15th. In Nantucket the season runs from November 1st through March. Perhaps your fishmonger sells scallops all year round. Most likely they were frozen which massively impacts the flavour and texture. Scallops must be fresh. If possible, buy them in their shell (opening them is not difficult, cleaning them can be a bit messy, this video explains more) or ask your fishmonger to do so.

Recently John Rieber and Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen published great recipes with Nantucket Bay Scallops. We bought French scallops from the Normandy region and prepared three dishes, one following Dorothy’s recipe, one classic gratin and one modern gratin.

Earlier we wrote about Vacherin Fribourgeois. This cheese originates from the region around the Swiss city Fribourg. It’s a semi-hard, creamy cheese made with raw cow milk. It matures for some ten weeks in a damp cellar. Its taste is aromatic, floral, full-bodied and lasting, with a touch of sweetness, bitterness and umami. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get hold of. It can be replaced by a combination of Gruyere and Appenzeller. Emmentaler is not an option because when you melt it, it gets stringy.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of white Macon with our Gratin de Coquilles Saint-Jacques. In general you’re looking for a fresh, round white wine, with notes of citrus and pepper, minerality and a touch sweetness.

What You Need (Modern Gratin)
  • Scallops
  • Leek
  • Vacherin Fribourgeois
  • Olive Oil
  • Black Pepper
What You Do

This is our preferred version. The dish is an interesting combination of sweetness, richness, aromas and textures. It’s fun to serve in a shell, but it makes for challenging eating. Better to serve in ramekin, which also allows you to serve three scallops per person!

  1. Thinly slice the white of a leek and leave it for 30+ minutes in a pan with olive oil on very low heat.
  2. Taste the leek, it should have just a little bite and it should still have the distinct flavour and aroma of leek.
  3. Add some black pepper.
  4. Preheat the oven to 220 °C or 430 °F.
  5. Heat a small non-stick pan and quickly colour the scallops.
  6. Add some of the leek mixture to the shell.
  7. Place the scallops on top.
  8. Add grated cheese.
  9. Transfer to the oven and serve when the cheese has melted, probably after three minutes.
What You Need (Classic Gratin)
  • Scallops
  • Shallot
  • Double Cream
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Butter
  • White Wine
  • All Purpose Flour
  • Black Pepper
What You Do

The idea is to make a sauce, combine the sauce with the scallops, top with breadcrumbs and grill until golden. Alternative ingredients include fish fumet, parsley, cheese and mushrooms. If you coarsely chop the scallops, then the scallops are more evenly spread in the sauce. 

  1. Fry the scallops quickly in a hot pan with olive oil, just to give them extra flavour and colour.
  2. Set the scallops aside, reduce heat, add finely chopped shallot to the pan and glaze.
  3. Add some butter and flour to the pan; make a roux.
  4. Add white wine, let reduce a bit, add cream.
  5. If the sauce is too thick then add some liquid.
  6. Add some black pepper.
  7. Place the scallop(s) in a shell, add sauce and top with breadcrumbs.
  8. Grill for three minutes or until golden.
PS

Yes, we serve our scallops with roe. Why discard it? The roe is flavourful and brings another texture to the combination.
Other very tasty recipes: scallops with cauliflower or with potatoes and truffle.

Scallop Gratin Modern ©cadwu
Scallop Gratin Classic © cadwu
Scallops with Oyster Mushrooms ©cadwu

Mushrooms and Miso

23 January 2025

Shiitake is becoming more and more available. It has a unique flavour, savoury, meaty, earthy and it is rich in umami. The name is a combination of shii (a tree native to Japan and Korea, also known as the Japanese Chinquapin) and take (meaning mushroom, as in matsutake and maitake). The mushroom grows on decaying wood, not only on shii but also on other trees such as oaks and chestnuts. It’s fun to buy a shiitake log and grow your own mushrooms. 
In this dish we combine shiitake and oyster mushrooms. These two have very different structures, which adds value to the dish.

Wine Pairing

Enjoy your Mushrooms with Miso with a lightly oaked chardonnay. The oakiness of the wine will match well with the umami and miso flavours. The richness of the chardonnay will be very nice with the mushrooms.

What You Need
  • 100 grams Shiitake
  • 100 grams Oyster Mushrooms
  • Fresh Ginger
  • One Garlic Clove
  • One Scallion
  • Miso
  • Mirin
  • Soy Sauce (light)
  • Olive Oil
  • Black pepper
What You Do

Remove the stem of the shiitake, slice the caps and tear the oyster mushrooms. Fry in olive oil. Add thinly sliced white of the scallion. Add chopped garlic. Combine a teaspoon of miso with one tablespoon of mirin and one tablespoon of light soy sauce. If using thicker soy sauce, add some water. Mix and taste. It should be both salty and umami. Add some of the mixture to the mushroom. Coat the mushrooms with the miso mixture. Add more mixture if required. Be careful, you don’t want a sauce. When ready to serve add some black pepper, freshly grated ginger, the thinly sliced green of the scallion. Combine and serve. 

PS

Don’t throw the stems away! Simply add them to a pan with water, bring to a boil and leave to simmer for 30-60 minutes. Strain and store the broth. It freezes well.

Mushrooms and Miso ©cadwu
Shiitake ©Sharon Mollerus

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

9 January 2025

It’s the time of year to enjoy simple, seasonal, rich and flavourful food, for instance spicy pumpkin soup. The trick in this case is in the coconut milk or cream. Coconut milk contains something like 15 grams of fat per 100ml. For this soup you need 25+ grams of fat per 100ml. The fat enhances the coconut flavour and it combines very well with the spicy and aromatic character of the soup (ginger, chili, djeroek poeroet).

What You Need (for 4)
  • Small Pumpkin
  • Large Shallot
  • 2 large Garlic Cloves
  • 4 cm Fresh Ginger
  • Chili Pepper
  • Olive Oil
  • 8 leaves of Djeroek Poeroet  
  • Coconut Cream
  • Cilantro
What You Do

Wash the pumpkin and chop. If the pumpkin is organic, then you don’t need to peel it. Peel and chop the shallot, garlic and the ginger. Ground dried chili pepper. Gently fry the shallot in olive oil. Add chilli pepper. Add ginger. Stir, mix and add pumpkin. Stir and add garlic. Now add the vegetable stock, the djeroek poeroet and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. If the pumpkin is soft, remove the djeroek poeroet and blender the mixture. Taste and adjust. Add 6 spoons of coconut cream, 1 by 1, mix and taste. When you’re happy with the flavours, leave the soup on low heat for 15 minutes. Serve with lots of chopped cilantro.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup ©cadwu
Spicy Pumpkin Soup ©cadwu