vegetarian – Page 4 – Cook and Drink

Asparagus with Chervil

6 June 2024

One of the classic ways of serving asparagus is à la Flamande (Op Vlaamse wijze) with melted butter, boiled eggs, parsley and nutmeg. The mixture of melted butter and egg is like a sauce, delicious with the asparagus. In this case we add lots of chopped chervil to the mixture of melted butter and eggs, making it a light combination of bitter, crunchy and sweet (the asparagus) and velvety, anise-flavoured and savory (the mixture).

Wine Pairing

Serve the asparagus with a dry, white wine, for instance a glass of Silvaner produced by the German Winery Thörle. The wine comes with freshness, some acidity, minerality and fruit (pear, green apples). Excellent with our asparagus. A dry muscat will also be perfect.
We decided to take a different approach and balance the lightness in the dish with a Portuguese white wine, made from chardonnay grapes and aged for 4 months in oak barrels. It is produced by Casa Ermelinda, a winery some 20 kilometers south of Lisbon in the Setúbal region with over 550 hectares of vineyards and 29 different grape varieties. The barrel aged chardonnay is Intense and comes with a complex bouquet of exotic fruits. The wine is balanced, fresh, elegant and long..

What You Need

4 Asparagus per person
2 Eggs
Chervil
Butter
White Pepper

What You Do

We use our Russel and Hobbs food steamer to prepare the asparagus. An essential kitchen aid for only 50 euro or US dollar.
Clean and peel the asparagus. Put butter in a cup. Steam them for 10+5+5 minutes. After 10 minutes add the eggs to the steamer basket. After 5 minutes, turn the eggs upside down and place the cup in the steamer basket. Another 5 minutes later everything is ready. Chop the chervil. Peel the egg and mash with a fork, creating a ‘mimosa’ of egg. Combine mimosa and chervil. Add some white pepper. Add the butter to the mixture and combine. Spoon the egg mixture on top of the asparagus.

Asparagus a la Flamande ©cadwu — Asparagus with Chervil ©cadwu

Small Artichokes (Carciofo Violetto)

14 March 2024

The season of artichokes depends on the variety and where you are based. In Italy it’s from mid-winter until early spring, in other countries from March to June, or September and October.
An artichoke should feel heavy, look fresh and the leaves should be closed. If the leaves are wide open, the artichoke is older and it could be dry with lots of choke (the hairs) and dry inner leaves.
The artichokes we use in this recipe are special. Not only are they vibrant purple, they are also small with hardly any choke. In Italy they are called Carciofo Violetto. Tasty as you would expect from an artichoke and easy to eat because the texture of the leaves is not stringy.

Wine Pairing

It’s not straightforward to pair artichokes with wine. According to various researchers this is due to cynarin, a chemical especially found in the leaves of the artichoke. When the wine and the cynarin meet in your mouth, the natural sweetness of the wine is enhanced, making it taste too sweet. Pair artichokes with a bone-dry, crisp, unoaked white wine with clear, present acidity. For instance, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner or Albariño.
The Carciofo Violetto artichoke in combination with the olive oil, Parmesan cheese and browned garlic (bitter, nutty) is less demanding when it comes to wine. We enjoyed it with a nice glass of Côtes de Provence rosé.

What You Need

Small purple Artichokes
Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic
Parmesan Cheese

What You Do

Preheat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F
Cook the artichokes for 5 minutes in boiling water.
Allow to cool and remove the outer leaves. Be generous, it’s better to remove too many!
Halve the artichokes and place them in a shallow oven dish
Drizzle with olive oil
Transfer to the oven for 5 minutes
In the meantime, grate Parmesan cheese, chop the garlic and mix
Spread the mixture on top of the artichokes
Wait for the cheese and the garlic to colour, perhaps 5 minutes
Serve immediately.

PS

Other recipes with artichokes you may like:

Small Artichokes (Carciofo Violetto) ©cadwu

Small Artichokes (Carciofo Violetto) with Parmesan and Garlic ©cadwu

Oca

22 February 2024

There are so many interesting vegetables and fruits. We’re always keen to try something new, so last year when we found mashua we simply had to try it. And how about sand carrots?
This week we spotted oca at our bio-supermarket. Small red tubers originally from Peru. Hopefully not imported, but we bought them anyway.
Oca (Oxalis tuberosa, known as yams in New Zealand) originate from the Andes. It is grown in the highlands of several countries (Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina). Oca’s are also cultivated in various other countries, including the UK, Mexico, New Zealand and France.
Oca is a member of the family of wood sorrels and the plant has clover-like leaves. The leaves and the stems are also edible. Nutrient wise oca tubers and potatoes are very similar. The oca tubers contain a high amount of vitamin C, calcium and iron. Oca tubers can be acidic, thanks to the presence of oxalic acid. The tubers have a lovely soft, red colour.

Oca tubers can be eaten raw, boiled and baked. We tasted a few slices of raw oca, only to find the texture not great and the taste a bit tangy, radish like. We decided to bake them in olive oil. The result was a pleasant surprise and some of the colour is still visible. The tubers tasted like a really, really good potatoes: soft and nutty.

What You Need

250 grams of Oca
Olive Oil
Black Pepper

What You Do

Preheat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F
Wash the oca’s
Don’t be tempted to peel them because the peel is very tasty
Remove small bits of dirt with a sharp knife
Wash again and dry
Add olive oil to a baking dish
Add the tubers and make sure they are nicely coated
Transfer to the oven and fry for 15-25 minutes, depending on the size
Allow to cool for a few minutes before adding black pepper.

Oca (plant) ©Dick Culbert via commons.wikimedia

Flammkuchen

15 February 2024

We continue our series of very simple, tasty dishes by preparing Flammkuchen (Tarte Flambée in France, Feuerfleck in Austria). The dish originates from the Alsace. The first part of the name refers to fire and flames. The story is that bakers baked bread in wood fired ovens. The oven would initially become too hot, and the bakers had to wait for the oven to cool and reach the right temperature. The Flammkuchen would be the indicator. If it was ready within two minutes or so, then the temperature was right. If it would burn, the oven was too hot, but nothing was wasted.

The dough of Flammkuchen is extremely simple, but also a bit puzzling. In all cases it’s flour, salt, olive oil and water. Some suggest adding egg yolks, others yeast. Adding yeast makes it into a bread dough. Doesn’t it seem obvious that the bakers would use the already prepared dough? Adding egg yolks seems odd too us. Why make a more expensive dough for a product that was to be used as an indicator only?

Back to yeast or no yeast. Which brings us to the question: isn’t Flammkuchen a kind of pizza? They do look very similar, and both are baked in a hot oven, but there are differences. Traditionally Flammkuchen are covered with crème fraîche, lardons and thinly sliced onions. The Flammkuchen should be very thin and very crispy. We think the bakers didn’t use their bread dough but made a quick, simple dough with the sole aim to test the temperature of the oven. Perhaps only water and flour?

Another difference is that Flammkuchen were not on the menu of restaurants until the 1960’s. Probably you would buy them at the local bakery or make them at home. Thanks to the global popularity of pizza, Flammkuchen have gained some visibility.

Drink Pairing

Flammkuchen are tasty, crispy, flavourful and not complex. Enjoy with a glass of white wine, with a beer, or your favourite drink.

What You Need

For the Dough
- 250 grams of Flour
- 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
- 125 ml Water
- Pinch of Salt
Crème Fraîche
Black Pepper
Mushrooms (we used Trompettes de la Mort)
Red Onion

What You Do

Pass the flour through a sieve
Add a pinch of salt and mix
Add water and olive oil and quickly turn the mixture into a dough using your hands
Don’t kneed too long
Leave on room temperature for an hour
Pre-heat your oven to 220 °C or 430 °F
Roll out until very thin, 2 millimetre is perfect.
Add black pepper to the crème fraîche and mix
Place the dough on baking or parchment paper in a baking tray, cover with a layer of crème fraîche, add mushrooms and sliced onion
Bake for 10-12 minutes or so and serve immediately.

Baking Flammkuchen on a higher temperature is preferred, but then you can’t use baking or parchment paper. Best is to use a pizza stone. The baking time will be 3 to 5 minutes on 300 °C or 570 °F.

An invitation to Indian Cooking

16 November 2023

Recently we reviewed An invitation to Indian Cooking (published in 1973) by Madhur Jaffrey as part of the ongoing cookbook review project by Bernadette. When we leaved through the book we were looking for something special, something new and exciting to prepare. Dal soup (the classic Indian soup made with red lentils, onion, various spices and perhaps ginger or orange) was not on our radar, until we read her recipe. Interesting! Yellow Split Peas? Cloves? Croutons? Let’s start cooking!
The soup was very tasty and uplifting. The split peas brought structure to the soup, making this soup different compared to lentil-based dal soup. The combination of peas and cloves is one to remember.

Asafoetida

We’re always interested in new ways to prepare mushrooms, so when we spotted a recipe with cumin and asafoetida (asafetida) we immediately knew we wanted to prepare this dish. But what is actually asafoetida and where to buy it?
The first thing to know about asafoetida is that it has an extremely powerful aroma. Its taste and smell are a combination of onion and garlic. We bought 25 grams at Jacob Hooy which is Amsterdam’s premium shop for spices. The Dutch name is Duivels Drek and the German name Stinkasant. Both names are a clear indication of its pungent smell.
Mushrooms, tomatoes, various spices and asafoetida: we didn’t know what to expect of the dish. The result was delicious, aromatic (in a subtle way) and a tribute to the tomatoes and mushrooms, with a long-lasting taste. We loved it. Mrs. Jaffrey suggest serving the mushrooms with chapatis or pooris. Recipes are included in her book, obviously!

Mushrooms with Cumin and Asafetida ©cadwu

The Book

An invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey is a comprehensive introduction to the Indian kitchen, one with reliable, easy to follow, tasty recipes and useful background information. The book includes chapters on meat, chicken, fish, dal, soups, vegetables, chutneys, breads and desserts. Which reminds us of our plan to make Kulfi (ice cream with milk and cardamon pods).
An invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey is available via your local bookstore or the usual channels for 15 euro or 18 US$.

Recipes can be found on Bernadette’s website.

An invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey ©cadwu

Orecchiette alla Barese

26 October 2023

A traditional dish from the city of Bari in Puglia, Italy. The main ingredients are orecchiette and rapini.
Orecchiette is an ear shaped pasta, typical for this region. Its surface is a bit rough, and the centre (the dent) is thinner than the edge. Its shape makes it ideal for a sauce with structure.
Rapini (Cime di rapa) will no doubt make you think of broccoli, which is not our favourite vegetable. Rapini has more bitterness and character. It is completely edible, including the stem and the leaves. If broccoli is about the florets, rapini is about the stem. If your greengrocer doesn’t sell rapini, then feel free to go for bimi or broccoli and make sure to add bitterness (we added one anchovy to the sauce).
As more often with traditional dishes, it’s not completely clear what the other ingredients are. Anchovies? Italian Sausage? Breadcrumbs? Peccorini? Tomatoes? Garlic?

Wine Pairing

A wine from Puglia will of course combine very well with this dish. Red wines in this region are made from the primitivo grape (also known as zinfandel). In general the wines are fuller bodied, with some acidity, good structure and lots of sunny flavours (blackberries, perhaps chocolate).

What You Need

200 grams of Rapini
150 grams of Italian Sausage
¼ teaspoon Chilli Flakes
Orecchiette
One Anchovy
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil

What You Do

Steam or blanch the rapini
Drain and chop (1 centimeter or inch pieces is fine)
Heat a pan, add some olive oil and the sausage meat
Fry until nicely brown
Remove the meat from the pan
Add some oil and the anchovy
Cook on low heat until the anchovy dissolves (a fork may be useful)
Add the orecchiette to a pan with boiling water and cook until al dente
In parallel prepare the sauce by adding the meat, the chilli flakes, and the vegetables to the pan with the anchovy. Mix
Happy with the sauce?
Remove the pasta from the water and transfer to the sauce. Combine. You may need to add some cooking liquid to the pan.
We served our orecchiette with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional) on warm plates.

Mushroom Season

19 October 2023

So far this year’s mushroom season has been great with lots of delicious Cèpes, Bay Boletes, Birch Boletes and Chanterelles. This Saturday we bought a very tasty autumn Truffle and a day earlier we treated ourselves to Matsu Take. Such a special mushroom. We’re waiting for the Saffron Milk Cap, Spain’s favourite mushroom, and the Caesar’s mushroom, a mushroom much appreciated in Italy.

Since it’s a great year for the Bay Bolete, we thought it would be nice to share some recipes with this mushroom. Its taste is similar to that of the Cèpes or Penny Bun. Perhaps more intense?

Pâté en Croûte

A few years ago we celebrated the mushroom season by preparing a Pâté with bay boletes. The combination of a crispy crust, a structured, colourful filling and various flavours is always a pleasure. It’s good fun to think about the ingredients, work on the construction and enjoy the wonderful aromas from your oven while baking the pâté. And the joy when slicing it: is the pâté as beautiful as you expected it to be?

A red, medium bodied wine will be a great accompaniment of this Pâté en Croûte. In general you’re looking for a red wine with aromas of black fruit, floral notes and delicate wood. The tannins should be soft or well-integrated. We enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir from La Cour Des Dames.

Sauce

Earlier this year we prepared a rich sauce with bay boletes, sage, mustard en crème fraîche. We served the sauce with excelltn veal rib eye and turnip cabbage. The turnip brings frsshness and lightness to the dish, creating a lovely balance.
A fruity, slightly chilled red wine will be great with the dish. We opened a bottle of German Spätburgunder from the Pfalz area. Some dark fruit, strawberries, touch of earthiness, not too complex. One that supported the flavours and aromas of the dish very well.

Guineafowl

Bay boletes combine very well with guineafowl. The meat is leaner, somewhat darker and more flavourful compared to chicken. It is not difficult to prepare, but due to the low-fat content you must be careful not to overcook. In this recipe we use guineafowl supreme (the breast fillet with the skin on plus the wing bone), rosemary, thyme, pancetta and garlic.
Enjoy with a glass of Chiroubles, a cru from the Beaujolais, produced by Domaine Montangeron. The wine has floral notes, aromas of cherries and strawberries. Its colour is pale ruby. Rich, elegant and long. It brings freshness and fruitiness to the dish and is sufficiently complex to remain present when enjoying the guineafowl and the bay bolete.
In general you’re looking for a red wine with freshness, fruity aromas and complexity. Perhaps a Pinot Noir?

More recipes on our website dedicated to mushrooms.

Summer Truffle - Rippitippi / Public domain

Summer Truffle and Egg

1 September 2023

Only a few weeks to go before the end of the summer truffle season. A truffle with mild flavours and aromas but nevertheless great when used in cold dishes, such as truffle mayonnaise or a salad with chicory. We decided to go for a luxurious appetizer with an excellent glass of white wine. We bought 25 grams of truffle (and paid € 12,50) and enjoyed every minute of it.

Wine Pairing

A lightly oaked chardonnay with lots of character will be great with the summer truffle and egg. We opened a bottle of Casa da Passarella Dão A Descoberta Branco. An elegant Portuguese wine with lots of character. Fresh, aromatic, lasting.

What You Need

3 Eggs
Mayonnaise
25 grams of Summer Truffle
(optional) White Pepper

What You Do

Boil the eggs until nearly hard. Peel and allow to cool. Slice in halve, remove the egg yolk and use a fork to create mimosa. Grate half of the summer truffle, combine this with the mimosa and add some mayonnaise, just to get the right consistency. Perhaps some white pepper. Stuff the eggs, cover with cling foil and transfer to the refrigerator. After 2 hours decorate the eggs with thinly sliced summer truffle. Time to sit back, relax and enjoy summer.

Fairy Ring Mushrooms with Tarragon and Fennel

17 August 2023

July was sunny and very warm in some parts of Europe, but not in the Netherlands. Moderate temperatures, a bit of sunshine, sometimes, and lots of rain. Not ideal for sunseekers but very promising for mushroom lovers.
Let’s enjoy one of our favourites, the Fairy Ring Mushroom, a very common mushroom in many countries. It’s a small, very edible mushroom, available from early spring until late autumn. Its taste is a bit sweet (the mushrooms contain a sugar called trehalose) and perhaps that’s why some people suggest using them to make sweet mushroom cookies.

In this recipe we enhance their specific sweetness by combining them with tarragon and fennel. Both come with their own sweetness plus a hint of liquorice and anise. Flavours that go very well with fish, veal and mushrooms. A delicious, aromatic and surprisingly light dish. We served the mushrooms and vegetables with veal rib eye.

Wine Pairing

A glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay could be nice, but we prefer an unoaked Merlot. A fruity red wine with an intense colour and flavours of strawberries and raspberries. For instance a glass of Merlot as produced by Di Lenardo in Italy.

What You Need

What You Need
Mushrooms
- 150 grams of Fairy Ring Mushrooms
- Tarragon
- Vegetable Stock
- Black Pepper
- Olive Oil
Fennel
- One Fennel
- Fennel sprigs
- Olive Oil
Veal Rib Eye

What You Do

Chop the fennel and add it to a pan with some olive oil. Allow to simmer. This may take 20 minutes.
Meanwhile clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper. Remove the stems. Chop the tarragon. Add olive oil to a heavy iron skillet and gently fry the mushrooms. No rush. Add the tarragon. Add one or two cubes of homemade vegetable stock. Reduce.
Happy with the firmness (or softness) of the fennel? Add some fresh tarragon and black pepper to the mushrooms. Taste and adjust. Add some fennel sprigs to the fennel, mix. Serve the fairy ring mushrooms and the fennel with gently fried veal rib eye (with some extra tarragon, obviously!).

Fairy Ring Mushrooms with Tarragon and Fennel ©cadwu

Tartelette aux Myrtilles

10 August 2023

We love seasonal products and although blueberries seem to be available all year round, however, we think they are best during summer. We use them to make a tartelette. Works very well as dessert, but also nice with a cup of afternoon tea.
Earlier we baked the tartelette shell ourselves, based on a recipe of Dutch patissier Cees Holtkamp. You could of course also rely on a French classic, for instance Tarte Tatin by Ginette Mathiot. You could also buy the shell and focus on the filling.

What You Need (Filling)

500 grams of Blueberries
Gelatine
Sugar
Lemon Juice
Cream Cheese
Double Cream

What You Do (Filling)

Wash the blueberries. Keep a handful apart (to be used as decoration). Cook the blueberries with a touch of water and sugar for let’s say 5 minutes. Blender and keep on low heat. Add lemon juice to taste. Follow the instruction on the package of the gelatine. The idea is to thicken the blueberry mixture somewhat, but not to create a gummy layer. Add the gelatine, stir, transfer to the refrigerator and allow to set.
Whip the double cream and the add some cream cheese. We used Philadelphia Original Soft Cheese but you could also use Mascarpone for a fresher result. Taste and perhaps add more cream cheese or some lemon juice.

What You Need (Pâte Sucrée)

50 grams of Butter
125 grams of All Purpose Flour
40 grams of Sugar
1 Egg
Pinch of Salt

What You Do (Crust)

We use tartelette moulds with a diameter of approximately 7 centimetres (2,75 inches). The butter must be soft but not warm (18 °C or 65 °F). Beat the egg. Combine flour, sugar and salt. Dice the butter and knead with the mixture. You could use a hand mixer with kneading hooks. When well mixed, add the egg and knead until you have a nice dough. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
Coat the moulds with butter. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Place it on a floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin. Perhaps dust the dough with flour. Divide the dough into 6 portions and make small circles. Press the pastry onto the bottom and to the sides. Cut of overhanging dough. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 175 °C or 350 °F.
Line with parchment paper and use dry beans to fill the moulds. Blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and the beans. Bake for another 10 minutes. When golden brown, remove the tartelette from the mould and let cool on a grid.

Assemble

When cool and ready to serve, add the blueberry jam, the cream cheese mixture and decorate with remaining blueberries. The tartelette keeps well in the refrigerator for an hour or two. If you store them longer, then the blue of the berries will blur the cream cheese mixture.

The Art of Flavours

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

PS

What You Need

What You Do

Drink Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

Asafoetida

The Book

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

Pâté en Croûte

Sauce

Guineafowl

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

What You Need (Filling)

What You Do (Filling)

What You Need (Pâte Sucrée)

What You Do (Crust)

Assemble