Cook and Drink

Tomato and Halloumi Salad

7 December 2023

A simple and lovely salad, one that works very well as a starter with some crusted bread. Tomatoes, a touch of mint, parsley and warm halloumi. One of the first times we made this we used homegrown, ripe and tasty tomatoes. We also prepared the dish using tomatoes that were rather bland. That wasn’t much of a success.
The history of halloumi goes back centuries. Nowadays it’s a cheese made of goat’s and sheep’s milk. Sometimes cow’s milk is added to the mixture. In the EU it’s a protected product and must be produced in Cyprus. Because of its high melting point it’s ideal to grill or fry, although it can remain a bit firm and chewy. During the final phase of the production process the cheese is salted and sprinkled with chopped spearmint leaves.
Mint is also an essential ingredient of the salad. We tend to use it only occasionally because mint can be overpowering. It works very well in combination with the cheese and the tomatoes. It gives a boost to the flavours without being overly present.

Wine Pairing

A glass of rosé, a simple unoaked white wine or a beer will be great with the salad. When looking for a wine to go with a salad, make sure to think about the acidity. In general a more acidic salad requires a more acidic wine. The combination will make the wine fruiter and the salad softer. In this case the tomatoes, the dressing and the capers bring acidity. However, marinating the tomatoes makes the salad softer and emphasises the sweetness of the tomatoes.

What You Need

Six excellent, tasty, ripe Tomatoes
6 leaves of Mint
Parsley
Olive Oil
Vinegar
Teaspoon of Capers (in brine)
Black Pepper
Halloumi

What you Do

Core and slice the tomatoes. Chop the parsley and the mint. Combine oil and vinegar, add tomatoes, mix and add the herbs. Transfer to the refrigerator for a few hours. Mix every hour.
Slice the halloumi and fry on medium heat in olive oil. Turn regularly. Add the capers to the salad, mix, top with the fried halloumi and serve immediately with crusted bread.

Enoki with Eggs and Soy Sauce

1 December 2023

Enoki is one of the most popular mushrooms. It’s been cultivated for many years (or better: centuries) and it is available in Asian supermarkets as enokitake. The cultivated enoki grows in the dark, hence it being white, and needle shaped with a small cap. Wild enoki benefits from the exposure to light and becomes brown and its shape is more mushroom-like. The golden enoki we use is also cultivated.

Enoki has a pleasant texture and aroma. Its flavour is mild, a bit sweet and fruity. You can use it raw in a salad, in a soup or combine it with soba noodles. Combining it with pork is also a great idea. We decided to prepare an omelette with a light soy sauce. The result is a lovely sweet, rich and intriguing omelette.
We’re not sure if it’s an appetizer in its own right or that is should be served alongside other dishes. Suggestions welcome!

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our golden enoki with a very special wine: Sint Catharinadal Norbertus 2022. The wine is made in the Netherlands by the sisters of the Norbetine convent, founded in 1271. For centuries the sisters used the grounds for cattle and corn. Since 2017 they also produce wine, with the help of many volunteers and experts. Their motto is I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Amongst the grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Auxerrois and Gamay. We would suggest opening a bottle of their white wine. It has subtle aromas (apple, pear, melon), some acidity and its taste is very pleasant (fruit, touch of almonds).
More information (in Dutch only) on their website. The wine can be bought via Les Généreux.

What You Need

100 grams of (Golden) Enoki
2 Eggs
Light Soy Sauce (we used Tsuyu)
3 cloves of Garlic
½ red Chilli Pepper
2 Spring Onions (Scallions)
Olive Oil

What You Do

Remove the stem (bottom) of the enoki. Blanch the mushrooms for 60 seconds in very hot water. Remove and pat dry using kitchen paper. Start making a sauce with soy sauce, garlic, pepper and spring onions. Reduce. Fry the mushrooms in oil, just to remove excess water. Reduce temperature. Beat the eggs and add the mixture to the pan. Allow to become a moist omelette on very low heat. Remember not to fry it! The egg should set and become baveuse. Transfer the omelette to a plate, use a spoon to cover the omelette with the liquid and decorate with a mixture of garlic, spring onion and chilli pepper.

Cèpes, Lentils and Duck

23 November 2023

Let’s celebrate the season by preparing a very simple, tasty starter with cèpes, the all-time favourite mushroom of many people. It is great when fried in olive oil with garlic and parsley, wonderful in a risotto and equally tasty when prepared à la Bordelaise. This starter is a bit more complex. It combines the nutty, rustic flavour of lentils with the fatty richness of foie gras and smokiness. The dish is a true appetizer.

Wine Pairing

We would suggest a white wine with some floral notes and only a touch of sweetness. A pinot gris or perhaps a gewürztraminer? Sweetness will go very well with the foie gras and the smoked duck, but it’s not a great match with the cèpes.

We could also imagine opening a bottle of Arbois Savagnin 2018. This complex, white wine is made from the Savagnin grape and is produced in the far east of France, the Jura. It comes with aromas that will make you think of nuts, curry and even umami. When tasting it, you may think the wine is off, given it is slightly oxidized. In this case it’s a good thing. Enjoy the savoury, nutty taste of the wine in combination with the various flavours in the dish.

What You Need

150 grams of Cèpes
Du Puy Lentils (from Sabarot)
Smoked Breast of Duck
Terrine de Foie Gras de Canard
Neutral Oil (we used Avocado Oil)
Butter
Black Pepper

What You Do

Remove the smoked breast of duck from the refrigerator. Wash the lentils and cook for some 20 minutes. Drain and allow to cool. Add one or two teaspoons of oil, to coat the lentils and enhance their flavour. Add some black pepper. Clean the mushrooms and slice. Not too thin, the idea is to have a moist mushroom with a thin crust. Fry the mushrooms in butter. Plate up by making a circle of lentils and decorate with slices of smoked duck, cèpes and very thin slices of terrine.

PS

Avocado oil seems a bit exotic, but actually it has a very high smoking point so it’s great for frying and baking. When used in a salad, you will notice the oil is light and fresh.

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

Farfalle with Fennel and Zucchini

9 November 2023

It was our last evening in Paris and we wondered what to do? Book a table at a nice local restaurant? Or enjoy drinks and dinner in our lovely apartment? Obviously, we decided to stay in. We looked in our refrigerator, did some shopping and sat down with a nice glass of Pinot Blanc and some shrimps. The plan was to make a rich, creamy pasta dish with fennel, zucchini and pancetta.
Thanks to the mild aniseed flavour of the fennel, the dish has a surprisingly uplifting taste. The (peeled) zucchini also benefits from the aniseed flavour and remains tasty and present.

Wine Pairing

Being in France we opened a bottle of Côtes du Rhône produced by Maison M. Chapoutier. This is a red wine made with Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah grapes. The wine has some fruit, a touch of pepper and mild tannins. A traditional French red wine.

If you prefer an Italian wine with the pasta, then we would suggest a glass of Bardolino, for instance the one produced by Monte del Frà. The wine has a beautiful deep red colour, and the aromas made us think of red fruit and perhaps pepper. The wine is medium bodied with some acidity. It will combine very well with both the lightness in the dish and the creaminess.
In general, you’re looking for a fruity red wine with a touch of acidity, for example Chianti Classico, Montepulciano or Barbera.

What You Need

1 small Fennel
1 small Zucchini (Courgette)
1 Shallot
80 grams of organic Pancetta
1 Garlic Clove
1 Bay Leaf
Piment Doux
Cream
Parmesan Cheese
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
Farfalle

What You Do

Finely chop the shallot and the fennel. Add olive oil to a warm skillet and gently fry the shallot and the fennel. Peel the zucchini, slice and quarter. Dice the pancetta. Chop the garlic. Now add the zucchini and the pancetta to the pan. Increase the heat and fry for one or two minutes, just to add colour. Reduce the heat, add the garlic, the bay leaf and the piment doux. Add the farfalle to the boiling water and cook according to the instruction on the package. Leave the pan on low heat for a few minutes. Now add the cream and the Parmesan cheese. Stir and taste. When the farfalle is ready, add it to the pan. Combine and add some cooking liquid to the sauce if needed. Remove the bay leaf, add some fresh black pepper and serve. We decorated the dish with a slice of grilled pancetta.

Farfalle with Fennel and Zucchini ©cadwu

Pike Perch with Shrimps and Dill

2 November 2023

Pike Perch (zander, snoekbaars, sandre) is one of the tastiest, flavour-packed freshwater fish. The flesh is white, firm and lean and the taste is delicate, mild and perhaps a touch sweet. It combines very well, for instance with this delicious shrimp-based sauce with dill. It seems to be a bit of work, but when you prepare the bisque-like sauce in advance, then it’s actually a very quick recipe.

Wine Pairing

We opened a bottle of Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet 2022. This is a white wine from the South of France between Narbonne and Montpellier. The terroir (think calcareous soil, clay, quartz) is influenced by the sea, which is reflected in the mineral taste of the wine.
If you feel like spending more money, then we suggest a glass of Chablis. In general you’re looking for a refreshing, unoaked white wine with minerality and fresh acidity.

What You Need

Pike Perch fillets
Butter
For the Bisque
- 300 grams of unpeeled small Grey Shrimps
- Tomato Paste
- 1 Shallot
- 1 Garlic Clove
- Dill
- Olive oil
- Saffron
- Cognac
- Salt
- Butter

What You Do

Start by peeling the shrimps. It’s a very simple, mindfulness exercise. Remove the heads and discard. Use the shells for the bisque and transfer the bodies of the shrimps to the refrigerator. Chop the shallot and the garlic. Gently glaze the shallot for 10 minutes or so in olive oil. Add the shells and the garlic. Increase the heat for a few seconds. Add some water. Stir. Add tomato paste, dill and saffron. Add a splash of cognac and a pinch of salt. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Pass the liquid through a fine sieve. Make sure you get all the lovely juices. Reduce the liquid until it’s powerful. Cool and set aside.
Transfer the shrimps from the refrigerator. In a non-stick pan heat some butter and fry the pike-perch. In parallel warm the bisque. Use ice cold butter to make the sauce thicker and richer. Plate up by creating a pool of sauce. Place the fried fish somewhat in the middle of the sauce. Add the shrimps and finish with some fresh dill.

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

Pear and Chocolate Pie

12 October 2023

A few weeks ago, we were very pleased to win the Great Bloggers Bake Off award in the pie-category with a Pear and Almond Pie. A delicious, uplifting combination that works very well thanks to the crème fraîche and the calvados. The Bake Off is organised by A Jeanne in the Kitchen.

Pear and chocolate is a match made in heaven, that’s why we decided to make a Pear and Chocolate Pie. The result is a rich, intense flavoured pie. A small slice with an espresso will make for a very nice dessert.

What You Need

Dough
- 50 grams White Caster sugar
- 100 grams soft Butter
- ½ teaspoon grated Lemon Peel
- Pinch of Salt
- ½ Egg
- 3 grams Baking Powder
- 150 grams All Purpose Flour
Almond Paste
- 225 grams of White Caster Sugar
- 250 grams of Almond Flour
- One Egg
- Lemon zest
Filling
- 200 grams Chocolate
- 50 grams Double Cream
- 50 grams Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
- Pears, preferably Doyenné du Comice (or Conference)
Decoration
- Whipped Cream
- Cinnamon Powder

What You Do

Start by making the Dough. Beat the egg. Combine sugar and butter until smooth. Add Lemon zest and salt. Mix. Add the egg. Mix. Combine baking powder and flour. Pass through a sieve and add to the mixture. Best is to use a kitchen mixer with kneading hooks. Wrap in foil and transfer to the refrigerator for at least two hours. The dough freezes well so not a problem if you’ve made too much.

Now make the Almond Paste. Combine almond flour and sugar. Add one beaten egg and (optional) lemon zest. Mix until you have a paste. Keeps well in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for months. You could also use 250 grams of white almonds. Grind these and continue as if almond flour. In this case you need half the quantity (or less).

Preheat the oven to 180 °C or 355 °F. Coat your pie tin with butter (we used a 15 cm, 6 inch tin). Roll out the dough, it should be 5 mm (0.20 inch). Line the tin with the dough. Don’t worry if the dough breaks; it’s easy to repair. Remove the excess dough. Line with aluminium foil or parchment paper, add baking beans and bake the pie blind for 15 minutes.

When the pie is in the oven, it’s time to make the Filling. We used cooking chocolate, that makes life a lot easier. Add the broken chocolate to the cream and melt gently in the microwave (set to low power) or au bain-marie. Add sugar. Allow to cool. Lukewarm is fine. Beat the egg.

Use almond paste to make a thin layer on the bottom of the pie. Take half of the chocolate mixture and (using a spatula) add a layer of chocolate on top of the almond paste. Add the egg to the remaining chocolate, mix well and make a third layer. Peel the pears, quarter and push the pears into the mixture. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes (depending on the pears and the mixture).
Allow to cool and then remove from the tin.

Bistro Cooking

5 October 2023

Recently we reviewed Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells as part of the ongoing cookbook review project by Bernadette. The book made us think about a lunch we enjoyed years ago in Paris. It was a nice small bistro in a small street, off centre, 15^th arrondissement, nothing fancy and not a Michelin star in sight. We entered the restaurant and ordered today’s dish, the plat du jour. It turned out to be a generous helping of lentils with two fried sausages, mashed potatoes and mustard. A beer worked beautifully with it. After having enjoyed our lunch, we talked about the joy of good food, French mustard and the beauty of lentils. Time for coffee.

It’s the kind of dish you would expect in a book called Bistro Cooking by. In the book we found two recipes with lentils, one salad and one soup with smoked sausages, the delicious Montbéliard.

Salad

When going through the index we spotted a recipe for a salad with squid, tomatoes, thyme and red wine vinegar. Unfortunately, our fish monger is on holiday, so we had to use pre-cooked octopus as an alternative. The salad is colourful, tasty and uplifting. A great starter, especially when enjoyed with a glass of rosé.

Flo

For many years Brasserie Flo was not only the name of an excellent brasserie in Paris, it was also a chain of restaurants in Nice, Metz, Barcelona and of course Paris (Julien, Terminus Nord, La Coupole and many more). In 2018 the original Brasserie Flo was renamed Floderer, after one of its founders.

One of the recipes in Bistro Cooking is called Brasserie Flo’s Roast Duck. The name caught our attention and we decided to prepare it. The main ingredient is a whole duck, roasted in the oven. A bit too much for the two of us so we decided to combine the vegetable sauce with pan fried breast of duck. We expected the sauce to be fairly simple (tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, Herbes de Provence) but the result was delicious and a great accompaniment of the duck.

Patricia Wells serves her duck with a glass of Julienas, a cru from the Beaujolais. Very good choice. We opened a bottle of Gamay made by Domaine La Tour Beaumont from the Loire region.

The Book

Bistro Cooking includes pictures of typical Bistro scenes showing waiters serving food, people reading their paper and enjoying a small coffee or guests sitting on a small terrace drinking an aperitif while chatting with friends. The pictures illustrate the typical bistro atmosphere and show France like it was and sometimes, if you’re lucky, still is.
All recipes benefit from a nice introduction, discussing the origin of the recipe or one of the ingredients.

Both recipes can be found on Bernadette’s New Classic Recipe.

Bistro cooking is available via your local bookstore or the usual channels for 25 Euro or US dollar.

The Art of Flavours

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What you Do

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

PS

Asafoetida

The Book

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

Wine Pairing

What You Need

What You Do

Pâté en Croûte

Sauce

Guineafowl

What You Need

What You Do

Salad

Flo

The Book