Tag: recipes

Classic Dutch Apple Pie

27 July 2023

Let’s enjoy some real Dutch comfort food, let’s make a classic Dutch Apple Pie, one that is rich and full of flavours. Could be eaten warm, could be served with whipped cream, as long as you use lots of apples, just the right amount of cinnamon and don’t forget to add some lemon zest to the dough.

Apple-wise you’re looking for a tart apple, one that will keep its structure when cooked. If the apple is very high in acid content (for instance the Belle de Boskoop, another Dutch classic, also known as Goudrenet) then you risk having compote in your pie. We prefer using Jonagold. Widely available, tasty, just the right firmness and not expensive.

Making a classic Dutch apple pie is a bit of work, especially when everything is homemade: the dough (shortcrust), the almond paste and the pie itself. Just keep thinking of the delicious result!

What You Need (Dough)

  • 50 grams of White Caster Sugar
  • 100 grams of soft Unsalted Butter
  • ½ Egg (beaten)
  • ½ teaspoon of Lemon Zest
  • 1 gram of Salt
  • 3 grams of Baking Powder
  • 150 grams of All Purpose Flour

What You Do

Adding an egg to the dough makes its flavour richer and the dough will be easier to handle when lining the baking tin. The lemon in the crust will work very well in combination with the cinnamon and the sweetness of the filling. Start by combining the sugar and the butter. Use a hand mixer with kneading hooks. When mixed, add halve of the beaten egg, then add the lemon zest. Combine salt, baking powder and flour. Pass through a sieve and add to the mixture. Use the kneading hooks to mix. When done, remove from the bowl and wrap in foil. Store in the refrigerator for at least two hours. The dough freezes well, so it’s a great idea to make a bit extra.

What You Need (Almond Paste)

  • 250 grams of Almond Flour
  • 225 grams of Sugar
  • 1 beaten Egg
  • (optional) Lemon Zest

What You Do

You could also use 250 grams of White Almonds. Grind these and continue as if Almond Flour.
Combine the flour and the sugar. Add the beaten egg and lemon zest. Mix until you have a paste. Keeps well in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for months.

What You Need (Classic Dutch Apple Pie)

  • 300 grams of Shortcrust Dough
  • 60 grams of Almond Paste
  • 700 grams of Jonagold
  • 30 grams of Sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • 30 grams of Raisins
  • 30 grams of Currents
  • Butter
  • 1 beaten Egg

What You Do

Start by soaking the raisins and currents for 10 minutes in hot water. Drain and squeeze gently. This way the raisins will be tasty and moist. Preheat your oven to 200 °C or 390 °F. Peel the apples, remove the core and chop coarsely. Combine with the raisins, currents, sugar and cinnamon. Roll out the dough, it should be 4-5 mm (0,15-0,20 inch). Coat your pie tin with butter (we used a 15 cm, 6 inch tin). Line the tin with the dough. Don’t worry if the dough breaks; it’s easy to repair. Remove the excess dough. Roll out the almond paste and cover the bottom of the pie with it. Now add the apple mixture, make sure it’s a bit compact. Make strips from the remaining dough and use them to make a criss cross pattern (lattice) on top of the pie.

Transfer to the oven for in total 40-50 minutes. After 20 minutes reduce the heat to 160 °C or 320 °F and brush the strips with beaten egg. Allow to cool and then remove from the tin.

Apple Pie ©cadwu
Apple Pie sliced ©cadwu
Jonagold

Vegetable Stock

13 July 2023

It’s all too familiar, you’re reading a recipe, you like what you read until it says, “Use 250 ml home-made broth or dissolve a bouillon cube in 250 ml water”. Hm. The cube is not an option because it’s salty and salty only. Perhaps open a jar of (organic) fond made by Jürgen Langbein? Or make your own?

You only need four ingredients to make a very tasty vegetable stock: onion, leek, carrot and celery. The result is full of flavours, with a touch of sweetness, saltiness and length.

The combination of onion, carrot and celery is known as mirepoix in the French cuisine and as soffritto in the Italian kitchen. A classic when making a stew, a ragu or the aromatic base of a sauce. Adding leek to the combination makes it more complex and tastier.

The celery could be a bit confusing: should it be celeriac, the root (knob) or celery, the fibrous stalks? Some suggest using the root in winter and the stalks in summer. We suggest using the stalks in all cases. They are very aromatic and they bring saltiness to the stock, different from the root.

The stock freezes very well. We have two versions in our freezer, as ice cubes for sauces and small 250 ml containers for risotto, soup, a stew etcetera.
Problem solved!

What You Need
  • 1 Large Onion
  • 3 Celery Stalks
  • 1 Carrot
  • 1 Leek
  • 1 Bouquet Garni (Parsley, Bay Leaf, Chives)
  • Black Pepper Corn
What You Do
  1. Clean and chop the celery, the carrot and the onion
  2. Add all ingredients, some crushed pepper corns and the bouquet garni (if using) to a pan with cold water
  3. Allow to simmer for one hour
  4. Pass through a sieve, taste and decide if you want to reduce the liquid
  5. Use immediately or transfer to your freezer
PS

Three stalks of celery, you think, but what to do with the remaining ones? The answer is simple, chop the stalks, add to boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes, cool in ice water and freeze. They will be perfect for months. Ready to use as accompaniment with fish, with pork or as an ingredient of your mirepoix or soffritto. Or your vegetable stock, of course.

Vegetarian Stock ©cadwu
Onion, Carrot, Leek and Celery ©cadwu

Tataki

6 July 2023

Over the years tataki has become increasingly popular: beef, tuna, salmon, trout and even veal and deer tataki. But what is tataki actually? And what is tataki sauce?

Tataki originates from the Kōchi prefecture in Japan. The original dish is called katsuo-no-tataki. Katsuo (also known as Oceanic Bonito or Skipjack Tuna) is an important ingredient in the Japanese kitchen, for instance raw as sashimi and dried as katsuobushi (the flakes you need when making dashi).

The fish is seared very briefly in a huge rice straw fire. This way the fish becomes nicely coloured, the centre remains raw, and the flavour will be enhanced with smokiness. It is then sliced and served with a garlic, lemon (ponzu), soy and onion sauce, making Katsuo-no-tataki very different from other sashimi.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have a straw fire at home, so you need a very hot pan to sear the fish. Bonito is not widely available where we live, but tuna is a great alternative. Beef is a good idea, salmon is a possibility, veal and trout are definitely not good alternatives.

What You Need

  • Bonito (or Tuna or Beef Tenderloin)
  • Light Soy Sauce (Tsuyu)
  • Mirin
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Lemon
  • ½ Garlic Clove
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Spring Onion
  • Olive Oil

What You Do

We added lightly roasted sesame seeds to the dish. There are not included in the original katsuo-no-tataki so feel free to leave them out.
Combine light soy sauce, mirin and rice vinegar (ratio 3:1:1), add some lemon juice and the grated garlic. The garlic must be grated; it should nearly dissolve in the sauce. Quickly sear the bonito (tuna, beef) in a hot non-stick pan with just a touch of oil. When ready transfer to an ice bath. Wait for a minute or so. Remove from the water and use kitchen paper to dry the fish. Slice, serve on a plate, drizzle with the dressing, then add thinly sliced white spring onion, then sesame seeds (if using) and finish with some dressing.

PS

And the answers are: tataki is a method to sear katsuo (or in general fish or beef) in a straw fire (or over a grill or in a hot pan). Tataki Sauce doesn’t actually exist; it may refer to the sauce that is served with katsuo-no-tataki.

Tataki (Tuna) ©cadwu
Tataki (Tuna) ©cadwu

 

 

 

Pasta with Tomato Balls

3 July 2023

Recently we reviewed Oh She Glows for Dinner by Angela Liddon as part of the great cookbook review project by Bernadette. Angela Liddons aim is to create tasty, colourful, nutritious, vegan, simple, healthy, easy to make food that you can prepare in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, her book shows that this is nearly impossible. Nevertheless, we liked her idea for a burger with tomato-based patties. We changed the recipe and turned the dish into Pasta with Tomato Balls. It’s certainly a tasty, healthy and colourful dish, but not one you can make in a few minutes.

Wine Pairing

Tomatoes come with acidity, an aspect to keep in mind when choosing your wine. Cooking the tomatoes reduces the acidity and enhances the sweetness and depth of the tomatoes. In this case you could go for a non-oaky white wine (Pinot Grigio, Soave Classico) or for a red wine with soft tannins (Chianti, Sangiovese). A glass of crisp rosé will also be fine, so the choice is yours, as long it’s not an oaky chardonnay or a tannic red wine.

What You Need

  • Tomato Balls
    • 30 grams Brown Lentils
    • Vegetarian Stock
    • Bouquet Garni (Thyme, Parsley, Bay Leaf, Chives)
    • 1 small Red Onion
    • 1 Garlic Clove
    • 40 grams of roasted Cashews
    • 40 grams of roasted Hazelnuts
    • 5 grams (or more) of dried Oregano
    • 25 grams Sun Dried Tomatoes
    • Teaspoon Tomato Paste 
    • Teaspoon Lemon Juice
    • Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
    • Salt
    • Black Pepper
    • Breadcrumbs
    • Olive Oil
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Orecchiette or Farfalle
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Basil Leaves

What You Do

Start by washing the lentils. Cook in vegetarian stock with a bouquet garni. Set aside and let cool. Prepare the dried tomatoes: if they are salted, then wash them thoroughly. If they are oil-packed, drain them. Chop the red onion, the garlic clove and the dried tomatoes coarsely. Glaze the onion and the garlic in olive oil. Use a food processor to make a coarse mixture of the cashews, hazelnuts and oregano. Add the chopped tomatoes, the onion, the garlic, the tomato paste, the lentils, the lemon juice and the red pepper flakes (if using). Pulse a few times. Taste and decide if you want to add salt, pepper or lemon juice. Now it’s time to check the consistency. Is it possible to turn the mixture into balls? A bit soggy probably? Add breadcrumbs. Leave the mixture for 15 minutes. Divide the mixture in smaller portions and make balls, using your hands. Bake for a few minutes in a non-stick pan with some olive oil.
In parallel cook the orecchiette or farfalle according to the instruction on the package. Warm a tomato sauce. When all components are ready, add the pasta straight from the pan to the sauce. Add the balls and mix gently.  Finish by adding some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and basil.

Pasta with Tomato Balls ©cadwu
Pasta with Tomato Balls ©cadwu

Apricot Chutney

26 June 2023

It’s the time of the year to benefit from summer fruit, such as peaches, watermelon, raspberries, nectarines, strawberries and of course apricots. With a bit of patience (and sugar, lemon and perhaps nutmeg) you can turn apricots into a delicious jam. But why not make apricot chutney? Great to enjoy with grilled lamb chops or something nice, simple and vegetarian, for instance with rice, lentils and cilantro.
Chutney is a balance of sweet (fresh fruit, onion, garlic, cinnamon), sour (vinegar), bitter (the skin of the apricot or tomato), spiciness (ginger, red chilli, garlic) and depth (cardamom, nutmeg, cumin). Too much sugar will only disturb the balance. Chutney needs to integrate, much more than jam or marmalade. So cook it for an hour or so and leave it in a jar for at least a week before using it.

What You Need

  • 1 kilo stoned Apricots (meaning 1,25 kilo of Apricots)
  • 2 Shallots
  • Olive Oil
  • 4 gloves Garlic
  • 1 Red Chilli
  • 100 ml Vinegar
  • 100 ml Water
  • 100 grams of Sugar
  • Fresh Ginger
  • Spices such as
    • Cardamom
    • Mustard Seed
    • Coriander (Cilantro)
    • Cinnamon
    • Nutmeg
    • Cumin
    • Clove

What You Do

Stone and quarter the apricots. Cut the shallots in 4 and slice (not too thin). Slice the fresh garlic. Same with the seeded red chilli. Cut let’s say 5 cm of ginger in small bits. Start by glazing the shallots for 10 minutes in olive oil, making sure they will enhance the sweetness of the chutney. Then add all other ingredients to the pan, mix, add the grated ginger, the spices of your choice, mix and bring slowly to a simmer. We used vinegar and water given the acidity of our apricots. If your apricots are really sweet and ripe use 200 ml of vinegar. Spice-wise we prefer using cardamom, cinnamon, and a touch of cumin and nutmeg. Leave to simmer for at least one hour. Stir occasionally but gently. After an hour increase the heat and transfer to very, very clean glass jars. Close the jars, leave them to cool a bit, then put in cold water and later on transfer to the refrigerator.

Apricots ©cadwu
Apricots ©cadwu
Slide show Apricot Chutney

Scones

22 June 2023

A few weeks ago, our local supermarket promoted original, traditional English clotted cream, scones and strawberry jam, obviously. We bought a jar but couldn’t find the scones. The clotted cream ended up in the refrigerator and we forgot about the scones. Fortunately, clotted cream keeps very well so when we spotted the jar some two weeks later, we decided to open it and taste the cream. Yummy! So, all we needed for our Cream Tea were scones. And since we couldn’t find them, we baked them ourselves.

What You Need

  • 250 grams of Self Raising Flour
  • 2/3 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 75 grams of Butter (room temperature)
  • 30 grams of Sugar
  • 120 grams of fresh Whole Milk
  • 125 grams of Raisins
  • One egg
  • Pinch of Salt

What You Do

Start by soaking the raisins for 10 minutes in hot water. Drain and squeeze gently. This way the raisins will be tasty and moist. Lightly beat the egg, just enough to combine the white and the yolk. Now combine self raising flour, baking powder, butter and sugar until you have a crumbly pastry. Best is to use a hand mixer with kneading hooks. This may take some time. When well mixed, add half the egg and the milk. Make a smooth dough. Fold in the raisins and store the result in the refrigerator for one hour. Preheat your oven to 210 °C or 410 °F. Roll out the dough. We used a 7-centimetre (cookie) cutter. Coat the top of the scones with beaten egg. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Coat the scones for the second time. Bake the scones for some 10 minutes. Keep an eye on your oven because the scones will bake very quickly!

Serve with a generous amount of English clotted cream and strawberry jam. The best way is to split the scone in two, cover each half with clotted cream and put the strawberry jam on top.

PS

If you want to see how our favourite Dutch Pâtissier Cees Holtkamp makes scones (in his home kitchen, supported by his granddaughter), then this video will help. It’s in Dutch (with YouTube provided subtitles). Please note that his list of ingredients is slightly different.

Scones ©cadwu
Scones ©cadwu

Nothing Fancy!

19 June 2023

Recently we reviewed Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman as part of the inspiring cookbook review project by Bernadette. The subtitle of Nothing Fancy is ‘Unfussy food for having people over’, and it contains ‘low-stress and high impact’ recipes. A book that promises to help you serve colourful plates, casually roasted meat and desserts, even when you’re struggling timewise. An interesting idea, having guests over for dinner or lunch, serving tasty food, remaining relaxed and enjoying every minute of it.

We prepared three dishes and asked our panel (Carolien, Hans and Joke) for their thoughts.

Tomato Salad

The first dish we prepared was a Tomato Salad with Anchovies and Fennel Seeds, a combination of ripe and tasty tomatoes with fennel flavoured oil and anchovies. Our panel was very happy with the salad. The combination of tomatoes and fennel is a trouvaille and the salty, umami flavour of the anchovy gives the salad an extra dimension. It’s great to serve as a salad on its own. It will also combine very well with swordfish or skate.

Green Pea Salad

The second dish (a Salad with Green Peas, Black Olives and Burrata) was very easy to make and absolutely delicious. We added some extra grated lemon and mint. Our panel was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing flavour, the aroma and the velvety, juicy mouthfeel.

Roasted Chicken

The third dish was casually Roasted Citrus Chicken with Herbs. The recipe suggests setting your oven to 230 °C or 450 °F. Isn’t that a bit too hot, we thought? But okay, let’s do as suggested and follow the recipe. We transferred the chicken to the hot oven. Five minutes later we were busy turning off the smoke alarm. Our panel had a good laugh (although we couldn’t hear them very well because of the noise). So far for remaining relaxed!

The chicken is marinated for a number of hours in a mix of lime and lemon juice, orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, sambal and garlic cloves. Then fried in the oven on 180 °C or 355 °F and served with some cooking liquid, caramelised lemon and orange slices and a generous amount of herbs (Cilantro, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano)

We served the citrus chicken with a glass of red wine made by Domaine La Tour Beaumont in the French Loire region. It is made using Gamay grapes, well known from the Beaujolais region. A very fruity, juicy wine that should be served slightly chilled. We also served a glass of zero alcohol rosé produced by Domaine de L’Arjolle, made with Cabernet Franc and Syrah grapes. The wine is dry, aromatic and has long lasting taste (raspberry, strawberry). Beautiful colour, not sweet (as many other zero alcohol wines) and light. Both worked beautifully with the chicken and the herbs thanks to the lightness and the fruity flavours.

(Y) our Shelf

Should this book be on (y)our shelf? Definitely yes if you’re looking for tasty food that doesn’t require too much work. If you want to remain relaxed while cooking and entertaining, be sure to test the recipes before having people over, because some aspects of the recipes may need adjusting.

Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman is available via your local bookstore or the usual channels for US$ 20.00 or € 30,00.

Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman
Tomato Salad with Fennel and Anchovy ©cadwu
Green Pea Salad with Burrata and Black Olives ©cadwu
Citrus Chicken with Herbs ©cadwu

Asparagus Soup (Blended)

15 June 2023

Earlier we wrote about the traditional way of making asparagus soup. It starts by using the skin and woody ends of the asparagus with leek or shallot to make a stock. Then extra flavour is added (the tips of the asparagus, cream or salmon and dill) and the consistency of the soup improved, for instance by making a roux. This way you will get a nice, thickened soup with a velvety mouthfeel. It’s still a bit one dimensional so if you want a more complex soup, you need to replace the water by chicken or vegetable stock.

Another way of thickening the soup is by blending the asparagus. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help a lot since asparagus do not contain starch, so yes, the soup is tastier, a touch more structured but its consistence remains watery. What to do? Egg yolk? Corn starch? A potato? Cream? More white asparagus? A roux after all?

What You Need

  • 300 grams of White Asparagus
  • 1 small Shallot
  • Butter
  • 350 ml Chicken or Vegetable Stock
  • Bouquet Garni (Parsley, Bay Leaf, Chives)
  • Cream
  • White Pepper

What You Do

First decide how you want to thicken the soup. A roux is not preferred because it will flatten, reduce the flavour plus we want a try a different approach. You could use a small starchy potato (not preferred because it will bring the typical potato flavour to the soup which is great in combination with leek but not with the subtle bitterness of asparagus), corn starch (great thickener but one that reduces flavours), egg yolk (classic, but we haven’t tried it yet with this soup) or potato starch (flavourless, simple, no impact flavour wise, only colour wise).

Peel the asparagus and cut of the woody ends. Peel and slice the shallot. Add butter to a pan, glaze the shallot. Now add the skin and woody ends of the asparagus, coat with the shallot and butter mixture and add the stock. Allow to simmer for 30 – 45 minutes. If you cook the stock too long, then it will become bitter. Pass the liquid through a sieve. Squeeze to capture all the lovely asparagus juices. Keep on low heat. Chop the asparagus, add the slices to the soup and keep the tips. After 20 minutes blender the soup. Add some cream, slice the tips lengthwise and add these to the soup. 10 more minutes later the soup is ready.

And The Winner Is…

We prefer the blended version to the roux version. The stock and the other ingredients support the asparagus flavour, making it into a tasty, light yet rich soup.

Asparagus Soup (Blended) ©cadwu
Asparagus Soup (Blended) ©cadwu

Asparagus Soup (Traditional)

8 June 2023

Preparing Asparagus soup starts by using the skin and woody ends of the asparagus with leek or shallot to make a stock. Since the stock is fairly bland and watery, you need to add additional flavour (the tips of the asparagus, cream, salmon and dill) and improve the consistency of the final result. The traditional way of doing this is by making a roux. You will get a nice, thickened soup with a velvety mouthfeel. It’s still a bit one dimensional so if you want a more complex soup, we suggest replacing the water by chicken or vegetable stock.

Another way of improving the consistency and enhancing the flavour is by adding asparagus to the soup and blending the result. In this post we will prepare the traditional version.

What You Need

  • The skin and woody ends of lots of White Asparagus
  • Shallot
  • Butter
  • Water (Chicken or Vegetable Stock preferred)
  • Five White Asparagus
  • 30 grams of All Purpose Flour
  • 30 grams of Butter
  • Cream
  • White Pepper
  • Pinch of Salt

What You Do

Peel and slice the shallot. Peel the five asparagus and cut of the woody ends. Add butter to a pan, glaze the shallot. Now add the skin and woody ends of the asparagus, coat with the shallot and butter mixture and add cold water. Allow to simmer for 30 – 45 minutes. If you cook the stock too long, then it will become bitter. Pass the liquid through a sieve. Squeeze to capture all the lovely asparagus juices. With the stock ready it’s time to make the (white) roux. Warm the butter in the pan, add the flour and stir. Keep on medium heat until you just begin to smell cookies. Now start adding the warm liquid, slowly at first, keep stirring and adding until you have used all the liquid. Taste, add some white pepper and a pinch of salt. Keep on low heat. Slice the five asparagus, add the slices to the soup and keep the tips. Stir every 5 minutes. After 20 minutes add some cream, slice the five tips lengthwise and add these to the soup. 5 more minutes and the soup is ready.

Asparagus Soup (Traditional) ©cadwu
Asparagus Soup (Traditional) ©cadwu

Farfalle with Saint George’s Mushroom, Oregano and Pancetta

5 June 2023

Nearly the end of the season for the Saint George’s Mushroom (at least, where we live). So far it’s been a great year for this mushroom and the Fairy Ring Mushroom. Unfortunately, it’s been a poor year for another of our spring favourites: the morel.

Saint George’s Mushroom have a strong, not very pleasant aroma (it disappears when you heat the mushrooms) and a long lasting, earthy taste. Famous chef, author and mushroom expert Jane Grigson wasn’t a fan. In her classic book The Mushroom Feast she wrote “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.” Obviously, we humbly disagree with her. It’s a bit of a puzzle to find the right combination of ingredients when one is the Saint George’s Mushroom but isn’t that part of the fun?
Earlier we wrote about an omelette with Saint George’s Mushroom and a starter with udon. This recipe is a combination of fat, moist, slightly sweet pancetta and earthy mushrooms, with the egg sauce and the oregano making it into a delicious dish.

Wine Pairing

We matched the rather intense flavours with a Pinot Noir, made by La Cour Des Dames. In general you’re looking for a red, medium bodied wine with aromas of berries, floral notes and delicate wood. The tannins should be soft or well-integrated. 

What You Need

  • 100 grams of Saint George’s Mushroom
  • 100 gram of Pancetta (slab preferred)
  • Fresh Oregano
  • Two eggs
  • Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Black Pepper
  • Farfalle

What You Do

  1. Start by cleaning the mushrooms with kitchen paper. Slice.
  2. Dice the pancetta. We used pancetta produced by Fumagalli. Sustainable, organic, ecological etcetera.
  3. Use a heavy iron skillet and fry the pancetta on medium/high heat. No need to add olive oil.
  4. When nicely coloured transfer the pancetta to a plate, remove most of the fat and gently fry the mushrooms.
  5. After a few minutes transfer the pancetta back to the pan.
  6. Add fresh oregano leaves, bigger ones shredded.
  7. Add the farfalle to a pan of boiling water and cook until al dente.
  8. In the meantime, beat two eggs and add some parmesan cheese.
  9. When the farfalle is ready, taste the mixture in the pan, perhaps add some extra oregano and transfer the farfalle to the pan.
  10. Wait for a minute or so until the excess water has evaporated.
  11. Move the pan away from the heat, add the egg mixture and combine (like you would do with Spaghetti Carbonara).
  12. Add black pepper and some extra Parmesan cheese before serving.
Farfalle with Saint George’s Mushroom, Oregano and Pancetta ©cadwu
Farfalle with Saint George’s Mushroom, Oregano and Pancetta ©cadwu