Tag: starter

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

Omelette with Chard

10 April 2025

Chard (Bietola, Blette, Krautsteil, Snijbiet) was once a popular and cheap vegetable. Today it’s hard to find and when you find it, it can be ridiculously expensive. A pity because it’s a very tasty vegetable. Forgotten for all the wrong reasons.
Chard is the main ingredient of Tourte de Blette, also known as Tourta de Bléa. It comes in two varieties: one sweet, one savoury.
In this dish (also known as Trouchia) we combine the rich flavours of the omelette with a touch of bitterness of the chard. Simple and delicious.

Wine Pairing

The omelette has a rich and creamy texture. You can pair it with a wine that offers contrast (a sparkling wine with notes of citrus for instance) or with one that complements the omelette, for instance a lightly oaked chardonnay. We decided to enjoy a pleasant, fruity rosé from the Var region in France.

What You Need
  • 500 grams of Chard
  • Olive Oil
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Black Pepper
  • 2 organic Eggs
What You Do
  1. Wash the chard
  2. Remove the stems (and use in another dish, perhaps a curry)
  3. Chop the leaves
  4. Add olive oil to a pan on medium heat
  5. Add the chopped chard and sauté for 5-10 minutes. Duration will depend on the leaves (small, young leaves will be ready in 5 minutes)
  6. Stir occasionally
  7. Let cool
  8. Beat the eggs
  9. Add grated Parmesan cheese and black pepper
  10. Add the chard to the egg mixture
  11. Add olive oil to a relatively small pan on medium heat
  12. Add the mixture and leave for 15 minutes or until baveuse
  13. The omelette can be eaten warm or cold
Variations
  • You could replace the Chard with Spinach or (better) with Water Spinach (also known as Kang Koen or Ong Choy).
  • Some recipes for Trouchia suggest adding chopped parsley and/or basil.
  • We tend to add a few chopped stems to the mixture because it gives the omelette a nice subtle crunch.
  • You don’t want a golden (or even worse: brown) omelette because then the omelette will taste like fried eggs, and it will be firm.
Omelette with Chard ©cadwu
Omelette with Chard ©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

Together: Our Community Cookbook

23 December 2024

Food is much more than just food, it’s about culture, about being with friends, family, about learning from other cultures, about talking and sharing memories, about emotions, about special days and celebrations. It brings people together and enhances our understanding of others.

We take part in Jo Stacy’s BKD Cookbook Club and this month the focus is on Christmas recipes for us all to make and share. Our choice is a recipe for a Casserole from Together: Our Community Cookbook.

The book is written by a group of residents, gathering in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London to cook food for their families, friends and neighbours. They began using the kitchen at the Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre and used the kitchen for two days per week, preparing food and eating together. Gradually more local women began to join in, embracing the community and supporting their neighbours. This was the beginning of the Hubb Community Kitchen (‘hubb’ meaning ‘love’ in Arabic).
In 2018 the group published Together: Our Community Cookbook with 50 simple and tasty recipes from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and other countries.
Food that brings people together, food you prepare for your loved ones.

The book features mouthwatering recipes including Shakshouka (Algeria), Potato Fritters with Cilantro (India), Spicy Peanut Dip (Uganda), Green Rice (Iraq), Fennel and Orange Salad (Italy) and many more.

Food that helped restore hope and provided a sense of home.

Casserole

We decided to prepare Tepsi Baytinijan. To quote Intlak Alsaiegh, the author of this recipe: “Tepsi translates as ‘casserole’ and this is a traditional Persian dish of meatballs in tomato sauce with eggplant. It’s quite rich. You could make it with less oil, I suppose, but then it wouldn’t be so traditional—or taste so good.”

The dish is indeed a rich, tasty combination of small meat balls (ground beef, garlic, curry powder), fried egg plant, fried potatoes, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, tomato paste and tamarind paste, served with basmati rice or crusted bread.
The detailed recipe can be found in Together: Our Community Cookbook or on Food52.

Together: Our Community Cookbook is dear to us, because it shows us that food can unite people. Preparing food from this book will bring you closer to the hope and strength of the Grenfell community.

The book is available via the usual channels and your local bookstore. A portion of the proceeds from the sales will help the Hubb Community Kitchen to strengthen lives and communities through cooking.

We wish you Happy Holidays and a Wonderful 2025!
Mr. Cook and Mr. Drink

Together: Our Community Cookbook
Persian Casserole ©cadwu
Persian Casserole before Baking ©cadwu

The Art of Sauces: Green Sauce with Quails and Snails

1 November 2024

Many years ago we were looking for a nice restaurant in Fréjus. It was our last evening in France before returning home and obviously we were looking for something special, something typical Provençal. The area of our hotel wasn’t very promising, so we were ready to settle for pizza until we saw a small restaurant with a very interesting menu. It offered Tisane de Romarin, Cailles et Escargots and many other exciting dishes we unfortunately forgot. We entered the restaurant and had a perfect evening.
Combining quails and snails isn’t the most obvious idea, but rest assured, it works beautifully, also thanks to the very intriguing green sauce. It took us some time to recreate it, but after a few attempts we think this is the right version.
The question remains why the two go together well. Is it about fat (quails leg) and no-fat (snail)? Because both are meaty and tender? Because both love the tarragon in the sauce?
Of course, we made a note of the name of the restaurant and of course, we lost it. A pity, although preparing this dish brings us back to a lovely evening in Fréjus.

Wine Pairing

Enjoy your Green Sauce with Quails and Snails with a glass of Chardonnay with a touch of oak. The wine must be dry, mineral and medium bodied. We enjoyed a glass of Bourgogne Couvent des Jacobins as produced by Louis Jadot. The wine partly matured in stainless steel tanks and partly in oak barrels. The result is a wine that has citrus and apple aromas in combination with oak and vanilla. Great with the freshness of the herbs and the richness of the sauce. It balances very well with both the quails and the snails.

What You Need
  • 6 Quail Legs
  • Butter
  • 12 Snails (click here when you want to know which snail to buy)
  • For the Green Sauce
    • 1 Bunch of Parsley
    • 1/4 Bunch of Tarragon
    • Chicken Stock
    • Cream
    • (optional) Beurre Manié or Potato Starch)
  • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Wash the snails with plenty of water and set aside
  2. Warm a heavy iron skillet
  3. Warm some chicken or quail stock in a pan and bring a pan with water to the boil
  4. Set your oven to 60 °C or 140 °F.
  5. Now it’s time to make the Green Sauce
    • Blanch parsley and tarragon in boiling water for 30 seconds and cool immediately in ice water
    • Dry
    • Blender the herbs with some cold stock until you have a very smooth green liquid
    • Set your blender to turbo!
    • Pass through a fine sieve and store the chlorophyll. It will remain stable for at least a day
  6. Quickly fry the legs in butter
  7. Warm the snails in some chicken stock
  8. When both are ready, transfer the legs and the snails to the warm oven
  9. Add chicken stock to the pan and deglaze
  10. Add cream to the pan
  11. Let reduce for 5-10 minutes or until you’re happy with the consistency
  12. Add chlorophyll until you have the right colour and flavour
  13. Be very careful, if you overheat the sauce it will lose its vibrant green colour
  14. Perhaps you need to thicken the sauce with Beurre Manié or Potato Starch
  15. Add black pepper and taste
  16. Serve the legs and the snails in the sauce
  17. Enjoy with crusted bread
Green Sauce ©cadwu
Green Sauce ©cadwu
PS

You could also use two quails. Remove the breasts and the legs. Use the remainder to make the stock you need for the sauce. To make the dish more refined, remove the main bone of the legs.

Girolle and Guineafowl

10 October 2024

The Girolle (or Chanterelle) season in Europe runs from late summer until late autumn. It’s a much-loved mushroom, especially the golden (common) girolle, but let’s not forget the chanterelle jaune, the chanterelle grise and the trompette de la mort. The common girolle remains tender and somewhat meaty when cooked, which makes it ideal when thinking of a rich sauce. You will taste delicate nutty, buttery and earthy flavours. Delicious when combined with the gentle flavours of guineafowl. The sauce we made is fairly simple: it’s all about enhancing the texture and the flavours of the mushroom. The parsley will bring a freshness and bitterness to the sauce.

Guineafowl 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) which is perhaps the tastiest part of the guineafowl. 

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of Le Jardin de Fleur La Mothe made by Château Fleur la Mothe with merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes. An affordable wine from the French Médoc region. The wine has a beautiful deep red colour, the tannins are balanced and the fruit nicely present, both in the aroma and the flavour. In general, we suggest a smooth, medium bodied red wine with fruity aromas. 

What You Need
  • For the Guineafowl
    • 2 Guineafowl Supremes
    • Pancetta
    • Olive Oil
  • For the Sauce
    • 150 grams of Golden Girolle
    • One small Shallot
    • One small Garlic Clove
    • Double Cream
    • Crème Fraîche
    • Dijon Mustard
    • Vegetable Stock
    • Parsley
    • Butter
    • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F
  2. Thinly slice the pancetta
  3. Open the supreme, add pancetta and then close the supreme, using kitchen twine
  4. Fry the supreme in olive oil in a heavy iron skillet until golden
  5. Transfer the skillet to the oven. The internal temperature of the meat should be minimum 70°C or 160°F.
  6. Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper.
  7. Halve or quarter the mushrooms, depending on the size
  8. Finely chop the shallot and the garlic.
  9. When the guineafowl is ready, transfer the pan to your kitchen top, cover the meat with aluminium foil and allow to rest. This way the meat will be moist and not over-cooked.
  10. Now it’s time to prepare the sauce. Add butter to a warm pan, add the shallot, gently fry for a few minutes, add the girolles, fry, reduce heat, add the garlic.
  11. After a few minutes add the vegetable stock. Stir.
  12. After a few minutes add double cream, crème fraîche and some Dijon mustard.
  13. Stir well and create a thick creamy sauce. Taste and add some black pepper.
  14. wo minutes before serving add the parsley.
  15. Slice the guineafowl and serve 3 or 4 slices on top of the sauce.
Girolle and Guineafowl ©cadwu
Girolle and Guineafowl ©cadwu
PS

More mushroom recipes on our mushroom page.

Shiitake Salad

8 August 2024

We love mushrooms and are always keen to explore new recipes and ideas. This recipe for a salad is very much about the nutty flavour and the moist texture of the shiitake. An easy to make and delicious, aromatic salad with lots of umami and citrus.
We used Grains of Paradise (also known as Maniguette or Awisa). This West African spice was introduced in Europe in the 14th or 15th century as a substitute for black pepper. We like its peppery, citrusy flavour.

Wine Pairing

The fish sauce brings briny, caramel-like flavours with obviously some fishiness. The cilantro is very present with notes of citrus and pepper. The result is an aromatic, umami rich salad, best enjoyed with a glass of Pinot Blanc. We decided to open a bottle produced by Dr. Loosen. The winery was founded over 200 years ago and is well known for its Riesling and other excellent wines from the German Mosel region. In general, you’re looking for a white wine that is fruity and easy to drink, with gently acidity and some minerality.

What You Need
  • 150 grams of Shiitake
  • 2 cloves of Garlic
  • Olive Oil
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Thai Fish Sauce
  • Grains Of Paradise (Maniguette) or Black Pepper and Lemon Juice
  • Cilantro (Coriander)
  • Smoked Breast of Duck
What You Do
  1. Remove the stems of the shiitake (they are chewy and fibrous)
  2. If necessary, clean the caps with kitchen paper
  3. Slice
  4. Finely chop the garlic
  5. Warm a heave iron skillet, add olive oil and gently fry the shiitake
  6. After a few minutes add the garlic
  7. Keep on medium/low heat for a few minutes
  8. Combine olive oil, rice vinegar and fish sauce
  9. Ground grains of paradise and add to the dressing
  10. The grains of paradise can be replaced with freshly grounded black pepper and a few drops of lemon juice
  11. Taste the dressing and adjust
  12. Add the shiitake to the dressing and mix
  13. Allow to cool somewhat
  14. Add a generous amount of chopped cilantro
  15. Mix again
  16. Garnish with slices of smoked duck breast.
PS

More mushroom recipes on our mushroom page.

Shiitake Salad ©cadwu
Grains of Paradise (seed pods) ©cadwu
Shiitake ©Sharon Mollerus