Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Little gems salad with oranges

A tasty and fresh salad for these warm summer days.

Shopping list:    2 oranges (scrubbed)
    
2 tsp mustard
    
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    
2 little gem (lettuce)
    
3 tbsp capers
    
1 red onion (sliced)
    
1 handfull parsley ((20 g), finely chopped)


Grate the orange zest of 1 orange and squeeze. Mix the zest, juice, mustard and oil until dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cut with a sharp knife, peel the orange and white of the second orange.
Cut the wedges between the membranes out.Slice the gems, wash and dry them.
Spread on a plate (looks nicer than in a bowl).

Add the dressing, orange segments, capers, onion and parsley.

This video shows you the easiest way to segment an orange.

 


How to segment an orange

Simple tomato sauce


Nothing fancy or difficult. I have bought a tin of good quality pommodori tomato chunks and warmed it in a pan with some Italian dried herbs.

Italian chicken

Even in France you can fancy something Italian ;-).  Inspired by 'Keukenliefde' I have given my own twist to her recipe and it was wonderful.

This recipe is for 2 persons.

Shopping list:

2 Chicken breasts
6 Long slices pancetta (don't worry if you cannot get long ones, you just need more).
Small jar of green olive tapenade
Extra virgin olive oil
200g Cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh green or black olives
Salami, cut into small chunks

3 Cloves of garlic, crushed
Small handful of pine nuts *
Piece of parmesan, shaves with a vegetable peeler (or any other hard cheese)
100 ml of dry white wine    
Salt and
pepper according to taste (I didn't use it)
Few fresh basil leaves, rolled and cut into thin strips


Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper around and cut the chicken breasts with a sharp knife three or four times. Fill the holes with the  tapenade. Grease some tapenade over the top of the chicken.
Wrap the chicken with pancetta and place the chicken in a light greased baking dish.

Divide the tomatoes and chopped garlic, the olives and salami over the chicken, drizzle all with olive oil. Pour in the wine and sprinkle the chicken finally with pine nuts and shavings of Parmesan cheese.

Bake the chicken for about 20 minutes in the oven, or until the chicken is cooked.
* The pine nuts do not have to be roasted first.

I have served this dish with fresh tagliatelle, but any pasta or (garlic) bread will do.




Sunday, 10 May 2015

Stuffed artichokes

As a starter, a snack, a part of a buffet

Shopping List:
Bread (baguette or other white bread)
Tin or jar of artichoke hearts

Small can of tuna
Garlic
Cherry tomatoes (or other)
Olive oil
Mayonnaise

Chives (optional for garnish)

Parsley (flat) * Optional
The artichoke hearts drain it on kitchen paper
Can of tuna let it drain and mix with a little mayonnaise

Cut a few tomatoes

Cut baguette (as is the right size for the artichokes) depending on the number of artichokes.

Sprinkle the bread with olive oil, put it in the frying pan until crunchy, turn over and repeat.

Remove the bread from the pan and rub it with a clove of garlic

Place the artichoke on the baguette, open it a little and fill with tuna

Top it with the sliced ​​tomatoes

And possibly some small cut fresh chives
* If you use parsley cut it then fine and mix with the tuna.Flat parsley tastes much better than the curly one.

Friday, 3 April 2015

Turkey in a coqotte

This dish can be made in the afternoon, then you put it for 20 minutes in the oven when you want to eat it in the evening.
I have made this wonderful dish yesterday for 3 persons.


Shopping list:
400g turkey breast 

1 onion
100g mushrooms

Curry powder, to taste

parsley
puff pastry (ready)
cream

corn flour

dry white
wine

olive oil for frying

1 egg
 


Preparation:

Cut the turkey into small pieces.


Cut the onion into small piecesSlice the mushrooms Fry the turkey, onion, mushrooms in olive oil Add Curry powderStir corn flour with a good dash of white wine in a cupAdd the creamAdd the corn flour mixSprinkle parsley over itYou now have a sauce with the thickness of a ragoutTurn the gas off.Fill the coqottes with the turkey mixture.Wrap the puff pastry generously over the top as a lit.Mix the egg and brush it over the pastry for the beautiful golden-brown color.On top of the pastry you can sprinkle some sea salt which gives an extra flavor.Serve with rice, mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes.

Sunday, 29 March 2015

Dutch Poffertjes

Poffertjes is a sweet dish, like little pancakes, that's typical Dutch. Even Bill Clinton ate them in Delft when he was visiting The Netherlands.

Shopping list:
250 grams of wheat flour
A special pan for poffertjes is needed

250 ml of slightly warmed milk
1 large egg or 2 medium sized eggs
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons of golden syrup


Preparation:

Sift the flour and
baking powder, mix it with salt. Stir in the milk little by little. Stir the syrup and the eggs into the batter.

Heat the 'poffertjespan' so that the pan is really hot and lubricate the dimples with melted butter. Reduce heat slightly lower, at about medium heat. Enter the dimples halfway with the batter. Let the bottom brown and turn the pancakes with a fork gently.

Serve the pancakes hot with a little butter and icing sugar
.