Simpel starters: courgette soup

Posted on July 11, 2015 by elsje

In the summer I find myself overwhelmed my the bounty of produce. One vegetable that grows in abundance in the summer is the courgette. When I have a large surplus, I like to make this soup. It can be eaten warm or cold, my favorite! When it is cold you really appreciate the smooth texture and the subtle flavors.

Courgette soup

2 courgette
500 ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp oil
1 onion
1 cup of Greek yogurt
Fresh herbs to your taste

Dice your courgette and finely slice your onion.
Gently fry your courgette and onion in the oil for five minutes.
Add the stock and let this mix simmer for 15 minutes until the courgette is soft.
Blend your ingredients to a smooth soup and add in the Greek yogurt.
Mix in some finely sliced fresh herbs like dill, basil or mint.
Season to taste. If you plan to eat the soup cold, season you soup well as cool soups need intenser seasoning.

Combine with some carrot soda bread for a healthy vegetarian lunch!

Barbecue side dish: beetroot carpaccio

Posted on July 10, 2015 by elsje

Beetroot is a vegetable I had to learn to appreciate. Beetroot carpaccio always does the trick for us and our guests. I make it on a festive and large dish, this recipe serves about 2 people. In these fotographs I used yellow beetroot.

I make this dish very often, so I like to vary the ingredients depending on the contents of my refrigerator. Just discover your own favorite set of ingredients and let me know how it turns out!

Beetroot carpaccio

Three boiled beetroots (boil in water for 75 minutes and then peel)
Use mixed colors of you can.
200 grams white cheese – my favorite is soft goats cheese, but feta cheese works as well. On occasion I have use crumbled Boursin as well.
Generous sprinkling of fresh or dried herbs. I like using mint, basil and/or dill.
2 spring onions finely sliced – although your plain onion would work as well.
Honey
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar or other sweet vinegar
Optional extras:
- Ribbons of smoked salmon
- Capers

1. Make fine slices of beetroot and arrange these on your plate.

2. Crumble your cheese on the beetroot. I like a generous cover of cheese.

3. Sprinkle on the herbs and onion. (And optional extras.)

4. Drizzle with honey, vinegar and a generous helping of olive oil.

5. Season with freshly crushed black pepper.

Tip: This salad tastes great on a piece of fresh bread too.

Funny farfalle with chanterelle cream sauce

Posted on July 7, 2015 by elsje

I love trying new ingredients, and the other day I found some forest mushrooms in my supermarket. As I love any mushroom, I had to buy and try it.

I decided a simple pasta would do this ingredient justice. My son loved the flavor of the pasta and the sauce, but returned the fried chanterelles to my plate. Oh well, the texture of mushrooms isn’t for everyone, and I was happy to receive extra mushroom.

This recipe would work with any flavorsome mushroom, or even a mix. You can easily leave out the ham for a vegetarian option.

If you are going all out, garnish your pasta with freshly chopped parsley for some freshness and drizzle with some truffle oil.

Funny farfalle with chanterelle cream sauce (serves 2 and 1 toddler)

250 grams of pasta
150 grams chanterelle mushrooms
1 shallot, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
100 grams of ham in fine ribbons
1 glass white wine
150 ml cream
Handful of chopped flatleaf parsley
Some olive oil and a knob of butter

First boil your pasta according to the instructions. While your water boils and your pasta cooks, you can make your sauce.

1. Clean your chanterelle mushrooms and cut them in similar size pieces.
2. Gently fry the chanterelle mushrooms and union in the butter and olive oil until soft. Add salt and pepper to your mushrooms.

3. Add the garlic and the wine. Let this mix stew for a few minutes so the alcohol can evaporate.
4. Stir in the ham and add the cream. You can turn off the heat on your sauce until your pasta is cooked.
Drain your pasta when it is cooked.
5. Warm your sauce and pasta while combining them.

Sprinkle with parsley and dress with some olive oil or truffle oil and enjoy!

Simpel starters : Bruschetta

Posted on June 22, 2015 by elsje

We love eating dinner al fresco. But not every food is equally appropriate for this. This snack makes perfect finger food with a glass of wine in your sunny garden.

Combined with a pasta salad and some veggies it makes a lovely summer meal or a great starter at a barbecue.

You can make the garlic oil by simply finely slicing the garlic and covering it with olive oil. After half an hour the oil will have a lovely garlic flavor. You can keep this oil for a few days.

Rockin Bruschetta (about 12 servings)

1 jar of Rockin Rocket pesto
12 slices of mozzarella
Cherry tomatoes in different colors
Slices of old bread
Garlic olive oil
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Brush the bread slices with the garlic oil, then grill or toast them. Season the slices generously with salt and pepper while they cool. I quartered all bread slices to create the right bruschetta size.

Halve the tomatoes, dress them with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season the tomatoes and toss to dress them.

Spread the Rockin Rocket pesto on each slice. Layer the mozzerella and a few tomatoes on each slice. Take your bruschetta and enjoy.

Rockin Rocket Pesto

Posted on June 17, 2015 by elsje

If you ever tried growing rocket (or arugula) you know it grows like a weed. You can eat these lovely leaves every day once your rocket plants get going.

In Holland you find them in the wild too. They grow on sandy soil, so you find them in the dunes, next to rail roads and just on side walks.

If you are lucky enough to have an abundance of rocket, you might be looking for a new way to use it up. I like to do this by making my own pesto.

This recipe has no exact quantities, I suggest going with your instincts, and go by what you have in your fridge and adding ingredients to your taste.

Rockin Rocket Pesto

1 – 2 handfulls of rocket
1 handful of cashews (or hazelnuts, walnuts, peanuts, whatever nut you like)
a piece of hard cheese
1 clove of garlic
1 – 2 tbsp of lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

I grind and mix my ingredients in my trusty little blender. Make sure you have enough oil in the blender.

Store your pesto in a jar or container in the fridge. Keep a layer of oil on top of your pesto to keep it fresh. Eat it within a week, but for us this is not a challenge!

This pesto is lovely as a dip with some home made bread, on your (meat) sandwich or through your pasta. If you add some more oil and lemon juice, it makes a lovely dressing for your tomatoes and mozzarella salad.

This recipe works with basil or fenil tops too.

Flowers

Posted on June 16, 2015 by elsje

In Holland we are spoiled for choice. We have flower shops full of beautiful and affordable flowers. Still, I think your own picked bouquet is a more personal gift.

This bouquet contained daisies, chive flowers, snapdragons and some plants I couldn’t name if I tried. There are some important attention points when you pick flowers:

Ask permission first, or pick from your own garden
Make sure you wipe of any bugs or little creatures
Cut the flowers at an angle
Cut flowers before their prime, so they open in the vase
Take the leaves off the part of the stem that will be submerged in water
Keep the stems moist
Use greens to bulk up your bouquet
Contrasts make wild flower bouquets beautiful, look for different textures, colors, smells and use different lengths.

Don’t forget to enjoy the process, I know I did!

Flower salad

Posted on June 14, 2015 by elsje

For a beautiful salad follow these 3 steps.

Summer salad

1. Mix the following ingredients in quantities suited to your taste buds.

Butter lettuce – ripped into bite size pieces
Lamb’s lettuce
Spring onions
Mixed colors tomatoes in chunks
Blue cheese in cubes

2. Dress with olive oil and fresh lemon juice

3. Garnish with freshly picked viola’s.

Be careful to use viola’s from plants you grew yourself, or make sure that you know how the plants were cultivated. Growers may use pesticides or fertilizers not fit for human consumption.

Father’s favorites

Posted on June 12, 2015 by elsje

In the Netherlands, June 14th will be fathersday this year. Obviously I would like to state that me and my toddler are daddy’s favorites. However, these cookies also go down well. They are a dutch classic: speculaasjes. The dough should be made beforehand, so the spice mix can flavor the entire dough. I recommend making the dough 2 days before fathersday, then making the cookies with your toddlers 1 day before fathersday.

I have this recipe from a dutch classic cooking book aptly named; “Het nieuwe kookboek“. This is a great book for beginners, let’s call it the “silver spoon” of the Netherlands. My toddler and I tested this recipe for valentine’s day and it was a huge hit!

Getting your hands on some real speculaas might be difficult for you, I do promiss you that this festive spice mix will put a smile on your face, it is like cinnamon for grown-ups (although your kids will love it too). For the UK, check out this site, or make your own blend.

Father’s favorite cookies (40 to 50 cookies)

110 grams butter
90 grams of light brown sugar
1 pinch of salt
2 tsp of speculaas spice blend
1 tbsp of beaten egg
100 grams selfraising flower
Almonds, sugar pieces or sugar decoration

Mix all the ingredients and combine into a ball of dough. Wrap the dough in cling film. Let it rest in the fridge for 1 to 4 days. This will allow for the spices to flavor your dough.

Take the dough out of your fridge 1 hour before rolling it out.

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees C.

Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm. Use flower to prevent your dough from sticking. Cut out any shape you like. Place your cookies on a baking sheet lined with grease proof paper. Sprinkle your decorations, sugar and/or almonds on the cookies and lightly press them in.

Bake your cookies for 20 minutes, take them out to cool on the sheet.

Once cooled, the cookies keep for about a week in an air tight container. My son even decorated his own container for daddy.

My favorite high tea recipes

Posted on June 8, 2015 by elsje

For my birthday this year I organised a high tea. I received many compliments for the entire spread. It did take me a whole day to prepare for it, but it was delicious! This is a list of the food I made, and some tips.

Omelet rolls: Mix up eggs, finely sliced chives and some cream to make the egg mix. Fry thin omelets. Let the omelets cool and spread out cream cheese, cover with ham. Roll the omelet up. Wrap your omelet roll in cling film. You can make the rolls 1 to 2 days in advance. For serving, slice and serve these lovely pinwheels.
Fruit punch: Peel and slice your favorite fruits. Make sure you have various colors. Add some fruit juice. Cool your punch and serve it in dainty glasses.
Mini chocolate mousse: Make your favorite mousse recipe and serve in shot glasses or little jam jars. I garnished them with dried cranberries.
Small cups of vichyssoise soup: This simple cold soup is made with potato, onion and leek. I served it in small glasses with a teaspoon of greek yoghurt and some chives.
Scones: My most important tips: don’t knead your dough, rub to combine the flower, sugar and butter, then stir to combine using milk or buttermilk. Wrap your dough in cling film and let it cool for up to 24 hours (in your fridge). This way you can work ahead. Take your dough from the fridge and cut your scone shape quickly then bake right away. Cooling and resting your dough gives you the lightest scones you ever had!
For those who don’t live in the UK: use mascarpone instead of clotted cream.
Savory pies: Using puff pastry line a muffin mold. Fill each cup with ham, peas, cheese. Fill the cups up with eggs and cream. Bake for 20 mins at 220 degrees C.
Pizza squares: Make a large pizza a day before. Warm it up in a 160 degrees C oven for 20 minutes. Cut your pizza into squares and serve.
Cut candy bars into bite size chunks for inexpensive little treats.
Serve with tea, coffee and white wine

For a relaxed party:

Make sure you prepare well in advance and make lists.
Find recipes you can prepare 1 or 2 days in advance that take little assembling.
Ballance hot, cold, sweet and savory dishes.
Don’t try complicated recipes for the first time.
Make sure you have enough refridgerator space.
Make sure you have enough oven space.
Make sure you have enough china. Buy teacups and saucers at your local thrift shop or lend them from friends and family.
Use some disposable plates and cups, for less washing up.

Fabulous five: magazine upcycling

Posted on June 5, 2015 by elsje

I recently received such a well wrapped present from on of my friends! It inspired me to share with your my favorite ways of upcycling pages from a magazine.

Fold a bow as a gift topper. You will find clear instructions here.
The lovely gift from my friend
Wrap gifts in magazine pages or Make gift bags using the magazine pages
Use them for making a scrapbook with your toddler.
Make beautiful party decorations
Create some envelopes for sweet messages

metnlintje

the art of gifting