Italian courgette soup

So simple I wonder why I haven't made this before. I was inspired when I tasted Ingrid's Courgette soep met pit last week. I added some Italian flavours. One courgette for each half litre of stock.

Cut one courgette, basil leaves and garlic, according to taste, coarsely.

Fry the courgette, basil and garlic in olive oil for 10 minutes until slightly brown.

Add half a litre of chicken stock or vegetable stock and simmer for 10 minutes.

Keep 1/4 apart (for some bite) and blend to the other 3/4 to a smooth mixture.

Return the 1/4 to the soup; add cream (crème fraîche) and grated parmesan or pecorino according to taste.

Serve with more grated cheese, croutons (fried in olive oil with garlic) and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Portuguese tomato rice

Fry onion and garlic in olive oil and butter until soft. Add peeled tomato (cut in small pieces) and simmer for 15 minutes. Add rice and fry for a couple of minutes. Add water or (better) chicken or beef stock. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook until the rice is done.

Portuguese tomato rice and pastéis de bacalhau:

'Mexican' vegetable soup

Apparently this vegetable soup is based on a Jamie Oliver-recipe, but it's pretty generic. It's easy to make and healthy. I've never been to Mexico and I can imagine this is an Americanized version of Mexican soup. And do the Mexicans know smoked paprika powder?

Take a big soup pot. Heat some olive oil. Fry for 15 minutes: one onion, 3-4 garlic cloves, 2 bell peppers, 2 big carrots, green chili pepper (all diced).

Add: 2 teaspoons cumin powder, 3 teaspoons smoked paprika powder*. Fry for a couple of minutes.

Add 2 chopped tomatoes, a can of tomatoes and 2 cans of water. Add bay leaf and crumble a vegetable stock cube (or use real vegetable stock instead of the two cans of water). Boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add a can of kidney beans. To make the soup a bit thicker puree for a few seconds just to break up some beans.

Garnish
- Cut an avocado in cubes and mix with the juice and grated skin of one lime.
- Sour cream
- Jalapeño pepper (pickled)
- Tortilla chips
- Tabasco

*) Smoked paprika powder (Pimentón de la Vera ) will be hard to get. I bought mine in Spanish food store Pacomer Traiteur, Gerard Doustraat 66,1072 VV Amsterdam.

"Pimentón de la Vera has a distinctly smoky flavor that comes from the process of smoke-drying the peppers with huge amounts of oak wood in the drying houses. Peppers are placed on racks above the fire and farmers turn the peppers by hand once a day. This drying process takes about two weeks."

Pa Jun (Korean pancake)

For two pancakes:

Mix 1 cup of flower (120 gram), 0.75 cup of water (180 ml), one egg (beaten) and some kimchi juice (according to taste) together. Add more water if the batter is too thick.

Add scallions, halved and cut into 2 inch lengths and some kimchi (finely cut). Optional: carrot, sliced red chili peppers, onion, zucchini or mushrooms.



Let the batter sit for about 10 minutes.

Fry the pancake in a skillet for 4 minutes.



Flip over and fry the other side for 2 minutes.



Serve with dipping sauce made from: rice vinegar and soy sauce (1:1) and some drops of sesame oil.



Or for a more elaborate sauce: 1/3 cup rice vinegar and 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon chili pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon scallions (thinly sliced) and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic.

Road side vegetables (Netherlands)

Daslook - leaf. http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daslook

Hondsdraf http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hondsdraf

Wilde venkel : http://dier-en-natuur.infoyo.nl/bloemen-en-planten/13387-wilde-venkel-maratho.html

Paardebloem

Doofnetel - flowers

Assorted flowers - for decoration.

Parsley soup

Another recipe from Rick Stein's Food Heroes.

Use curly parsley, chop parsley roughly.

Melt butter in a pan and add the parsley and chopped leeks. Gently fry the vegetables, add potatoes and add light chicken stock. I guess this could be a vegetable stock or even water. Simmer.

While the soup is simmering mix chives and cream*.

Add fresh parsley in the last minute of cooking and liquidize the soup in a food processor.

Back into the pan, add double cream, salt and black pepper. Serve with a spoon of chives-cream in the soup.

*) Stein doesn't say what kind of cream. It's quite difficult to buy good fatty cream in The Netherlands.

**) See above. Double cream is not available in The Netherlands. Slagroom is not fatty enough.

Wild greens omelette

Also from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape (Corfu).

Fry some leek rings in a pan and add fresh greens (anything which is on hand, like: dandelions, spinach, rucola). Simmer until the greens are soft.

Break eggs in a bowl. Add the greens, cheese and some coarsely chopped dill and mint. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook in the oven in a non-stick shallow pan for 45 minutes.

Serve with fresh tomatoes, red onion slices and white wine.

Cumin rice

An easy way to spice up your plain rice.

1 cup Basmati rice
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
0.5 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
2 cups water
salt and a dash of lime juice to taste. add some turmeric for color.

Heat ghee in a large heavy-bottomed vessel for about 2 minutes.
Add the cumin seeds and fry for 2 minutes till the seeds splutter.
Add the rice, lime juice, water, turmeric and salt. Mix well. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and cook covered on low level for 15 minutes till all water evaporates.

Serve with dahl.

Farfalle alla Crema di Gorgonzola

Just three ingredients: panna da cucina, gorgonzola and fresh sage. Well, and black pepper and farfalle pasta...

Melt 175 gram diced gorgonzola in 200 ml. panna da cucina (for 300 - 400 gram pasta). Add plenty of black pepper. Remove pan from heat.

In the meantime cook pasta. Drain and pour gorgonzola sauce into the pan with the pasta. Add finely chopped sage. Season with salt and serve immediately.

Aloo Palak

Aloo Palak simply means: potato spinach.

Start making a spicy spinach mixture. Cook spinach with 2 cloves garlic, ginger, onion and green chilies for 5 - 10 minutes (everything grated). Blend the spinach mixture to a fine puree.

Boil potatoes with salt and turmeric for 10 minutes.



Heet ghee in pan and fry cumin seeds, add 1 teaspoon garam masala, half a teaspoon of coriander powder and half a teaspoon of cumin powder. Add the spinach paste and fry for a few minutes.



Add potatoes and simmer to let the potatoes absorb the flavor.

Soupe au lait des Ardennes

La soupe au lait telle qu'on la mange dans les forêts ardennaises... or (Belgium) Ardennes milk soup.



For 4 persons:

3 leeks (only the white part, thinly sliced)
Endive (6 leaves, roughly cut)
1 big onion (roughly diced)
2 tablespoons butter
1 liter of milk
3 waxy potatoes, cut in 1 cm pieces
Salt and pepper
Optional: parsley for garnishing

Melt the butter on a low fire. Add the leek, onion and endive, simmer with lid closed for 10 minutes.



Add milk and potatoes, season with salt and pepper (also possible: bay leaf, parsley, thyme and nutmeg), bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Dry Masala Okra

Time for another Indian vegetable dish. You'll need okra and fresh spices.

You start by mixing a number of spices:



1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried coconut
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaf.



Trim 500 gram okra.



Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds. Fry 2 minutes until the seeds begin to pop.



Add the spice mixture and fry for 2 minutes.



Add the okra, cover and cook for 10 minutes on a low fire. It is a dry masala, so the greatest risk is burning the spices. Add a little water if needed and keep the fire low.



Mix with chopped tomato and serve with poppadums, or anything you like (chapati, rice).

Raapstelen

Boil a few potatoes. Fry some finely cut onion in olive oil. Roughly cut raapstelen (Brassica rapa).

Mash potatoes roughly (add a little water or milk). Add onion-olive mixture and raw raapstelen. Add salt and mix. To enjoy the vegetable best, use just two medium sized potatoes for 200 gram raapstelen. Use the heat of the potatoes to soften the leaves a little.

Paneer Tikka Masala

Marinate cubed paneer in thick yoghurt with spices and vegetables.

1) Take some thick yoghurt, add: chili powder, kasturi methi (=dried leaves of fenugreek), salt, lime or lemon juice, oil and mix. Add cut tomato, red onion and bell pepper (bite sized) and marinate with the paneer.

2) The sauce:
Heat oil in pan, add cumin seeds, finely chopped onion, salt, add pinch of turmeric, garlic-ginger paste and flower (maïzena). Add one cup of pureed tomato's, coriander powder, cumin powder and chili powder. Add water when the mixture becomes dry.

3) In another pan cook the paneer-yoghurt mixture. Make sure the tomato's don't become overcooked.

4) Boil sauce (add water if needed) and add the well cooked paneer-yoghurt mixture. Add garam masala powder and finish with adding cream.

Indian pumpkin lentil soup

A great soup for all year around. For best results use Hokkaido pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima var. hubbaridianna). This pumpkin has its origins in Japan, but is widely available in Europa.

Hokkaido pumpkin has a great sweet taste. The Hokkaido pumpkin is a result of Japanese farmers cross breading the American giant pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima), which was first brought to Japan in 1878.

The basic ingredients:

2 tomatoes
1 potato
1 onion
fresh ginger (shredded)
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
1 liter water
100 gram red lentils
Tamarind (according to taste, start with 2 tablespoons ), use tamarind pulp.
1 Hokkaido pumpkin

Before firing up the stove, make sure these ingredients are ready:



Fry the onion and ginger in 2 tablespoons of oil until brown.



Add tomatoes and potato and fry for 5 minutes:



Add spices (coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili, coconut) and fry for 3 minutes:



Add 1 liter of water and 100 gram red lentils. Bring to a boil:



Prepare pumpkin:



Add pumpkin to soup and simmer until soft. Add water if needed:



Puree the soup with a strong mixer:



Add tamarind juice according taste. This functions as a souring agent, much like lemon or lime. At this stage also add salt. Taste for the best result.



Mix well. Garnish with fresh coriander or mint leaves.

Risotto con funghi

Another visual shopping list. This time for Risotto con funghi (Risotto with mushrooms). For 2-4 people.



25 gram dried porcini
175 gram fresh mushroom
juice of half a lemon
75 gram butter
2 tbsp chopped parsley
900 ml chicken or meat broth (not too strong!)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
100 ml. dry white wine
3 tbsp Parmesan
275 gram arborio (rice)
salt & pepper

Preparation in 7 steps

Step 1 Soak dried mushrooms in 350 ml warm water for 40 minutes. Drain and reserve soaking water for step 3. Cut soaked mushroom finely.

Step 2 Slice fresh mushrooms and toss with lemon juice. Melt 1/3 butter and fry mushrooms. Stir in parsley after mushrooms begin to brown and set aside.

Step 3 heat broth and add mushroom soaking water. Simmer until needed.

Step 4 Heat another 1/3 butter with the olive oil in same pan mushrooms were cooked. Stir in onion until soft and golden. Add rice and stir for a few minutes. Add soaked and sautéed mushrooms.

Step 5 Pour in wine and cook until it evaporates.

Step 6 Raise the heat and add a little hot broth. Cook until the rice dries out. Add more broth. Repeat for 20 minutes. Taste and continue until rice is al dente. This may take 35 minutes.

Step 7 Remove from heat. Stir in remaining butter and parmesan. Whisk quickly and grind some black pepper. Rest risotto for 3-4 minutes before serving.

Update: this can be a very powerful risotto (taste-wise), depending on the strength of the broth. Use a more watery broth if you want to taste the rice, mushrooms & wine better.

Linguine with lemon

A simple tangy lemon-cream sauce.

Juice of two lemons
50 gram butter
200 ml panna da cucina
100 gram Parmesan, grated
salt & pepper

1) Boil and simmer for 5 minutes: lemon juice, butter and cream. Add salt and pepper. You can add some grated lemon rind as well.

2) Meanwhile cook linguine (or similar pasta).

3) Add Parmesan to cream sauce. Taste. Mix with drained linguine. Above quantities are good for 2 - 4 people. Serve as an 'in-between' dish.

Just 4 ingredients:

Oven Fried Potatoes

Quarter small potatoes lengthwise, cut carrots in half lengthwise. Slice red onion in rings, fresh rosemary. Put in oven dish. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until the potatoes are golden. Grind salt using a salt mille on the table.

Fresh rosemary from my Amsterdam 'pavement garden'.



Half an hour on low heat. Don't use too much oil.

Truita de patates

Heat plenty of olive oil in a skillet. Add 1 onion, finely chopped. Cook for 5 minutes.



Add 5 medium potatoes diced into small 1 cm cubes or chips. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.



Beat 4 eggs in a bowl and add salt to taste.

Drain potatoes and add them to the bowl with the whisked eggs. Clean out skillet.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to skillet and fry tortilla for 15 minutes on very low heat. Flip tortilla over to a plate. Clean skillet again and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Fry the other side for 15 minutes.

Alu gobi आलू गोभी (potatoes cauliflower)

Gobi:



Aloo / alu:



Ingredients:
1/2 tsp amchoor powder
1  cauliflower, cut into florets
1 bunch chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (shred garlic and ginger to a paste).
2 green chill's.
1/4 cup oil
1 small onion
4  potatoes, cubed
1 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
3  tomatoes, chopped
3/4 tsp turmeric powder

Directions:
• Heat oil in a pan, saute cumin seeds, and ginger-garlic paste for a minute.

• Add crushed tomato,onion and green chilli and add turmeric cook till oil ozzes out.

 • Add rest of spices mixed in water (2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp amchoor powder).

• Add poatoes. and cauliflower and salt. Fry for few minutes. 

• Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.

• Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with naan, chapati or roti.