Hotchpotch with Chinese cabbage

And Hotchpotch time it is! Two times in a row on the menu and again one outside my hotchpotch comfort zone: Chinese cabbage and mushrooms. It actually is made almost the same as yesterday, with 500 gr of potatoes, 15 gr of butter, 50 ml of vegetable stock and a big dash of olive oil. 

Fry ½ chopped shallot in 1 tbsp. of olive oil, add 1 chopped clove of garlic after a minute or 2. Also add 1 tsp. of dried coriander, a pinch of nutmeg and ½ tsp. of cumin, fry for another 2 minutes before adding 1 small Chinese cabbage cut into small strips. Fry for five minutes and put aside.

Fry the other ½ shallot in 10 gr butter, add 250 gr of sliced mushrooms as soon as they soften. Fry for about 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.

Stir the cabbage through the mash; put the mushrooms on top and maybe some fresh herbs like basil or parsley.

Hotchpotch with Brussels Sprouts and Lime

Since the stormy weather has started and the holidays are over, the craving for real winter food has begun. I tend to stick to the regular, mainstream Dutch hotchpotches (Kale, Sauerkraut, Endive or Carrots and Onions), but today there’s a whole lot of Brussels sprouts lying in the backyard. 

Although I do not hate eating them as much as I did when I was a child they still are my least favorite vegetable. Up until now I didn’t have a recipe that made me want to take a second bite. This really is the best recipe for them I ever found. The mash tempers the bitter taste they have and the lime even makes them taste kind of fresh.

Cook 250 gr of Brussels sprouts for about 10 minutes and cut them into quarters. Cook 500 gr of potatoes, drain them but save the boiling water. Mash the potatoes with 15 gr of butter, 50 ml of vegetable stock and a big dash of olive oil. When it is to dry you can moist it a bit more by adding a bit of the left over boiling water. Stir in the zest and juice of ½ a lime and add the Brussels sprouts. Season with salt and pepper. Add a couple of sausages and you’re good to go.

Pre New Years Party

Pre New Years Eve Party of hubbies office. Wonderful located in a gallery on the Nieuwezijdsvoorburgwal, completely decorated for the occasion. Chapeau for hostess Afke for arranging everything on short notice for the 40 people attending. Although the fish soup as a started didn't have much taste, the rest of the meal (wonderful salad, loved the roasted onion, turkey was good and the nuts on the desert delicious) as well as the evening were great. 

Also much appreciation for the burlesque dancer. Had a fantastic evening with really great people. Good end of a great year.

Salad with figs and Parma

What you need for the salad: 

Bunch of Mint

Bunch of Watercress

2 spoons of Hazelnuts

6 dried figs

150 gr of Parma Ham

1 apple into cubes

Dressing: 100 yoghurt, juice + zest of 1 lime, 1 bag of vanilla sugar, peper&salt, mix everything then slowly stir 3 spoons of hazelnut oil through

How to make it:

Mix all the ingredients together and poor over the dressing: bon apetit

Mackerel with Mustard Sauce

I've eaten a lot of smoked mackerels, but never had a fresh piece in my hands. Until De Krat brought me one, or actually two fillets. Including a recipe, which I tried immediately as fish should be eaten as fresh as possible. What I particularly like about the dish is the crispy skin and the nice solid texture of the fish.

Preheat the oven at 250ْ  C, season 2 mackerel fillets, with skin, with some salt and black pepper. Create, in the middle of a baking dish, a mound of 1 chopped red onion, 1 bay leaf and a handful of fresh parsley (keep a bit aside for the garnish). Put the fillets on top with the skin side up, pour 100 ml of white wine over it and put in the oven. Cook for 7-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Put the fillets aside on a warm serving dish as soon as they're done, cover with some aluminum foil to keep warm.

Strain the cooking liquid from the baking dish in a small saucepan and boil for a couple of minutes to concentrate. Add 2 tbsp. of mustard and stir, whisk 30 gr of chopped cold butter through and let it simmer for about 3 minutes. Pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with some parsley.

Very nice with some skin cooked potatoes and a green salad. Very light, the fish is oily enough by itself.

IJ

The view I've been looking at for over five years. The office had a lot of windows looking over the West part of the 'IJ'. An amazing view over the water and a part of Amsterdam. Miss working there and my colleagues, but maybe missing this view even more.

This day the light was amazing, dark clouds with the sun coming through giving the world an orange glow 

Bakkerswinkel

At the wonderful Westergasterrein you can find the Bakkerswinkel in a little house on the other side of the bridge near van Limburg Stirumplein. Decorated beautifully, a lot of space and a great environment. One of our favorite places on the Sunday morning, they open at 10 which is the best time to enter, just before the families with their children arrive around eleven and it gets really crowded. First a stroll with the dog and then a big breakfast at this place. The westergasfabrieksontbijt with eggs and ham is when you're really, really hungry, but I would recommend sharing a bakkersontbijt and then order some additional scones (with cranberries for example) If only so you can try all the different jams that are in jars on the tables, like the lemon curd, pineapple and basil or just raspberry.

 

El Jardin Secreto

After a couple of days of eating tapas, we were craving for a lot of vege. Or anyway, I was. El Jardin Secreto is a lovely and cozy place especially known for all their different hot chocolates and chocolaty deserts, but we're very happy with their salads and burgers. Also lovely is the wide range of non-alcoholic drinks, among which violet drink. They dress their meals and drinks with flowers as if it is a real garden. Specially a good place for a romantic being together.

Cathedral of Madrid

A good place to flee the city and have a moment of peace and quiet for a little while. If you don't mind the horde of tourists.

Stop Madrid

Madrid, of course, is full of tapas bars, but we really wanted to have some old fashioned tapas. On our way to our hotel we already spotted Stop Madrid, unfortunately it was closed as we wanted to visit at our cocktail hour (7 o'clock) and opens again at Spanish hours around eight.

Delicious old fashioned tapas at Stop Madrid, with your beer you already get some bread with tomatoes and you can't visit Madrid without having some proper manchego and iberico: Stop Madrid is the place to be!

Mercado de San Miguel

Mercado de San Miguel is a good place to try a little of a lot that Spain has to offer. A large covered market, with all kinds of stalls where you can get tapas, paellas, oysters, tortillas, jamon, manchego, chocolat, wines, beers...everybody gets what they like and then you eat it at one of the bars or many tables. 

A real tourist attraction, which is not surprising because you have a bit of everything, but also a whole lot of Spanish people that lunch here or have a drink in the afternoon accompanied with some nice snacks.

La Mallorquina

Taking a break to visit Madrid for a couple of days because the husband has to go there for work. Packed my sunglasses, shorts, sunburn...not necessary at all! Madrid this time of year is just like Amsterdam in the fall: raining and 10 degrees. No worries, enough to see and do and every sunbeam is a reason to take a walk.

Our apartment is in the middle of the center, right near Puerta del Sol. Perfect to be if you didn't book a place that includes breakfast, because on Puerta del Sol you've got La Mallorquina. A small pastry place, downstairs is the shop where, but upstairs is the breakfast room. Packed with people, but with a high turnaround, so you don't have to wait to long for a table. The waiters are just running around carrying trays with breakfast. They don't have a menu, so first have a look downstairs or just order napolitanas, which they have in a cream version or a chocolate one. Croissants, Orange Juice and some Café con Leche and your good to go.

Plaice Fillet with Spinach

My weekly organic box "De Krat" has been delivered today, a whole bunch of fresh ingredients to cook with!

Thinly slice 1/2 a Granny Smith apple. Saute 1 clove of chopped garlic and 1 chopped shallot in some olive oil until they're soft (about 5 min.) Than put 500 gr of spinach in hand by hand, it will shrink very much. Heat a knob of butter in another frying pan until the foam is gone. Put salt and pepper on 2 plaice fillets and, at the last moment, put a tbsp. of flour on them. Fry them on both sides for 2-3 minutes.

In the mean time the spinach should be done, sprinkle the juice of half a lime on and season with some salt and pepper. 

Spinach on the plate, apple on the side and fish on top. Finish with a bit of pepper and a slice of lime on top

 

Stew with Parsnip and Jerusalem Artichoke

Again a night of Cooking from De Krat. Tonight I'm using some ingredients for the very first time, one of the reasons why I have De Krat in the first place. Tonight I'm using: Venison, Parsnip, Jerusalem Artichoke, Chicory, Mushrooms and Apples.

The Stew:

Fry 40 gramsbacon in 1 tsp. olive oil, add 1 chopped shallot, 1 chopped clove of garlic and a tbsp. of thyme leaves, bake for about 5 min until it's soft. Fry 400 grams of stewing steak in pieces of 5 cm until its brown in a Casserole in 25 grams butter, than add the onion mixture. Turn the heat high and add 50 ml red wine vinegar, let it boil for a couple of minutes. Add 350 ml red wine and let this boil for a while. Add 3/4 of 350 ml boiling stock to the pan, together with the 1 Bay Leaf and 2 Cloves of garlic. Let it softly boil for 1 hour, stir every now and then and add some stock if necessary. Than add 1 tbsp. Dessert Wine and 100 grams Mushrooms and cook for another 15 minutes. Season with some salt and pepper if necessary.

Side Dishes: 

Jerusalem Artichoke Puree - Peel 500 gr of Jerusalem artichokes, boil them for about 25 minutes (keep some of the water apart). Mash together with a tsp. of mustard and a tbsp. of creme fraiche, salt&pepper and some fresh thyme. If Necessary add some of the boiling water to make it smoother.

Parsnip - Peel 500 grams of parsnip, cut them in pieces of about 5 cm long and put them in water with lemon. Cook for about 15 minutes, drain, add a knob of butter, salt and pepper.

Chicory Salad - Peel and chop 1 apple. Mix it with 1 tbsp. mayonnaise, 1 tsp. of mustard, 1 tbsp. olive oil and some lime juice, salt&pepper. Put in a couple of sliced pickled onions and 2 stumps of chopped chicory.