Roasted carrots

We love roast vegetables! On top of the fact that they look so beautiful when they come out of the oven, they are so good for you too. It is a simple way to prepare vegetables that takes so little time. I simply cleaned and scrapped my carrots leaving a little of the tops on just for show. *grins*  Roll them in olive oil and lay then in a baking pan. Add some sliced wedges of red onion also rubbed with olive oil. Sprinkle on ground sea salt, ground pepper and some mixed Italian herbs. You can also add honey to the olive oil if you want the carrots to be even sweeter. Roast them in a 200C/400F oven for 30 minutes or until carrots are to desired tenderness. This time will vary depending on the size of your carrots.

They taste great and look so pretty on your plate...

Eet smakelijk!

Heidi

Broccoli-Leek-Mozzarella Quiche

We love quiche as a light and simple meal. I played with a new combination for dinner Sunday evening.

Broccoli-Leek-Mozzarella Quiche
This recipe is for a small sized quiche. My quiche dish is 6-1/2 inch. If making a larger quiche double the ingredients and increase the baking time.

3/4 to 1 cup broccoli rosettes
1 small sliced leek
1 ball of mozzarella
2 pinches mixed Italian herbs
2 eggs
milk
freshly ground salt and pepper
puff pastry - 4 squares

Thaw the frozen puff pastry sheets and press in a buttered quiche dish. I used 4 squares which I left standing higher out of the dish to give the dough a rustic look.

Blanche the broccoli to take the bite out of the vegetable but not allowing it to get soft. Drain and place in the dish. Drain the mozzarella and dice. Place the cheese over the broccoli and then sprinkle with mixed herbs. Fry the leek in a pan until just turning glassy. Place over the broccoli-cheese.

Break two eggs in a glass measuring jug. Beat well. Add enough milk to bring it up to one cup. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the vegetable-cheese and place in a 180C/350F oven for 30 minutes.

This quiche seems wet when you slice it due to the mozzarella but just be sure the egg is baked through.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Pasta with spinach and cream cheese sauce

We eat pasta often in our home. I love how I can test out new combinations or simply use up lots of delicious veggies in the fridge. Making tasty pasta dishes is not difficult or time consuming. This spinach and cream cheese sauce couldn't be easier to whip up when time is short.

Pasta with spinach and cream cheese sauce for two
Pasta of choice - I used fresh fungi tortellini this time but this is good with any pasta!
450 gr (one pound) fresh spinach - this slinks down to just enough for two
about 3 tablespoons fresh cream cheese with chives
2 tablespoons half and half
salt and pepper
handful of pine nuts
Parmesan cheese -flaked
Optional - slices of Parma ham

Cook the pasta according to instructions. Wilt the spinach in a large pan and drain. Add the cream cheese and half and half allowing the cream cheese to melt. Salt and pepper to taste. Toast the pine nuts. Serve your pasta on a plate pouring the spinach sauce on top. Sprinkle pine nuts and Parmesan flakes over the sauce. Top with slices of Parma ham that has been placed under a grill under crispy.

** Be careful to keep a close eye on the Parma ham under the grill as it does burn easily. **

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch stir-fry

As I have mentioned before, we are big Brussel sprouts lovers. I have posted a recipe for sprouts with rice before but this one has not developed into this more spicy version. So here is a very tasty way to dress up Brussel sprouts with.....

Dutch Stir-fry
250 gr (about 1/2 lb) Brussel sprouts, cut in half and washed
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced in strips and cut in bite sized pieces
1 red chili pepper, remove seeds and finely chopped
125 gr (about 1/4 lb) bacon lardons or chunks
3 spring onions, sliced
good pinch of thyme
3/4 cup of rice, cooked and set aside

Parboil the sprouts about 3 minutes, drain and set aside.

Fry the bacon and red pepper in a little olive oil adding thyme to the meat.

Now add the spring onions and finely chopped red chili. Then add the cooked sprouts to the mixture and warm through. Last, add the cooked rice, mixing well and serve.

Note:  The heat of your chosen chili pepper will determine the spiciness of this dish. Ours are mildly hot.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Rode bietjes stamppot - Dutch specialty

Rode bietjes stamppot (stamppot is a traditional dish where potatoes are mixed with one or more vegetables) is a tasty alternative to having the typical kale or andive in your stamppot. Rode bietjes are red beets as you can see from the photo. They do turn your potatoes to a red color but, believe me, it is delicious and simple to make.

Red beet stamppot
about 700 grams potatoes (approx 1-1/2lb)
500 grams cooked red beets (approx 1lb)
1 leek
thyme
salt and pepper
Dutch smoked sausage or preferred meat

Peel and cook the potatoes until soft. Add a pad of butter and mash them with a hand masher. Add a splash of milk being sure to keep the potatoes quite stiff. You do not want to make a creamy mash for stamppot.

Meanwhile, dice the cooked beets and slice the leek. Cook these together in a pan with a pad of butter, thyme and salt and pepper. This does not need to be on the heat for long as you just want to heat the beets and wilt the leeks.

Mix the vegetables into your potato mash and heat through. Serve with a Dutch smoke sausage or any meat of your choice. A traditional Dutch winter meal.....

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Crustless zucchini pie

Last weekend, Jos and I tried this recipe I found online. I made a few changes. It was so delicious and luckily we had a very large zucchini so we grated enough carrot and zucchini which are in the freezer ready to make another pie soon...

Crustless zucchini pie
3 eggs
1/2c (125ml) flour
1-1/4c grated zucchini
2/3c (150ml) grated carrots
1 onion, chopped
125g bacon lardons, fried to preference
1/2c (125ml) grated old Dutch gouda cheese
2 tbsp. olive oil

Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Heat oven to 350F/180C. Beat eggs in a large bowl adding flour until smooth. Stir in zucchini, carrots, onion, bacon, cheese and oil. Pour mixture into the pie plate and bake for 45 minutes. Serve hot from the oven.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Belgian stoemp

I love trying new recipes but also trying specialties from various countries. I had some carrots and leeks and wanted to do something different with them so I tried out the Belgium version of our Dutch stamppot which is called stoemp. It was so easy to make since it is all thrown in one pot.

I also needed something that would taste good with the Beef Wellington I bought at our butcher. He makes them up when the weather starts to turn cold. They are so delicious and all you have to do is pop them in the oven. He makes his version with a very spicy meatloaf type filling instead of a piece of beef. It is something we look forward to as autumn starts.

Belgian stoemp for two
3 potatoes, peeled and largely diced
2 carrots, chopped in very small chunks
1 leek, sliced
50ml milk
50gr butter
salt and pepper
nutmeg

Peel and boil potatoes in salted water. When the potatoes only need about 5 minutes more, add the carrots and leeks to the water. (The carrots should not be so soft that they mash up which is why you add them later.) When the potatoes are ready, drain the water. Place the milk and butter in a small dish and warm up in a microwave. Now add the mixture to the potatoes, carrots and leeks and mash with a hand masher. Add salt. pepper and nutmeg to taste.

As you can see, we love pepper here so I added a good deal of freshly ground pepper over the stoemp before I served it.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Forgotten vegetable...black kale or Tuscan cabbage

Each year at the end of summer, the black kale is harvested at an organic farm near Cranberry Cottage. We buy it once a year for a special treat of a forgotten vegetable. It is a type of kale with a delicious strong taste. I prepare it in a similar way as my regular stamppot with kale with a few changes...

Dutch stamppot with black kale
1 bunch of black kale leaves
about 12 small/medium potatoes
vegetable bouillon tablet
salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional: Dutch rookworst (smoked sausage)

Peel potatoes and place in a deep pan. Salt the potatoes and add a bouillon tablet covering the potatoes with hot water. Cut the stem from the middle of the black kale and slice up the leaves. Place on top of the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes.
Drain water and using a hand held potato masher, stamp your potatoes to a mash with the kale. Add a little knob of butter. I find I often do not need to add milk but do so if your mash is too dry. Serve with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper so you can omit adding any additional salt.

While the potatoes/kale are cooking, cook a Dutch smoked sausage or prepare any meat you wish to accompany your stamppot. This would even be tasty with simply bacon fried up and mixed in before serving.

To me, this has become a tradition for summer's end. It has the taste of those last summer days...

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Stuffed red bell peppers

I had recently made a recipe that I needed just a little ricotta cheese. I had about 2/3 of the container left and decided when I saw these huge red bell peppers that I would play around with creating a filling for them with what I had in the house. Here is the results which Jos already said he wants to eat again...

Stuffed red peppers
2 large red bell peppers
3 spring onions, chopped
12 button mushrooms, quartered
2 tomatoes, remove seeds and chop
about 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped
thyme
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
about 1/2 cup grated cheese
2 tablespoons each of breadcrumbs and grated cheese

Cut the bell peppers in half and clean out the seeds. Par boil them in water for about 5 minutes or just until they start to soften. Now fry the onion, mushroom, tomatoes, sage and thyme. Spoon a tablespoon of the mix into each of the peppers.
In a bowl, mix the ricotta with an egg and freshly ground sea salt and black pepper. Stir in the grated cheese mixing well. Mix the remaining vegetable mixture in the ricotta mixture and spoon into the bell peppers. Top with the breadcrumbs and grated cheese mixed together. Bake in a 200C/400F oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Served with a good rosé wine, this makes a perfect dinner on a warm summer's evening.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Leek and potato soup - Tessa Kiros

This week, I made a pot of leek and potato soup from Tessa's cookbook 'Apples for Jam'. This soup is simple to make and so delicious. I do add one little ingredient to mine and change two.

Leek and potato soup
2 large leeks, well cleaned and sliced
3 tbsp/45g butter
ground dry flakes garlic
2 tsp/2 theelepels brandy
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 cups/1,5l hot water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
grated nutmeg
about 1/2 cup/80ml Dutch 'halvolle koffiemelk' or half and half
flaked Parmsesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper

Place the clean leeks in a large pan with the butter and cook until glassy. Now add the garlic flakes and brandy allowing the alcohol to cook down. Add the potato, hot water and bouillon and allow to come to a boil. Lower the flame to a simmer and cook 45 minutes until potato is soft. Turn off the heat and grate nutmeg in the soup. Puree the soup (I use a stick blender so that I can puree it right in the pan). Add the half and half to taste. Serve with flaked Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Notes about my changes:
I started using the Dutch 'koffiemelk' to cut back the calories added to this soup by using real cream. I find it works well without sacrificing all the taste but still keeping it low cal. I also do not add salt since I put in two vegetable bouillon tablets which contain salt themselves. I flake some cheese in the bottom of the bowl and then again on the top of the soup.

I served the leftover soup for lunch when a friend came over. It warms up very well and perhaps even develops more flavor the next day.

We had a visitor at lunch. This Speckled Wood (pararge aegeria) butterfly flew into my house and sat on the window. Even though this photo looks like he is outside, he is in the house.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Forgotten vegetables...Hamburg root parsley

I love trying out forgotten vegetable sorts. We bought Hamburg root parsley (wortelpeterselie) in Germany and I decided to use it in a Dutch stamppot. This vegetable looks like a white carrot but is more in the region of a cross between a radish and a parsnip for taste. A unique taste that was well worth trying out and we will be buying these more regularly when in Germany.

My Country root parsley Stamppot
5 or 6 root parsley, peeled and cut up in chunks
3 potatoes, peeled and cut up in chunks
1 onion, peeled and sliced very roughly (don't make this too small as you want to taste the onion)
branch of rosemary and three of thyme
1 tablespoon herb cream cheese
half red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, peeled and chopped roughly
Dutch rookworst (smoked sausage) - you could also use salami

Cook the root parsley, potatoes and onion in a pan with rosemary and thyme. Use just enough salted water to cover and boil about 15 minutes until the potato and root parsley are tender. Discard the thyme stems and chop up the rosemary leaves.

In the meantime, cook the red pepper, onion and rookworst in a pan until the pepper is a little tender.

Stamp the potato mixture until they are roughly stamped. This is a country style meal and it should be left a little chunky. Now add the cream cheese and stir in well along with some freshly ground pepper to taste. Last, stir in the red pepper mixture and serve.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Cauliflower and potato bake...

This dish is great as a light summer meal on its own or as a side dish to your meat for the day. I use it when I want a light meal that is full of vegetables.

Cauliflower and potato bake
3 to 4 potatoes
1/2 head of cauliflower cut into flowerlets
3 carrots
3 spring onions
125g (1/4 lb.) bacon
salt and pepper
grated cheese of choice
1 vegetable bouillon tablet

Cook the cauliflower in water with the bouillon tablet until tender. Drain and sprinkle with pepper. Cook the potatoes until tender in the bouillon. Reserve a little liquid unless you would rather use a little milk.

Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes and cauliflower together leaving them roughly smashed. You want to have chunks of both potato and cauliflower in this dish. Salt and pepper further to taste.

Fry the carrot, spring onions and bacon until cooked. Now layer half the potato/cauliflower mix to a baking dish. Cover with half the carrot/onion/bacon mix. If you would like, you could also add some grated cheese at this point. Add the rest of the potato/cauliflower mix topping again with the rest of the carrot mix.
Now top with grated cheese and pour a little reserved bouillon or milk over the dish. Bake about 20 minutes in a 180C/350F oven.

This dish serves two as we eat it as our complete meal without a meat accompaniment.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dinner with Tessa.....

Two years ago, I bought two Tessa Kiros cookbooks...Apples for Jam and Falling Cloudberries. Now for anyone who likes to simply read cookbooks, these are a must have but they are full of truly great recipes. So far, every recipe I have tried for us has been wonderful and for keeps.

So this week, I decided to try a new way to prepare spinach which is a favorite vegetable in our house. I found this recipe in Falling Cloudberries which I adapted for use as a side dish for two people.....

Spinach Pilaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 spring onions, chopped
dried ground garlic flakes
1 lb (450gr) fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup (125ml) long grain (silvervlies) rice

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Add spring onions and sauté. Add the garlic flakes. Start adding the spinach leaves until they are mixed into the onion. It does not need to be totally wilted at this stage but you need space to fit the rice into the pan. Add the rice, salt and ground black pepper stirring in well. Pour 1 cup of cold water in and bring to a boil. Now reduce the heat and allow to simmer until all the water is evaporated. Fluff by stirring. I added a little more salt and pepper but do this to taste.

This is adapted from the recipe for two servings.

I served our rice pilaf with our meat for the evening and a vegetable dish we love...cook celery. I cut up celery to approximately 3 inch long pieces. Boil in water for about 15 minutes. Drain and serve with sea salt and a sprinkling of old Dutch cheese (or cheese of your choice).

The newest Tessa Kiros cookbook is coming out this October and I already love the name and cover photo! I am looking forward to getting this one but until then, I have a good number of recipes marked to try in my other two.

Dutch specialty foods - witlof or Belgian endive

This is a year round favorite in our house. We love any meal where a vegetable takes center stage.

This is Belgian endive or, as we call it here in Holland, witlof. This is a delicious vegetable that can be used in a salad or cooked. Eaten raw is not everyone's favorite as endive is bitter to the taste but, once cooked, it is a mild and tasty vegetable.

To prepare the witlof for cooking, all you have to do is cut off the end and remove the core with your paring knife which does taste bitter if eaten. You can see the core very well on the photo and simply try to score around it to remove. Boil the witlof in a pan full of water to cover. I boil them anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes depending on how large it is. It will go a little glassy when cooked.

Sprinkle some breadcrumbs in the bottom of a baking dish. Witlof continues to release moisture even after being drained and this help soak it up while baking.

Drain your witlof well and wrap each piece in a piece of ham. I like using parmaham but you can use any kind you like. Chop 2 or 3 spring onions and sprinkle over the ham wrapped witlof. Now sprinkle a layer of cheese again using any kind you like. I use Gouda cheese.

Place in an 350F/180C oven for about 25 minutes. Serve hot with noodles or boiled potatoes.

Note: An alternative is to fry some chopped bacon and sprinkle this over the witlof instead of wrapping in ham. If you have never tried this vegetable, I would give it a try. It is a tasty and healthy meal that tastes good in any season. If you still like to eat more meat then serve this as a side dish.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch specialty foods - Spinach with egg and bacon

One of the things I learned as being an old fashioned Dutch dish when I immigrated here many years ago is cooking fresh spinach. It is in season at the moment so we are enjoying it more regularly since it is more affordable. On top of it being delicious, it is also so good for you as it is rich in iron.

Spinach with egg and bacon
bag of fresh spinach (I use a 450g bag for two people - about 1lb.)
2 hard boiled eggs
4 potatoes, peeled and boiled
125g or 1/4 lb thick bacon, diced
3 to 4 spring onions, chopped
grated cheese (I use aged Gouda)
salt, pepper and nutmeg

Place the diced bacon in a frying pan. Fry using the fat of the bacon itself. Add the spring onion. Add spinach by the handfull allowing it to wilt each time before adding more. When the spinach is cooked, mix in salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to taste. Serve with grated cheese over the spinach and a sliced boiled egg and boiled potatoes.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Sage, leek and onion quiche

One of my favorite things to make and our favorite to eat any time of the year is a quiche. Since my herb garden is doing so well this year, I am coming up with more ways to use all the sage I have growing. So I whipped up a basic onion quiche made more special with fresh sage...

Sage, leek and onion quiche
frozen puff pastry
1 leek, sliced
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
grated cheese of choice (I use aged Gouda cheese)
1 egg
milk or half and half
salt and pepper
thyme

Thaw the pastry and roll out to fit into your quiche dish. *I am using a small quiche dish for 2 people. You will need to double everything for a larger quiche.*
Clean and slice leek and chop onion. Fry in a pan adding the fresh sage and (dried) thyme for the last minute. Place the onion and leek mix in the pastry shell.
Sprinkle grated cheese.

In a large measuring bowl, break an egg and add enough half and half to bring the amount up to 3/4 cup total. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the quiche.

Bake in a 180C/350F oven for about 35 minutes. If you use a large quiche dish, the baking will take about 45 to 50 minutes.

Note: I will increase the sage to 2 tablespoons next time as we really love the sage and felt there could be more in the quiche.

I like to serve quiche with a salad or sliced tomatoes.

My herb garden.....

The sage is doing particularly well and has lovely large leaves.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch specialty foods - Prei prol

I love food from various cultures. Here in Holland, the good and hearty foods are a comfort but also warming in the damp, cold climate we have here. Recently, while watching a show where Dutch farmer's wives were cooking local dishes, I came across this recipe for the first time. This is my version of a dish from the regions of Zeeland and Brabant.

"Stamppot" is a combination of potatoes with vegetable and sometimes meat. It is all mashed together in one pan. The pan is then placed on the dinner table for everyone to dish up their plates. This is a Dutch tradition in just about every family. Most families have their own recipes for various stamppots. I know my American family thought it was a strange idea at first but they love it.

"Prei prol" or Leek stamppot


1 leek, washed well and sliced
2 spring onions, sliced
5 or 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
bacon, cut in block or strips...I just used literally a handful of bacon lardons
2 eggs, hard boiled
butter
milk
vinegar
salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes in water until soft. Boil the eggs. While potatoes and eggs are boiling, cook the bacon. Add the sliced leek and two of the sliced spring onions until glassy and tender. Turn off the heat and set the frying pan aside.
Drain the potatoes and add a little pad of butter. Using a potato masher, stamp your potatoes adding a little milk. The mash should be be robust and lumpy as stamppot is not a puree. Now add a teaspoon full of vinegar and stir in the leeks, spring onions and bacon.
Peel the eggs and chop them up but not too fine. Lightly mix the egg through the stamppot being careful not to break the eggs up too much. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves two.

This can be eaten as a meal in itself or serve with a piece of meat or sausage to choice. I served it with a patty of ground steak with English brown sauce. I sauteed two whole spring onions to serve on top.

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Roasted cauliflower

I found this recipe online but tweaked it to make it my own. It turned out to be a great substitute for potatoes but also a delicious accompaniment for an Asian tinted meal.

Roasted cauliflower
Cut up a head of cauliflower and tear into small flowerlets. In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of olive oil with freshly ground salt and pepper, a tiny bit of ground dried garlic and a little ground shitake and chili pepper flakes mix. You can also just use ground chili pepper flakes if you have that on hand. Toss in your cauliflower and coat well with the spiced oil. Transfer to a cookie sheet. I covered mine in baking parchment for easier cleanup. Place in a 400F/200F oven for at least about an hour. The flowerlets should start to color nicely and become soft.

I served my roasted cauliflower with a kebab stick of Indonesian style pork tenderloin with peanut sauce and a small salad with red beets.

Before I served the cauliflower I poured some sweet chilli sauce over the cauliflower. It gave the vegetable an extra special kick without being too hot. It is already on the list of becoming a regular recipe on our table. I would even serve this as an appetizer or food for with drinks in the evening.

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi