Courgette flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies

First remove the (bitter) pistil of the flowers. Then stuff them with some mozzarella and an anchovies.  

Close the stuffed flowers like this:

Make a batter from 100 g flour and 100 ml ice-cold beer.

Drag the flowers trough the batter and deep-fry for 3 mins in 170°C oil

Served with a pink asparagus, that can be eaten raw.

(Recipe from Lydia Delectorskaya, the housekeeper of Matisse)

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Cocktail of salted herring and mango

< Glug of crème de                  

   cassis

< Melon cubes

< Herring cubes

< Mango cubes

< Crème fraiche

< Melon cubes

< Herring cubes

< Mango cubes

< Crème fraiche

(Recipe by Visch, Den Bosch)

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Stuffed portobello, molten tallegio

Pre heat the oven at 180°C

Bake 2 portobello's, with some oil, salt & pepper for 15 mins.

In the meantime slice and dice 1/2 onion, 1/2 a celery stick and 1 clove of garlic and softly sweat in 2 tbsp olive oil for about 10 mins.

Add 50 g sun-dried tomatoes and warm with 25 g grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp hacked tarragon and 2 tbsp hacked basil leaves.

Fill the portobellos with this mix and cover with slices of soft Italian tallegio cheese.

Put back in the oven for another 10 mins. to melt the cheese.

Serve with a green salad.

(An Ottolenghi recipe)

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Beet, yoghurt and a paprika and preserved lemon relish

Pre heat the grill at 230°C

Start with the relish by roasting 3/4 tbsp coriander seeds in 2 tbsp olive oil for about 30 sec. Add a tin of 400 g tomato cubes, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 tsp sugar and salt&pepper. Simmer for 15 mins.

The add 2 tbsp hacked preserved lemons and simmer another 10 mins. Cool and reserve.

De-seed a yellow paprika and blacken in the oven. Cool between alu-foil then peel and slice.

Add 2 tbsp chopped parsley and 2 tbsp chopped coriander and the paprika to the relish. Finally 4 tbsp chopped dill.

Start plating with the relish, then stir in 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt

Add quartered beetroots and finish with thinly sliced red onion and some more dill for decoration

(Another Ottolenghi recipe)

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Soy, mirin and yuzu-marinated salmon with radish, apple and cucumber salad

To prepare the salad, add 150 ml vinegar and 150 g caster sugar to a pan and bring to the boil. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, then remove from the heat

Add thinly sliced radishes, Granny Smith (skin left on) and cucumber and set aside to lightly pickle for 1-2 hours

To prepare the salmon, mix 200 ml soy sauce, 100 ml yuzu juice, 100 ml mirin, the juice of a lemon and 5 g toasted and crushed coriander seeds in a large container and thinly slice the salmon. 

2 minutes before you are ready to serve, submerge the salmon slices in the marinade for a maximum of 2 minutes - any longer and it will begin to cook the fish

Lightly separate dried rice noodles into clumps and deep-fry in small batches at 180°C until puffed up and crispy - this should take around 20-30 seconds. Remove and drain on absorbent towel

To serve, arrange the salad neatly onto each plate and top with slices of the marinated salmon. 

Add some crispy noodles on top and finish with micro herbs and capers.

(Here the original recipe by Mark Dodson)

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Broad beans, Serano ham, mustard/parsley dressing

Always heaven when the fresh ones

arrive in May and June. 

Double podded of course. As a starter 

or smaller 

as an amuse or tapa: 

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Salade Caprese molti colore

Start with the marinade. Toast 1/2 tsp fennel seeds in a dry pan, then powderise in a mortar. Add 15 shredded leaves of basil, 2 tsp chopped oregano, 4 tsp good olive oil, the zest of a lemon, 1 finelly chopped clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp sea salt and black pepper.

Tear a good quality buffalo mozzarella in pieces and brush with the marinade, 30 mins before serving 

Halve the mixed tomatoes, plate with the mozzarella en drizzle with olive oil

(An Ottolenghi recipe)

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Japanese octopus salad

Start with the dressing: bring 3 tbsp rice vinegar to the boil to dissolve 1,5 tbsp sugar. Cool and add 2 tsp soy sauce. Toast 2 tsp sesame seeds and add to the dressing.

Mix thinly sliced pre-cooked octopus, slices of de-seeded cucumber and wakamé.

Add the dressing and stir well.

Thinly slice some ginger and cut in tiny matchsticks.

Serve as shown

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Greek style pie with minced meat, feta and olives

First blind bake the crust. This is baking the pie crust slightly before adding the fillings and finishing the baking process.

Line the inside of a spring form with puff pastry, cover the bottom with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, dried beans or in my case, coins.

This will create weight in the dish, helping the pie crust to keep it’s shape while baking and prevent large bubbles in the crust.

Bake for 10 mins at 180°C, remove the weights and then another 10 mins.

In the meantime mix 250 g minced lambs meat, 250g minced Livar meat with 3 torn slices of white bread, 2 tins of ratatouille, 200 g cubed feta cheese, 100 g olives, 3 tsp thyme and pepper&salt.

Cover the bottom lightly with breadcrumbs and fill the quiche with this mix and cover with strips of puff pastry on top of the pie filling, layered over and under one another to create a basket weave appearance. 

Brush with egg yolk and stick in the oven for 50 mins

Cut the leftover pastry in small triangles, cover with grated cheese and bake in the hot oven fot about 12 min.

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Shrimp & mango cocktail

Put half a mango in the blender with some orange juice, a splash of lime juice and 1/2 tbsp of sweet chili sauce to make a thick sauce. Add some chopped coriander and slices of red chili.

Cut the other half of the mango into small cubes. Add to the mix.

Boil a bit of samphire (3 mins).

Serve a shown with 50 g of shrimps on top.

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Crispy braised Iberico pork collar

It is not cheap, but if you come across it don't hesitate and buy an Iberico pork collar.

I made pulled pork from one half. Today I made this from the other half (400 g), divided in thick slices.

First I peeled, halved and then sliced 400 g of onions and sweated them in 40 g of butter, turned the heat up a bit and softly fried them for about 40 mins, nicely caramelised and brown.

Took out the onions and added some more butter in the pan to sear the meat.

Then turned the heat down again and added sea salt, black pepper, 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 3 finely cut cloves of garlic and 2 leaves of laurel.

Added 600ml of beef stock and simmered the meat for 3 hours.

Then I took out the onions again and the meat. I cooled the meat for an hour and in the meantime reduced the liquid by 30%.

Finally I fried the slices of meat in another pan in butter till both sides were nice and crispy.

Served with the onion, red cabbage and gratin dauphinois

(Here the original Yvette van Boven recipe)

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Strawberries and brownies

Simple dessert, strawberries with white pepper, whipped cream, warmed brownies and mint

(Fortunately the best brownies are made in my hometown)

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Smoked eel with sour cream on beet tartare

Peel and dice (3x3 mm) a cooked beetroot.

Add 4 chopped cornichons, 1 finely sliced shallot, 2 tbsp parsley, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp worcestershire sauce, 3 pops of Tabasco, 1 tbsp mayo, 1 tsp white wine vinegar, pepper and salt.

Season 2 tbsp sour cream with pepper&salt

Use a serving ring to serve as shown 

(Here the original Belgian recipe)

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Potato/parsnip rösti, herring (or smoked eel)

Pre heat the oven at 185°C

Grate 60 g potato and 60 g parsnip. Mix with 1 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt, black pepper, 1/2 egg, 1 tbsp flour and a pinch of baking powder.

Make 2 heaps on a baking tin and press flat. Bake for 16 mins, the flip around for another 5 mins

In the meantime mix 60 g cream cheese with a tbsp horseradish cream and 1 tsp lemon juice

Put a couple of  herring (or smoked eel) pieces on the rösti, then a dollop of the horseradish cream and finally some spring onion and dill

Here the original recipe

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Japanese ebi fry, avocado chimichurri, Tonkatsu sauce

As I saw that many Japanese live in South America I wanted to pair their obi fry with avocado chimichurri from Argentina and Uruguay: cut 1 avocado in half. Remove the pit and scoop out the flesh. Cut into pieces.

Finely cut 1 shallot, 2 tbsp parsley and 2 garlic cloves and add to the avocado. Squeeze in the juice of 1/4 lime, add 2 tbsp olive oil and a dollop of jalapeño relish. Season with salt and pepper. Stir into a nice chunky mix.

For the sauce: Stir 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp grated ginger and 1 minced clove of garlic in a bowl, let blend for at least 30 mins

Deep fry the (store bought, f.i. here) breaded prawns for 3 - 4 mins in 170°C oil.

Alternative sauces: sweet chili or tartar sauce. Itadakimasu!

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New potatoes, asparagus, salad

First boil small new potatoes, then fry them in butter. In the meantime put either spinach leaves or like I did rucola, with 2 cloves of garlic, some parsley, some mint leaves, salt and olive oil in the blender to make a pesto dressing

Boil green asparagus for 3 mins. Wash the salad.

Plate the salad leaves, parsley, asparagus, dressing, potatoes and chervil.

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