Stuffed meaty artichoke hearts with Roquefort and pumpkin seeds

For starters fill a pan with 5 cm cold water and add the juice of 1/2 lemon, then trim down 2 big fresh artichokes down to their meaty hearts

(Click here to see how Molly Watson does it)

She writes: cut off and discard the stem end of the artichoke, cut close to the base so the artichoke can stand up on its own.

Pull off and discard the artichoke leaves, starting with the outer ring and working your way around and in the entire thistle. Most of the leaves will snap off, leaving the meaty bit at their ends still attached to the heart. Don't worry if you end up pulling the whole leaf off.

Keep going. Pull off and discard the artichoke's leaves—as you get to the inner leaves, they are more tender, flexible, and yellow. Grab the tops of the center leaves and pull up to remove them. This will reveal the fuzzy, choke underneath. These leaves are often a bit stiff at the ends and depending on the specific variety, may have lovely purple tips.

Use a spoon to dig in and scrape off the fuzzy (and inedible) choke.

Use a paring knife to cut off and discard any tough, fibrous, dark green parts clinging to the outside of the artichoke heart. Be aggressive. You only want the tender, light flesh of the heart when you're finished.

Now you have a fully trimmed and cleaned artichoke heart. It is ready to cook and eat. To keep the hearts from oxidizing and turning brown rub them first with the other 1/2 lemon, then add them in the pan with lemon water. 

Add salt, bring to the boil and cook for 15 mins

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C

Toast 1/2 slice of white bread.

Beat 1/2 egg and add 65g crumbled Roquefort,1/2 tbsp hacked pumpkin seeds, 1/2 tbsp drained and hacked capers, 1 tbsp hacked parsley, 1 small minced clove of garlic and the crumbs of the toasted bread

Once the artichoke hearts are done, drain and dry them and put the in an oiled oven dish

Spoon the stuffing on them and cover with Panko and 1 tbsp olive oil

Put in the hot oven for 15 mins

Serve as shown with chervil leaves

(Here Philippe van den Bulcks orinal recipe in Flemish)

Dorade sashimi on cold risotto

Cover 50g risotto rice with 1 cm water and softly boil for about 15 mins, drain and rinse with cold water.

Reserve in a sieve.

Cut the green from 4 spring onions in 4 cm tubes, cut them open on one side and then cut into matchsticks. Keep in ice water

Mix the rice with 1 tbsp white miso paste and 1 tsp hacked coriander.

Dry the sliced spring onion and mix with a tsp olive oil and lime juice

Use 2 spoons to make two quenelles of the rice, Put 2 slices of dorade on top and 1 tsp caviar

Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and the spring onion salade

(Here Jan Tourniers recipe in Flemish)

Jeruzalem artichoke and potato tartare on Delice de Bourgogne crème

Blend during 7 mins 15g leaf celery with 2 tbsp water, 100 ml extra virgine olive oil and 1 tsp salt, pour through a fine sieve and keep the green oil in the fridge

Peel 75g waxy potatoes and cut into 5mm cubes, boil them in salted water for 4 mins and cool

Do the same with 75g Jeruzalem artichokes, panfry them softly in 2 tbsp olive oil for about 8 mins, nice browned on all sides. Set aside to cool.

Spoon 75g Delice de Bourgogne cheese (without the rind), 2 tbsp water and 60g sour cream in the food chopper of your stick blender to make a smooth cream, season with black pepper.

Take the leaves from some sprigs of parsley, chervil, tarragon, mint and dill and mix them with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt

Peel a Granny Smith and cut 75g in 5 mm cubes

Mix the apple, potato and Jeruzalem artichoke cubes with 1,5 tbsp of the celery oil, season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the cheese cream in 2 coupes, add the tartare and finish with the herb salad and a thin cracker. Feeds 2.

(Recipe by Merijn Tol for Delicious Magazine)

Juicy tiger prawns, crispy kohlrabi and dill mayo

Blend 7g dill, the juice of 1/4 lime and 1 tbsp water. Add an egg yolk and use the mixer to start a mayonaise, slowly adding about 75 ml grapeseed oil.

Season with salt and pepper, keep cool in the fridge

Peel and devein 4 tiger prawns

Peel a kohlrabi and use the mandolin to have 8 very thin 6 cm slices, put them in ice water to become crispy, then dry and sprinkle them with salt, lime juice and lime zest

Toast 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds and 1/4 tbsp chili flakes in a dry pan for about a minute or two. Then add 50 ml olive oil, a star anise, 1/2 finely cut shallot, 3 finely hacked cloves of garlic and some salt. Simmer a while till the garlic is nicely browned.

Brush the prawns with olive oil and panfry them in a dry pan till they are just done.

Spoon dill mayo in 2 wide champagne glasses, followed by the kohlrabi, the prawns and a tbsp of the chili oil.

Finish with dill and some more lime zest 

(Recipe by Merijn Tol for Delicious Magazine)

Whipped goat's cheese, blackberries, pancetta on sourdough toast

Use the blender to turn 25g blackberries, 1,5 tbsp mascarpone, 60g soft goat's cheese, 25g grated Parmesan into a smooth créme. Season with 1/2 tsp peperoncino (or chili flakes) and some salt

Keep in de fridge for 30 mins

Halve another 25g blackberries and marinate 10 mins in 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, do the same with 1/3 celery stick, thinly sliced

Panfry 2 slices of pancetta in a dry pan till golden and crispy, drain on kitchen paper

Deepfry 4 sage leaves crispy in oil, drain and sprinkle some salt on them

Use a serving ring to cut 2 6 cm circles from a thick slice of sourdough bread, butter them and then panfry on both sides. 

Cool the toasted bread then cover them thickly with the cheesecrème

Put the blackberries, celery, pancetta and sage on top

(Recipe by Merijn Tol for Delicious Magazine)

Beetroot and potato rösti, smoked wild salmon and horseradish cream

Peel and roughly grate 200g Nicola potatoes and 1 big cooked red beetroot, add 1 finely hacked garlic, 1 tbsp flour and 1 beaten egg. Mix well and season with pepper and salt

Divide in two heaps and flatten. Melt 20g butter and pour over the cookies. Put in the fridge for at least one hour. 

In the meantime mix 50g mascarpone, 1 tbsp mayo, 1 tsp Dyon mustard,  the juice of 1/4 lime and 1 tbsp horseradish cream, season with salt and pepper. If you have one, grate some fresh horseradish into the mix.

Panfry the cookies in 3 tbsp olive oil, 3-4 mins per side, until browned and crispy.

Serve with slices of smoked wild salmon

Finish with lime wedges and dill

Lamb chops, sea aster, corn

Panfry 4 lamb chops in a little butter, 2 mins per side. In the meantime wok a handful of sea aster in a little olive oil

Serve as shown with some corn from a tin

Carne crude with anchovies and lemon zest

Slice 200g fillet of beef in 4x4 mm cubes. Roughly hack 50g hazelnuts and toast them in 1 tbsp olive oil. Drain and finely hack 4 anchovies.

Mix the meat with 2/3 of the hazelnuts, 2 tbsp good olive oil, the anchovies and the zest of 1/2 lemon. Taste and season with salt and pepper 

Serve as shown with watercress, finish with olive oil, fresh pepper, the last of the hazelnuts and more lemon zest.

(Here Dosia Brewers original recipe in Dutch)

Nori “Fish Finger” Tacos with Tartar Sauce

Start by making the tartar sauce by mixing together 1  crushed garlic clove, one 1,5 cm piece ginger (peeled and finely chopped), 1 spring onion (finely sliced), 10g capers (drained, roughly chopped), 10g cornichons (finely chopped),

1/2 tbsp lime juice, 1/2 tbsp green nori sprinkle (or nori sheets blitzed finely), 100g mayonnaise and freshly ground black pepper

To make the fish fingers remove the skin and bones from 4 sea bass fillets, slice them into finger-size pieces.

Whisk together  30g plain flour, 1 tbsp cornflour, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp green nori sprinkle, or nori sheets blitzed finely and  put in a plastic bag. Then add 1/3 of the fish fingers and shake well. Repeat with the rest of the fish. 

Place a medium deep frying pan over medium high heat and add in 300ml vegetable oil. 

When the oil is hot enough (when a drop of batter immediately sizzles), place 3 fish fillets into the batter, then drop each carefully into the oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through. 

Drain onto a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with some flaky sea salt. Continue with the rest of the fish fillets.

Serve the fish alongside the tartar,  wedges of a lime, 10g fresh coriander leaves, pickled sushi ginger, extra nori, and warm tortillas. Feeds 2

(An Ottolenghi recipe)

Red snapper with ginger and coconut curry

Heat oven to 70°C

1. Season 2 red snapper (or red sea bass) filets generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the fish and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm while you prepare the rest of the dish.

2. Add 2 teaspoons oil to the skillet. Add a julliened spring onion and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 tbsp minced ginger and 1 tsp dried turmeric and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute. Add a julliened carrot, 80g halved snow peas and 80g green peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add a tin of coconut milk to a saucepan and 1 tablespoon red curry paste, bring to a simmer over medium, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is reduced by about one-third, about 6 minutes. Whisk in more curry paste according to taste, if desired. 

Divide the sauce among 2 shallow bowls. then the vegetables and the fish, garnish with coriander (and as I had some left over courgette flowers I added them as well) and serve.(Here Patrick Jamon's original recipe)

Iwashi Mirin Boshi (grilled sardines)

Start with a marinade: bring 50 ml soy sauce, 15 ml mirin, 1 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp caster sugar and 1/2 tsp salt to the boil, then take from the fire 

Mix 25g potato starch with 50ml water, mix with the soy sauce, but... by bit and stirring well

Remove the heads from 4 sardines, slice the belly side open, remove the innards, put them skin side down, flatten and remove the spine but leave the tail

Marinade in the soy mix for at least 3 hrs.

Preheat the oven at 230°C

Pat the sardines dry with kitchen paper, put on parchment paper in een oven dish and put in the hot oven for 3-5 mins.

Sprinkle with furikake, serve with sea aster and lemon

Feeds 4

(Recipe by Hokkai Kitchen)

Spiced beef with aubergine

Preheat oven to 220°C. 

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Deeply score cut sides of 2 small aubergines, halved lengthwise, in a 1.5cm cross-hatch pattern. Place cut-side up on tray. Brush with 1 tbs oil, season and roast for 25-30 minutes until browned and tender.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add 250g minced beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for 7-8 minutes until browned. 

Stir in 1/2 onion, finely chopped, 1 crushed clove of garlic, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp of each ground cinnamon, allspice and chili flakes and zest of 1/2 lemon and cook for a minute until fragrant. 

Add 1 tbsp tomato paste and  175 ml beef stock, season and simmer for 10 minutes until sauce is thick. Take off heat and stir in small handful roughly chopped parsley and mint leaves and the  juice of 1/4 lemon.

Mix 100g Greek yoghurt, 1,5 tsp sumac and the juice of 1/4 lemon in a bowl. Season. 

Top eggplant with mince, drizzle with half the sumac sauce, top with pomegranate seeds, roasted pistachios and more parsley and mint leaves  and serve with rocket and remaining sauce.

(Here Shannon Bennets original recipe)

Cherry viennetta

Double line the inside of a 1-liter loaf pan with either plastic wrap, parchment paper, or wax paper. Make sure all the sides are fully covered, and to leave some overhanging the sides. If using plastic wrap, make the lining as smooth as possible. If using parchment or wax paper, tape the overhang to the outside of the container.

Whip 400 ml (1 tin) condensed milk, 250 ml double cream, 250 g mascarpone and the seeds of a vanilla pod

Break up 300g dark chocolate and melt au bain marie, set aside to cool down a bit

Drain a 350g pot of Amarena cherries, keep the syrup.

Spoon 1/3 of the vanilla-cream mix in the pan, use the back of a spoon to smooth the top and add 1/3 of the cherries.

Followed by 1/3 of the melted chocolate.

Put in the freezer for 10 mins

Spoon in another 1/3 of the cream mix, 1/3 of the chocolate and 1/3 of the cherries, freeze for 10 mins

< Repeat this procedure a third time with the rest, use a fork to create a pattern in the chocolate.

Fold the liner over the top and freeze for at least 4 hrs 

Serve as shown with fresh cherries and some of the reserved Amarena syrup

(Here Yvette van Boven's original recipe in Dutch)

Red mullet, veggies a la grecque

Peel and quarter a good-sized bulb of fennel Blanch the fennel until just soft (4 to 5 minutes) in a pot of boiling, salted water.

Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic, peel and dice 1/2 carrot, 1/2 stick of celery and 1 shallot.

Heat a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a clean pan on a moderate hob. Fry the shallots, carrots, garlic and celery for 2 to 3 minutes until all the veg are starting to soften and just about to colour

Then stir in the fennel, 6 crushed coriander seeds and add a bay leaf, a few strands of saffron, 1 tbsp cider vinegar, the juice of 1/2 lemon and 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil. 

Season with salt and pepper and leave to simmer with a lid on for about 20 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked and flavoursome, but still having a bite. 

Add a tbsp oil for frying to a hot, non-stick frying pan. Ensure 2 filets of red mullet (skin on, pin-boned and scaled) are dry and the surface of the pan is covered with oil before gently placing the fish into the pan. Do this slowly, laying the fish skin-side-down, away from you so as not to splash. 

Cook with a little salt and pepper for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn the fish over, remove the pan from the heat and season again.

To serve, season the fennel dish and stir through 1 tsp chopped parsley or chives. 

Arrange onto plates, spooning the sauce over the fennel before placing the fish alongside. Dress with a squeeze of lemon and serve at once.

Feeds 2

(Here Café St Honoré's original recipe)
 

Korean veggie pancakes

Start with the batter: 50g flour, 15g rice flour, 8g corn flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder,1/2 tsp white caster sugar, 1 tsp kurkuma, salt, pepper and 110 ml ice cold water

Finely slice 1/2 carrot, 1/2 leek, 3 spring onions,50g taugé, 1/2 red onion, 50g king oyster mushrooms in long matchsticks

Briefly fry the mushrooms in sesame oil, season with salt and pepper

Use your hands to mix the veggies in a bowl with some of the batter, which should just stick to the vegetables 

Finely slice 1/2 clove of garlic and 1/2 red chili. Mix 50 ml soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey and the juice of 1/4 lime, add the garlic and chili and leave for 10 mins

Make a salad from 2 tbsp coriander leaves, 2 tbsp sliced chives, 5 hacked leaves of mint, 1/2 thinly sliced red onion, the juice of 1/4 lime and 1/2 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Flatten 2 heaps of the veggie mix and pan fry them in some olive oil, 3 to 4 mins per side 

Serve as shown. Feeds 2

(Here Ramon Brugman's original recipe in Dutch, with video)

Chicken Katsu Flatbread

I tried this recipe with tacos, but decided flatbread would be nicer.

First make the dough. In a large bowl, whisk 125g flour with 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp nigella seeds, then add 95g yoghurt. 

Pull together into a ball, tip on to a floured surface and knead for two minutes. Now rest in a lightly oiled bowl covered with a damp tea towel.

If you can't buy it make the tonkatsu sauce yourself: in a small bowl, mix together 30g ketchup, 1 tsp sugar, and 30 g Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.

Make the salad: in a medium bowl, slice 5 romaine salad leaves and toss with 1 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp sushi vinegar, and salt until well coated. Season with additional salt if needed. Set aside.

Prepare the chicken: Fill a heavy-bottomed, high-sided skillet with about 1¼ cm of vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 180°C.

Place 2 chicken thighs on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound the chicken with the flat side of a meat cleaver until the thighs are 4 mm thick.

On the cutting board, season the flattened chicken on both sides with salt.

Add 200g flour, 2 beaten eggs and 200g Panko to 3 separate shallow bowls.

Coat each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess, then in the egg, then in the panko. Gently press the panko into the chicken to ensure a thick, even coating.

Working in batches, carefully fry the chicken in the hot oil for about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. 

Set on paper towels to drain and immediately season lightly with salt. Keep warm in a 70° oven

To cook the flatbreads, warm clarified butter in a large pan over a high heat. Divide the dough into 2 balls and roll each out on a floured surface to 15-20cm – the thinner, the better. Once the pan is hot, cook each flatbread for a few minutes on each side until puffed up and blistered.

Start plating with 1,5 thigh onto a flatbread. Top with about 2 tbsp of salad, a drizzle of tonkatsu sauce, sliced spring onions and coriander leaves. Sprinkle furikake on top 

Serve with lime wedges alongside. Feeds 2

(Inspired by That's what Bob is cooking, with tacos)

Citrusy chicken, fennel and potato tray bake

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan and line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

The recipe asked for Ottolenghi's citrus and spice blend, which I did not have, so I mixed 1 tsp sumak, 1,5 tsp nigella seeds, 4 tsp lemon zest, 6 heaped tsp toasted ground cumin, 2 tsp palm sugar, 1 tsp garlic powder and some sea salt

Place 30g butter, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp of the spice mix, 1 tbsp lime juice and 5 garlic cloves (peeled and smashed with the back of a knife in a small saucepan, along with 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper and mix. Warm gently on a low heat until the butter has melted and set aside.

Place 4 chicken thighs onto the tray and arrange a large fennel bulb, halved and each half cut into 4 wedges and 250g red lady potatoes, skin on and sliced in 3 mm rounds around to fit - it’s ok for some of the potatoes to overlap each other (they will shrink as they cook).

Pour over the butter/oil mixture and use your hands to give everything a good coating.

Roast for 40 minutes until the chicken is well browned and the potatoes and fennel are starting to catch around the edges, using the juices to baste everything once or twice during cooking. After 20 mins add some cherry tomatoes

Remove from the oven and drizzle over 2 tbsp double cream, followed by a good grating of parmesan  

Serve with more of the parmesan alongside. Feeds 2

(Here Ottolenghi's original recipe for four)

Spaghetti, artichokes, Gorgonzola and pumpkin seeds

Panfry 390g grilled artichoke hearts (from a jar) 3 mins in 2 tbsp oil, then add a minced onion and a minced clove of garlic      

After another minute crumble 120g Gorgonzola over the artichokes, 1 min later add 120g double cream and stir well.

Keep warm on a low flame.

Tear a slice of brown bread and crumble in the kitchen machine, then panfry crispy in 1 tbsp oil with 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds and 1 minced clove of garlic

Boil 100g spaghetti al dente, drain and add to the Gorgonzola sauce, taste and season with black pepper.

Serve as shown, with the breadcrumbs and pumpkin seeds on top. Feeds 2

(Here Janneke Philippi's original recipe in Dutch)

Spicy Korean lamb chops

Make a marinade from 1 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Mirin and 50g gochujang. Add 1 minced clove of garlic, 1/2 tbsp grated ginger and 1/4 tsp sesame oil. 

Marinate 6 lamb chops overnight

Toast 1 tbsp sesame seeds in a dry pan, use a mortar to make a paste. Add 1/2 tbsp caster sugar, 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1/4 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp boiling water and 1 tsp sesame seeds

Panfry the lamb chops, 2 mins per side. Cover in alu foil and rest 3 mins in a 70°C oven

Stir fry 250g spinach, drain and wring to remove as much water as possible.

Start plating with the spinach, pour some sesame dressing over it.

When I was just doing that.... 4 friends came in, so I had to make 6 portions, hence the photo:)

(Recipe Foodiesmagazine)

Artichoke and goat’s cheese frittata with cherry tomatoes

Preheat oven to 200°C. 

Heat oil in a 22cm round non-stick frypan over medium-low heat. Add 3 sliced spring onions , 2 crushed garlic coves and 150g quartered grilled artichoke hearts (in oil, from a jar) and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until onions are softened but not coloured. Remove from pan and cool slightly.

Whisk 6 eggs and 120 ml double cream together in a bowl, then stir in 3 tbsp hacked herbs (dill, chives, parsley, chervil), the zest of a lemon, the artichoke mixture and 60g crumbled soft goat’s cheese. Season. 

Pour mixture into the frypan, top with 200g cherry tomatoes and brush them with oil. 

Place another 200g tomatoes on the vine on a small tray, season and brush with oil.

Bake frittata and tomatoes for 20-25 minutes until edges of the frittata are puffed and cooked and the centre is just set. 

Scatter with 60g goat’s cheese, roasted tomatoes and extra herbs to serve, with crusty bread, olive oil and sea salt

(Here Helena Moursellas' original recipe)

Quails, estragon, grapes

Put 8 sprigs of tarragon in 2 quails, season with pepper and salt

Brown on all sides in 2 tbsp clarified butter, add 150 ml white wine and boil for 30 sec, then add 350 ml chicken stock and 150g white grapes. Bring to the boil again, put a lid on the pan and boil for 9 mins.

Remove the bird and the grapes and keep warm in a 70°C oven, then reduce the cooking liquid till syrupy 

Serve as shown

(Great Recipe from The Food In France)

Cockles steamed in sake

Thinly slice 1/2 leek.

Wash 500g cockles, or vongole, thoroughly under cold water. The put them in 1 liter water with 20g rock salt, put a lid on and keep in a dark plate for 1 hour. They will open slightly, so rinse them again to get out the sand,

Drain, then cook in 50 ml sake. As soon as they open drain and keep the cooking liquid. Keep the cockles warm in a 70° oven.

Add 20g butter, the leek and 1 tbsp light soy sauce and reduce for about 2 mins.

Serve as shown

(A Hokkai Kitchen recipe)

Stir-fried chicken in XO sauce

Mix 5 tbsp plain flour with 1/2 tsp Madras curry powder, a good pinch of salt and several grinds of the peppermill, and toss 400g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bitesize pieces, in it in a large bowl. Set aside while you chop the other ingredients. 

Cut the white parts of 4 spring onions into coins, and put in a bowl with 3 chopped garlic cloves. Cut the rest of the spring onions and 70g baby corn (which I did not have) into pieces on the diagonal.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of ground nut oil (or another flavourless oil) in a wok over a high heat, and fry the spring onion bottoms with the garlic for a few seconds until they start to give off their scent. 

Add the chicken to the pan and stir-fry for about 3 minutes, until there is no pink visible. 

Add the green parts of the spring onions, the baby corn and 125g sugar snaps to the wok, stir-fry for about 30 seconds and throw in 40ml dry sherry (or Chinese cooking wine) and 3 tbsp light soy sauce. 

Stir-fry for another 30 seconds and stir in 1 heaped tablespoon XO sauce. 

Put a lid on the wok and cook for another minute or so, until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve immediately with steamed rice.

(Here Liz Upton's original recipe)

Chinese aubergines and King oysters in XO sauce

Mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp palm sugar, 1 tsp red chili paste and 2 tsp corn starch in a bowl and set aside

Slice 2 Chinese aubergines lengthwise in half, then cut at an angle into 2 cm slices

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok until very hot and tilt to coat on all sides, fry the aubergine until tender and browned, about 5 mins. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the wok and set aside

Hack 4 King oyster mushrooms in 3 cm pieces and stir fry them, about 5 mins. Remove and set aside

Add 1 more tbsp oil to the wok and add 2 tsp minced garlic and a small red chilli. Stir fry 20-30 secs. Add 1 tbsp XO sauce from a jar and 2 spring onions (cut into 4 cm pieces) and stir fry another minute

Stir in the soys sauce mixture, the aubergines, the mushrooms and a handful Thai basil leaves (which I didn't have, so used normal basil) and heat trough and the sauce slightly thickens.

Serve atop rice and garnish with more basil

Scallop XO Sauce Spaghetti

Spaghetti tossed in umami XO sauce and topped with king oyster mushroom “scallops.” A Chinese-Italian fusion pasta dish.

As it turns out, the king oyster mushroom (or other oyster mushroom varieties) has fibers arranged very similarly to scallops. Not to mention they have a funky, almost fishy taste. So all you need to do to transform them is cook them like you would cook scallops.

XO Sauce is an iconic Chinese condiment traditionally made from dried seafood such as scallops and other meats such as cured ham. It is known for its intensely rich, umami flavors. 

Trim off the ends and slice 2 large king oyster mushrooms into around 1 cm thick cylinders.

With a sharp knife, gently score one side of each cylinder

In a pan, heat up a tbsp vegetable oil on high heat. Sear each “scallop” with the scored side down first. Flip when the scored side is crispy and golden

Once you flipped all the “scallops,” baste the scallops with chili oil. When both sides are golden-brown, they are ready. Take off the heat and set aside.

Prepare 100g spaghetti according to the directions on its packet. When the pasta is 2 minutes from being done, heat up 1 tbsp XO sauce from a jar (mine is Lee Kum Kee) in another pan.

Add the cooked pasta, a tablespoon of pasta water, and toss to emulsify. 

Serve with the scallops and top everything with thinly sliced spring onion and shredded nori.

Here Che Jorge's original recipe, incl home made vegan XO sauce)

Pain perdu, vanilla ice cream, passion fruit

Our version is made from sliced of typical Dutch Stol, raisin bread with an almond paste center.

Whisk an egg in a soup plate, mix with 200 ml milk and 8g vanilla sugar, drag slices of the bread through this mix and pan fry in butter, 2-3 min per side.

Dust with icing sugar.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and seeds of passion fruit

(Here the original recipe, with raspberries, in Dutch

Turnip greens, anchovies and spaghetti

Looking good? No, it's not an elegant dish, but believe me: it's fingerlicking good. So I decided to share it with you

Toast 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, 2 tbsp pine nuts and 2 tbsp sunflower seeds in a dry pan, reserve,

Thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic and hack 8 anchovies and panfry them in 3 tbsp olive oil till the garlic is golden brown and the fish melted in the oil

Boil 200g spaghetti

Add 50 ml white wine to the anchovies oil, drain the pasta and stir into the anchovies oil.

Serve with 200g turnip greens, the toasted nuts and a mozzarella.

Season with pepper and eventually some extra virgine olive oil

(Here Yolanda van der Jagt's original recipe in Dutch)

Asparagus, broad beans, herbs, pecorino

Peel 2 white asparagus and 2 tbsp frozen peas 3 mins in salted water 

Boil 20 broad beans 2 mins in salted water, cool and pod them 

Slice the asparagus in 3 parts and briefly panfry them in butter

Serve as shown, with chervil, garden cress, mustard cress, mint and shavings of pecorino.

Season with salt and pepper, finish with some very good olive oil

(Another Blendbrothers recipe)

Spinach in garlic yoghurt and spicy minced meat

Looking good? No, it's not an elegant dish, but believe me: it tasts great. So I decided to share it with you

Get the filling out of 250g fennel sausages and season with 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin and a pinch of cayenne.

Grate 1 clove of garlic into 250g Greek yoghurt, season with salt and stir well.

Stir fry 200g spinach in a glug of olive oil and cool

Stir fry the minced meat for about 4 mins

Squeeze the water from the spinach, hack roughly and stir into the yoghurt

Start plating with the yoghurt/spinach, cover with the minced meat.

Finish with soft boiled eggs and some dill. 

Serve with Lebanese or toasted Turkish bread

(Here Sake Slootweg's original recipe in Dutch)