Pimientos de Padrón are green chilli peppers from Spain that are usually mild, but sometimes one of them can be very hot. They are very tasty, a bit like green bell pepper but better. To prepare them, you only need … Continue reading Pimientos de Padrón
Stroopwafels are a Dutch treat that is very popular both inside and outside the Netherlands. They are thin round waffles, filled with syrup that has a hint of cinnamon. They are very addictive! When a Dutchman wants to charm a … Continue reading Homemade Stroopwafels (Dutch Syrup Waffles)
Calamari and squid are both types of cuttlefish. You can use any type for this recipe. Squid can be cooked in two ways: either very short or very long. Something in between, and it will be tough. Since I was … Continue reading Pasta with Calamari and Bell Peppers
With as much cooking experience as I have, most new dishes I try turn out well the first time I make them. And so what you read on this blog is mostly successes. But to allow you to learn from … Continue reading Oyster Sauce: Don’t Try This At Home
Using chard for the filling of the ravioli alla genovese meant I had leftover chard stems. I thought what a home cook from Genoa would do with leftover chard stems, and that is how I came up with this contorno (side dish) … Continue reading Baked Chard Stems (Coste di Bietola al Forno)
I wish you all a happy and healthy 2017 with delicious food and wine. As my first contribution to this, I present to you homemade lychee ice cream. Lychees are a tropical fruit with a complex delicious aroma and flavor. When … Continue reading Lychee Ice Cream
For Christmas I wanted to make a traditional Italian dish that I had not prepared before, preferably something that involved stuffed pasta. As I’ve already made so many stuffed pasta dishes over the years, I wasn’t sure if I would … Continue reading Ravioli alla Genovese
For Christmas I wanted to make a traditional Italian dish that I had not prepared before, preferably something that involved stuffed pasta. As I’ve already made so many stuffed pasta dishes over the years, I wasn’t sure if I would … Continue reading Sugo di Carne alla Genovese: Il Tocco (Genoese Braised Veal and Meat Sauce)
This is the type of salad that I often eat for lunch during the weekend, and I will be posting a few more of them. It is low in fat and low in carbs as well as vegetarian, so perhaps … Continue reading Lentil, Fennel and Skyr Salad
Every year we celebrate our anniversary at Librije, our favorite restaurant in the Netherlands and one of our favorite restaurants in the world. The restaurant run by chef Jonnie Boer (no relation) and his wife and sommelier/maitre Thérèse is located … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: Librije*** (2016)
Have you ever eaten a dish from Azerbaijan? I had not. Thanks to Darya’s post, I have prepared this wonderful lamb stew with chestnuts and pomegranate. It is original and absolutely delicious. Of course I cooked the meat sous-vide, but … Continue reading Lamb Stew with Chestnuts and Pomegranate (Nar Govurma Sous-Vide)
Another niece turned 18 and so it was time for another bottle of the same 1998 Barolo, but this time for Dana. I thought it would be nice to cook something with duck breast for her, which already works with … Continue reading Duck Breast with Mushrooms
Sandra always publishes tasty recipes on her blog Please Pass The Recipe. Recently, her blue cheese tart with caramelized fennel caught my attention. I had never thought of combining caramelized fennel with blue cheese, but I love both of them … Continue reading Caramelized Fennel and Gorgonzola Tartlets
Scallop and parsnip ravioli is a dish that I came up with five years ago and I already blogged about back then, but my photos were pretty terrible back then, I had hardly any followers, and besides I have made some … Continue reading Scallop and Parsnip Ravioli (Ravioli di Capesante e Pastinaca)
Brioche is white bread enriched with eggs and butter, and thus perfect for the holidays. In this case I made one big loaf, but you can also make smaller loaves or buns. For the characteristic shiny top, braze the top … Continue reading Homemade Brioche Bread
Twice a year I organize themed wine pairing dinners (click here to read more about them). This fall’s theme was Wild Game and Wine. The same menu was repeated on three Saturdays for three different groups of friends, and on … Continue reading Pairing Wild Game and Wine
Pheasant is a tricky bird to prepare, because it very easily becomes tough and dry. Sous-vide comes to the rescue, because only perfect temperature control can assure you to get it tender without drying it out. If you’ve read my … Continue reading Pheasant Sous-Vide (Breast, Leg Confit And Its Own Jus)
This is the last post in a trilogy of posts with the recipes of the components for the dessert that I served at game & wine dinner parties over the last three Saturdays: marzipan mushrooms, almond madeleines, and in this … Continue reading Spiced Pear Ice Cream (Stoofperenijs)
Madeleines are classic French small cakes that have to be slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with a wonderful aroma of either vanilla, citrus zest, or, as in this case, almonds. They are not difficult to … Continue reading Almond Madeleines
Marzipan and almond paste are pretty similar, as both are made by grinding almonds and sugar together. The differences are that marzipan is sweeter than almond paste (almond paste is 50% of almonds by weight, whereas marzipan is 35-45% almonds), … Continue reading Homemade Marzipan Mushrooms
One of my favorite cooking blogs in Italian is Primo, non sprecare by Paola. The title can be translated as “First of all, don’t waste anything”. In Paola’s vision this doesn’t only refer to not wasting any food, but also … Continue reading Wholewheat Pasta with Lentils and Pancetta (Pasta con lenticchie e pancetta)
Before we had refrigerators, airplanes, and greenhouses, fresh vegetables were hard to come by in winter. And so our ancestors developed many ways to preserve vegetables for the winter. Even though it is not a necessity anymore, we keep preserving … Continue reading Homemade Sauerkraut
Have you ever heard of spaghetti squash? I had not until I read about it on Shanna’s wonderful blog. Coincidence or not, this autumn for the first time I saw spaghetti squash in markets here. The name may sound strange, but … Continue reading Spaghetti Squash with Clams and Pancetta
Recently, Mimi blogged about pumpkin mousse, a decadent mousse with mascarpone. I liked the idea of pumpkin mousse, and made my own version, leaving out the mascarpone. The result is feathery light with a good balance between the pumpkin flavor … Continue reading Pumpkin Mousse
Today exactly five years ago, I posted for the first time to announce the birth of this blog to the world. My mission was then and continues to be to “strive to share every single interesting experience with respect to food and wine” with you all. The blog hasn’t been just about sharing, but also for my own record keeping. I use my own blog posts regularly to recreate recipes that I had perfected before. There are so many recipes by now, that sometimes I’m not sure whether or not I have posted about a certain recipe or not, and run … Continue reading 1000 Posts in 5 Years
Zoodles are noodles made from zucchini. You make them with a gadget called a spiralizer. There are electric ones as well has hand-operated models. I got one of the latter after reading ChgoJohn’s blog post about the spiralizer he had … Continue reading Zoodles with Fish and Eggplant Ragù (Tagliatelle di Zucchine al Ragu di Pesce e Melanzana)
There isn’t much wildlife in the Netherlands, but there is some. The nearby dunes that are used to filter the drinking water for the city of Amsterdam (Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen) have so much deer running around in them, that the authorities … Continue reading Venison Shank Sous-Vide
Often simple preparations are the best. In this case a trout is wrapped in aluminum foil and baked in the oven, while potatoes are roasted in the same oven and with the same flavors (rosemary and garlic). The only tricky … Continue reading Trout and Potatoes from the Oven
After the trilogy of posts about understanding what happens to meat when you cook it in terms of juiciness, tenderness, succulence, flavor, and appearance, another important subject to cover is food safety. This post does not just apply to meat, … Continue reading Understanding Food Safety
Some Dutch words are difficult to translate. Two important ones are gezellig and borrel. “Gezellig” means having a good time together with other people. It can be used as an adjective, as in “gezellige avond” (avond = evening), or as an adverb: … Continue reading Crispy Chili Balls (Chili Bitterballen)
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 