30ml olive oil 30g butter 4 cloves of garlic, minced 3 x 400g cans of cannellini beans 500ml vegetable stock 5ml finely chopped rosemary 5ml finely chopped thyme leaves sourdough croutons to serve
Place a saucepan on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and butter and wait for the pan to heat up. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Drain 2 of the cans of beans and add the beans to the saucepan. Pour the third can of beans, liquid and all, into a liquidiser and blitz until smooth. Add to the saucepan. Pour in the stock and add the rosemary and thyme. Grind over some black pepper and stir together. Bring the soup to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve piping hot with freshly made croutons.
15g butter 15ml olive oil 1 large/2 medium onions, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 carrots, finely diced 50g curry paste (I used Rogan Josh paste – use a milder paste if you are not a fan of heat!!) 30ml tomato paste 500ml cooked rice 45ml soy sauce
Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the butter and oil. Add the onion and fry until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Now add the carrots and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add the curry and tomato paste and stir to mix through. Add the cooked rice and stir until the rice is evenly coated. Pour in the soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes, until the soy has been absorbed. Serve warm.
Soak the beans in a bowl filled with cold water for a minimum of 6 hours. Rinse the beans and add them to a pressure cooker with enough water to cover them by 3cm. Cook for 45 minutes. (If you are cooking them in a saucepan – simmer gently for 1 – 2 hours until soft when pressed between your fingers). DO NOT ADD SALT OR ANY OTHER FLAVOURANTS AT THIS STAGE! Place another large saucepan on a medium heat and add a splash of vegetable oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and leeks and gently cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the beef, season well with salt and pepper and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Pour in the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Drain the beans, mash them roughly and add to the beef mixture. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes while keeping a hawk’s eye on it as it will burn easily at this stage. Stir often and regulate the temperature. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning. Serve steaming hot with a fresh crusty bread.
Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the oil to it. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 1 minute. Add the carrot and cook for another 3 minutes while stirring every now and then. Turn the heat up and add the beef. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon and stir around until loose and browned from cooking. Sprinkle the flour over the beef and stir through. Add the tomato paste, beef stock, red wine, stock powder, Worcestershire sauce, thyme leaves, bay leaves and salt and pepper. Stir the mixture and bring it to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You should now have a reduced, gravy consistency that isn’t watery. Taste the beef and adjust the seasoning according to taste. Spoon the mixture into a 18cm x 28cm ovenproof dish and allow it to cool. If the meat is cool when you add the mashed potato topping, the meat won’t cook through the topping.
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Cook the potatoes in a saucepan with boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and add them back to the saucepan. Add the warmed milk and 100g butter and mash the potato until smooth. Season with salt. Spread the mash on the beef and rough up the surface with a fork. Sprinkle the melted butter over and top with a sprinkling of the parmesan. Bake the cottage pie for 30 minutes until it is beautifully golden on top and bubbling on the edges. Serve piping hot.
2 eggs 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced a pinch of nutmeg 120g butter, cuber 200g frozen peas 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, finely chopped 250ml cream 80g cheddar cheese, grated 15ml lemon juice 5ml granulated mustard 62ml parsley, chopped 500g haddock, cut into 2cm x 2cm pieces
Preheat your oven to 220℃. Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, peel and quarter them and set aside. Cook the potato until soft. Drain, mash and add a pinch of nutmeg. Add the butter and mix through until the butter has melted and it is incorporated into the potato. Taste the potato and season with salt. Set aside. Measure the frozen peas into a mixing bowl and fill the bowl with boiling water. Stand the peas for 1 minutes, drain and set aside. Pour some oil into a saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cream and bring the mixture to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the cheese, lemon juice, mustard, parsley, peas and fish and stir to mix. Scoop the mixture into a 18cm x 28cm ovenproof dish and arrange the eggs on top. Finally spread the mashed potato on top and bake for 30 minutes. Serve the pie piping hot.
Traditional Amsterdammers will insist that this soup be made with Groninger mustard but any good quality granulated mustard is perfect for this delicious soup. Serve it with fresh bread and extra fried bacon. Serves 4.
2 leeks, rinsed and sliced 1 onion, chopped 2 large potatoes, cut into small chunks 1 clove garlic, minced 50g flour 1 litre vegetable/chicken stock 62ml cream 30ml Groninger/granulated mustard salt and pepper
Pour enough oil into a saucepan to cover the bottom and place on medium-high heat. Add the leeks, onion and potato and cook until the leeks are soft. Stir often. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir-fry for another minute. Pour in the stock and bring the soup to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the potatoes are very, very soft. Blitz the mixture with a stick blender/liquidiser until completely smooth. Add the cream and mustard and stir through. Simmer the soup on a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring every now and then. Add the bacon to a non-stick frying pan and cook until slightly crispy. Drain on kitchen paper. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Serve the soup piping hot with extra bacon scattered on top.
Boerenkool Stamppot is probably the oldest and most authentic of Dutch dishes and could be considered the Netherland’s national dish. Comfort food for those cold evenings when you do not want to spend too much time in the kitchen but need something to feed your soul.
1,5kg potatoes, peeled and diced 2 onions, peeled and chopped 1 bay leaf 500g kale, trimmed and roughly chopped 500g rookworst (or any other smoked sausage) 125ml milk 45ml butter salt and plenty of black pepper, to taste
Add the potatoes, onion, bay leaf, kale and a teaspoon salt to a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover the ingredients. Cover with a lid and simmer for 25 minutes. Slice the sausage into thick slices and fry it off in a hot pan. You want the edges to caramelise and become crispy. Set aside. Remove the bay leaf from the veggies in the saucepan and drain off the water. Add the milk and butter to the saucepan and stir through. Lightly mash the potato-kale mixture but be sure to keep some texture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the fried sausage. Serve the stamp pot with a traditional Dutch beer or a glass of wine.
Who can say no to a homemade pie? This is a rich and meaty steak pie and definitely one of the ultimate winter comfort foods! Easy to make and freezes well if you need some “food insurance” for later. This recipe makes 2 pies that will feed 6 adults, each.
1,5kg chuck or braising steak, de-boned and cubed 3 onions, finely chopped 2 medium carrots, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, creamed 50g tomato paste 30ml Worcestershire sauce 500 – 750ml water 2 rolls ready-made pastry Egg-wash: 1 egg and 15ml water whisked together
Cover the bottom of a large heavy-base saucepan with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Season the meat with salt and add the cubed meat in batches, to brown. Keep the browned meat aside. Add the onions, carrots, garlic and tomato paste to the same saucepan and fry for 2 -3 minutes on medium heat. Spoon the meat into the saucepan with the vegetables, add the Worcestershire sauce and enough water to almost cover the meat. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a slow simmer and cook for 2 – 3 hours. The meat should be very tender and the sauce should be thick and intensely flavoured. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Take the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Preheat your oven to 200℃. Spoon the steak mixture into two pie dishes and set aside. Dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry to a thickness of 3mm. Cut out a circle that is 2cm larger in diameter than that of your pie dish. Wet the rim of the dish with water and place the pastry over the filling. Lightly push the pastry onto the rim of the dish, to secure. Cut a slit into the pastry to allow the steam to escape during baking. Brush the pastry with the egg-wash, place in the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden. Serve warm.
This roasted cauliflower soup is deliciously light and complex at the same time. The sunflower seeds add a creaminess and depth of taste and makes this a soup you can entertain with. Yields 6 – 8 servings.
2 heads of cauliflower 2 onions 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1l vegetable/chicken stock 250ml water 250ml cream 125ml sunflower seeds, toasted 1,2ml grated/ground nutmeg 15ml lemon juice 30ml butter salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut the cauliflower heads into florets and place them on the line baking tray. Drizzle with vegetable oil and a sprinkling of salt. Roast the florets in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through the roasting time.
Peel and chop the onions. Put a large saucepan on to medium heat, add some oil and the onions and fry until the onions start to caramelise. Turn the heat down, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour the stock, water and cream into the saucepan and add the sunflower seeds and nutmeg. Add the roasted florets and cook at medium heat for 20 minutes. Add the lemon juice and butter to the soup and stir through. Decant the soup, in batches, into a liquidiser and blend until smooth. Pour the soup back into the same saucepan and taste it – adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the soup warm with a crusty bread.
My Whisk and I 