Here's some that we've recently been trying out, but we'd love to hear your recomendations. We'll give out a prize for the best
Spicy purple-sprouting broccoli pasta
Ingredients
500 g purple sprouting broccoli
1 medium sized fresh red chilli
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small tin of anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
good quality olive oil
350 g pasta: fusilli, oriecchiette, penne rigate or conchiglie
parmesan or hard pecorino cheese to grate
Directions
Trim the outer leaves and woody stalks from the broccoli. Wash and chop into 1 cm sections. Cut the chilli in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Chop the chilli, the garlic and the anchovies finely. In a pan, warm 4 tablespoons of olive oil and add the chilli, garlic and anchovies. Sweat these for a minute or so and add the broccoli, season with a little salt and pepper, then continue to cook gently. Drop the pasta in boiling water and stir immediately. Grate 4 tablespoons of the cheese and reserve. After the pasta has been cooking for 5 minutes transfer a small ladle of the cooking water to the broccoli. Keeping over a high heat, add another 2 tablespoons of oil and add the cheese. Cook for a couple of minutes, then toss with the pasta and serve immediately.
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Dutch Beef
Ingredients
2-3 lb. curly kale (Boerenkool in Dutch)
3 lb. potatoes
Milk
Salt
1 lb. smoked sausage (in Dutch: Rookworst) or Frankfurters
4 tablespoons fat, butter or margarine
Pepper
Directions
Strip, wash and cut up the kale very finely. Boil kale in little boiling water with salt (about 40 minutes). Add peeled and cut potatoes and sausage and enough water to prevent burning (cooking time about 30 minutes, instructions may vary depending on brand of sausage).
Remove sausage from pan, mash remainder and stir in boiled milk until smooth. Taste and add some pepper if desired.
Serves 4.
As autumn and winter are approaching very quickly, we offer you a recipe for a traditional Dutch winterdish. Stamppot means that the vegetables and potatoes are mixed to a smooth consistency. It is a typical winterdish at home. This dish is eaten as a main meal dish, either with some soup to start, and followed up with fruit, as the dish is very nourishing.
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Cream of Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
"A Jerusalem artichoke is a white-fleshed root related to the sunflower. It is not related to the thistle-like globe artichoke, even though they share a common name and taste rather similar. This soup is wonderfully rich and creamy. Garnish with fresh parsley." Original recipe yield: 4 servings.
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
2 onions, minced
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, roughly chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Directions
1. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat until foamy. Add the onions, artichokes and potatoes and cook, covered, over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook for and additional 8 minutes.
2. Stir in the brandy, and flour, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in about 2 cups of the stock, stirring continuously, until the soup boils and thickens. Simmer for a further 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth, adding more stock if needed.
3. Return to the pan, add the cream and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then reheat. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, to serve.
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Carrot and Artichoke Soup
Serves 6 - 8 people
Ingredients
700 g (1&1/2 lb) jerusalem artichokes
3 celery stalks, chopped
450 g (1 lb) carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
75 g (3 oz) butter
1.5 L (3 pints) light stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Peel and slice artichokes then put them into a bowl of cold water to prevent them from discolouring. Peel and slice the carrots. Melt the butter in a cooking pot and soften the onion and celery for 5 minutes, then stir in the carrots and artichokes. Add some salt and put the lid on and let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes on a low heat. Then pour in the stock, stir well, put the lid back on and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Then liquidise the soup. Taste to check the seasoning, re-heat and serve.
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Baked Onions
Ingredients
2 large yellow or white onions, peeled
2 TBSP Tomato Juice
1 1/2 TBSP Honey
1 TBSP butter or margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp paprika
Directions
Cut onions in half crosswise and place, cut side up, in a baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients in saucepan on low until butter is melted; stir well. Pour over center of each onion half and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
OF COURSE EVERYONE KNOWS THAT Onions can be chopped and dried in the oven. Use the lowest setting and remove when thoroughly dry but not brown. Store at room temperature in airtight containers.
Onions can be frozen. Chop and place on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When frozen, remove and place in freezer containers or bags, and seal. This allows you to remove the amount you want when you want it. An alternative is to freeze whole. Jumbos can be peeled, washed, cored and dropped in a plastic bag. Once frozen, they can be removed like ice cubes. Freezing changes the onion's texture, so frozen onions should be used for cooking only. Whole frozen onions can also be baked.
Place a whole, raw, unpeeled onion in the refrigerator and chill for approximately one hour before serving, or peel and cut into slices and place in a bowl of ice water for approximately 30 minutes and then drain on paper towels. Either of these methods will bring out a sweeter flavor when eating raw onions.
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Thai Carrot Salad with Peanuts
Ingredients
3 cups grated carrots
Chili Vinaigrette
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon Oragne peel granules
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (Fresh cilantro is preferable )
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1 cup chopped peanuts
Finely chopped fresh mint, for garnish
Directions
Using a food processor, blend all the vinaigrette ingredients.
Add the chili flakes last, adding them a little at a time to taste.
Wash the carrots with a brush and grate into a large bowl.
Add half the dressing, saving the rest for another use; it will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.
Marinate for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped peanuts and mint
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Carrot Spice Pie
Ingredients
8oz of fresh carrots
1 pastry crust.
1oz honey
2oz white sugar
2oz brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
Skin , Dice and boil carrots for about 3-5 minutes, don't allow carrots to become soggy or soft
Combine carrots, butter, honey, vanilla, salt, eggs and spices in a mixing bowl and mix till smooth.
Fold in sugars and pour filling into pastry crust. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.
To determine if pie is done insert toothpick. If it comes out clean it is ready
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Broccoli and Carrot Casserole
Ingredients
4-6 carrots, sliced, cooked
1 head of broccoli, cut-up, steamed for 5 minutes
1/8 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 oz. Mozzarella cheese, grated
garlic powder, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
In casserole dish, mix carrots, broccoli, Romano cheese, bread crumbs, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
Drizzle olive oil over all vegetables; toss to coat.
Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top of vegetables.
Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.
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Leek and Potato Soup
Ingredients
4 c chicken broth
4 medium potatoes cut in chunks
3 - 4 leeks slice in 1/4-1/3-inch slices, white part and some of the
pale green
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion cut in chunks
1 Tbsp butter
4 - 5 slices of bacon
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 tsp chervil
2 Tbsp parsley
Directions
Combine broth, potatoes, leeks, salt and pepper and simmer until
potatoes and leeks are done. Saute onion in butter until translucent.
Fry, drain and chop bacon (1-inch pieces). When potatoes and leeks are
done, add cream, chervil, parsley, bacon and onion with butter. Simmer
until warmed through and serve.
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Beetroot and Onion Tart
30 minutes
Ingredients
500g (1lb) beetroot
350g (12oz) small onions
2 tbspns
75g (3oz) caster sugar
250g (8oz) puff pastry
2 tbspn balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
Directions
1. Wash the beetroot. Place in a pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cover and
simmer for 45 minutes until tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly. Peel and chop into
2cm pieces.
2. Meanwhile, peel and chop the onions into quarters. Add to another pan of boiling
water and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain.
3. Spread the oil over a non-stick ovenproof frying pan. Sprinkle in the caster sugar
and arrange beetroot and onion pieces evenly over the base. Season with salt and
pepper. Cook on the hob for 15-20 minutes until the sugar has caramalised.
4. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface into a circle 5cm larger than the edge of
the pan. Add the balsamic vinegar to the beetroot mixture. Cover the mixture with
the pastry pushing the edge down so that it will form the edge of the tart when
turned over.
5. Prick the pastry and bake in a preheated oven at 220C (425F) Mark 7 for
35 minutes until brown. Cool for 5 minutes and turn over onto a serving plate.
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Borscht
15 minutes
ingredients
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 oz butter
½ large celeriac
1 large parsnip, peeled and grated
1 lb beet root peeled and coarsely grated
Can of tomatoes roughly chopped
½ tsp sugar
4 tbsp wine vinegar
3 ½ pt rich beef stock (this really does make a difference but you could use a really good veg. stock)
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks.
1 savoy cabbage cored and shredded
Directions
This fantastic East European soup has many variations but most have the three
basic ingredients of cabbage (savoy is best) beetroot and Potatoes. This one is
cribbed and modified from Sophie Grigson’s Ukranian Borsht. I have tried many
recipes and consider this to be the best though it is a little time consuming. The
best borsht requires grating raw beetroot; messy but the result is worth it. I think
you can be a bit flexible with the other ingredients.
Cook the onion and garlic gently in the butter without browning until tender. Add
the celeriac, parsnip, beetroot and half the tomatoes. Mix in the sugar, vinegar
and 10fl oz of stock and salt and pepper. Stir, bring to the boil and simmer for 40
minutes.
Meanwhile bring the potatoes and cabbage to the boil in the remaining stock
and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Combine both pans in the largest. Add the remaining tomatoes bring to the boil
and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and season or add more sugar or vinegar
to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
Fantastic for a winter’s day lunch
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Broad Bean Soup
20 minutes
Ingredients
4 oz chopped onion
1 / 2 cloves chopped garlic
2 oz butter
¾ lb shelled broad beans
3 clean, good bean pods
chopped sage or parsley
salt, pepper, sugar
6 table spoons double cream
(lemon juice and chopped salad onion)
Directions
Cook the onion and garlic gently in the butter for about three minutes without colouring.
Add the beans and about 1 and ½ pints of water or a light stock plus a tablespoon of
chopped sage or two of parsley with the pods. Simmer until the beans are cooked
(about ten minutes). Discard the pods and liquidise well until smooth.
Season to taste including one or two teaspoons of sugar. Reheat and stir in the cream.
Serve on its own or with cubes of bread fried in butter.
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Leek & Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
1oz butter
1 leek, cut into thin slices
1 garlic clove crushed
10oz risotto rice
1 pts hot vegetable stock
9oz chestnut mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp frozen petit pois
2oz parmesan
green salad to serve
Directions
1. Put the butter, oil, leek and garlic into a large pan and fry lightly.
2. Stir the rice into the hot leeks, then stir in the stock and season. Cook and stir coninuously. Throw in the mushrooms and peas, and continue to cook for 7 more minutes.
3. Mix in half the parmesan and leave the risotto to stand for 5 mins.
Serve with a green salad and the remaining parmesan.
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Roasted Cauliflower and Root Veg
Ingredients
1 Cauliflower
1 Swede / Celeriac / Carrots
3 Onions
Olive Oil
Ground Almonds
Rosemary
Directions
Cut up the cauliflower and root vegetables in to florets and cubes. Place in a roasting tin and add olive oil and rosemary.
Roast for 25mins at Gas Mark 5
Add ground almonds when ready.
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Cauliflower Soup
15 minutes
Ingredients
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbspn oil
1 medium onion
250g (8oz) potatoes
2 garlic cloves
500g (1lb) cauliflower
900 ml (1 1/2 pints ) vegetable stock
2 tbspn ground turmeric
2 tbspn ground cumin
1 tbspn ground coriander
4 tbspn fresh coriander
Salt and Pepper
Directions
1. Roughly chop the onions and potatoes. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the
cumin seeds for a few seconds until they begin to pop.
2. Add the onions, potatoes and the crushed garlic. Saute until the onion is
transparent.
3. Add the ground turmeric, ground cumin and ground coriander and stir-fry for 2
minutes.
4. Break the cauliflower into florets and roughly chop the leaves. Add to the pan
along with the stock. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes until the
cauliflower is tender.
5. Chop the fresh coriander and add to the soup. Transfer to a liquidiser and
blend until smooth
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