Outside of Italy, most people consider “Italian food” as one cuisine. In fact, the Italian cuisine is very local, and even the next village over may prepare a dish differently. During our vacation to Southern Italy last year, we enjoyed … Continue reading Mackerel ‘in Carpione’ with Spaghetti Aglio-Olio-Peperoncino
In sous-vide forums and Facebook groups there are often debates about adding stuff to the bag when cooking meat sous-vide. Someone posts a photo of a piece of meat sealed with a lot of stuff in the bag, and someone … Continue reading Does it make sense to add stuff to the bag when cooking meat sous-vide?
At seafood restaurant Angiolina in Pisciotta, south of Naples, I enjoyed a wonderful seafood and vegetable soup. Back home I made my own version. You can easily adapt it to what is available and seasonal, in terms of both seafood … Continue reading Seafood and Vegetable Soup (Zuppa Mediterranea)
Tarte Tatin is a famous French tart that is often prepared with puff pastry, but the original is made with more of a shortcrust kind of pastry. In this variation I used pears instead of apple, and I used a … Continue reading Tarte Tatin aux Poires (Pear Tarte Tatin)
Last September I enjoyed a wonderful plate of ravioli at ristorante Vecchia Vieste in the town of Vieste in the South-Italian region of Puglia. The ravioli were stuffed with cernia (grouper) and pistachios, and served with a ragù of cicale di … Continue reading Sea Bass and Pistachio Ravioli with Scampi Ragù
Aqua is the restaurant of chef Sven Elverfeld and host and sommelier Marcel Runge that is located in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Wolfsburg, about an hour West of Berlin in Germany. Michelin’s definition of a three star restaurant states that … Continue reading Dining in Germany: Aqua*** (2019)
At Angiolina, a bit South of Naples, I enjoyed fish fillet pan fried in batter with sage. I liked this somewhat unusual combination of fish and sage very much, and so decided to prepare something similar at home. According to … Continue reading Fish with Sage and Runner Beans (Filetto di Pesce alla Salvia)
Oxtail is one of those meats that can be prepared sous-vide in a way that it could never be without sous-vide. By cooking it a whopping 4 days (96 hours, give or take) at 60C/140F, the meat becomes as tender … Continue reading Oxtail Sous-Vide Served In A Portobello Mushroom With Stir-Fried Spinach
Lamb and asparagus are very seasonal, but what is really the star of this dish is the goat cheese sauce. I used a French artisan raw milk goat cheese, a Selles sur Cher appellation d’origine protegée. I used neck of … Continue reading Lamb with Asparagus and Goat Cheese Sauce
If you go to a trattoria in Rome, chances are that you will find carciofi alla romana on the menu. This way of preparing artichokes is quite simple, but very good. The mint and garlic add a nice fragrance to … Continue reading Artichokes alla Romana (Carciofi alla Romana)
This is a nice example how you can make a great looking and delicious appetizer with only a few ingredients and little time. The combination of sea scallops and parsnip works very well. The hardest part by far of this … Continue reading Sea Scallops with Parnsip Puree
Cooking sous-vide can be confusing, as recommendations for time and temperature can vary considerably. Personal preference plays a role in this, as well as misconceptions about food safety (i.e. using higher temperatures than necessary). For pork belly I’ve seen recommendations … Continue reading Pork Belly Sous-Vide Time and Temperature Experiment
These hare and savoy cabbage ravioli are similar to agnolotti from Piemonte, which are also stuffed with a mixture of braised meat and greens. I had some left over hare, which had already been cooked sous-vide (2 hours at 60C/140F). … Continue reading Hare and Savoy Cabbage Ravioli (Ravioli di Lepre e Verza)
This asparagus salad can be made with either white, green, or a combination of white and green asparagus. I made a Dutch-Italian version using a vinaigrette and lightly toasted pine nuts, combined with hard-boiled egg and boiled ham. The flavor … Continue reading Asparagus Salad (Insalata di Asparagi)
If you like dark chocolate, you will love this dark chocolate crème brûlée. Compared to regular crème brûlée the flavors are hefty and although the chocolate version has the same contrast between the creamy custard and the crispy caramel, there … Continue reading Chocolate Crème Brûlée
The season for asparagus has started, and so it is time for a nice risotto. The delicate taste of asparagus calls for a recipe with few ingredients, which does not even include pepper. Parmigiano reggiano should be used with restraint. … Continue reading Asparagus Risotto (Risotto agli Asparagi)
Beef rendang is the national dish of Indonesia. I’ve already blogged my recipe for Rendang many years ago. Back then, I didn’t think it made sense to prepare it sous-vide, as an important part of making Rendang is reducing and … Continue reading Beef Rendang Sous-Vide
Skrei is cod that is caught between December and April in the Northeast Atlantic when it migrates from the Barents Sea area to the Northwest of Norway to spawn. The name was derived from the Old-Norse word skrida, which means … Continue reading Winter Cod (Skrei)
This pasta and leeks casserole is Italian comfort food at its best. It is easy to prepare and very creamy and tasty. The flavor of the leeks is enhanced by slightly caramelizing them. I used mozzarella on top, but you … Continue reading Pasta and Leeks Casserole (Pasta con Porri al Forno)
Ravioli and all other shapes of stuffed pasta are my signature dish, so I am always excited when I see a new traditional recipe that I did not know yet. Like the savoy cabbage tortelli I saw on Simona’s blog … Continue reading Tortelli di Verza (Savoy Cabbage Tortelli)
Six years ago I did some testing and concluded that there was no added benefit of cooking scallops sous-vide before pan searing them. However, scallops were on sale by the kilo (2.2 lbs) jar at the market, and because of … Continue reading Sea Scallops Sous-Vide
Usually when we go on vacation, I come back with a lot of ideas for new dishes to try. In fact, I still haven’t finished cooking and blogging all the ideas I had after our trip to the South of … Continue reading Peruvian Ceviche
Thanks to the warm weather we’ve had lately, Dutch white asparagus are available some weeks earlier than other years. I was shopping for a dinner party and had realized (1) that I wanted to add some more vegetables to the … Continue reading White Asparagus with Goat Cheese and Honey
I like ‘refrigerator cooking’ and I like blogging what I’ve just prepared and eaten. This post hits the spot both ways, as I had some leftover sweet potato, lettuce, cilantro, lime, and jalapeño, and decided to pick up some fish … Continue reading Sweet Potato Fish Cakes with Lime, Cilantro, and Jalapeño
Smoked salmon bonbons are a popular appetizer in the Netherlands, but I had never made them. It was the perfect way to serve some homemade cold smoked salmon as a good looking appetizer. The smoked salmon is stuffed with a … Continue reading Smoked Salmon and Shrimp Bonbon
As mentioned before, my favorite type of food blogging is cooking, eating, and blogging all during the same evening. I just finished eating this nice pasta dish, and wanted to share it with you as it was nice. It took … Continue reading Pasta with Salmon and Fennel (Penne al Salmone Fresco e Finocchi)
Still more food from our trip to Southern Italy last September. We had dinner in Puglia at Già Sotto l’Arco, and one of the dishes there was orecchiette with a lamb ragù and cream of ricotta. The cream of ricotta … Continue reading Pasta with Sous Vide Lamb Ragù and Ricotta Cream (Orecchiette al Ragù di Agnello con Crema di Ricotta)
We love risotto and I usually prepare it once a week. A good risotto requires homemade stock and half an hour or so of stirring, but it is worth it to get a creamy consistency with a bite and a … Continue reading Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Sausage (Risotto con Porcini e Salsiccia)
One of the great things about Italy is that there are so many regional and local recipes that there is always something new to discover. I have still not run out of ideas that I gathered during our trip to … Continue reading Cartellate Pugliesi
There are already two other recipes for lobster ravioli on this blog (here and here), but I like them so much that I couldn’t resist posting yet another variation. This is now my favorite version, as the lobster bisque that … Continue reading Lobster Ravioli (Ravioli all’Astice)
