Simple dishes can be surprisingly good. Many traditional Italian recipes can be linked to the local circumstances. Liguria is a mountainous strip of land along the Mediterranean coast without any room for growing wheat. But there are lots of chestnut … Continue reading Chestnut Tagliatelle with Basil Pesto (Tagliatelle di Castagne al Pesto)
Paola of Primo non sprecare always has tasty Italian recipes. Her lentil and artichoke soup intrigued me, because I had not encountered that combination before. It is a vegan soup from only a few ingredients with a surprising flavor that … Continue reading Lentil and Artichoke Soup (Zuppa di lenticchie con carciofi)
We had 6 restaurants with a combined total of 15 Michelin stars lined up in Tokyo and Taipei, but due to the corona virus never made it to Taipei and had to leave Japan early. When the Dutch government strongly … Continue reading Dining in Kyoto: Wagokoro Izumi**
I’ve been following chef Richard van Oostenbrugge since he started as the chef of Bord’eau in Hotel de l’Europe in Amsterdam. After gaining two Michelin stars, he started his own restaurant 212 and this is our second visit. 212 has been open for 2 years and now has one Michelin star. The restaurant is different from most other Michelin-starred restaurants as the seating is at a bar around the kitchen where you can see the dishes being finished. (The actual kitchen is downstairs.) We opted for the six course tasting menu (138 euros) with premium wine pairing (118 euros). The … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: 212* (2020)
The first thing I made with my homemade kimchi was a kimchi pancake, again using a recipe by Maangchi. Kimchi pancakes are popular in Korea and I can see why as they are very tasty: crispy and crunchy with a … Continue reading Kimchi Pancake
Wild game is the ultimate ‘free range’ meat with more flavor and benefits from a sustainability perspective. Wild boar cheeks are one of my favorite cuts because they are cheap, very flavorful, and easy to prepare sous vide. They have … Continue reading Pulled Boar Cheeks Sous-Vide
Kimchi is probably the most famous Korean food. To make kimchi at home, I used Maangchi’s recipe for traditional napa cabbage kimchi. What makes the recipe ‘traditional’ is to leave the cabbage leaves whole rather than chopping them. The only … Continue reading Homemade Kimchi
This recipe is quite simple with a limited number of ingredients, but very tasty. The combination of textures and flavors works really well: spicy pepper, earthy shrimp, sweet soft onions, and cheesy cheese. If Poblano peppers are not available or … Continue reading Poblano Chiles Stuffed With Shrimp (Chile Relleno con Camarones)
Stefano of Italian Home Cooking, an Italian chef who lives in the UK, always has great authentic regional Italian recipes. When I saw this very unusual cake from Monferrato in Piemonte on his blog, I decided at once that I … Continue reading Italian Apple and Pumpkin Cake (Torta Monferrina di mele e zucca)
Years ago I performed an experiment to find out whether I liked dry curing or wet curing pork tenderloin before cooking it sous vide. The conclusion was that for meat I preferred to just season with salt right before cooking … Continue reading Briefly Curing Fish Before Cooking
One of the questions I get asked the most is “Do you also cook elaborate meals on weekdays, spending a long time in the kitchen?” I always answer that I do cook nice food every day, but that it doesn’t … Continue reading Spaghetti with Squid ‘in Bianco’
There are so many recipes on this blog, that I do not know by heart everything that’s on it. And so I only recently noticed that I had never posted a recipe for risotto ai funghi, because every time I … Continue reading Mushroom Risotto (Risotto ai Funghi)
Artichokes are served with mint in Rome as carciofi alla romana and lamb is often served with mint. So it is the mint that provided the inspiration for this dish. Instead of neck of lamb you could also use leg … Continue reading Neck of Lamb and Artichokes Sous-Vide
Look at the photo and guess what it is? No, it is not Spaghetti alla Carbonara, although it does look similar. The sauce is not made of eggs, but of sous-vide cooked and then pureed leeks! Cooking leeks sous vide … Continue reading Spaghetti with Sous-Vide Leeks and Pancetta
Sometimes I pick the wine first and then think of a dish. I had a nice bottle of 2007 late harvest Gewurztraminer from Alsace and I thought it would be great with duck ravioli and orange sauce, and so that … Continue reading Duck Ravioli with Orange Sauce (Ravioli all’Anatra con Salsa d’Arancia)
Thanks to the recipe that was included with the jar of XO sauce I had bought for another dish, I have now discovered another great way of making fried rice next to my usual recipe. The blend of flavors is … Continue reading Ground Beef and XO Fried Rice
One of the most original and best new dishes I’ve had in a Michelin starred restaurant over the last years was “Raw carabinero prawn on crispy strands of short rib (‘pulled’ short ribs, then deep fried) with roasted bell pepper, … Continue reading Carabinero Shrimp, Crispy Short Rib and Roasted Bell Pepper
This appetizer is decadent and delicious, yet easy to prepare. It was inspired by an amuse bouche we had at Spectrum. There it was served as a small portion inside a whelk shell (a whelk is a sea snail). The amount … Continue reading Caviar with Cauliflower and Lime Mousse
De Librije is the best restaurant in the Netherlands and has been awarded three Michelin stars for 15 years in a row now. It is often ranked among the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. We have been there each of those 15 … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: Librije*** (2019)
Chile en Nogada was created in 1821 by the Pueblan Nuns as a festive food to honor a visit from revolutionary general Don Augustín de Iturbide. Mexico had just won its independence from Spain. The colors of the dish are the same … Continue reading Chile Relleno En Nogada (Stuffed Chile with Walnut Sauce and Pomegranate)
Elia suggested this recipe from Pati Jinich as the dessert for our Mexican feast. It is called “impossible” chocoflan, because the two batters look like a mess when you put them into the oven, but when the flan comes out, … Continue reading Chocolate and Vanilla Flan with Pecans (Chocoflan Imposible)
Since 2009 I’ve been organizing wine pairing dinners twice per year for family and friends. As there is room for 12-16 at a time, I repeat each theme three times (so in total 6 wine pairing dinners per year, 3 … Continue reading Pairing Wine with Mexican Food
Dulce de leche is a sweet preparation with a caramel flavor from Latin America that can be enjoyed on its own or as a sauce. Sweetened milk is cooked slowly until it thickens and darkens in color. In Mexico it … Continue reading Homemade Dulce de Leche
In La Maddalena we had a wonderful dinner at The Bistrot, a trattoria that prides itself on using ingredients from local artisan producers. La Maddalena is the capital town of the Maddalena archipelago on the North-East of Sardinia and the … Continue reading Chiusoni alla Gallurese (Pasta Dumplings with Salami, Cherry Tomatoes, and Pecorino Cheese)
The Mexican feast I was preparing should also include refried beans and rice, as they are staples in Mexican cuisine. For the rice I based my preparation on Irene’s recipe on her Slice of Mexico. Mexican rice is enriched with … Continue reading Mexican Style Rice
Yesterday it was 8 years ago that I started blogging. When I started I thought blogging would be about me sharing stuff with the world, but now I know that what I am getting back from others is just as … Continue reading Homemade Mole Poblano
Making your own Thai green curry paste from scratch is so worth it. If you have a blender it is very easy and the hardest part could be sourcing the ingredients. Fresh curry paste has more depth of flavor and … Continue reading Thai Green Curry with Sous Vide Beef and Eggplant
Sometimes I see an interesting ingredient at the market that is interesting mostly because I don’t use it often, and then I buy it and it ends up going past the expiry date because I don’t use it often. Sounds … Continue reading Pasta with Chestnuts and Sausage (Pasta con salsiccia e castagne)
During our recent trip to Sardinia, we had a nice dinner at Albisbe4 in Alghero. As secondo piatto I had sea bass with sweet & sour savoy cabbage that I really enjoyed, and so I decided to recreate something similar … Continue reading Sea Bass with Sweet & Sour Savoy Cabbage (Spigola con Verza in Agro-Dolce)
The restaurant formerly known as Librije’s Zusje in Amsterdam has changed its name and is now called Spectrum. It is still run by chef Sidney Schutte and maître Sascha Speckemeier and still has two Michelin stars. The last time we … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Spectrum**
