This delicious pasta dish is the result of serendipity. I had cooked and smoked too many eggplants to serve as antipasto with mozzarella and tomato confit, and I was in the process of experimenting with lamb ragù in the sous-vide. … Continue reading Orecchiette with Lamb Ragù and Cream of Smoked Eggplant (Orecchiette al Ragù di Agnello e Crema di Melanzana Affumicata)
Eggplant with tomato and basil are a classic combination. At La Tavernetta the eggplant was cooked in charcoal, which gave it a nice smoky twist, and the tomato was cooked slowly to intensify its flavor. As I didn’t feel like … Continue reading Smoked Eggplant with Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato Confit
Pumpkin season has arrived. We did not have this pie during our recent trip to Italy, but the inspiration for it did come from Italy. Paola recently blogged about a pumpkin, gorgonzola, and pear tart. I have combined gorgonzola and … Continue reading Pumpkin, Pear, and Blue Cheese Pie (Crostata con zucca, gorgonzola e pere)
This dish was inspired by similar ravioli I had at Angiolina in Campania. It was listed as red mullet ravioli with fennel on the menu, but it was actually served with carrot and cherry tomatoes. Here I opted to use … Continue reading Black Ravioli with Red Mullet and Fennel (Ravioli con triglie e finocchi)
One of the best dishes from our trip was right on our first night at Taverna Estia, ricciola with zucchini ‘scales’ and a smoked cheese sauce. And although my plating skills (and especially patience) are not of Michelin star quality, … Continue reading Amberjack with Zucchini and Smoked Cheese Sauce (Ricciola con Zucchine e Salsa di Scamorza)
We are back home from our trip to the coast of Southern Italy, and I have compiled a list of over 40 dishes that we tried during our trip and that I would like to recreate at home. This first … Continue reading Troccoli al Tonno Fresco (Fresh Pasta with Fresh Tuna, Tomatoes, and Mint)
This is a recipe that I made on the same day that I read it on Paola’s blog, because I happened to have all the ingredients, and needed to use up the carrots. What better recipe to use for such … Continue reading Pasta with Carrots and Almonds (Pasta con carote e mandorle)
This dish was inspired by something we had in a restaurant in Corsica last year: roasted eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers, that are subsequently baked with a generous amount of cheese. The Sardinian pecorino I used for my own rendition … Continue reading Baked Vegetables with Cheese
Moscardini are baby octopus, and it is not often that I can get them fresh in Amsterdam. And so when I saw them, I grabbed them at the market (this was before we left to Italy, but I am typing … Continue reading Pasta Shells with Baby Octopus (Conchiglioni ai moscardini)
Spareribs are often more about quantity than about quality: “all you can eat” with cheap meat that gets all its flavor from aggressive spices and a lot of sauce. Not to mention that it is mostly fat and bone with … Continue reading Spareribs Sous-Vide
Due to the hot climate, Spain has many recipes for chilled soups. Ajoblanco (or Ajo blanco) one is from the southern Andalucia and a great way to use up stale bread, and quite filling. It is more traditional to garnish it … Continue reading Ajo Blanco (Spanish Chilled Almond and Bread Soup)
To my surprise I had not yet blogged my recipe for risotto ai frutti di mare. That needed to be rectified as soon as possible, and it is certainly no punishment to have to eat this. There are two important … Continue reading Risotto ai Frutti di Mare (Seafood Risotto)
The inspiration for this dish came from my recent dinner at 212 in Amsterdam. I really liked the cod with red wine sauce, and thought it would be nice to prepare something similar. If only because everyone seems to think … Continue reading Turbot Sous-Vide with Red Wine Sauce
A sweet spinach tart? Yes, really. It is delicious. I have discovered this original dessert from the North-Italian town of Reggio Emilia thanks to Simona who is from that region and has the wonderful Italian food blog Grembiula da Cucina … Continue reading Erbazzone Dolce (Sweet Spinach and Almond Tart)
Stefano Arturi is an Italian food blogger who lives in the UK and has blogs in both Italian and English. He always has interesting traditional recipes and does a lot of research about the historical background of recipes. Recently he … Continue reading Scarpaccia Salata (Savory Zucchini Cake)
It is really too warm to be cooking, especially to turn on the oven, but after hardly anything new for weeks I really felt like cooking something. The recipe for this filling is pesto-inspired, with basil, pine nuts, parmigiano, and … Continue reading Zucchini Stuffed with Pine Nuts and Basil
You may have noticed I’ve been posting less lately, and that is because we’ve been having such extraordinary good weather. Summer in the Netherlands tends to be a hit and miss affair with often ‘four seasons in one day’, but … Continue reading Grilled Fennel (Finocchi Grigliati)
My Italian blogging friend Paola has dedicated her food blog (in Italian) to recipes and tips to avoid wasting food. Her recipes are always simple and tasty, and I often take inspiration from her. Like in this case, when she … Continue reading Fusilli with Fava Bean and Saffron Ragù (Fusilli al ragù di fave allo zafferano)
Four years ago I thought I had perfected lobster ravioli, but meanwhile I have developed an alternate version that is at least as good (and is an even better pairing with high quality oaked Chardonnay). This version has more texture … Continue reading Lobster Ravioli with Bisque Sauce (Ravioli all’Astice)
This is how sea bream (daurade) was served to us in Corsica: cooked in the oven with some colorful vegetables. When ordering fish on Corsica, be careful about the price. On the menu this daurade was listed as 12 euros … Continue reading Oven-Baked Sea Bream (Daurade au Four)
There are already several variations of pasta with broccoli on this blog, but this version stands out because it is literally not much more than pasta with broccoli. Other than those two ingredients, there is only water, salt, pepper, and … Continue reading Pasta with Broccoli
Friends, co-workers, and reader of this blog ask for my advice regarding wine, wine pairing, or recipes on a regular basis. Sometimes a friend is in a restaurant and sends me a photo of the wine list and asks for … Continue reading A Reader’s Question: How to Create a Menu for a Wine Dinner
In Italian spezzatino means a stew in which the meat has been cut into pieces. It can be made from many kinds of meat, and in this case I opted for turkey. Lean and tender meat like turkey breast is not … Continue reading Turkey in Tomato Sauce (Spezzatino di Tacchino)
We love Taiwanese food so much that it keeps coming on the blog (and that we are already thinking about when to there again). We liked the “three cup” scallops and squid so much, that I decided to try it … Continue reading Three Cup Chicken (Taiwanese Chicken with Thai Basil)
Pulled Pork is a classic dish from the South of the United States. Its name is derived from the technique to “pull” the meat apart with two forks after it has been cooked. Because of its popularity more and more … Continue reading Pulled Chicken Sous-Vide
Next to the Klöße, the other typical Beilage (side dish) for Sauerbraten is Rotkohl (red cabbage). In Germany red cabbage is prepared in a similar way as in the Netherlands (where it is called rode kool met appeltjes), with a sweet … Continue reading Rotkohl (Red Cabbage German Style)
When I posted the recipe for Sauerbraten recently, I promised I would also share the recipe to prepare the accompanying large potato dumplings called Klöße (singular Kloß). Kartoffel is German for potato. There are many variations of the recipe. The ones I … Continue reading Kartoffelklöße (German Potato Dumplings)
Steamed Chinese buns with a meat filling are known as “bapao” in the Netherlands. It is very popular snack food. You can buy them in the supermarket and heat them up in the microwave. The quality is not very good … Continue reading Chinese Steamed Buns with Beef Short Ribs Sous Vide Filling
BBQ’ed octopus is a popular street food at Taiwanese night markets. The photo above was taken at a night market in Taipei, but we saw it everywhere. Large octopus legs are put on a skewer and cooked slowly above a … Continue reading Taiwanese Night Market BBQ Octopus
My German co-worker Timo mentioned that his grandmother prepares the best Sauerbraten using a family recipe that she in turn got from her own mother. I am always interested in traditional family recipes, and luckily he was willing to share … Continue reading Frau Marquardt’s Rheinischer Sauerbraten (Beef Stewed in Vinegar)
