This is the second part of a short series about the wine trip I made with a group of the Dutch association of Vinologists (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland). The first part was about our tour of Oltrepò Pavese. After that we … Continue reading Wine trip to Lombardia: Franciacorta
I am a member of the Dutch association of Vinologists (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland) and after the great wine trip to Piemonte last year, I joined this year’s trip to Lombardia. Our guide for the trip was Fred Nijhuis, just like … Continue reading Wine trip to Lombardia: Oltrepò Pavese
When we visited Milano last year, we had a lovely evening with Bea of Viaggando con Bea and her husband Gigi. Bea brought me a very thoughtful gift: a book (in Italian) with recipes from Brianza (“Brianza in cucina: storia, … Continue reading Italian Chicken Pot Roast (Pollo nello stovin)
Pheasant fillet dries out easily, but with sous vide it is a piece of cake to prepare it tender and juicy every time. The idea for the sauce comes from restaurant Le Due Lanterne in Nizza Monferrato, Italy. There the … Continue reading Pheasant Fillet Sous Vide with a Mushroom Marsala Cream Sauce
Last September on vacation in Italy, I enjoyed fresh pasta with a pheasant sugo at one of my favorite restaurants in Italy, Danêl Ai Cacciatori in Friuli. This was a pasta sauce without tomato, or not really a sauce actually, … Continue reading Fresh Pasta with Pheasant Sugo (Tagliatelle al Sugo di Fagiano)
I enjoy cooking, but it is also a great pleasure if someone cooks for me for a change. I appreciate it all the more because it can be nerve-wracking or at least intimidating to cook for a more experienced cook. … Continue reading Duck Breast and Sunchokes Sous-Vide With Mushrooms and Five Spice
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)
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
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
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)
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
Friends were coming over for dinner. He loves Burgundy wines, especially red. That goes well with meat dishes like Boeuf Bourguignon, but she doesn’t eat meat. What to prepare? Then I remembered the great pairing of a Chambolle-Musigny (red Burgundy) … Continue reading Tuscan Bean Soup (Minestra di Fagioli)
Pulled pork is fantastic when prepared sous-vide. It is not only delicious, but also so easy and foolproof. But what to do when you guests coming over that do not eat pork? Make pulled lamb instead! The procedure is very … Continue reading Pulled Lamb Sous-Vide
Scaloppine are a popular secondo in Italy because they are delicious and quick to prepare. Thin slices of meat are pounded even thinner and then served with all kinds of sauces, like balsamic, Marsala, with eggplant, mozzarella and tomato, or … Continue reading Veal Escalope with Mushrooms and Marsala (Scaloppine ai Funghi e Marsala)
This dish requires only seven ingredients: lamb shank, salt, pepper, thyme, flour, egg, and pecorino cheese. The lamb shank is cooked sous-vide, then shredded, and fresh homemade pasta is tossed with the shredded meat and the juices from the sous-vide … Continue reading Fresh Tagliolini with Sous-Vide Lamb Shank
Have you ever eaten a dish from Azerbaijan? I had not. Thanks to Darya’s post, I have prepared this wonderful lamb stew with chestnuts and pomegranate. It is original and absolutely delicious. Of course I cooked the meat sous-vide, but … Continue reading Lamb Stew with Chestnuts and Pomegranate (Nar Govurma Sous-Vide)
It is wonderful how much culinary inspiration I get from other bloggers and my followers. Today’s recipe was inspired by Cecil Brewer, a follower who e-mails me his ideas and recipes. Cecil uses a slightly different technique because he uses … Continue reading Smoked Duck Legs Sous-Vide
Fresh porcini mushrooms are hard to find, in part because they are so perishable. Luckily dried porcini mushrooms can be kept for a long time and they pack a lot of flavor. The secret to making the most delicious dried … Continue reading Porcini Mushroom Ravioli (Ravioli ai Funghi Porcini Secchi)
Geese have become somewhat of a plague in the area were we live. There are so many of them that they ruin the fields and therefore their numbers need to be ‘managed’. As a result, local wild goose is now … Continue reading Goose Breast Sous-Vide with Sauerkraut and Pear
I love recipes that use all parts of an ingredient. When I saw the recipe for deconstructed duck fried rice on Simon’s blog Stranded on the Island, which uses the duck breast, skin, and fat from the skin, I decided straight … Continue reading Duck Fried Rice
I’m in trouble. Or at least I may be. I am thrilled and honored that Ireland’s #1 blogger and his famous ‘Wife’ are coming over for a visit. Yes, no one less than the one and only Conor Bofin. But, to … Continue reading Quail with Mushrooms Sous-Vide
Blecs is a pasta shape from Friuli. Blecs are triangular, square or lozenge shaped fresh pasta, similar to quadrucci or maltagliati. I tasted them for the first time at Trattoria Ai Cacciatori in Friuli, where the blecs were made with nettles and … Continue reading Blecs with Nettles, Lamb and Crunchy Vegetable Ragù
Lamb shank sous-vide is one of my favorite cuts of lamb. I tend to avoid serving meat or fish with bones when preparing dinner for company, unless I know they are comfortable with it. And so in order to serve … Continue reading Deboned Lamb Shank Sous-Vide with Peas and Mint
Happy Easter everyone! With Easter we celebrate Spring by eating eggs and lamb. Recently I posted a recipe for veal scaloppine with balsamic, and blogging buddy Kathryn aka Anotherfoodieblogger commented that it could also be made with lamb. I really liked … Continue reading Lamb Scaloppine with Balsamic and Roasted Eggplant
Are you looking for an original dish to serve for Christmas that is tasty, not too difficult, but different from anything you’ve ever had for Christmas before? Then this might just be it! You need to be able to source … Continue reading Salsify à la Clayton with Duck
Scamorza is a cheese from southern Italy that is often smoked, and it is this smoked variety that is the star of this recipe. You can think of it as smoked mozzarella. I had picked up this scamorza without deciding … Continue reading Penne with Scamorza, Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes
This is what I prepared for our secondo piatto for Easter dinner: lamb shank ‘Italian style’ sous-vide with white asparagus sous-vide. Both lamb and asparagus are perfect to celebrate Spring. I’ve blogged about lamb shank sous-vide before, and that was a very … Continue reading Lamb Shank and Asparagus Sous-Vide
Usually I am a substance over form kind of guy, but this time around I went for the look — without forgetting about flavor of course! The flavors in this dish are a classic combination: lamb, rosemary, eggplant, and potato. … Continue reading Lamb-Eggplant-Potato Mosaic
I already blogged about lamb chops ‘scottadito’ (“burn your fingers”) in March. Back then I prepared them in the oven, but thought they would be better on a griddle or on a charcoal grill. I now tried the griddle and it turns out I was right: because of the higher heat they get a nicer crust on the outside while staying succulent on the inside. Lamb chops scottadito are so simple and so good and this time around my photos turned out better so I’m giving you the recipe again 🙂 Continue reading “Lamb Chops ‘Scottadito’”
Summer has finally arrived and that means it time for grilling, or BBQ as we call it. For me grilling is strictly a charcoal thing, as a charcoal fire is hotter and imparts more flavor than a gas grill. Most grilling done in the Netherlands is very ‘low brow’, with cheap meat from the supermarket, with the lack of flavor masked by a reddish marinade. That is clearly not my kind of grilling. I like to use proper meat and pre-cook it sous-vide so it’s always cooked through, juicy and tender on the inside, and nicely browned on the outside. Since the meat is already cooked, visual inspection (i.e. using your eyes) is all that’s needed to decide when to remove the meat from the grill. Since I discovered last year that lamb and goat cheese go well together, I decided to make a roulade of lamb shoulder with goat cheese, pancetta, thyme, and balsamic vinegar. It turned out great! Continue reading “Lamb and Goat Cheese Roulade”
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