Cooking: Thanksgiving

no doubt...

I spend Thanksgiving with American friends living in Brussels.  The idea is not so much the "official" celebration, but more a friendly get-together, where we enjoy good food and drink, with a great bunch of friendly faces around us.

Given the recent events in Paris and around (including Brussels), I feel this year was indeed the year when I felt grateful for all my friends and family, both near and afar, both those I see on an everyday  basis but also the ones I see less often: I know they are there beside me, either physically or in spirit.  I'm never alone in the world.  And for that, I'm ever so grateful!

Onto the festivities:  also customary is the tradition of potluck: the burden does not have to fall all on the hosts - especially when a large group of people is gathered, every little contribution makes up for a festive table indeed!

My task for this year - a green bean casserole:

Green Bean Casserole

(adapted from ifoodreal)

800g green beans, trimmed and cut into 3cm pieces

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

1 cup water
3 tbsp cream cheese
 

1 tbsp olive oil
250g thinly sliced onions (I used frozen)

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 

3 tbsp water

Preheat oven at 180C (air).  Start with the beans:  Boil water in a huge pot, add beans, salt to taste.  Bring to boil again, then simmer for about 10 minutes.  Depending on how you like the beans, either increase or decrease time. (I like mine super cooked, hence the duration...). Drain and keep aside.

On to the topping: in a  large skillet, fry the onions over medium heat until golden (I had semi-thawed the onions in the meantime).  Set aside  in a bowl to allow them to cool down a bit.

Lastly, the sauce:  in that same skillet, over medium heat, add butter and flour and combine (like with any white sauce).  Add milk, water and cream cheese and whisk all together.  Add salt and pepper to taste and then add the green beans, stirring carefully.

Finish the topping: in the bowl with the onions, add breadcrumbs, cheese and water and mix until you get a steusel-type consistency.

In a baking dish (mine was 40*15cm), transfer the green beans and cover with the topping.  Cook for about 20 minutes. Try not to eat it all at once...

Cooking: lentil salad with veggies

I've been feeling rather under the weather this past week, and during such times, the one thing sure to bring back the smile in my face is cooking.  Comfort cooking, that is.

Add to that that I've been longing for such a lentil salad (yes, there are many of us out there who like lentils), plus a dish that can be savoured on the go and hey presto - this recipe popped up in my trusted Pinterest.

Lentil salad with veggies

(adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)

1 cup green lentils
1 tbsp lemon juice (in my case, three lemon juice ice cubes)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 tbsp olive oil (or to your taste)
1 cup finely cubed bell peppers (I used frozen mix)
200g chopped green olives
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp.  smoked paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried parsley

salt / pepper to taste

I started with the lentils, which I put to cook in water over a medium-low heat, to a ratio of 1 to 3.  (No salt added at this point, so that they don't go hard).  In the meantime, I used my multi to chop everything:  olives, green onions, bell peppers.  The reason was that I wanted them chopped as small as possible, so that everything is about the size of the lentils - this makes for a much better presentation...

Once the lentils are cooked, you could leave them to cool before adding them to the rest of the ingredients.  Or, like me, you could  start mixing the salad now, and make it a warm one: delicious!!!

Toss everything in a large bowl and make sure you taste at least some of it before inviting your friends over (big mistake...).  A friends- and family-approved recipe, which is to be repeated very soon!

Cooking: 3-veg and halloumi bake

no meat in sight...

(In lieu of an introduction: There are plenty of documentaries on TV showing the risk to the food supply if we continue to eat meat at the rate we do. While I don't intend (yet) to become vegetarian/vegan, I am conscious of the unsustainability of eating meat (and to a certain extent dairy products, for that matter) at the current rate. During a recent such episode shown on BBC, I was appaled to see in real terms (i.e. in actual meat mass) how much we consume on average. The conclusion, to which I fully agree, is straight-forward: the only sustainable solution requires a large reduction in the quantity of meat we consume. Eating less meat will put less pressure on the planet, is more healthy and will also promote a better farming system - improved animal well-being, and less but better-quality meat for the carnivores among us.)

All this to say that I've been trying more and more meatless recipes to reach this decrease in my own consumption of meat: I give you a heart-warming, vegetable-packed, rough but oh, so tasty bake! 

Recipe: grilled vegetable quiche

While I am an absolute carnivore, there are times I yearn for an abundance of vegetables.  

I will then go through phases of "vegetarianism", where I (re) discover the tastes and smells and colours of the vegetable family.  In such cases, it's always good to have a good source of inspiration:  in my case, it's Yotam Ottolenghi and his book "Plenty".  

Plenty recipes to choose from, but this vegetable quiche is one of my favourite staples.

Recipe: mediterranean mac and cheese

Continuing my quest for delicious meatless recipes, this is an extraordinary take on the mac and cheese variety:  I'm usually the type to go for sausage/pepperoni additions, but here I have converted to this plethora of (grilled) vegetables - the addition of many layers of cheese only makes me happier!

Recipe: Broccoli and potato soup

Starting in March and for as long as I find inspiration, I will be trying my hands at meatless (and fishless) recipes. Much has been said of the advantages of cutting down on meat (let alone that with all the scandals lurking around, one inevitably loses appetite), and I do indeed NOT eat meat every day. I don't intend to become vegetarian, though, I just want to enrich my culinary adventures with all the goodness in the vegetable and pulse world. Without further ado, here is the first of my vegetarian dishes:

Recipe: Beetroot soup

This has been a weird winter so far... Lots of snow, then a week of rain, some days of sunshine and now again a phase of snow... Topped with a flu epidemic around the world, what can I do to keep healthy?  This is my go-to boost recipe for such weather:  Beetroot soup.  I know, beetroot is an acquired taste, but people - it's one of nature's best produce!!! I also happen to like its taste, so for me there is no question: eat it in as many variations as possible - on to the soup recipe:

(no, I don't play around with yogurt every time I eat...)

Beetroot soup

 5 beetroots, cooked

1 large handful spinach

1 small onion, chopped

1 large potato, in cubes

1 large carrot, shredded

1lt vegetable stock

salt/pepper

Print recipe

Over medium heat, lightly brown the onion/potato and carrot mixture in about 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Cut up the beetroots, and add together with the spinach.  Add the stock and let it simmer for about half an hour.  Season as wished and then blitz everything.  Great taste and perfect as is to consume - still, if you wish you can always add a dollop of yogurt just to mellow down the beetroot's taste!

This post is my entry into Weekend Cooking, a weekly event hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

Recipe: Stuffed pasta shells

ready for the oven,,,

As the winter lingers on, so do my wintery, whole-hearted, comfort food recipes.  Of course, you will agree with me that pasta features in all its glory in such situations... So, while I advocate a new, healthy lifestyle, there will certainly be times I will revert to such lovelies.  This recipe is new to me and was the result of extreme jealousy.  Yes, one can experiment with recipes because one has tasted (and enjoyed) something and has felt weak for not having thought about it themselves: Following a dinner with friends recently, I got jealous of a pasta recipe - this is the result of my jealousy:

out of the oven!

Stuffed pasta shells

30 large pasta shells, cooked al dente

2 large handfuls of spinach, cooked

250g ricotta

125g cream cheese

150g shredded cheese, plus some extra

500g tomato sauce (I used one with basil)

250g mozzarella, broken up

Print recipe

Make the filling:  In a huge bowl, stir together the spinach, the ricotta, the cream and shredded cheese and some salt and pepper depending on your taste.  Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C.  Spread a 30x30cm dish with half the tomato sauce.  Now begins the important task:  fill the shells.  It may sound easy and it is, but it does need patience.  A spoonful for each shell and this filling was enough for 31 shells, to be exact...  Cover with the remaining sauce, break the mozzarella on top and finish with a bit extra shredded cheese (how much depends on your cheesy needs...)  Bake for about 30 minutes, until all has bubbled away.  Enjoy!





This post is my entry into Weekend Cooking, a weekly event hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

Recipe - cheese and olive cake

What do you get to a potluck gathering when you're not sure whether there will be vegetarians in the party?  Simple answer:  my cheese and olive cake - such a delicious, simple cake that will appeal to vegetarians as well as the non-vegetarians.  As an added bonus, it will also provide a solution to having a snack any time during the day!

Recipe: vegetarian tortillas

Completing my month of Mexican/Tex-mex cuisine endeavours, it was high time I did something vegetarian.  While I'm not one myself, I like to explore meat-free alternatives on a regular basis and this type of cooking provides a tasty and healthy meal every time!  It's also a good base for experimenting with beans, chipotle peppers and olives (yum) - and produce a meal that's low cal, high protein, high fiber and  high calcium - what more can I ask... 

Recipe: invitation to tea

I enjoy having friends over for tea (which may be coffee, of course!).  There is food involved, but in a totally different manner than a dinner:  no appetizers, first, mains, cheeses, desserts - all in a structured procedure, with precision as to their timing.  Plus, given that we are in the evening, I have to watch out that it's nothing too heavy (hint as to the age group I belong to...)

On the contrary, tea-time is early afternoon, so that people could even have had a light lunch beforehand.  Tea includes mostly finger food, that is available at the same time, and everyone can pick and choose as they please. While the original range includes different types of sandwiches, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas that will provide a little umph in our everyday lives:

Recipe: summer picnic staples

So, this is autumn... Gone are the hot summer days, the endless hours by the beach, the siestas, the doing-nothing-just-staring at the "big blue"... the sea...

Indeed, like most of us, I've already returned to my pre-summer habits, work, exercise, reading, redecorating (in that order).  But not before I tell you about my friend Jessi's invitation to the last lazy, hazy days of summer she organised about a fortnight ago.  We had just a great time by the terrace, each describing their adventures over the summer, our plans for the time ahead and the things we will most miss about this summer...

The theme of the gathering was about laziness, so the food was accordingly lazy:  no forks and knives, people, just plain picnic/finger food!  Here are some suggestions that I prepared for that evening, ready to pack and go:

Weekend cooking - Spring soups

It is finally Spring, with birds and flowers slowly making their appearance heard and seen!  I've managed to clear half of my tiny garden in view of the coming season (before a bout of rain yet again forced me to put plans on hold...).  I just love working around the plants (with gloves on, bien sûr, for fear of unwelcome surprises) - but also with the - even tinier - vegetable patch, where primarily herbs but also vegetables sometimes manage to grow to adulthood (i.e. when snails don't get the best of them...). 

Should I be that lucky to actually have vegetables to use, I love making soups this time of the year - the weather is not that warm yet, and a soup in the evening is both comforting and nourishing:

Carrot and red lentil soup

Carrot and red lentil soup with hallumi

700gr grated carrots

100gr red lentils

1/2 teaspoon harissa (dried chili paste) - or according to taste

1.2l of vegetable stock or water

For the vegetable stock, I have the luxury I can find vegetables already cleaned and cut for making stock in my supermarket, otherwise it's roughly 1 potato, 1 onion, 2 celery sticks, 3 leeks, 3 carrots, all cut to small/medium pieces.  I roast the vegetables slightly (to bring out flavours) before putting everything in a huge pot and adding 1.5l water and a bouquet garni (thyme/rosemary/bay leaf) - let it boil for about 1 hour, and then I just leave it to cool with the vegetables still in the water.

For the soup now, same simple procedure:  at medium heat, start with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and harissa.  Immediately put the grated carrots and the lentils and stir for about 1 minute.  Add stock/water, lower heat slightly and let everything bubble away for about an hour.  Let it cool down and blitz.  You can then add milk/cream, but I prefer it pure and then just add a few slices of grilled hallumi cheese instead...


Zucchini soup

Zucchini soup with shrimp

400gr zucchini, cubed
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium potato, cubed
700ml chicken stock or water

I use chicken stock for this recipe, but obviously you can use vegetable stock or water.  I make chicken stock every time I roast a whole chicken.  After roasting, I just put the carcass aside, and let it boil together with 1.5l water, 1-2 carrots, 1 leek, 1-2 celery sticks and a handful of peppercorns.  Let it bubble for about 1 hour and then let it cool with all ingredients in the water.

For the soup: in medium heat, lightly fry all vegetables in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add stock/water, salt/pepper, and let it bubble for about 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Let it cool and blitz.  I like to serve this soup again pure (but you can add milk/cream) with shrimp:  I marinate them in lemon juice, salt/pepper and a little grated ginger, and then lightly fry them.

This post is my entry into Weekend Cooking, a weekly event hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

Plentiful

Cookery books have almost become an anathema to the mere mortals these days.  Once the well-guarded fortress of chefs, nowadays models, actors and reality stars try to prove that they, too, have the ability to woo us with their gastronomic abilities, that they, too, know how to come to our worlds and let  us peak into theirs ....
I am an avid amateur cook, and must admit that I simply do not understand this trend.  I suppose I never saw cooking as a skill to show-off, but rather an activity that comforts, soothes, and yes, feeds!  After trying more than my fair share of cookery books, I now tend to look for authors who are of the same school of thought, and who have something new and interesting to show me.


Reaching a milestone in my life, I started looking seriously into my dietary habits - having an iron-deficiency, I had easily opted for a red-meat diet, which had unfortunately triggered other ailments.  It was for this reason that I was initially searching the market for vegetarian recipes with a kick (an avid cook cannot be easily tricked).  Now, I don't intend to go fully vegetarian, but I would like to have more meals without meat.  There already was my problem:  many recipes have tofu-like derivatives to provide for iron, and I'm afraid I just don't like substitutes.  Other recipes looked like side-dishes, as if vegetarians should be punished for their decisions in life.  It was certainly not rosy out there...


I can't remember when or where, but the minute I watched Yotam's video preparing aubergines, I somehow knew that he would change my perception of vegetarian dishes.  I started looking more and more into his cooking and his book Plenty and became fascinated with the multitude of possibilities vegetarian cuisine can offer.  When I then found out that he was himself not a vegetarian, I knew I had found the book for me.
I first flipped through the book in London, but realising the weight it would have on me, preferred to order it online instead.


I was in awe.  I studied every page, and never lost interest.  The format of having one recipe per page, most with photos, the split into sections (so that I can skip the mushroom one, for which I don't care), the variety of herbs and spices, all gave me plenty of food for thought! I will admit that it is primarily a Mediterranean -middle-eastern type of cuisine, but I personally love that taste, so no problem there!


And then I watched an interview with him on TV and liked him even more for his cooking.  I just love cooking and I actually enjoy taking all this time to prepare a dish - I like the whole procedure.  I don't mind the endless lists of ingredients - I know by now which are the ones that really matter and I know how to introduce new flavours to replace the ones I don't like (indeed, I am pernickety...)


I have already made half of the recipes in the book, which is more than the recipes from half of the other cookery books I have.  This goes to show that there are still authors out there who have something to say, and we should take the time to look out for them.  As in literature, it is too easy to dismiss one whole type of activity (be it a literature genre, or - in this case - cookery) and to miss some real gems.  Enjoy!