Arabic

As a guest at the restaurant said recently, “You get a spoon with something brown on it and you think, ‘Okay.’ And then you take a bite and you think: ‘woh’. That’s in short what you should think about this lentil puree. Tasteful, lovely. Can be eaten at room temperature or warm. As an appetizer or part of a mezze or menu. And the crispy fried red onion gives just that little bit of bite that you would like to have with it.

You have to admit it, green beans are just a really boring vegetable. Not interesting at all. Too soft quite quickly. Overcooked really. Really boring. Unless, of course, you do something extraordinary with them and they become the center of your feast. The French often serve them with some butter and some crushed garlic. I do this all the time as well. This is a variation on that theme, but next level.

Orange with fennel and red onion. Not very obvious, until you taste it. Then you understand completely. Perfect combination, brings out the best in each other without one ingredient dominating. Delicious.

I don’t know what you’re thinking when you read this, but I immediately thought: ai ai ai, this is probably one of the best soups ever. And that’s exactly what it is. Hands down. In the restaurant I never make enough of this soup. Guests all want a second serving. If it is up to them of course. It is so surprising. So delicious. The next day you still think about that soup. You start talking about it. You want to make it yourself. That kind of soup.