Dutch

Turnips, I’d never seen, held, let alone tasted one. But I got some from the market garden where we get a lot of our vegetables. “See if you can do something with it,” she said. They lay in the refrigerator for days. Everytime I saw them, but left them there. “Ga je nog wat met me doen?” And then I decided it had to be done. I thought of mustard. I thought of the oven. I thought of fresh basil. And boy, it was so good. I decided to serve it in the restaurant the week after. Everyone just has to taste this.

I can be a puritan, especially when it comes to hummus. Must with tahina, decorated with za’atar, paprika or cumin.
But for an asparagus menu I like to use the free space. And so it came to be that I made asparagus hummus. Delicious, the lightness and taste of the asparagus and the always ‘down-to-earth effect’ of the tahina. Love it. And with that, this is a great variation on the hummus theme that I can fully support.

In the summer of 2021, we had lunch at the plant-based restaurant ONA near Bordeaux, which has a Michelin star. With our coffee and tea we got ‘miel de pisenlit’. Honey from dandelions. Honey?, I asked. In a plant-based restaurant? But no bee was involved in this honey. It was so delicious that I really wanted to make it myself. Had to wait a year for the dandelions to return. Now it’s time. And the result is astonishingly delicious. Honey that isn’t technically honey, but it tastes like it and is truly delicious.

Mash, a typical Dutch meal, I didn’t grow up with it. And I am usually not a big fan. But this mash is lovely. It’s a mash that has it all. An interesting variety of flavors, textures, and colors. Turnip, spinach, endive, dill, caramelized onions, some vegan cheese…. and delicious fresh yogurt… Well… That requires making and eating of course.