Mediterranean

Chard does not appear on our table on a daily base. But, if one gets a lot of chard in the house, one becomes creative. This turned out to be a very creative culinary recipe. Soft, creamy, tasteful.

I found a bag with frozen artisjok bottoms in the freezer the other day. That’s often how it starts in this kitchen of mine. I find ingredients in the fridge, cupboard, kitchen, freezer… en ask myself what to make of it. This. And it is a true show stopper. The artisjok bottoms are filled with spinach, red bell pepper, feta cheese, olives and garlic of course. And for the sauce I chose a lemon sauce with capres. I love lemon, I use it whenever I can. It all came down perfectly. Serve it with some rice or nice loaf of bread to dip in the sauce.

It was Grandma Billy who inspired me to do this. And that’s why this recipe is dedicated to her. She’s been following à la Damaris for a while. Has her favourite dishes – bulgurpilav with cauliflower is one of them – and she regularly pops up on the chat with an enthusiastic reaction or a question. One day, she asked me if I knew how to roast pumpkin seeds that you have left over from your pumpkin. I did not have the answer for her, but sent her a few suggestions/links. And soon she told me it was exactly what she had looked for. And it worked out great. Now yesterday I had pumpkin seeds left over from no less than 8 squash. So I made my version of it today. And the result? Joris started to love me a little more today. All thanks to grandma Billy. But that’s what grandma’s are for, right?

A casserole dish is simply fantastic. Especially this one. All tastes come together. You take care of all the preparations and the result never disappoints you. In fact, it’s even more delicious than you expected. Comfort food. And the whole idea that you pit everything nicely in a bowl, knowing that the job is done from your side and the oven takes it further. So fancy. And the oven knows exactly what to do. Kitchen hero. We all know the Greek version of musaka, but this Palestinian is, as far as I am concerned, about ten times better. What am I saying? A hundred times better.