The fabulous turnip mash
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.
Rice à la Peninah
This rice is our favorite. He was brought into our home by our Kenyan friend Peninah. She was born and raised in the slums of Nairobi and founded the NGO Safe Spaces. We are supporting her and her organization for more than 10 years. And if she’s in the Netherlands for fundraising, she’s staying with us. This is her version of white rice. Cooked in ginger, garlic onion…
White paradise is here on earth
This dish is heavenly. It’s our white paradise on earth. Risotto rice cooked in milk (oat milk) and cooked in yogurt. Crunchy cauliflower from the oven. And then topped with adha – crispy fried garlic slices in olive oil. You probably need some time to process this combination of ingredients, but put yourself over it quickly and run into the kitchen to make it.
Hearty lentils and chard soup
It is as ‘hot’ and delicious as it looks. So nutritious. So tasty, too. So delicious. You want to keep on eating. Your bowl is empty. You fill up your bowl again. Empty the bowl again. One more scoop, then. And another one? Yes… This is one of those soups.
Maftoul, the Palestinian classical recipe
I love classic recipes. I really love them. They are A-L-W-A-Y-S exactly right. Always very, very tasty. Always great. And, of course, so is this maftoul. There are variations. Every family has one. Every Palestinian grandmother is renowned for it. And this is a delicious vegan version. And if you don’t know pearl couscous yet, this is your best first introduction.
Zaynab’s Sunday afternoon soup
You look at the ingredients and think … simple. And maybe you think … not special enough… well, then you’re wrong… Because this soup is extremely delicious. You hope there will be something left for later or for the next day… and that nobody will beat you to it… Because that would be … annoying… This is the soup Zaynab once made for us on a Sunday afternoon. We always remembered it and often long for it…
Musaqa’a
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.
Sweet and sour and creamy sauerkraut dish
Sauerkraut prepared in this way is pure comfort food. The sweetness of the red pepper is a wonderful counterpart to the sauerkraut. The vegan cheese sauce is deliciously creamy and the oven actually does the rest. Casseroles are of course also great slow food material. And the delicious crust on top is of course ‘priceless’.
Cauliflower fritters eat-your-heart-out sort of
If you love cauliflower as much as I do, you can’t imagine there are people who find cauliflower “difficult”. And then I express myself even mildly, because usually these ‘people’ choose other more expressive terms. The more fun it is if you can tempt them to give cauliflower a fair chance. And then find them admitting that this really is delicious. That happens to me regularly and I am sure that will be the case with this dish as well. And if you already like cauliflower… it’s the right time to go for it.
Very fresh and creamy eggplant lemon soup
Eggplant, we know it from casseroles, from pilavs, from baba ganoush. But as the main ingredient of a soup, this vegetable is not so well known. We are going to change that. Because this is a hit. Also very nice in summer.
Kibbeh made of red lentils
Kibbeh bil sanieh will bring every Lebanese into heavenly spheres. It is a classic of the Lebanese cuisine that has almost mythical proportions. And for a reason. The lamb mince pie is divine, but yes not vegan. This is a variant that makes a great side dish alongside one or two vegetable dishes. Light, nutritious and tasteful. And beautiful, too. And that’s what you want on your table, right?
Grilled cauliflower and eggplant with tomato salsa
Countless cauliflower haters have learned to appreciate cauliflower thanks to this dish. They openly declared this to me. They are overwhelmed by the deliciousness that cauliflower can bring. How great is that, right? The cauliflower is spicy, the eggplant is a wonderfully fresh counterpart and the tomato salsa brings everything together. It’s a surprising combination, but one that stays with you. In a very positive way, that is.
Spicy green olives in grilled peppers
These green olives are very tasty with a sauce of grilled peppers and rose harissa. The pickled lemons top it off. Really a very nice addition to your mezze or just as an appetizer of course.
Winter tabbouleh
We all know tabouleh, but this is a great variation on the theme. A winter edition, in every way. The chosen vegetables, the chosen spices. Really worth a try. And this way also more a salad that you will also serve at dinner time.
Kibbeh Yaqeen
Pancakes as a side dish. Syrians came up with this great idea one day. And not just simple pancakes, of course. No, they are made from a whole butternut squash, some bulgur, little flour, a lot of delicious spices of course… And really great as a side with Syrian spinach. Or some other divine vegetable dish. Deliciously crunchy, deliciously airy.
Spinach miracle dish
Spinach, so delicious. So soft. So nice. And in this dish, all other ingredients do their best not to dominate the other ingredient. The result? Everything stays in balance. Subtle tastes. A lovely picture to look at. And incredibly nice to eat. As a delicious side dish or as a main course next to a salad.
Arancini da Ischia
When I think of Sunday afternoon. When I think of Italy. And I combine those two, then I think of arancini da Ischia. Recently we also had delicious arancini at our Italian friend’s Gian in Antwerp. And he gave me his recipe. And I put some à la myself in the recipe, and this is what came out. It’s really good. A very independent type of side dish with rice.
Beetrisotto
Whether you like beets or not, this looks incredibly good, right? And it is. Red wine, red onions, beets… And some garlic and dill. So incredibly delicious. So fresh. So earthy. And so tasteful.
Kale with …. spicy mushrooms
‘Stampot’ (mashed potatoes with kale) belongs to the Dutch ‘cuisine’. It’s part of our winter. And of course, stamport traditionally includes bacon and sausage. But not here, of course. And with these amazing spicy mushrooms, you have a whole new ‘stampot’ experience. One that overrides the other. It’s better. More tasteful. Really great.
Persian caramelized fennel salad
Fennel is so good. Raw very refreshing, but in this salad where you caramelize it, the fennel has become butter-soft and sweet. Ab fab. In combination with onion, garlic and the fresh coconut yoghurt really tasteful. The pomegranate is a very common guest in Persian cuisine. And sames goes in this salad.
Palestinian beetroot salad
It’s a beetroot salad, but as the picture reveals, it’s more than that. Beetroot with carrot from the oven, cherry tomatoes, mint (mmmmm), pine nuts and red onion. A delightful combination from the Palestinian cuisine.
Batata à la Abu Julia
The combination of potato and thyme and garlic in the oven is … tasty and not surprising. But the tangerine peel, on the other hand, is the secret ingredient here. And it’s a perfect combination. A very tasty potato dish. From Palestine. And Abu Julia – Mr Julia – is a Palestinian… and why his name is Julia … or that he calls himself Julia… no idea…. he just cooks really well, that’s the main thing…
Musakhan of mushrooms
I am always a huge fan of mushrooms, provided they are well prepared. I simply love them. They are always taste-enhancing, happy making, making things better… They may even dominate a dish, if I’m concerned. But this Palestinian dish swepped me off my chair. And Joris and his mother also at the same time. We were almost fighting for the last bite. We kept our dignity at the table though, don’t worry.
It is mushrooms revisited, reinvented, adding an extra flavor layer … I go one for many more sentences about it and carry on, but just make it yourself once. And you’ll understand. It’s going to have the same effect on you anyway.
Truffle bitterballs to die for
It’s one of those bites that’s going to be talked about for a long time. It’s one of those things your guests will talk about for years: the other day I was at a place and I ate the most delicious truffle bitterballs ever. It’s uncomparably delicious. It’s worth the effort. Hands down.
Pissaladière
This isn’t pizza, it’s a pissaladière. And that’s really something else. Yes, it looks the same, but it really tastes different though. It’s incredibly delicious, it’s irresistible. Delicious for lunch, delicious as a snack, delicious as an evening meal with a good salad…
Spinach dip
If only it were happy hour all day long. A toast, a cracker, a piece of carrot or cucumber together with this dip… It’s always exactly the right time for it. And because it’s so good, you’re always looking forward to it.
Baba ganoush
Baba ganoush should not be missing in a mezze. It’s a dip with comfort food traits. Deliciously soft, melts on the tongue. Still fresh and the tahini gives it a good foundation. Baba ganoush is delicious at lunch, just delicious with a spoon… or ehhhhhhh with your finger….
Arabic butternut squash from the oven
Butternut squash from the oven. It’s so good. But it needs a little extra to charm me. Because let’s face it, butternut squash is actually very boring in taste. But fortunately it is very welcoming when it comes to spices. Also in this case. By the way, delicious to serve with the oranges rice. In terms of taste super complementary. And in terms of colour of course a mega match anyway.
Oranges rice
A delicious rice dish, in addition to your vegetable dish(s) is such a feast. That’s even more important in a vegan menu. This rice is really deliciously light, subtle, tasteful. And also a nice picture to look at.
Festive Palestinian Maklooba
You want something festive. You want something good. You want san eye catcher at your table and a sensational tasting experience at the same time. Maklooba is a truly classic Palestinian dish. A dish that requires some delightful patience and that is special to make. It is layered and comes out of the pan upside down. Spectacular, yes. And of course also very tasty.