Roasted beetroot with horseradish-almond sauce
Beetroot are already quite tasty. That’s an understatement. But they can be made even tastier by an accompanying sauce. Like this particular almond-horseradish sauce. Creamy, spicy, fresh and with a bite. If that doesn’t sound right, I just give up.
Very fresh and very Arab bulgur chick pea salad
Bulgur and chickpeas, that doesn’t sound like a euphoric combination. Look at the picture and you know you have to set your prejudice aside. And quite rightfully so, when you consider that delicious lemon juice, parsley and mint are in this salad. Garlic, salt and pepper. Yes, and then this turns into a very Arabic salad. Very Arabic, very, very tasty. Very juicy, too. I almost forgot to say that. Phew.
Spiced broad bean soup
Dried broad beans or fava beans, it might be a somewhat unknown legume. You’ll find it at the Middle Eastern grocer. They’re white, you might not think that if you read broad beans. They are delicious soft, nutritious and the spices take care of the rest. At the table you can top the soup off à la yourself with a string of delicious olive oil and some fresh lemon juice.
Gigantes plaki à la Margarita
Giant beans, Greek white giant beans. I’ve know enough when hearing this. That sounds exciting. Whatever else comes next, I’m going to make it anyway. Joris’ cousin Margriet has a Greek partner and therefore knows greek cuisine through and through. Gigantes plaki is a classic recipe and I am very much into the classic dishes. They never disappoint you. And neither does this dish. In fact, it makes an indelible impression. καλσ ρεση, enjoy.
Spicy potato cookies
These potato cookies look so deliciously friendly. But make no mistake, the inside is anything but friendly. At least, it’s nice and spicy. Surprising if you don’t expect it to be hot and spicy. A delicious different way of preparing potatoes.
Lentils with mushroom ragout and pickled lemon
This is how photogenic we could get it. It had to look as delicious as possible. Guests call it ‘a feast’ when this is served at their table. And it is. It’s reminiscent of a dish at a Christmas dinner. That type of food. Do you want to serve something special? Look no further. This is it.
Deliciously marinated olives
Of course, you can buy olives ready-made in all kinds of marinades. But marinating yourself is so much nicer, you’ll find out if you’re going to make these olives once. The coriander seeds and lemon zest give a highly tasty but not dominant taste to these green olives. It is best to let the flavours work together for a while before serving.
Smoked red beetroot with caramel crunch
Caramel crunch of macadamia nuts. Delicious with smoked red beets and a yoghurt sauce. I never thought of it myself, but luckily someone else did. It’s a picture perfect and mouth-watering at the same time. The light smoky taste of the beets, the sweet crunchiness of the nuts and caramel. And the softness of the yogurt. It’s a fatal combination. Festive too. Luckily, it’s a party time every day.
Fetteh
This dish has it all. Crispness, softness, surprise, colour and lots of taste. It’s a matter of taking a spoonful of all the ingredients from the bottom to the top of the dish: crusty bread, eggplant/tomato sauce, yoghurt/tahini sauce, fried pine nuts with za’atar and pomegranate seeds… Well, it’s your turn now.
Vegetables, barley and za’atar in the mix
Grilled vegetables add so much more flavour than cooked vegetables. This is also the case here. Even if the broccoli is pre-cooked, it is given a grilledness here as well. The barley is lovely. And well … za’atar… if you know my recipes you know that this spice has a very special place in my heart. And in this dish, it puts everything in the right place. It connects all tastes.
Pearl couscous with raisins and almonds
Pearl couscous is couscous, but gives a very different sensation than ‘regular couscous’. It’s a bit firmer in terms of bite, it’s a bit more present but in a very pleasant way. You can definitely use it more often in salads or vegetable dishes. Here you roast the pearl couscous first in the pan so that it gets a little more flavor before you pour the broth over it.
Gentle soup from Imlil
You take a look at the soup and think: mmm, mwa …. and you glaze outside the window at the peaks of the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco. You take a spoonful of soup and you think … delicious… such a blessing to be eating this. Blessing, yes that’s the right word. It’s a soup that’s gentle on you, that’s good for you. And really nice, of course. And you glaze again outside the window and you know it’s all okay.
Very seriously taken green beans
Green beans can be so ordinary. Easy. Can easily accompany any dish. But here they get another stage. Here they are taken very seriously. Together with the barley, the pecans and the tahini they suddenly play in another league. It is a combination of flavours and bites that is absolutely very tasty. And really something else.
Spicy Moroccan potato salad
Potatoes, I’ve slowly but surely started to love them. Especially if they are prepared in a more exciting and interesting way. This recipe does just that. A great mix of flavors, a taste explosion in your mouth. You want to get an idea? Caraway seeds and harissa….
Spicy bulgur soup
This soup is a soup that saturates in the best possible way. The cumin, caraway seeds and coriander deliver their fantastic taste. The harissa gives it a spicy touch. The vegetables the crunchiness. And the bulgur immediately turns it into a ‘comfort soup’. Just the right bite, and it turns it into a dish, a proper meal.
Tomato salad with slices of grilled lemon
Fried slices of lemon in the oven. In olive oil, with fresh sage. And then these are mixed with the other ingredients of the salad. If you don’t feel like making this salad right away… that would surprise me. As it could make you very curious to know how it combines with the tomatoes, the pomegranate seeds and molasses. The slightly sour lemon peels give a very different layer of flavour, simply delicious.
Recipe e-book: The Italian Kitchen
The Italian kitchen is delicious. Deliciously pure. With just a few ingredients you can be a magician in your kitchen. In this recipe e-book I have gathered 45 of my favourite recipes. the guests at your table with dishes that have that special element to make you...
Jewelled rice
Let the picture enchant you. Let the picture encourage you to want to make this dish. Yes, right now. It is rice made in Arab countries at weddings and other heydays. It’s a jewel of a rice. It’s rice with a golden touch to it. It’s rice that simply makes you forget that it’s actually rice. Oh, and yes the ingredient list is long – but don’t be discouraged or intimidated. Please don’t be…
Bitter sweet salad
I like bitter. Very much so. It can’t be bitter enough for me. Chicory. Grapefruit. Brussels sprouts. And when it is combined with sweet, then la Beems is a very happy trooper. Let’s see if you will be too….
Camouflage beans
They are the Marines under the beans, these borlottibons. You have to look very hard if you want to spot them in this delicious dish. But actually we have to talk about dill here, because that gives this dish the taste that stays with you for a while. That stays with you, that makes you enjoy every bite. The dill has no camouflage tendencies at all. Not in color and not in taste. It stands out nicely. Tribute to the dill.
Roasted paprika salad with apple
Roasted peppers with apple and tomato. Well, it looks as good as it tastes. It is surprising, but when you consider that an apple is also sweet and certainly made even sweeter in this way, it just becomes a logical combination. Serve it warm or at room temperature.
Paprika puree or dip if you like
I can’t get enough of dips. They’re so versatile. Like for lunch with some bread. At the mezze. As an extra puree for vegetables to give them a little more flavour. This dip is in any case very flavour-enhancing. The sweet grilled peppers in combination with the herbs are of course a successful recipe for deliciousness.
Carrot salad with cardamom, ginger and lemon
If you look at the picture, you are in a flash in a restaurant in Taroudant in Morocco, right? And don’t you need my description at all? That carrot, that ginger and man man man, the cardamom. They also make tea in Morocco from cardamom, and we do that at home ourselves as well. Addictively delicious. Anyway, I need to focus, it’s also addictively delicious in this salad. And that’s what makes this salad so insanely great. When you eat, close your eyes, breathe deep in and out so you can taste well and then think of that lovely place at the foot of the High Atlas.
Courgette, onions, garlic and mint
Zucchini is such a grateful vegetable. It so easily blends with its surroundings. It lovingly absorbs the tastes around it. And logically becomes a beloved vegetable. Mine in any case. In this dish I can only talk about zucchini in loving terms. With the mint, garlic and lemon this becomes a very tasty dish, by no means boring.
Pumpkin pilav
If you are up for a truly different taste, then make this pilav. The cardamom makes all the difference here. Gives the taste that lingers. The pumpkin comes to life. The cinnamon and raisins are also the subtle taste makers, but not at all dominant.
Tomato pomegranate salad
Today it’s all about red. The deep red colour of the ripe tomatoes, the beautiful shiny red of the pomegranate seeds, the pomegranate molasses also add the right colour to the dish. The red peppers can’t be missed. It’s a delicious exciting salad and nice side dish. And yummy.
Artichokes with vinaigrette
When they’re in the field and they’re thriving, they’re deep purple. Beautiful sight. Then it’s hard to imagine you’re going to eat them sometime. I find eating an artichoke one of the nicest things out there. Especially if you can do it together with someone else. Sharing an artichoke. Taking off leaf by leaf. Just dipping it in the vinaigrette. And then scrape off the soft part with your teeth. The clash of flavors. The ‘nutty’ taste of an artichoke and the freshness of the vinaigrette. And then when all the leaves are taken out, free the heart from the threads and then eat it. Don’t forget that you are sharing the artichoke, okay?
Champagne risotto
Champagne and risotto. It sounds sophisticated, and it is. And if you think you can’t taste the champagne after all, you’re wrong. I’m sure you’ll taste it. And if you think you can do it with a prosecco, that’s right. But you will taste the difference.
Lebanese endive from the mountains
The mountains in Lebanon are magnificent. I learned how to ski there. In wintertime we went to the mountains, to Laclouc or Faraya to ski. In the afternoon we would drive back to Beyrouth where it could be nice warm, weather to walk around in a t-shirt. The perfect climate. This dish comes from those magnificent mountains and is a really nice side dish or part of a mezze. Also when you live in a flatter country.
Recipe e-book: The Arabic kitchen
In this recipe e-book you will find 45 à la Damaris recipes from the Arabic kitchen. The most delicious dishes in 4 themes:
the Lebanese mezze
Moroccan specials
Arabic veggies and sides
Salades with an Arabic twist
A nice read, inspirational and in a beautiful design