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
Bruchetta with braised fennel
Well, gently braised onions and fennel. Cooked in white wine. And then these black olives that play along. On a crispy bruchetta. Well well well. I would make enough of these if I were you.
Fagiolini di Sant’Anna
Green beans and tomatoes, it is quite a common combinations in many cuisines. I like al varieties, it’s just what I feel like on a day. This variety is a pure one, typical for the Italian kitchen. It is what makes that kitchen so attractive. Actually, fagiolini are long string beans but normally I use green beans. So are you in the mood for pure taste, then make this dish. Accompanied by a risotto à la Milanese?
Salad of quinoa and fennel
If you take a look at this salad you may not immediately know what you can expect from it. Well, a lot. Really a lot. For starters it is a very fresh salad. You would not have expected that, right? But the mint and the lime parts that are brought into this salad, play their part well. The mung beans are a true gift, the fennel is a great taste bringer, as always. The red chili pepper gives it all that extra bite. And the quinoa takes care of that feel good vibe. Oh, and you know what … the next day this salad still is so nice.
Wild spinach with raisins and pine nuts
Wild spinach is a bit different from regular spinach, which is more of an attention-grabber. He’s right, so delicious. Here with raisins and pine nuts a wonderful interplay of flavors. Delicious with the orange salad with black olives and the mashed potatoes plus plus…
Salad of oranges and black olives
Oranges and black olives. My first reaction is: yesssssss. But I could also imagine you saying: well, not sure … let’s see… It is not a very common combination, but I would say: give it a try.
Patatas salatasi
As a vegan side dishes like this one are more important to you, as an important part of your meal. Well, this one is a great addition, a great way of preparing potatoes. Spicy, crispy, just great.
Black eyed peas salad
It’s just that one of my all time favourite songs is ‘Where is the love’ of the Black Eyed Peas. Just for the sake of it I needed to prepare a dish with black eyed peas. I chose this one and that became a hit as well. At my table that is. It is a nice rich salad but fresh salad. The wild spinach is lovely. If you have the choice pick this spinach and not the ordinary one. It really makes a difference. And, look up the song and play it while preparing the salad.
Potato puree plus plus
Potato puree is the real comfort food, provided it is well made. Creamy, soft, velvety. This one has some spring onions and parsley as nice addition to it. Lovely with almost any vegetable side dish. Especially with the wild spinach and raisins one.
Sticky tempeh
Some things you would like to eat every day. Sticky tempeh is one of these dishes. Indonesian people are famous for their fantastic cuisine of course, and this dish you can wake me up for it any time of the night. Together with some stir fried cabbage with ginger and red chili pepper, some sweet soy sauce and black rice, you’ve got yourself the best package deal.
Pasta with walnut sauce
This is a wonderful side dish. It is as creamy as it can get, a sauce with character. A sauce that speaks to you and says: there is only one chance for a first impression. Well, here I am. A sauce that you will make many times. Lovely with a salad or a vegetable side dish as an accompanying dish.
Pasta con salsa di cipole
A spaghetti sauce with just onions, well mainly onions. Boring? Not tasteful? Well, think again. This is a velvet like super delicious sauce that stays with you for a while. En you cannot stop eating. Really, give it a try.