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.
Fresh orzo soup
This is not an ordinary soup. It is a true Mediterranean/Middle Eastern soup. The lemon juice and the dill make it a typical soup for a hot summer day.
Loubyeh b’zeit
Cinnamon is the secret ingredient here with the string beans and the tomato.
Lunch with a ‘star’
Bread, it’s not my favourite. I prefer having a warm lunch. Even salad are lukewarm often at my table. But if I make this little mushroom dish for lunch, than even I have some bread to go along with it. It’s a smasher. Irresistible and greedy, that’s what it does to you. But hey, there are worse things we need to deal with.
Spaghetti with kale pesto and cashew nuts
It is something different. A pesto that has a slightly more intense taste to it. But really nice to alternate between pesto’s. This pesto can be used for this pasta, but you can easily use it the next day or week. With other veggies, in your dressing, on your bread.
Batata in coriander seeds and red wine
Now this is a different way of having potatoes. Fried in olive oil with beaten up coriander seeds. Actually I beat up the potatoes too before they find their way into the pan. At the end they get a nice red wine shower. You are already on the verge of making it, right? Tonight, right? I knew it.
Moroccan braised spicy celeriac
Celery is such a nice and healthy vegetable, and this is a fantastic way of preparing it. Moroccans are the best in coming up with amazing vegetable stews. Like this one. With tomatoes and a fatal combination of spices. The green olives are the smashers too.
Spaghetti with the truffle sauce
On a chilly day, when you long for something heart warming. Something intense. And feel good. Then that’s the day you really should make this sauce to go with your spaghetti. And after that, the day can just glide into the night, still enjoying the memory of that fantastic pasta.