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.
Tiramisu
I do not fancy deserts much and do not have a sweet tooth. Tarte Tatin, yes. And Tiramisu, also a loud and clear ‘si’ to that. For these two I make an exception and will do my utmost to make a vegan version of them. Well, here you have it. Did I already mention that it is amazing? That it is delicious? Well, it is.
Pasta aglio olio
This dish consists of 4 ingredients: olive oil, garlic, (red) chili pepper and pasta. It took me a while to prepare a pasta aglio olio that scored an A on my own report. I just could not get it totally right. One night I was having diner with Italian colleagues in Milan and I asked them: how do you prepare a good pasta aglio olio. Well, the evening turned into a heated discussion. I had no clue that a simple dish with 4 ingredients could be the source of so much discussion. Grandma, mum, sister, aunty, the beloved neighbour, all their secret recipes brought at the table. Well, this is my version… But, I did learn that evening what the secret magic to a great pasta aglio olio is… read the preparation of the recipe.
Risotto with artichoke and lemon zest
You will find quite some risotto’s on this website. And that’s because we love them so much. That’s because risotto is comfort food. And because it’s slow food. And this risotto is another ‘independently tasting’ risotto. So different from the others. And that’s why it deserves a special place between the other recipes.
Syrian spinach
Spinach, I think it is my favourite vegetable. And there are so many ways of preparing it in a fantastic way. In Syria they really know their way around spinach. With pomegranate. Yes, pomegranate and pine nuts. And red onion. Really lovely.
Moroccan green beans à la Fatim-Zahra
Many cultures have a dish where green beans and tomatoes are the main ingredients of a dish. You’ve got the Lebanese Loubyeh b’zeit, the Italian Fagiolini di Sant’Anna and this Moroccan recipe, of Fatim-Zahra. They are all really nice, but I think this one is my favourite. Such an intens taste and so full of character. Green beans and tomato become classy at once. From totally boring to very special in a few minutes. This is lovely together with the angel hair rice.
Spaghetti à la Trapanese
A nice quick pasta that everybody simply loves. Sometimes the chef is applauded for the most simple dishes. Well, this one is the one. On a weekday you will score high points on this one.
Angel hair and rice
Rice is a side dish of course. You eat it with something else. But sometimes rice is so nice that it stands alone, on its own two feet. This rice has two feet as it is combined with angel hair. But hey, we always eat it with something else. Well, sometimes you take a spoonful in the kitchen when nobody is watching. Right before serving. Or when you clear the table, a spoonful ends up in your mouth. Just like that. Oh well, it also happens at the table if you’re honest…
Focaccia à la io
Wine in the dough. Yes, it plays an important role in the fermentation process and it adds a more intense taste to the bread and airy texture. The sage of course is important. Crispy and a sensational addition to the taste.
Brussels sprout and hazel nuts
Brussels sprouts are the best. The whole year long according to myself. One can suddenly crave for it. I love bitter vegetables, so that’s nice for the Brussels sprouts. This way of preparing them is a great addition. The sage from my garden blends in perfectly just like the roasted hazelnuts. Simply delicious.
Smothered radicchio
Bitter and sweet. A great bite. The taste stays with you. And that taste is so nice that you will find yourself preparing this again, soon.
Pasta à la Katrin
I had this pasta sauce for the first time when I was visiting my friend Katrin in Hamburg. It took a while for her to prepare it before she was satisfied with the taste. The quality of the sauce depends on your patience. It should be well reduced. That’s crucial for the taste and the substance. Patience it is, but it’s for a good cause.
Herb salad
This salad is made of fresh herbs and arugula. You can combine them at your own taste. It also depends on what is in the house or in your garden or on your balcony. Sometimes I go wild and choose oregano. You can make this salad as extrovert or subtil as you like. It depends on what you feel like and what is to be found on the menu.