Author Archives: elsje

Garlic chicken

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This dish is so great for creating lovely finger food. The chicken is delicious on toasted bread. It also makes a simple and great meal when combined with beans.

The chicken is very tender when it is cooked this way. It is cooked long and slowly, emerged in a tasty mix to keep it moist. The large quantity of garlic makes everything taste unique and sweet! Any leftover garlic can be mixed with some butter to make a great garlic butter. The leftover broth makes a great gravy base.

Garlic chicken

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 2 bulbs of garlic
  • 125 gram of butter
  • 500 ml chicken stock
  • For this recipe you don’t need to peel the garlic cloves. Just remove the ends.
  1. Season your chicken.
  2. Melt 50 grams of butter in a frying pan and brown you chicken.
  3. Add the cloves, stock and the rest of the butter.
  4. Let this simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken just doesn’t fall of the bone.
  5. Let your stew cool down.
  6. Take the garlic out of the peels and collect them in a bowl.
  7. Keep the chicken and gravy and the garlic cloves in the fridge.

This chicken is lovely on grilled bread, with a spread of the garlic cloves, the chicken and some salt and pepper. You can also use this garlic chicken for making chicken & beans.

Find more chicken inspiration here.

Recipes for beginners

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I realize that this blog contains a wide variation of recipes. Some are the kind you do in the weekend because they take skill and time, but others are easy and quick.

One of my colleagues told me he wants to improve his cooking skills beyond his standard student repertoire. This is why I made my top 10 meals for beginners:

  1. Gnocchi bake with a simple salad Pita3
  2. Home made burgers with home made fries ( you could go crazy and make your own mayo too)
  3. Courgette soup with bread sticks
    BreadStick1
  4. Chicken fingers with my Dutch ceasar saladCeaser
  5. Winter omeletOmelet1
  6. Quiche with spinache or green asperagusAspergetaart
  7. Pizza or flamm kuchenAngrPizza2
  8. Pea puff piesPeaPuffPie5
  9. Tagliatelli with no fuss tomato sauceTPasta2
  10. Mini veggie pizzas and salmon saladMiniPizza3

Happy easter!

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For this easter we are staying at home with our little family. Some of you might have bigger plans and feel a little overwhelmed by now. These are some easy recipes with maximum impact on your guests:

HappyEaster2016

Remember to keep your cooking for the day simple (put more effort in the preperations) and make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy your family and guests!

Cheese scones

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I have been having a lot of trouble posting this recipe, every time I want to fotograph these fluffy delights, they seem to disappear. I am glad to post this recipe just before Easter brunch. Because it would be perfect for this occasion!

They also make a great side dish with a salad or a soup (like Dutch pea soup).CHScones2

Cheese scones (for 8 scones)

  • Dry ingredients:
    • 225 gr flour
    • 75 gr cornmeal
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 150 gr grated cheese
    • 1 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Wet ingredients:
    • 55 ml oil
    • 240 ml milk
    • Optional: friend onions
  • For finishing:
    • coffee milk or 1 egg
    • rock salt

CheeseSconesBWS

  1. Combine and mix your dry ingredients.
  2. Pour in your wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
  3. Form into a round flat disc of about 1.5 cm thick, wrap in cling film.
  4. Let this dough rest in your fridge for 20 minutes to 24 hours.
    Resting your dough will ensure a good fluffy end result!
  5. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C.
  6. Cut your disc into 8 triangles with a sharp knife.
  7. Brush your scones with coffee creamer and sprinkle them with salt.
  8. Back them in your oven for 15 minutes.

These scones are best when eaten the same day, to prepare in advance, just make your dough one day ahead. You find my scone recipe here.

Fabulous five: stews

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In cool weather there is nothing better for winter than a stew. The other thing I love about stews is that they are easy to warm up and prepare in advance. I understand that to some people a stew seems way to much work, please consider that the stove top does most of the work, usually the actual preperations and cooking only take around 20 minutes. I also like to make large quantities of a stew, as they are a great dish to freeze or to serve to a group of people.

  1. Greek lamb stew – warm flavors and soft meat, what more could you ask for. GreekStew1
  2. Chickpea stew – even though my family thought a good stew always needs meat, with this recipe I proved them wrong.Pita
  3. My mother’s Malaysian chicken curry
    KipCurry_ZW_1
  4. My mother-in-law’s oxtail stew
  5. South African tomato bredie

The recipes to the last 2 stews will follow soon.

Lemon & Nigella seed salad

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If you have never tasted these lovely seeds, go out and find them. Don’t be fooled and buy black sesame seeds, get the real stuff. Ironically, I learned about this lovely seed through THE Nigella, but there is no real connection there, just that I really like both of them.

They are very aromatic and they make any simple salad or dip sing with flavor.

Lemon & Nigella seed salad 

  • 1 quarter iceberg lettuce, in fine slivers
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 red onion, in thin slivers
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Pepper & Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp of nigella seeds

GreekStew1

This salad combines very well with a Greek stew.

Add some chicken to make this a lunch salad.

 

Greek Lamb Stew

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GreekStew7SmallThis is one of those real stews. It needs to simmer for two to three hours. This makes this is a great weekend dish or a meal to prepare in advance. It will however blow your mind.

The stew combines so many complex flavors, the lamb and various spices. It is however still balanced. Your lamb should be falling apart. The sauce is sweet, yet sour and ever so warming thanks to that cinnamon. Against that very hearty stew, it is nice to have that tangy yoghurt sauce. The potato chips are the perfect vessel for all this sauce. If you also serve the salad you get some crunch and fresh veg for a complete meal.

GreekStew2

Greek Lamb Stew ( 4 portions)

  • 3 large onions, finely sliced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil for frying
  • 4 bay leaves
  • Spice mix:
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tbsp thyme
    • 1 tsp fennel seeds
    • 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 400 gr lamb shoulder, cut in chunks
  • Meat coating:
    • 2 tbsp flour
    • Salt and pepper
    • 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 glass of red port or wine
  • 1 tbsp of dried oregano
  • 400 gr of (tinned) diced tomatoes
  • 200 ml of chicken stock

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  1. After cutting all your ingredients, mix your meat with the coating ingredients.
  2. Brown the lamb chunks in two or three batches and set aside.
  3. In the same pan cook the onion and garlic until soft.
  4. Add the spice mix and bay leaves until they give of their lovely aroma.
  5. Add the meat and the port. Let this cook while stirring for a few minutes.
  6. Add the diced tomatoes, oregano and stock and let this mix simmer for up to 3 hours or until your meat is soft. Keep stirring if needed.
  7. The flour should have thickened your sauce. If needed, mix 2 tbsp of corn starch with water and stir this mixture through your simmering stew right at the end.

This stew can be made well in advance and reheated on a low heat. Serve this stew with some fresh oven chips, tzaziki and a simple Lemon & Nigella Seed salad.

GreekStew1

Cola Chicken Stew

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ColaKipBW - S1
This is a great way to get your entire family to enjoy a chicken stew. I know it might seem crazy but this stew has a lovely and balanced sweet and sour taste. You can make this stew fresh, or a day in advance.

ColaKipBW - S2

I like to have this stew with white rice, the stew should be garnished with large hand fulls of spring onion. Your children might also really enjoy having chips and a glass of coke with this meal!

Cola Chicken Stew

  • 1 tbsp of oil
  • 3 onions, finely sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 6 chicken legs or thighs
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • 4 tbsp ketjap manis or sweet soy sauce
  • 400 ml cola
  • Optional: 2 tbsp corn starch to bind the sauce
  • Serve with white rice and sliced spring onion
  1. Fry your onions and garlic until they are soft.
  2. Add the chicken and let it brown.
  3. Add the smoked paprika and fry it a little while.
  4. Stir in the final ingredients.
  5. Let your stew simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until your chicken is tender.

Tasty chicory boats

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I like making this salad as a starter for a dinner party. It is full of strong flavors, but very well balanced. There is also a great variation in textures. I can guarantee you that this will definately intrigue your dinner guests.

This dish also makes a great lunch salad. When combined with a piece of leftover chicken it is very filling.

Chicory taste explosion

  • 3 chicory
  • 1 apple, finely sliced (no need to remove the skin, this adds color)
  • 1 handful of walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 75 gr blue cheese
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Olive oil, generous sprinkling
  1. Remove the 4 outer leaves of each chicory. Keep them whole for serving the salad.
  2. Remove the cores and slice the rest of the chicory in 5 mm strips.
  3. Mix your chicory strips with the other salad ingredients. Dress the ingredients well as both the apple and the chicory will discolor without the dressing. Season to taste.
  4. Devide your salad over the chicory leaves for perfect tasty boats.