I think the pictures speak for themselves here: as all great couples do, Marbles and I can agree on everything except the constitution of the Perfect Burger.
Posts Tagged ‘lactose free’
Spiced carrot-lentil soup
It’s soup season, so of course I’ve been making SOUP! This recipe resulted from a previous cooking endeavor that only used one carrot out of a whole bunch, and a half packet of red lentils that had been glaring at me sadly from the cupboard. As the carrots wilted and the lentils moped, I said “ENOUGH ALREADY!” And then I blitzed them all into a quick, hearty soup.
I am really proud of my soup, as I’ve always hated the bland, overly sweet flavor of many carrot soups. This one, instead, is zingy, zippy, zesty and all kinds of good things that start with z. It is also nutrient dense, without becoming something you eat only because it’s supposed to be healthy. It’s a filling soup without being to heavy, with light flavors that can be spiced up or mellowed down to your own taste.
Roasted spiced carrots
I know lots of people who don’t like cooked carrots. And I understand why. There’s nothing more blah and boring than squishy, sweet carrot mush. For years I only ate them raw or lightly steamed, or chopped finely as a base for soups and sauces. But ever since I’ve discovered that you can roast carrots, I can’t get enough of the cheerful little buggers. Today I experimented a bit, and came with this recipe. The carrots are roasted for quite long, which makes them pleasantly soft but also gives them a nice hearty flavor. The spices, lemon juice and honey add some interest. If you’re one of those people who claims to not like carrots, I encourage you to try these. (more…)
Gambas with aïoli
One of the (many) reasons I will never regret moving to Amsterdam is the markets. My favorite Saturday activity is to wander around the Noorder-, Nieuw- or Albert Cuijp market, and decide my culinary weekend around what I find there. Last Saturday the prawns were looking exceptionally tempting, and the price was right.
I don’t eat prawns that often, because I can never be satisfied with 4 or 5 measly prawns. If I’m going to eat prawns, I want to be able to eat the HELL out of them. That’s why the portions on this recipe are rather generous. I’m also a prawn purist, so I don’t add too many ingredients. I do love some nice aïoli with prawns, so I added a recipe for that as well.
And of course I suck the head. It’s the best part!
Traditional tomato sauce
October 10th, 2009There are all kinds of commercial sauces available for pasta, and they all have one thing in common: THEY SUCK! Generally, they are too sweet, too watery, and too ketchup-like. And if you’re really unlucky, it will have all kinds of things that should never be in sauce-from-a-jar, like eggplant or parmesan. I mean, really? Parmesan cheese IN a tomato sauce? Barfalicious!
So needless to say, I make my own. And here’s the recipe. (more…)
Roast chicken
As you may have noticed, I’m a big fan of simple, rustic foods. I really believe that the best food doesn’t result from mixing lots of complicated flavors or using complicated techniques. That is not to say that it isn’t warranted sometimes to go all out. I enjoy being surprised by the culinary artistry of great chefs. I have been thoroughly tickled by little dainty towers of beetroot crisps and home-smoked trout, by the molecular magic of fried ice cream with melon caviar, and I love a complex sauce as much as the next person.
But let’s face it: I’m a home cook. A competent one, no doubt, but I’m no chef and I won’t pretend that I am. So what do I do when I want to impress with a dinner? I turn to a chef for a really good, unpretentious recipe. And this is one of those recipes. (more…)
“Moroccan” vegetable stew
There is absolutely nothing authentically Moroccan about this stew beyond the fact that I invented it in order to use this fantastic new thing I discovered: Harissa! I got it at a Moroccan grocery store, so now I associate this stew with Morocco, despite never having been in or near Morocco (YET!). If you were to serve this stew to your friends I would highly recommend using air quotes when referring to it as “Moroccan.”
Because of the harissa, this stew is on the spicy side. However, the addition of sweet butternut squash and juicy raisins tones down the spice level considerably. The first time we had this we ate it straight from a bowl, but the second time I served pita’s and some home made tzatziki alongside. This was a good call, as the stew had become noticeably spicier overnight in the fridge. It also became tastier, so I highly recommend making enough to have leftovers.
I think this stew is the perfect summer food. It’s filling and flavorful but not too heavy or greasy. It also includes most of my favorite foods and none of my non-favorite foods, which of course is a huge benefit of inventing your own recipes. It’s also one of those “accidentally vegan” recipes that I seem to come up with a lot. And it’s accidentally gluten free as well. Actually, the whole thing was one big happy accident. An accident which landed me a girlfriend by the way, so take that as a warning or as a recommendation, depending on your situation.