Warm Chickpea Salad
This salad, served warm, utilises a store cupboard staple, chickpeas, with a selection of later winter ingredients including beetroot and cabbage.
Serves 2
Ingredients
120 g bulghar wheat
600 g savoy cabbage
1 tin chickpeas
2 precooked beetroot
1 clove garlic
100 g feta
5 g ras al hanout
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons walnut oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt
pepper
Method
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Cut the savoy cabbage into 1-1.5 cm strips. Cut the beetroot into wedges. Add the bulghar wheat to the pot of boiling water and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
Drain the bulghar through sieve. In a bowl, mix together the walnut oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Finely chop the garlic clove and add to the dressing. Drain the chickpeas through a sieve and rinse under cold water. Place the beetroot in a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and warm them gently through.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the savoy cabbage and fry gently for about 4-6 minutes until tender. Add a splash of water to the pan to help the cabbage steam. Add the chickpeas and ras al hanout to the pan. Ensure that the ingredients are heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix the bulghar through the chickpea mixture. Add the dressing and extra salt and pepper if necessary. Divide the salad between 2 plates. Lay the beetroot on top and sprinkle with the crumbled feta.
Lamb Cutlets with Lentils, Coriander & Mint dressing and Masala Yoghurt
A modern dish inspired by the flavours of India. Lightly spiced and complemented by coriander and mint, two of the best pairings with lamb.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 lamb racks
salt
pepper
olive oil
200 g beluga or puy lentils
2 shallots
3 sprigs thyme
1 bunch coriander
1 bunch mint
250 ml natural yoghurt
1-2 tablespoons garam masala
coriander cress, to garnish
Method
Begin by making the coriander and mint dressing. Place the herbs in a blender. Add enough olive oil and blend to a dressing. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Finely chop the shallots. Heat a pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sweat the shallots for 5 minutes. Add the lentils and thyme and fry for a further minute. Add water to cover, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are cooked but still have a bite. Drain off the water, season with salt and pepper and about 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
Season the lamb cutlets with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and fry the lamb, fat side down until the fat has rendered down as much as possible and is golden brown. Turn over on to the meat side and fry for a further 1-2 minutes. Transfer to an oven tray and roast in a 200 oven for 15-17 minutes. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes lightly covered with a piece of aluminium foil.
Mix the natural yoghurt with garam masala to taste. Season with salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Slice the lamb racks into cutlets. Divide the lentils between 4 plates. Lay 3-4 cutlets on each plate. Spoon over the coriander & mint dressing, masala yoghurt and top with the coriander cress.
Sausages with Lentils
Fennel and Pepperoncini Sausages with Lentils and Onion Chutney
Serves 2
Ingredients
4 Brandt & Levie fennel and pepperoncini sausages
200g Puy lentils
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
3 sprigs thyme
80g balsamic-onion chutney (homemade or store bought)
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 heaped teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt
pepper
Method
1
Peel the carrot and finely chop along with the onion, celery and garlic cloves. Heat a pot over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and fry the chopped vegetables for about 5 minutes.
2
Add the lentils and thyme to the pot and enough water to just cover the lentils. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 20-30 minutes.
3
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Fry the sausages until golden brown and cooked through, about 12 minutes.
4
If the lentils are still too wet when cooked, pour off the excess water. Season with salt and pepper and a heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard. Stir through 2 tablespoons olive oil. Divide the lentils between 2 plates, slices the sausages, lay on top and serve with the onion chutney.
Grape Chutney
We brought the recipe for this delicious chutney back from our trip to South Africa last year. It makes the perfect accompaniment to a cheese board. In our quest not to waste anything, we often use up leftover grapes in this recipe.
Ingredients
5 Granny Smith apples
1 onion
100ml balsamic vinegar
150ml brandy
1,1 kg white or red grapes (preferably seedless)
175g brown sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
salt, to taste
Method
Peel and core the apples and finely chop the onion. Pick the grapes from the stalks and wash under cold water.
Place the apples, onions, balsamic vinegar and brandy together in a heavy-based pan. Place over medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook until the fruits break down and the chutney has become thick and pulpy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Spoon into sterile jars, allow to cool and store in a dark cupboard or in the refrigerator.
Baby Beetroot
Autumn is the season for root vegetables and one of our favourites is beetroot. If you are able to find them, spend that little extra and treat yourself to a bunch or two. They are a bit of a pain to clean. Be sure to rinse them well to remove all the sand. Trim off the leaves, leaving a little bit of the stalk. If the leaves are fresh and in good condition, you can use them too. Just walk briefly until wilted and they make a great side dish.
Place the beetroot on an oven tray lined with foil. Lay the beetroot on top, add some fresh thyme, whole unpeeled garlic cloves, a good drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Wrap the ends of the foil tightly together and place in a 210 C oven for about 1-1,5 hours until tender. Allow to cool slightly and then peel of the skin with the help of a small knife. Serve as is or with a balsamic and olive oil dressing. The uses for beetroot are seemingly endless.
Vegetarian Lunch
With more people choosing to eat consciously an opting more for vegetarian, it's always a good idea to a few recipes handy.
Here are two of our favourites for lunch.
Beetroot Hummus and feta sandwich:
Ingredients for the beetroot hummus
500 g cooked beetroot, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tin chickpeas, drained
pinch of ground cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
1-2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
lemon juice, to taste
salt and pepper
Method
Place the beetroot, garlic, chickpeas, cumin, cayenne and tahini in a food processor and blend all the ingredients are broken down. Add the olive oil (enough to make a smooth hummus), lemon juice to taste and season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the sandwiches, use a good bread of your choice. We like a sourdough spelt variety. Spread each slice liberally with the beetroot hummus. Top with some rocket leaves and generous scattering of a good feta.
Sweet Potato and Courgette Salad with Pear
Ingredients
1 head garlic
1 kg sweet potatoes
2 comice pears
1 red chilli
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 courgettes
100 g hazelnuts
100 g baby spinach leaves
Method
Preheat an oven to 200 C. Separate the garlic cloves from the head of garlic, leaving the skins on. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into wedges. Finely chop the chilli, leaving in the seeds if you like it spicy and finely chop the rosemary.
Place the garlic cloves, sweet potato chilli and rosemary in a roasting pan and toss with the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, halve the pears, remove the core and cut each half into 6 slices. Cut the courgettes into quarters and then each quarter in half, so that you end you up with 8 pieces. Roughly chop the hazelnuts.
Add the pears, courgettes, hazelnuts, toss again and return to the oven for about another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil, check the seasoning if it requires any more salt and pepper and mix through the baby spinach leaves.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Roasted Pumpkin and Harissa Hummus
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
5-6 tbsp tahini paste
1-2 tbsp harissa (we buy ours fresh from the Noordermarkt)
2 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
olive oil and smoked paprika, to finish
crisp breads, crackers and fresh vegetables, to serve
Method
Preheat oven to 200C. Place the butternut and garlic cloves on an oven tray. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss the ingredients well together and roast for about 45 minutes or until the butternut is really tender. Leave to cool.
Place the butternut into a Magimix (food processor) with any juices from the tin. Add the garlic cloves, squeezed out of their skins. Add the remaining ingredients, season with salt and blend to a paste. Add a little extra olive oil if needed.
Scrape the hummus into a bowl. Drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Serve with crostini, crisp breads, crackers and an assortiment of crudités (raw vegetables).
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Filled Focaccia
We're all thinking of ways to enjoy summer eating, whether that be in our outdoors. Here is a great recipe/idea for summer eating. You can practice your bread making skills and use your favourite vegetables or whatever is season.
Make a batch of focaccia.
Use an array of your favourite vegetables. We like a combination of peppers, courgettes, aubergine and red onion. Cut each into bite-sized pieces. Toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill in a grill pan until the vegetables have bar marks and are tender and cooked through. You can also finish them off in the oven to get them more tender.
Once they and the bread have cooled down, slice the bread in half. Spread with pesto (either homemade or shop bought). Top with the grilled vegetables and then tear some buffalo mozzarella over. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Dot a few fresh basil leaves over and a handful of rocket leaves. Close the bread to form a giant sandwich. Cut into pieces and serve.
Ice Tea
Quench your thirst on warm summer days with this easy and delicious ice tea recipe.
Ingredients
4 organic Rooibos tea bags
1,2 liters boiling water
about 3 Tbsp castor sugar
slices of lemon or orange, mint leaves and ice cubes, to serve
Also delicious mixed with a little mango, pineapple or orange juice.
Method
Allow the tea to infuse in the water for about 5-10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and stir in the sugar until dissolved. The amount of sugar you add is up to you. You can either add more or less or leave it out completely.
Allow the tea to cool and refrigerate until chilled.
To serve, fill long glasses with ice, lemon slices and mint leaves. Pour over the chilled tea and enjoy.
Tempura Green Beans
If you're looking for an easy and delicious snack to serve with drinks, look no further. There isn't really and hard and fast recipe, so here's what you need to do:
Get some Japanese tempura flour from your local Asian grocer or supermarket. Whisk it up with cold sparkling water until it's the consistency of cream. Dip trimmed green beans into the batter and deep fry them in hot sunflower or vegetable oil.
In the meantime make a simple jalapeño ponzu dipping sauce. Take some soy sauce and season it to your liking with fresh or pickled chopped jalapeño, some yuzu juice (from a Japanese citrus fruit) or some lime juice if you can't find yuzu juice and some sesame oil.
Drain the tempura green beans on kitchen paper and serve the hot and crunchy with the dipping sauce on the side.