Curry-Roasted Pumpkin and Feta Salad with Pesto

Serves 4 

Ingredients
2 kg butternut squash
100 g feta
60 ml pesto (homemade or bought)
1 bag rocket
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 210° C. Peel the pumpkin with a vegetable peeler and cut lengthways in half. Remove the seeds and chop into 3 cm cubes.

Transfer the pumpkin to a roasting dish, sprinkle with olive oil, curry powder, salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes in the oven or until the pumpkin is soft but still holding its shape. Allow to cool off slightly.

Crumble the feta and dress the rocket with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Lay the roasted pumpkin on a serving platter. Scatter over the crumbled feta and drizzle with the pesto. Top with the rocket and serve.

Also delicious as a side dish served with roast chicken.

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


All Butter Croissants

There is nothing better than warm, butter, flakey croissants straight from the oven. Making them yourself takes a little practice, but the results are SO worth it. Serve with farmhouse butter, good jam and a cup of coffee. Heaven!

Ingredients
625g strong white flour, plus extra for rolling out
12 g salt
75 g sugar
40 g fresh yeast
500g butter, chilled
1 egg, beaten

Method
The day before you want to bake the croissants, place the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, or a large mixing bowl. Pour in 350-400ml cold water and mix until it comes together as a soft dough.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a good 8-10 minutes, or until the dough feels smooth, stretchy and elastic. Return to the bowl and set aside to rest.

Sandwich the chilled butter between two sheets of greaseproof paper and roll out to a 30x20cm rectangle, about 1cm thick. Chill in the fridge until needed.

Turn the dough out again onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll it into a rectangle 60x30cm. Peel the greaseproof paper from the butter and place the butter centrally on top of the pastry rectangle. Fold one edge of the pastry over the butter to half-cover it, then do the same with the other edge of the pastry so that the butter is covered. Fold the rectangle in half lengthways, then give it a quarter-turn and roll out again to a rectangle measuring 60x30cm.

Repeat the folding, turning and rolling process, as before, three more times (do not roll out the pastry the final time you fold and turn it). Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge overnight.
When the pastry has rested, roll it out to a thickness of 0.5cm. Cut the pastry into two 50x20cm strips, then cut each strip into triangles about 10cm wide at the base.

With the narrow point of one of the pastry triangles facing away from you, use your fingertips to stretch the two points of the triangle nearest to you out sideways so that they bow a little. Roll the pastry over itself, curling it into a traditional crescent shape, so that the furthest point of the triangle ends up curled over the top of the croissant. Repeat the process with the remaining pastry triangles to create about 20 croissants.

Place the croissants onto baking trays lined with silicone paper or baking parchment. Brush them all over with the beaten egg, then set aside to prove for 30-45 minutes. (The croissants can be frozen at this point, if desired.)

Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan. Bake the croissants for 20-25 minutes, or until risen and golden-brown. Serve warm with jam and butter.

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


Pistachio-Olive Oil Cake

A delicious and unusual cake with a flavour of the middle east. The cake gets it's beautiful green colour from the pistachios and the olive oil keeps it moist. It's quite a rich cake, so a small piece will suffice. We usually serve it as part of a dessert with a parfait or some marinated pineapple. Yum!

Serves 8-10 

Ingredients
50 g fine polenta
200 g ground pistachio nuts
50 g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
125 ml olive oil
100 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 eggs
200 g caster sugar
juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 orange
icing sugar for dusting

Method
Preheat the oven to 160 C. Mix the polenta, ground pistachios, flour and baking powder together.

Add the olive oil to the melted butter. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, then slowly whisk in the olive oil and butter. Whisk in the pistachio mixture, then add the lemon juice and zest and orange juice.

Pour into a greased and lined 24 cm springform tin and bake for about 40 minutes. The cake should be slightly underdone in the middle, so that if you insert a skewer it will come out with a little of the mixture sticking to it. While cooling down, the cake will finish off cooking through. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.

Once completely cooled, cut into slices and dust with icing sugar.

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


Lemon Polenta Cake

We've decided to divulge the secret and publish the recipe of a cake that has become quite famous. It's sharp and tangy and it's gluten-free too!

Serves 10-12

Ingredients
400 g soft unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing)
400 g caster sugar
400 g ground almonds
200 g fine polenta
16 g baking powder
6 large eggs, beaten
zest of 5 lemons (save juice for the syrup)

for the syrup
juice of 5 lemons
250 g icing sugar

Method
Line the base of a 26cm springform tin with baking paper and grease the sides with butter.

Preheat the oven to 150°C

Beat the butter and sugar till pale and whipped, in a Magimix Patissier or freestanding mixer.

Mix together the almonds, polenta and baking powder and salt. With the machine running, add the eggs to the butter, a little at a time.

Add the almond and polenta mixture and blend the mixture well. Finally, beat in the lemon zest. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 60-70 minutes.

It may be slightly wobbly, but if the cake is cooked, a cake tester should come out cleanish and, most significantly, the edges of the cake will have started to shrink away from the sides of the tin. Remove from the oven to a wire cooling rack, but leave in the tin.

Make the syrup by boiling together the lemon juice and icing sugar in a small saucepan. Once the icing sugar’s dissolved into the juice, it's done.

Prick the top of the cake gently all over with a cake tester (or toothpick), pour the warm syrup over the cake, and leave to cool before taking it out of the tin. Serve in slices with whipped cream or creme fraiche.

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


Rhubarb and Strawberry Eton Mess

This is one of those desserts that's easy to make and always a guaranteed success.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
Meringues, crumbled

Rhubarb compote
1 kg rhubarb
sugar to taste
1 vanilla pod or 2 star anise
a splash of water to get it going

750 g strawberries, rinsed, hulled and halved
750 ml cream, whipped and sweetened with a touch of sugar

Method
Make the meringues according to the recipe. You'll find the recipe by clicking above.

Make the rhubarb compote by trimming the rhubarb if stringy. Chop roughly and place in a pan with sugar (start with about 200 g and add more according to your taste), the vanilla pod or star anise and a splash of water. Bring to the boil and simmer until the rhubarb is soft, with some pieces still holding their shape. If your rhubarb isn't very pink, you can always add some Grenadine syrup to give it a blushing pink colour. Allow to cool completely.

To assemble the Eton Mess, take a large glass bowl. Crumble some meringues in the base and spoon in some rhubarb compote and scatter over some strawberries. Top with a third of the cream and repeat. You want to end with a layer of cream. Top a few strawberries and crumbled meringues and serve straight away.

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 


Pea and Mint Soup

Make the most of seasonal fresh peas in this bright and vibrant soup. If you can't find fresh peas. frozen work just as well.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
olive oil
850ml vegetable or chicken stock
400 g fresh or frozen podded peas
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
salt and pepper
50 g fresh ricotta, thinned with a little milk, to garnish
pea shoots, to garnish

Method
Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil an fry the onion for about 5 minutes. Pour in the stock and add half the mint and bring to the boil. Add the peas and bring to the boil again.

Stir in the remaining mint and season with salt and pepper. Blend the soup in a liquidiser until smooth as you like. Taste and check the seasoning, adjusting with salt and pepper if necessary. Return to the pan and reheat.

Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with the ricotta and pea shoots.

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


Guinea Fowl With Curried Cabbage

Guinea fowl is a more posh version of chicken. It's quick to prepare and healthy. Try this great spring recipe for a mid-week meal.

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 guinea fowl breasts
olive oil
20 g butter
salt and pepper

Curried Cabbage
2 small hispe cabbages, finely sliced
2 shallots, finely sliced
20 g butter
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
50 ml Noilly Prat
100 ml cream
salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter. Season the guinea fowl breasts with salt and pepper. Fry the guinea fowl, skin side down, for 2-3 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy. Turn over and fry for a further 1-1 1/2 minutes on the flesh side. Transfer to a roasting dish, pour over all the juices from the pan and roast for about 12 minutes in the preheated oven.

In the meantime and using the same frying pan, add another 20 grams butter to the pan and ffry the shallots for 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and fry for 3 minutes. Add the curry powder and fry for 1 minute to cook the spices out.

Add the Noilly Prat and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Add the cream, bring to the boil and simmer over a medium to low heat until the cream has thickened slightly. Season with salt and pepper.

Take the guinea fowl out of the oven and rest for 5 minutes.

Divide the cabbage between 4 plates. Lay a guinea fowl breast on top of each, spoon over the juices and serve.

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


Tomato Shallot Sauce

This is a super delicious sauce to serve with roasted beef. We usually serve it with a roasted Simmenthaler beef fillet. It requires a little care and time to make, but the results are so worth it.

Serves 6

Ingredients
6 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
35 g unsalted butter
8 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped
sprig of tarragon
sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
250 ml red wine
200 ml dry Madeira
100 ml Port
300 ml veal or chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Gently cook the shallots and garlic in 20g of the butter until very soft. Purée in a blender and place in a clean pan with the tomatoes, tarragon, thyme and bay leaf. Cook gently for five minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down.

Add the red wine, bring to the boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in the Madeira and Port, boil and reduce again by half. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Skim and simmer for 30 minutes.

Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and pour into a clean pan, bring to the boil and cook for about two minutes or until the desired consistency is achieved. Whisk in the remaining butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and keep warm until ready to use.

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


Celeriac Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients
100 g walnuts
3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
6 medium eating apples peeled, cored and roughly chopped
120 g cashew nuts
4 stalks of celery, sliced, use the leaves as a garnish
2 litres chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 small celeriac - about 250g peeled and roughly chopped
1 small bunch freshly chopped parsley

Method
Toast the walnuts in a large saucepan and then set aside.

Heat the butter in the pan on a medium heat then add the leeks and celery and let sweat for 8 minutes until soft on a medium heat.

Add garlic, thyme and apples and sweat for a further 5 minutes. Add the chopped celeriac and the hot stock, bring to the boil and then simmer on medium heat for 12 – 15 minutes until the celeriac is tender. Take off the heat.

Add the cashew nuts, most of the parsley and the sea salt and pepper. Blend the soup, in batches, then return to the pan on a low simmer. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the toasted walnuts, chopped fresh parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

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


Artichokes Barigoule

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients
12 small violet artichokes
1 lemon
100 ml olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small carrot chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
3 pieces of orange peel
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
200 ml white wine
small bunch of basil leaves, picked and torn
100 ml chicken or vegetable stock stock
selection of fresh herbs: chervil, fennel, basil
salt and pepper

Method
With a small knife, trim the hard leaves off the artichokes, remove the centre hairs and rub the artichokes with lemon juice.

Heat the oil in a deep casserole and fry the onions and the carrot until soft but not coloured. Stir in the tomatoes, orange peel, herbs and spices. Add the artichokes.

Pour in the wine and add enough water to cover the artichokes halfway, sprinkle over the torn basil and cover the pan with a lid. Cook slowly until tender, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes.

Remove the artichokes from the pan, reduce the cooking juices and add a little chicken or vegetable stock to intensify the flavour. Season with salt and pepper and finish off with fresh herbs.

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