Smoked Bacon and Tomato Spaghetti

Imagine a recipe for a quick dinner to get on the table during a busy week with ingredients that you most probably already have and one that's going to please the whole family? Well, here it is.....

Serves 4

Ingredients
400g pack spaghetti
175g smoked bacon
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 tins tomato cubes
75g grated Parmesan
75g rocket
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Finely chop the onion and garlic. Cut the bacon into small strips. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and fry the bacon for 2-3 minutes. Add the onion and fry for a further 4 minutes.

Add the garlic and smoked paprika and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced by a third.

Add the spaghetti to the pan of boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Reserve a cup of the cooking water and drain the spaghetti.

Dress the rocket with a little olive oil and salt. Mix the spaghetti through the tomato sauce and if necessary, thin the sauce down with some of the reserved pasta water. Divide the spaghetti between 4 plates, sprinkle over the grated Parmesan and top with the rocket.

 

Nederlands

voor 4 personen 

Ingrediënten
400gr spaghetti
175gr gerookte ontbijtspek
1 ui
2 teentjes knoflook
2 theelepels gerookte paprikapoeder
2 blikken tomaatblokjes
75gr geraspte Parmezaan
75gr rucola
4 eetlepels olijfolie
zout en peper

Bereiding
Snijd de ui en knoflook fijn. Snijd het ontbijtspek in kleine reepjes. Breng een pan water met zout aan de kook.

Verwarm een koekenpan op medium vuur met 2 eetlepels olijfolie en bak het ontbijtspek 2-3 minuten. Voeg de ui toe en bak nog eens 4 minuten.

Voeg de knoflook en gerookte paprikapoeder toe en bak 1 minuut. Voeg de tomaten, zout en peper toe en kook zachtjes 10 minuten. Kook 1/3  van de saus in.

Voeg de spaghetti toe aan de pan met kokend water en kook in 8-10 minuten beetgaar. Bewaar een kopje van het kookvocht en giet de spaghetti af.

Maak rucola aan met olijfolie naar smaak. Meng de spaghetti door de tomaten en verdun, indien nodig, met het bewaarde kookvocht. Verdeel de spaghetti over 4 borden, bestrooi met de geraspte Parmezaan en leg wat rucola bovenop.


Pheasant with Creamy Brussel Sprouts, Chestnuts and Bacon

With just a few more weeks to go until Christmas, it's time to find ideas of what to serve. This is a delicious main course using pheasant, a great change from the traditional turkey or ham. This dish is also quick and simple to prepare and won't require hours of slaving in the kitchen.

Serves 2

Ingredients
3 pheasant breasts
100 gr pack vacuum packed chestnuts
100 gr lardons
250 gr Brussel sprouts
125 ml tub cream
20 gr cube butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
75 ml red wine
75 ml port
salt
pepper

Method
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the Brussel sprouts to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the sprouts to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil and fry the lardons until golden brown. Check the pheasant breasts for any shot (little pieces of bullet).

Add the chestnuts and Brussel sprouts and fry for 1 minute. Add the cream, salt and pepper and leave over a low heat.

Season the pheasant breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Lay the pheasant, skin-side down in the pan and fry for 2 minutes. Turn over and fry for a further 1 minute (the pheasant breasts should still be pink inside).

Remove the pheasant from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with 75 ml red wine and 75 ml port and reduce until the sauce becomes thicker. Stir 1 cube butter through. Slice the pheasant breasts diagonally. Spoon the creamy Brussel sprouts and chestnuts in the middle of 2 plates. Lay the pheasant on top and spoon over the sauce.


Sauerkraut with Sausages and Confit Duck

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 bratwurst or any of your favourite sausages
2 packs sauerkraut (zuurkool), about 800 gr
250 g lardons
2 onions
2 apples
olive oil
50 g butter
1 bottle beer
2 bay leaves
6 juniper berries
salt
pepper
boiled potatoes, to serve
4 confit duck legs, to serve
mustard, to serve

Method
Finely slice the onions. Peel the apples, discard the core and cut into 1 cm cubes. Place the sauerkraut in a sieve and rinse under cold running water. Dry the sauerkraut well. Heat a wok with 2 tablespoons olive oil and stir fry the sauerkraut until lightly caramelised. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 50 g butter with the onion and lardons. Fry for 5 minutes. Add the stir fried sauerkraut, apple, the bottle of beer, juniper and bay leaves and cook gently over a low heat, covered with a lid, for about 40 minutes.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and fry the sausages for about 12 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Season the sauerkraut with salt and pepper. Serve with the sausages and confit duck, boiled potatoes and a little mustard, if you wish.

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


Pheasant with Brussel Sprouts, Chestnuts and Bacon

Serves 2

Ingredients
3 pheasant breasts (120g per piece)
200 g vacuum packed chestnuts
125 g smoked bacon lardons
300 g Brussel sprouts
125 ml cream
20 g butter
4 Tablespoons olive oil
75 ml red wine
75 ml Port
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the Brussel sprouts to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the sprouts to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoon olive oil and fry the lardons until golden brown. Add the chestnuts and Brussel sprouts and fry for 1 minute. Add the cream, salt and pepper and simmer gently until the cream coats the ingredients.

Check the pheasant breasts for any shot (little pieces of bullet). Season with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Lay the pheasant, skin-side down in the pan and fry for 2 minutes. Turn over and fry for a further 1 minute (the pheasant breasts should still be pink inside).

Remove the pheasant from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with 75 ml red wine and 75 ml port and reduce until the sauce becomes thicker. Stir 20 g butter through. Slice the pheasant breasts diagonally. Spoon the creamy Brussel sprouts and chestnuts in the middle of 2 plates. Lay the pheasant on top and spoon over the sauce.

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

Klik hier voor het recept in Nederlands.


Club Sandwich - Amsterdam Flavours Style

All too often, we are served sandwiches consisting of limp bread and flavourless, uninspiring fillings. So, we've taken it upon ourselves to change all that and show you with just a little care and attention, that a sandwich and be exciting and leave you wanting more.

Serves 3

Ingredients
9 slices white spelt bread
2 free range or organic chicken breasts
100 g smokey bacon rashers
2 avocados
1 small red onion
50 g rocket
mayonnaise, for spreading
salt and pepper
olive oil

Method
Heat a grill pan over high heat and grill the bread on both sides. Halve the avocados, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Mash roughly using a fork and season with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Finely slice the onion and halve the chicken breasts horizontally, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and fry the bacon until crispy. Remove on to a plate. Fry the chicken in the same pan with the bacon fat for about 3 minutes on each side.

Lay out the slices of grilled bread. Spread the mashed avocado on the first layer and top with the crispy bacon. On the second slice of bread, spread generously with mayonnaise. Top with a handful of rocket leaves and some red onion. Slice the chicken breasts and lay them on top.

Place the chicken layer on top of the avocado layer, topping the sandwich off with the remaining grilled bread and securing it with a skewer.

Serve on wooden board or plates and dig in!

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