april 2015 - Pagina 2 van 2 - 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

by Bernadette Evers

Gin & Tonic

Gin & Tonic is one of the hippest drinks at the moment and certainly is well paired with good weather. Here's a definitive guide to making the perfect G&T.

Use a gin of your choice, as everyone has their favourite brand. Also use the finest chilled organic tonic water (our favourite is by FeverTree and using the 200ml bottles means it is always fresh).

You'll need:
Fresh green lime
A sharp knife
Chopping board
Bottle opener
Long spoon

Start by rolling the lime on a chopping board with the palm of your hand. What this does is massage the fruit to get the juices flowing. You'll be able to get a higher yield of juice from each wedge. Now you're ready to cut your lime into wedges. To do this, don't cut it in half from head to tail but through the circumference of the fruit, then, whilst resting the flat area on the board, cut the two halves into four wedges (cut across the segments). You should end up with eight perfectly formed wedges which are juicy and will add aroma and flavour. If you don't happen to use up all your lime wedges in one go, place them in a sealable container and pop them into the freezer. This way they are ready to be used next time as lime flavoured ice cubes.

Next take one of your lime wedges and between thumb and forefinger, squeeze into the bottom of the highball glass, then drop in the wedge. Take your favourite bottle of gin (if you're lucky enough to have a barman's pourer in your bottle then turn it upside down over the glass and count to five. This should give you a double measure 50ml). If you don't have a pourer then you could use the cap. This measures 15 ml - measure out 3 of these add one last splash for good luck.

Next, fill the glass to the top with ice then stir for a few seconds with the long spoon. Open your chilled bottle of tonic water just before you need it so it's lively, then pour 100ml over the ice. Let the bubbles settle then stir for a couple of seconds to mix the drink and create a consistent flavour. If needed, add more ice cubes to bring the water line to around 1 cm from the top of the glass (not more tonic) then add a second lime wedge (not squeezed) perfectly positioned on the top of your drink to add aroma and visual appeal, but little extra flavour. Now sit back, relax and sip away!

Note: You can also mix the flavours up by introducing spices like pink peppercorns, cloves, fruit such as orange or blueberries.

by Mischa de Winter

Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 15 - 2015

As you may know by now, we are the chefs behind Amsterdam hotspot, Bilder & de Clercq. Every week we develop 3 new recipes for the stores and we'll be keeping you updated with the week's newest recipes. This weeks new recipes are:

by Mischa de Winter

Apple Pancakes

Serves 4

Ingredients
for the pancakes
¾ cup milk (about 200 ml)
1½ tablespoons vinegar
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil

caramelized apples
2 tablespoon butter
2 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅓ cup maple syrup

Method
Whisk together the milk and vinegar and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

While the milk is curdling (the milk will literally start to separate. Don't be alarmed, this is supposed to happen!), whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk egg and oil into milk. Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined (don't over-mix, it should still have some lumps).

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and grease with some sunflower oil. Pour large spoonfuls of the batter into the pan. Cook about 2 minutes until bubbles form and the edges start to look "dry". Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook another 1-2 minutes on the other side. Set the pancakes aside and repeat with remaining batter.

Using the same pan, add the butter, apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir over medium heat 3-5 minutes until apples are tender. Add the maple syrup. Serve the apples over the warm pancakes.

by Bernadette Evers

Easter Lamb

Ingredients
1 de-boned shoulder of lamb about 1 ½ - 2 kg
salt and pepper
fresh oregano or fresh rosemary
small bunch of flat leaf parsley
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic

Sauce
200 ml white wine
1 bunch of tarragon
2 shallots, finely chopped
400 ml lamb or veal stock

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 160° C.

Make a paste from the herbs using the rosemary or oregano, parsley, garlic and the olive oil by mashing up in a pestle and mortar. Rub on the inside of the shoulder. Take a length of kitchen string and tie up the meat into a tidy roll. Season with salt, pepper.

Heat a heavy casserole with some olive oil over a high heat and brown the lamb on all sides. Place a lid on the casserole and roast for a about 60 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to stand for a further 20 minutes in a warm place.

Pour of the excess fat and add a little stock to the pan, bring to the boil and reserve for the sauce.

To make the sauce, ,blanch the tarragon in boiling water for 10 seconds, then plunge into cold water. Dry off, remove the leaves from the stalks and chop finely. Reserve to add to the sauce later.

Place the stalks in a pan with the white wine and shallot, bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add the lamb or veal stock and simmer gently until reduced by a quarter. Add the cooking juices from the lamb and the tarragon, just before serving. Season, if necessary with salt and pepper.

Braised Greens
2 heads of Swiss chard or Cavalo Nero
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 anchovy fillets, chopped
50g raisins soaked in a little brandy or hot water
2 tablespoons toasted nigella seeds (black onion) or pine nuts

Method
Wash the vegetables well in cold water and remove any though stalks.

Blanch the vegetables for a few minutes in boiling salted water and drain well.

Heat the olive oil in a pan add the chopped anchovies, toss in the vegetables and heat through; add the raisins, the seeds or nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

by Mischa de Winter

Melksalon

From 1 to 30 april this year something new is taking place in Amsterdam. The pop up Melksalon (Milk Shop) opens its doors! This temporary pilot and design store brings consumers, dairy farmers, dairy processors, designers and scientists together to rediscover the value of milk. There will be lectures, organized design sessions, movie nights and city walks. Chefs will also provide a series of special dinners. At the same time the Melksalon is a store and milk bar where you can walk in and taste different kinds of milk.

History and background
On 1 april, the European milk quota, which restricts the amount of milk that dairy farmers can produce was lifted. The Melksalon pop-up store also facilitates, at the perfect moment, a dialogue as to the relevance of milk in today's modern society.

Around 1900 many milk parlours were found on the streets of Amsterdam, where the city's inhabitants enjoyed a glass of milk from local farmers. Nowadays, we buy milk from the supermarket, but milk has always played an important role in Dutch history, (food) culture, the economy, innovation and the landscape. Yet, few realise the rich influence milk has had. Milk in the supermarket is often an anonymous bulk product. At the same time, there is a strong public debate going on about the consumption of milk, the influence on the environment and landscape, and the price one pays.

We enjoyed a tasting of 4 different milks, each with their own flavour, sweetness and richness. We also tried the steamed buns, made using a milk-based dough, the one filled with a braised Asian beef and the other with sweet peas.

A great new addition to Amsterdam. Go and visit while it still lasts.

For more information, please visit Melksalon.

by Bernadette Evers