Parsnip Risotto

Ingredients
3 pork sausages
900g parsnips
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 large onion
300g risotto rice
45g  mascarpone
40g grated Parmesan
1 small bunch sage
1 tablespoon truffle paste
4 tablespoons olive oil
60g butter
1 glass white wine
salt and pepper

Method
1
Preheat an oven to 220°C. Remove the sausage meat from the skins and shape into small meatballs. Peel the parsnips and cut half of them lengthways into 6-8 pieces. Place in a roasting dish together with the sausage meatballs. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes until the meatballs and parsnip are cooked and golden brown.
2
Grate the remaining parsnips and finely chop the onion. Dissolve the stock cubes in a pan with 1,5 litres hot water and keep just under boiling point over a low heat.
3
Heat a pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 30g of butter. Sweat the onion for about 6 minutes. Add the grated parsnip and fry for 2 minutes. Add the rice and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add a glass of white wine and allow to reduce until all but 1 tablespoon wine remains. Add the stock, a soup ladle at a time, until the rice has absorbed the stock. Stir gently every so often. When the bouillon has been absorbed, it’s time to add the next ladleful. In total, this process should take about 17 minutes.
4
Add the mascarpone, grated Parmesan and truffle paste to the risotto. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the risotto with a lid and leave to stand for 5 minutes. In the meantime, heat a frying pan over medium heat with 30 gr butter and fry the sage leaves until crisp and until the butter is nut brown in colour.
5
Divide the risotto between 3 bowls. Lay the roasted parsnips and sausage meatballs on top. Spoon over the crisp sage leaves and brown butter and serve.


lychees in indian sugar syrup

Ingredients
grated zest and juice of 1 lime
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 kg lychees, peeled and deseeded
2 cloves
1 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
1 vanilla bean
110 g castor sugar

Method
Place the sugar with 110 ml water and all the spices in a pan. Bring to the boil and cook until the sugar has dissolved.

Meanwhile, place the lychees (or fruits, see below) on a flat dish and pour the syrup over the fruit. Let stand for at least 1 hour before serving.

This can also be made into a fruit salad using the following fruits and quantities instead of only lychees.

1 pineapple, cut into large pieces
1 mango, cut into thin slices
2 kiwis, cut into thin slices
1 blood orange, peeled and sliced
5 lychees, halved
½ papaya, chopped


Sate with homemade peanut sauce

A twist on the classic chicken satay with the best homemade peanut sauce.

Ingredients
1 kg of beef bavette
chilli pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper

 SAUCE
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
chilli pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons ketjap manis
250ml coconut milk
1 tablespoon sugar
100g peanut butter

 Method
1
Cut the bavette into long strips. Mix in a bowl with the chilli, garlic, soy sauce, some salt and pepper. Set aside.

2
Make the sauce. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons sunflower oil and sweat the shallots for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for another 1 minute. Add the ketjap manis and reduce lightly. Add the coconut milk and sugar and bring to a boil.

3
Turn off the heat and add the peanut butter, mixing well. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water to thin the sauce.

4
Thread bavette the pieces on skewers and grill them in a grill pan for several minutes. They must remain pink inside.

5
Heat the peanut sauce. Serve spooned over with beef satay and micro herbs and crispy onions.


Creamy polenta with radicchio and mushrooms

A warm and comforting wintery dish. Make it vegetarian by substituting the pancetta with raddichio

Ingredients
5 g dried porcini mushrooms (5 grams)
500 ml milk
500 ml vegetable stock
125 g polenta
6 slices ​​pancetta or 1 radicchio
2 portobello mushrooms or 500 g mixed wild mushrooms
10 g fresh oregano
1 bunch winter purslane
50 g soft goat cheese
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
50 g butter
50 g grated Parmesan

Method
1
Put the dried porcini in a small bowl and add enough warm water to cover the mushrooms. Soak the porcini until they are soft. Put 30 ml of the soaking liquid aside. Finely chop the porcini. Cut the portobello into thin slices or wash and tear the wild mushrooms.
2
Place the milk and stock in a pan. Bring to boil. Stir in the polenta and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes until the polenta becomes thick and creamy.
3
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and fry the pancetta for 2 minutes on each side. Remove them from the pan and place them on a plate. Alternatively, cut the raddichio in half, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill in a grill pan for 2 minutes on each side.  In the frying pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Fry the portobello or wild mushrooms together with the porcini and half of the oregano for 2-3 minutes. Add the porcini soaking liquid and let it reduce slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
4
Put the mushrooms in a bowl and carefully mix in the winter purslane.
5
Stir the butter and grated Parmesan through the polenta and season with salt and pepper. Divide the polenta between 2 plates. Spoon the mushroom mixture on top and place the fried pancetta or grilled raddichio on top. Sprinkle with the crumbled goat cheese and the remaining oregano leaves. Drizzle over some olive oil over it and serve immediately.


Sophie Eats

Sophie Eats is a new deli that has opened up in Amsterdam's Rivierenbuurt.

Sophie trained at Leith's in London and started catering from a shared kitchen in the city. She has quickly built up an name and good reputation for food that not only tastes good but looks beautiful too.

She recently realised her dream of opening her own deli where she serves her delicious cakes, salads and great coffee, alongside the fact that she now has her own kitchen from which to do all her catering.

Visit her beautiful deli. It's friendly, warm and inviting, just like Sophie is in person.