green tomato chutney
A perfect way to preserve fresh green tomatoes. Serve with cheese or cold cuts.
Ingredients
1,5 kg green tomatoes, roughly chopped
600g light brown sugar
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
7 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
700ml malt or cider vinegar
salt, to taste
Method
Place all the ingredients into a large, heavy based can over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook for about 50 minutes until the chutney has thickened.
Pour the hot chutney into sterilised jars and seal.
Lemon verbena
Lemon verbena has a bright, slightly sweet, herbaceous flavour with a distinct hint of lemon. Despite its strong lemon scent, this citrusy herb has a far less aggressive lemon flavor than lemon balm, lemon thyme, lemon mint, and lemongrass.
This lemon-scented herb has a number of culinary uses ranging from rich roasts to sweet citrusy desserts and jams. Lemon verbena can be used to make flavourful olive oil-based salad dressings, subtle lemon ice cream, and lemon verbena jelly, as well as season poultry dishes, salsa verde, and soups. It can be used in place of lemon zest or dried lemon as a more subtle addition to dishes, or infused into pantry ingredients like sugar and vinegar.
In Europe and other global destinations, tea lovers combine lemon verbena leaves with hot water to create a popular herbal tea known as Louisa in England, “te de cedron” in Mexican kitchens, and Luiza in Greek households. This kind of tea is also popular among French, Spanish, and Italian drinkers. Lemon verbena can also be used to make a flavorful iced tea or lemonade made with fresh lemon juice, lemon verbena, simple syrup, and mint leaves.
Lemon verbena tea made with fresh lemon verbena leaves and boiling water is commonly used to relieve the symptoms of colds including chills, fever, and congestion. Lemon verbena essential oil is also used topically to relieve muscle pain.
Stuffed Tomatoes
Tomatoes are incredibly versatile and are at the best towards the end of summer when they have had time to absorb the sun's rays and become beautifully ripe and flavourful.
English
serves 2
Ingredients
4 beef steak tomatoes
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
20g panko
3 sprigs thyme
1 small bunch chives
400g minced veal
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
50g grated Parmesan
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Method
Preheat an oven to 210°C. Finely chop the shallot and garlic. Heat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sweat the shallot for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further 1 minute.
Slice off the top of the tomatoes (this is the lid) and set aside. Scoop out the flesh and finely chop.
Finely chop the chives and parsley. Pick the thyme leaves from the stalks. In a bowl mix the shallot, garlic, panko, thyme and half the chives and parsley with the minced veal and season with salt and pepper. Fill the tomatoes with the meat mixture.
Place the chopped tomato flesh in a roasting dish and place the tomatoes on top. Replace the lids on the already stuffed tomatoes and bake in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes.
Remove the tomatoes from the oven and sprinkle over the grated Parmesan, parsley and chives and serve.
Nederlands
voor 2 personen
Ingrediënten
4 coeur de boeuf tomaten
1 sjalotje
1 teentje knoflook
20gr panko
3 takjes tijm
1 bosje bieslook
400gr kalfsgehakt
1 bosje bladpeterselie
50gr geraspte Parmezaan
4 eetlepels olijfolie
zout en peper
Bereiding
Verwarm de oven voor op 210 C. Snijd knoflookteentje en sjalotje fijn. Verwarm een koekenpannetje met 1 eetlepel olijfolie en smoor hierin het sjalotje 2 minuten en voeg dan knoflook toe voor nog eens 1 minuut.
Snijd het kapje van de tomaten af en zet opzij. Haal het vruchtvlees uit de tomaten en hak het fijn.
Hak de bieslook en peterselie fijn. Pluk de blaadjes van de takjes tijm. Meng de sjalot, knoflook, panko, tijm, de ½ van de bieslook en peterselie door het gehakt in een kom. Breng op smaak met zout en peper.
Doe het vruchtvlees in de ovenschaal en zet de tomaten er bovenop. Zet de deksels van de tomaten op de gevulde tomaten en zet de schaal in de oven voor 20-30 minuten.
Haal de tomaten uit de oven en rasp er Parmezaan overheen. Verdeel ze over 2 borden.
Light summer salad
As a light lunch for 3 or for 4 as starter
Ingredients
500g cooked organic beetroot
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
50g curly kale leaves
70ml creme fraiche
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 fennel bulb
100g sliced smoked halibut
1 lemon
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Method
Cut the beetroot into thin segments and place in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper and leave to marinate.
Shave the fennel thinly on a mandolin or with a sharp knife and place in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice to taste, salt and pepper. Leave this too to marinate.
Mix the creme fraiche with the horseradish, salt and pepper and set aside.
To serve, spoon some of the horseradish creme fraiche on the base of each plate. Top with the shaved fennel, followed by the beetroot.
Drape pieces of the smoked halibut around and top with the curly kale leaves. Drizzle over the dressing left from marinating the beetroot and serve.
Apricot jam
Ingredients
1 kg fresh apricots
800 g sugar
juice of 1 lemon
Method
Rinse the apricots and dry them. Slice in half and remove the stones. Do not throw the stones away. Place the sugar with 250 ml water in a heavy-based pan. Heat the gently and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil until it reached 113° C on a sugar thermometer.
Add the apricots and lemon juice. Bring back to the boil. Skim off any scum which rises to the surface and cook, stirring often for about another 10 minutes. When the bubbles become larger and less in number and the apricots are translucent, check the consistency on a cold saucer or with a sugar thermometer (115° C).
In the meantime, place the apricot stones in a small pan with water and cook them until the skins loosen and that they can easily be removed. Drain off the water and peel off the skins.
Remove the pot from the heat and pour the jam into sterilised jars. Place the peeled stones on top of the jam and close the jars. Allow to cool and store in a cool, dark place. Once opened, be sure to keep in the refrigerator.
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
White Gazpacho
An unusual version of the traditional Gazpacho made using bread, garlic, almonds and grapes. It has an amazing creaminess and sweet and sour flavour. Serve as a small shot before lunch or dinner.
Serves 8 in shot glasses
Ingredients
2 cups cubed stale white bread from a baguette or sliced bread (crusts removed)
375ml cold water, divided
1/3 cup whole, blanched almonds
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
2 cups diced, peeled English cucumber (about 1 large cucumber)
3/4 cups green grapes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Chives for garnish (optional)
Method
Place the bread cubes in a bowl and pour 1/2 cup water on top to soften them.
Place the almonds and garlic in a blender and purée until finely ground. Add the shallot, cucumber, grapes, oil, vinegar, salt, and softened bread to the blender along with the remaining 1 cup water. Purée until smooth. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Add more water to the soup as needed to achieve desired consistency. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serve in bowls or glasses and garnish with sliced grapes, almonds, and chives, if desired.