Gebroeders de Wolf
How do you turn a problem into a solution? Ask Gebroeders de Wolf.
There is an overflow of wild geese in Holland, especially around Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Their size and numbers pose a threat to departing and arriving aircraft. Once way to deal with the problem is a mass cull, but we all need solutions that have benefits as well.
Martijn van de Reep en Tom Zinger began their charcuterie company in 2014. They hunt wild geese and turn this delicious and very underrated meat into true delicacies.
We came across their stall at the Indie Brands market in The Foodhallen. Their range consists of dried and smoked sausages, smoked goose breast, terrine, pate and the one that we love best, the rillettes, in which goose meat is slowly cooked in goose fat, picked and potted - so delicious and indulgent. Flavourwise, it's comparable to duck with a slight gamey flavour.
For more information or to see when they'll next be at a market near you, visit their Facebook page.
Sous Vide Cooking
Grant Sous Vide machines recently joined us as a prestigious partner. Founded in 1952 and based near Cambridge, UK, Grant Sous Vide water baths and modular cookers are used all over the globe by some of the world’s most prestigious catering establishments and venues. Their machines are used by some of the worlds most well known chefs including Marcus Wareing, Ashley Palmer-Watts and Angela Hartnett, MBE.
As we are in the process of creating our new catering and dinner menus for Spring, we thought that our new sous vide machine would offer us the inspiration needed.
But what is sous vide cooking? Sous vide is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment for longer than normal cooking times, at an accurately regulated temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 55 °C to 60 °C for meats and higher for vegetables. The intention is to cook the item evenly, ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside and retain moisture.
We are still in the testing fase, but the results are promising. Keep an eye on the site, we'll be publishing some of our sous vide recipes soon.
Root Vegetable Soup
A deliciously healthy soup to keep you warm during these cold days. This soup also suitable as part of a detox diet.
Serves 2
Ingredients
50 g red lentils
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, bruised
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch chilli powder
salt and pepper
750ml - 1 litre chicken or vegetables stock
5 cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
4 tablespoons olive oil
freshly chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons coconut milk to garnish*
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the sweet potato, carrots, parsnip, onion, garlic, chilli to taste, turmeric and cumin on an oven tray. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Roast for 30-40 minutes in the oven or until the vegetables are soft. In the meantime, heat a pot with 1 tablespoon olive oil and gently fry the ginger off for about 1-2 minutes. Add the stock and lentils and simmer gently until the lentils are cooked, about 15-20 minutes.
Once the vegetables are cooked, add them to the stock and mix well. Blend until smooth using a stick blender or in a blender. Return to the pot, reheat and adjust the seasoning if necessary. If the soup is too thick, add a little extra water or stock to thin it down.
Serve in bowls garnished with chopped parsley and coconut milk.
*To increase the health factor, sprinkle the soup with a few chopped peanuts and chia seeds before serving.
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
My Little Patisserie
Authentic French delicacies in Amsterdam? Yes it's true!
My Little Patisserie is a Parisian style bakery in the heart of De Pijp district in Amsterdam, specializing in classic French Pastries. Think of Choux buns, Eclairs and Mille-Feuilles.
All pastries are made fresh every morning by the French owner in her boutique using only the best ingredients.
You can also sit down in the shop and enjoy a coffee with your pastry.
For more information, please visit My Little Patisserie.
Potato Rosti with Poached Egg, Smoked Salmon and Hollandaise
This is our prefect recipe to make for that someone special in your life. We advise giving it a practice beforehand, so that you can execute all the elements perfectly.
Serves 2
Ingredients
Hollandaise Sauce
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
a little salt and pepper
200 - 250 g butter, chopped
Rosti
3 nicola potatoes
salt
pepper
olive oil
30 g butter
2 eggs
splash of white wine vinegar
1 pack smoked salmon
small bunch fresh chives, finely chopped
Method
Start by making the Hollandaise. Place the egg yolks in a Bain Marie pan or a small bowl. Beat well. Add the water, lemon juice and salt and beat together over hot water (au Bain Marie) until it thickens. Gradually beat in the butter, a couple small pieces at a time. Make sure to soften the butter slightly in your fingers before adding. Continue until all the butter is used and the mixture becomes thicker. If you feel the bowl is becoming too hot, remove from the heat for a short time to cool it down. It must be hot enough to cook the eggs and emulsify the butter, but not too hot so that the eggs scramble!
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Check the balance of flavour and add more lemon if desired. Keep warm over the hot water, but keep an eye on it. It might have to be stirred from time to time. If it gets too thick before serving, add a splash of cold water to thin it down.
Now for the rosti's. Peel the potatoes and coarsely grate them. Place the grated potatoes in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the liquid. Place the potato in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a small frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place the grated potato in the pan, pressing it down. Fry on a medium heat until golden brown. When the edges of the rosti begin to colour, add half the butter around the edges of the pan. Carefully flip the rosti over and continue frying until the other side is golden. Repeat with the remaining potato and keep both rosti's warm in the oven (100° C).
Bring a small pot of water to the boil. Add a splash of white wine vinegar and turn the heat down, so that the water gently simmers. Break the eggs into 2 cups. Use a whisk to stir the water vigorously, forming a 'whirlwind'. Carefully add the eggs to the pot so that the yolks become enveloped in the egg white. Cook the eggs for 2- 2 1/2 minutes. The yolks should still be soft.
To serve, place a rosti on each serving plate. Drape the salmon on top of each rosti. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and drain on a tea towel. Sprinkle each egg with a touch of salt and pepper. Lay the eggs on the salmon, spoon over the Hollandaise sauce and finish with the chopped chives.
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
United Pancakes
United Pancakes brings the classic and much loved Dutch pancake into the 21st century. They've been open for 3 months and are redefining the way we eat pancakes. They are making pancakes accessible to everyone.
United Pancakes was born out of the fact that there were no artisan pancake restaurants. They noticed a gap in the market and so this brand was born.
All their products are organic and everything is homemade. Flour comes from their own mill and is available to purchase in the their little shop together with homemade apple and pear syrups, old fashioned Dutch candy and their own branded aprons, t-shirts a baby ware.
The restaurant has a great intimate atmosphere with rough bare brick walls and lots of old wood. It's also an ideal place for kids and the staff are friendly and very attentive.
A new addition are pancakes to go, which is great if you need your pancake fix but don't have the time. It's cooked fresh to order then filled with the topping/flavouring of your choice to enjoyed on the go. We took ours to go as we didn't have much time and it was without doubt one of the most delicious pancakes we've had in a while. We will be back!
For more information, please visit United Pancakes.
Vegalicious (Vegetarian)
We are all guilty of going to the supermarket or market, seeing an array of vegetables and never quite knowing what we should do with all the produce on offer. This vegetarian cookbook is just the answer.
The recipes are straight forward with easily obtainable ingredients. The photos are enticing, urging you to have a go and cook the recipes for yourself.
We decided to have a go at one of the recipes and chose the Rigatoni with Chilli and Walnuts. Quick and easy to make, it was on the table in 15 minutes. It was delicious and surprising how much flavour can come from such simple ingredients. A few points from our side about the recipe - we halved the number of walnuts, increased the garlic and served it with a green salad, which we felt was a much needed addition. Our changes are reflected in the recipe below.
Rigatoni with Chilli and Walnuts
Serves 4
Ingredients
150 g walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
2 generous tablespoons mascarpone
2 generous tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
350 g rigatoni (or any other short, tube-shaped pasta)
salt and pepper
Method
Roast the walnuts in a dry frying pan until golden brown and smelling nice and toasty. Place them on a chopping board once they've cooled down, roughly chop (so that there are large and small pieces).
Place the olive oil in a cold pan with the garlic and chilli and heat for 1-2 minutes over a low heat (the garlic shouldn't colour). Add the thyme leaves. Remove from the heat and stir through the mascarpone, Parmesan, salt, pepper and all but 2 tablespoons of the walnuts.
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain off, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pan with the reserved cooking liquid and the walnut sauce and mix together well. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped walnuts and serve with a green salad.
Publisher: Terra
Author: Alice Hart
Price: 15,00 euro
Shakshuka
Shakshuka is an Israeli breakfast dish consisting of eggs poached in a sauce of peppers and tomato. In recent years it has become more famous and found it's way into many new restaurants and cafes around the world. Here's how to make it yourself.
Serves 2
Ingredients
olive oil
1 teaspoon harissa paste
1 onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow red pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tin tomatoes
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt
pepper
4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt, to serve
coriander or parsley leaves to serve, optional
crispy bread or pita's, to serve
Method
Slice the onion and peppers into thin strips and finely chop the garlic.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Fry the peppers and onions for about 10 minutes, adding the garlic for the last minute. Add the harissa, cumin and smoked paprika powder to the pan and fry for a further 3 minutes.
Add the tin of tomatoes, salt, pepper and 100 ml water to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Make 4 ‘wells’ in the sauce. Gently crack the eggs into the wells. Place a lid over the pan and cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes until the egg whites have set and the yolks are still soft. Swirl the egg white through the sauce using a fork so that it sets quicker, if you wish. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the Greek yoghurt in small bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Divide the sauce and eggs between 2 plates. Serve with the Greek yoghurt. Delicious served with fresh bread or pita.
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
Preserved Spicy Lemons
This is a recipe we've adapted slightly from the beautiful cookbook Honey & Co. by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich.
Ingredients
5 small lemons, unwaxed
3 Tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon smoked chilli flakes
olive oil to cover
Method
Slice the lemons as thinly as you can, removing any pips. Place the lemon slices in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and smoked chilli flakes. Allow to sit for about 30 minutes and room temperature.
Push the lemon slices into a sterilised jar so that they re tightly packed with all the liquid that has formed in the bowl. Add enough olive oil so that they are covered and seal the jar. They can be used the next day, but improve over time. Once the jar has been opened, store in the fridge and use within a month.
When you use them for cooking, take as much as you need out of the jar. Chop and use the entire lemon slice - you don't need to discard the flesh. They can be used as a relish with fish or chicken , chopped through a flavoured butter or try mixing through some mayonnaise to serve with our Roast duck salad.
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
Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 4 - 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:
