Van Stapele
Listen up dear friends. What we are about to tell you is going to CHANGE. YOUR. LIFE! The search for Amsterdam's best chocolate chip cookie is over. And we're going to tell you where to find it.
In a small side street in the centre of Amsterdam, you'll find a little gem of a shop called Van Stapele. As you walk in, you're immediately intoxicated by the aroma of chocolate and freshly baked cookies. As you inhale the sugary air, you can watch the whole cookie making process right in front you.
And here's the genius part: because they are so confident in their recipe and we can vouch that their cookies are soooo good, there is only one type to choose from. So no mulling over which one it will be.
Do yourself a favour and get some today. You won't regret it!
For more information please visit Van Stapele
Pappardelle with Italian meatballs
Serves 4
Ingredients
750 g beef mince
2 slices white bread or enough panko to bind
100 ml milk
1 sprig fresh rosemary
small bunch flat leaf parsley
100 g grated Parmesan, or more if required
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 banana shallot
2 cloves garlic
1 bottle tomato passata (750 ml)
1 red chilli pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
400 g pappardelle
20 g basil
Method
Place the mince in bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place the bread or panko in another bowl and pour over the milk and allow to soften for a few minutes. Finely chop the rosemary and parsley and add to the mince along with the 2 egg yolks and 40 g of the Parmesan. Squeeze the milk out of the bread, break into little pieces and add to the meat. Using your hands, knead the beef mince well. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Fry a little piece of the mince to taste if you have the seasoning correct. Add more salt and pepper, and perhaps some more Parmesan, if needed. Roll the beef mince into walnut-sized ball. Fry them, in batches, until golden on all sides. Set them aside.
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil for the pasta. Finely chop the shallot, red chilli and garlic.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sweat the chopped shallot for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, chilli to taste and the ground cumin to the pan and fry for a further 1 minute.
Add the tomato passata and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Add the meat balls to the tomato sauce and keep warm.
Cook the pappardelle for about 6-7 minutes until al dente, drain off the water and divide between 4 deep bowls.
Divide the meatballs and tomato sauce over the pasta. Scatter the basil leaves and Parmesan over and serve.
Delicious served with a green 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
Ibericus
If you are looking for authentic Spanish hams and delicacies, you need look no further.
Ibericus imports whole hams, chorizo sausages and more from the world famous Iberico pig, otherwise known as Pata Negra.
All hams are sliced from the whole leg to take away or enjoy as a sandwich in the shop. There is also a variety of Spanish cheeses and tapas on offer.
For more information please visit Ibericus.
200 years of Wüsthof
Wüsthof was founded 200 years ago and to mark this special occasion, they are celebrating in style!
It is not without reason that Wüsthof is a leading brand name in kitchen knives and many other accessories. Two hundred years ago, in 1814, Johann Wilhelm Wüsthof started his manufacturing business that would later grow into one of the most prominent companies in the world of kitchen knives. All Wüsthof knives feature the distinctive trident logo, which was registered as a trade mark as far back as 1895. As a symbol of design and exclusivity, it is legally protected in nearly every country in the world. Wüsthof is continuing to innovate. In a state-of-the-art factory, Wüsthof employs the latest technology to produce top-grade products. Today, Wüsthof knives are available in more than 90 countries worldwide.
Special Anniversary Knife
More than 400 employees work tirelessly day in and day out to ensure that the German city of Solingen continues to deserve the title of ‘the knife capital of the world’. Every year, more than two million knives are produced by Wüsthof. This year, they have produced a unique limited edition anniversary chef's knife which is manufactured from carbon steel and palisander wood and crafted in the traditional way. This unique knife comes festively packed in a gift box.
Amsterdam Flavours is giving away a limited edition Wüsthof 200 year anniversary chef's knife. Like and share our Facebook page and you could be the lucky winner. THE WINNER IS: Linda Weusthof. Please send your address to: info@amsterdamflavours.com. Congrats and enjoy!
Slow Braised Lamb Shanks
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 lamb shanks
4 celery sticks, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, roughly sliced
2 red onions, unpeeled, roughly chopped
1 garlic bulb, unpeeled and halved
1 tin tomato paste
1 fresh bay leaf
5 sprigs thyme leaves
2 sprigs
300ml red wine
200ml port
500ml veal or chicken stock, or enough to cover the lamb shanks
Method
Preheat the oven to 150° C.
Heat the olive oil in a casserole and fry the lamb shanks for a few minutes, turning regularly, until browned all over. Remove from the casserole and set aside.
Add the vegetables and herbs to the casserole and fry for 5- 10 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and fry for a couple minutes to cook it out. Add the wine and port to the pot, bring to the boil and allow to reduce dor 5 minutes. Add the stock and return the lamb shanks to the casserole.
Cover the casserole with a lid and cook in the oven for 2½-3 hours, or until the lamb shanks are very tender.
To serve, remove the lamb shanks from the casserole and place onto serving plates. If the sauce is too thin, place it back on the heat and reduce until it has cooked down, intensified in flavour and has thickened slightly. Serve the lamb shanks with the sauce and vegetables poured over.
Delicious served with creamy mashed potato or soft polenta with loads of Parmesan.
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
Brandt & Levie sausages
Jiri, Geert and Samuel are the young master sausage makers that make up Brandt & Levie.
The three friends, with a passion for good food, travelled to Italy to learn how to make sausages. They brought their expertise back and are now sharing their knowledge and their delicious sausages with others here in Holland.
They create incredible fresh and dried sausages, available in many good stores and restaurants across Amsterdam.
Their dried sausages and ham make the perfect charcuterie platters to serve with drinks or at the beginning of a meal.
We have to warn you though - their sausages, both fresh and dried and coppa are dangerously delicious and should be supplied with an addiction warning. They are that good! But I'm sure many of you know that already.
For more information please visit Brandt & Levie
Brandt & Levie sausages are also available at Bilder & De Clercq
Bilder & de Clercq's new recipes week 35
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:
Parsley Soup
Ingredients
olive oil
30 g butter
2 leeks
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 large floury potato
1 large bunch flat leaf parsley
about 1 liter vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
splash of cream
Method
Finely slice the leeks and onion and finely chop the garlic. Peel the potato and cut into 1 cm dice.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, onion, garlic and half the parsley and sweat gently for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, bring a small pot of water to the boil. Remove the stalks from the remaining parsley and blanche the leaves for 20 seconds in the boiling water. Remove and plunge immediately into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
Add the potatoes, stock, salt and pepper to the vegetables and bring to the boil. Cook for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Roughly chop the blanched parsley and add to the soup. Blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning if needed and should it be too thick, thin down with a little extra stock.
Reheat the soup gently. Divide between 4 bowls and serve with a swirl of cream.
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
Pizza Bianca
Ingredients
1 1/2 mugs self raising flour
about 1/2 mug luke warm water
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
3 sprigs rosemary
75 g grated Parmesan
75 g grated Provolone
2 medium roseval potato
50 g rocket
6 anchovy fillets
salt and pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Place the flour, water, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor and plus to a smooth dough. This can also be done by hand if you don't have a machine. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Roll the dough out on a work surface, sprinkling with a little extra flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan. Roll the dough over a rolling pin and lay it carefully into the pan. Place the pan over medium heat and cook until the dough is cooked through, turning once during the cooking.
Strip the leaves from the rosemary stalks. Rinse the roseval potato and slice as thinly as possible. Peel and finely chop the garlic clove and place in a bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, about a third of the rosemary and a pinch of salt. Brush the pizza base with half the garlic oil.
If the frying pan you're using doesn't fit in the oven, transfer the pizza base to an oven tray. Spinkle over the Parmesan, Provolone and remaining rosemary, leaving a 1 cm border.
Divide the finely sliced potato evenly over the pizza and drizzle with the remaining garlic oil. Season with a touch of salt. Place in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the pizza id golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through.
Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle over the anchovies.
Dress the rocket with olive oil. Top the pizza with the salad, drizzle all with a little extra olive oil and serve.
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
Flavours of the Neighbourfood Market - August 2014
The great thing about having a free Sunday is having the time to do things you love.
A free day, coupled with good weather calls for a trip to The Sunday Market at the Westergasfabriek.
There were so many wonderful things to taste that day. These were our favourites:
Coconut Macaroons
These coconut macarons are deliciously nutty and light, naturally flavoured or with chilli and lime or chocolate. We bet these will be the next big thing!
Coffee Jam
Two of our favourite breakfast ingredients combined into one. Your morning toast will never be the same again.
Tomato Truffle Ketchup
This is the most posh ketchup we've ever tasted. No more Tommy K on the side of your plate, this sauce rouge ave truffe is the new accompaniment.
Gkazas Olive Oil
This fantastic Greek olive oil is perfect for dressing or just on it's own. A welcome addition to our store cupboard.
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Shredded pork, cooked for hours until meltingly tender served on a roll. Sublime Sunday tucker.
Wooden boards
Beautiful boards, all artisan made and 100% recycled wood. Because of the diverse woods and the natural forms every board is unique and can be used for every opportunity. Broodplankenzo have a lot of boards to offer, for private use or a great present.
The Neighbourfood market is held on the first Sunday of every month, so get down there.
For more information please visit Neighbourfood Market.