Asparagus Vichyssoise
On a hot spring or summer day, there is nothing as refreshing as a chilled soup. The classic Vichyssoise is a chilled leek and potato soup. To this recipe, we have added one of our favourite ingredients of the season, namely green asparagus. Try this recipe out for your next lunch or dinner.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 bunches green asparagus
40 gr butter
1 large onion
1 large leek
2 floury potatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
250ml tub cream
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Method
1
Cut the asparagus tips into 4 cm pieces. Finely chop the remaining asparagus. Finely slice the onion and cut the leek in lengthways in half. Wash under a tap of cold water and finely slice. Peel the potato and cut into cubes.
2
Heat a pan with the butter and olive oil. Add the onion, leek, potato and sliced asparagus (keep the asparagus tips aside). Mix well through the warm butter, cover the pan and sweat for 10 minutes over a low heat.
3
Dissolve the stock cube in 1 litre boiling water. Add the stock to the pan. Bring to boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
4
Add 200 ml cream and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Blend with a stick blender (or regular blender). Thin with a little water if necessary. Cool off, place in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator until cold.
5
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add asparagus tips. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain off the water and cool under cold water. Drain on kitchen paper.
6
Spoon the soup into 4 bowls. Sprinkle some of the remaining cream over it and top with the asparagus tips.
This soup is also served delicious hot.
Shakshuka
One of our favourite vegetarian dishes to come from the Middle East, Shakshuka is dish of eggs poached in a pepper and tomato stew. To spice things up a bit, we add a little harissa.
Serves 4
Ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper
1-2 tablespoons harissa
1 tin tomato puree
2 red peppers
2 yellow peppers
2 onions
3 cloves garlic
2 tins peeled tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 eggs
1 small tub Greek yoghurt
Method
1
Slice the peppers and onions into thin strips and finely chop the garlic.
2
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Fry the peppers for about 10 minutes, adding the garlic for the last minute. Add the harissa, the tin tomato puree and the cumin to the pan and fry for a further 10 minutes.
3
Add the tin of tomatoes, salt, pepper and 200 ml water to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.
4
Make 8 ‘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.
5
Place the Greek yoghurt in small bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
6
Divide the sauce and eggs between 4 plates. Serve with the Greek yoghurt.
Delicious served with fresh bread or pita.
Warm Chickpea Salad
This salad, served warm, utilises a store cupboard staple, chickpeas, with a selection of later winter ingredients including beetroot and cabbage.
Serves 2
Ingredients
120 g bulghar wheat
600 g savoy cabbage
1 tin chickpeas
2 precooked beetroot
1 clove garlic
100 g feta
5 g ras al hanout
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons walnut oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt
pepper
Method
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Cut the savoy cabbage into 1-1.5 cm strips. Cut the beetroot into wedges. Add the bulghar wheat to the pot of boiling water and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
Drain the bulghar through sieve. In a bowl, mix together the walnut oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Finely chop the garlic clove and add to the dressing. Drain the chickpeas through a sieve and rinse under cold water. Place the beetroot in a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and warm them gently through.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the savoy cabbage and fry gently for about 4-6 minutes until tender. Add a splash of water to the pan to help the cabbage steam. Add the chickpeas and ras al hanout to the pan. Ensure that the ingredients are heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix the bulghar through the chickpea mixture. Add the dressing and extra salt and pepper if necessary. Divide the salad between 2 plates. Lay the beetroot on top and sprinkle with the crumbled feta.
Double-baked goat cheese Souffle
This is one of our go-to recipes for a light lunch of vegetarian main course. The beauty is that it can be made ahead of time and the last baking done just before serving. It's light and full of flavour.
For 4-6 ramekin moulds
Ingredients
40g butter
40g flour
250ml warmed milk (1 cup)
250g soft goat cheese, crumbled
3 eggs, separated
250ml cream (1 cup)
6 Tbsp grated firm goat cheese
Method
Melt the butter, then stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in the warmed milk. Bring to the boil, still whisking. Remove from the heat and beat in the soft goat cheese. Beat in the egg yolks and seasoning to taste, then fold in the beaten egg whites.
Spoon into 4-6 well-buttered soufflé dishes and place in a baking pan of hot water. Bake at 220°C for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in their moulds. To bake a second time, lift the cooled soufflés out of their dishes into a buttered baking dish. Pour over the cream and generously sprinkle with the grated goats cheese. Bake at 230°C for 10 minutes or until puffed and golden.
We like to serve our souffles with a roasted beetroot. Here's the recipe:
Roasted beetroot salad
Ingredients
2kg mixed beetroot, washed
olive oil
garlic cloves, skin on
sprigs of rosemary and thyme
coarse sea salt and black pepper
Method
Line a roasting tray with a double layer of aluminium foil, making show the there is an overhang on the sides. Lay the beetroot in. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Scatter over the garlic cloves and herbs.
Gather the ends of the foil together making a parcel to enclose the beetroot. Ensure that it’s not too tight as the beetroot won’t cook.
Place in a 220°C oven for at least and hour, depending on the size of the beetroot, until tender. Allow to cool slightly. Peel the beetroot and slice into a bowl. Season with some more salt and pepper, a good quality olive oil and an aged balsamic vinegar. Add some chopped parsley or tarragon to finish. Serve with the goats cheese soufflé.
Grape Chutney
We brought the recipe for this delicious chutney back from our trip to South Africa last year. It makes the perfect accompaniment to a cheese board. In our quest not to waste anything, we often use up leftover grapes in this recipe.
Ingredients
5 Granny Smith apples
1 onion
100ml balsamic vinegar
150ml brandy
1,1 kg white or red grapes (preferably seedless)
175g brown sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
salt, to taste
Method
Peel and core the apples and finely chop the onion. Pick the grapes from the stalks and wash under cold water.
Place the apples, onions, balsamic vinegar and brandy together in a heavy-based pan. Place over medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook until the fruits break down and the chutney has become thick and pulpy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Spoon into sterile jars, allow to cool and store in a dark cupboard or in the refrigerator.
Baby Beetroot
Autumn is the season for root vegetables and one of our favourites is beetroot. If you are able to find them, spend that little extra and treat yourself to a bunch or two. They are a bit of a pain to clean. Be sure to rinse them well to remove all the sand. Trim off the leaves, leaving a little bit of the stalk. If the leaves are fresh and in good condition, you can use them too. Just walk briefly until wilted and they make a great side dish.
Place the beetroot on an oven tray lined with foil. Lay the beetroot on top, add some fresh thyme, whole unpeeled garlic cloves, a good drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Wrap the ends of the foil tightly together and place in a 210 C oven for about 1-1,5 hours until tender. Allow to cool slightly and then peel of the skin with the help of a small knife. Serve as is or with a balsamic and olive oil dressing. The uses for beetroot are seemingly endless.
Vegetarian Lunch
With more people choosing to eat consciously an opting more for vegetarian, it's always a good idea to a few recipes handy.
Here are two of our favourites for lunch.
Beetroot Hummus and feta sandwich:
Ingredients for the beetroot hummus
500 g cooked beetroot, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tin chickpeas, drained
pinch of ground cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
1-2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
lemon juice, to taste
salt and pepper
Method
Place the beetroot, garlic, chickpeas, cumin, cayenne and tahini in a food processor and blend all the ingredients are broken down. Add the olive oil (enough to make a smooth hummus), lemon juice to taste and season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the sandwiches, use a good bread of your choice. We like a sourdough spelt variety. Spread each slice liberally with the beetroot hummus. Top with some rocket leaves and generous scattering of a good feta.
Sweet Potato and Courgette Salad with Pear
Ingredients
1 head garlic
1 kg sweet potatoes
2 comice pears
1 red chilli
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 courgettes
100 g hazelnuts
100 g baby spinach leaves
Method
Preheat an oven to 200 C. Separate the garlic cloves from the head of garlic, leaving the skins on. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into wedges. Finely chop the chilli, leaving in the seeds if you like it spicy and finely chop the rosemary.
Place the garlic cloves, sweet potato chilli and rosemary in a roasting pan and toss with the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, halve the pears, remove the core and cut each half into 6 slices. Cut the courgettes into quarters and then each quarter in half, so that you end you up with 8 pieces. Roughly chop the hazelnuts.
Add the pears, courgettes, hazelnuts, toss again and return to the oven for about another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil, check the seasoning if it requires any more salt and pepper and mix through the baby spinach leaves.
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
Roasted Pumpkin and Harissa Hummus
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
5-6 tbsp tahini paste
1-2 tbsp harissa (we buy ours fresh from the Noordermarkt)
2 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
olive oil and smoked paprika, to finish
crisp breads, crackers and fresh vegetables, to serve
Method
Preheat oven to 200C. Place the butternut and garlic cloves on an oven tray. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss the ingredients well together and roast for about 45 minutes or until the butternut is really tender. Leave to cool.
Place the butternut into a Magimix (food processor) with any juices from the tin. Add the garlic cloves, squeezed out of their skins. Add the remaining ingredients, season with salt and blend to a paste. Add a little extra olive oil if needed.
Scrape the hummus into a bowl. Drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Serve with crostini, crisp breads, crackers and an assortiment of crudités (raw vegetables).
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
Filled Focaccia
We're all thinking of ways to enjoy summer eating, whether that be in our outdoors. Here is a great recipe/idea for summer eating. You can practice your bread making skills and use your favourite vegetables or whatever is season.
Make a batch of focaccia.
Use an array of your favourite vegetables. We like a combination of peppers, courgettes, aubergine and red onion. Cut each into bite-sized pieces. Toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill in a grill pan until the vegetables have bar marks and are tender and cooked through. You can also finish them off in the oven to get them more tender.
Once they and the bread have cooled down, slice the bread in half. Spread with pesto (either homemade or shop bought). Top with the grilled vegetables and then tear some buffalo mozzarella over. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Dot a few fresh basil leaves over and a handful of rocket leaves. Close the bread to form a giant sandwich. Cut into pieces and serve.
Tempura Green Beans
If you're looking for an easy and delicious snack to serve with drinks, look no further. There isn't really and hard and fast recipe, so here's what you need to do:
Get some Japanese tempura flour from your local Asian grocer or supermarket. Whisk it up with cold sparkling water until it's the consistency of cream. Dip trimmed green beans into the batter and deep fry them in hot sunflower or vegetable oil.
In the meantime make a simple jalapeño ponzu dipping sauce. Take some soy sauce and season it to your liking with fresh or pickled chopped jalapeño, some yuzu juice (from a Japanese citrus fruit) or some lime juice if you can't find yuzu juice and some sesame oil.
Drain the tempura green beans on kitchen paper and serve the hot and crunchy with the dipping sauce on the side.