Hazenpeper - Hare Stew

Ingredients
4 hare legs
1, 5 bottles red wine
1 head of garlic, peeled
1 carrot, diced
1 red onion, finely chopped
200 g celeriac, diced
1 leek, finely chopped
4 sprigs of thyme
4 sprigs of rosemary
8 cloves
8 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
olive oil
butter
salt
black pepper
flour
4 slices onbijt cooked (ginger or spice cake), crumbled

Method
Mix together the red wine, peeled garlic cloves, carrot, onion, celeriac, leek, thyme, rosemary, cloves, juniper berries and bay leaves. Add the hare legs and marinate the hare legs for 24- 48 hours.

Remove the hare from the marinade and pat dry. Strain the marinade and keep the vegetables and herbs separately.

Heat a casserole or oven proof pan with some olive oil and a knob of butter. Brown the hare on all sides until nicely caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the strained vegetables and herbs to the pan and fry for about 5-10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon flour and fry for 1 minute. Pour in the reserved red wine from the marinade, the hare legs and a good seasoning of salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and place in a 140° C oven for about 3 hours until the meat is tender.

Remove the hare from the pan and pour the liquid through a sieve. Pick the meat from the bones.

Bring the sauce to a boil, whisk in the crumbled onbijtkoek (ginger or spice cake) and a knob of butter. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Return the meat to the sauce to reheat.

Serve the hare stew with creamy mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage.

The stew also freezes well and can be made ahead of time.

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


Duck Confit

Ingredients
4 duck legs
100 g coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 head garlic, separated into cloves
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves, crumbled
700g duck or goose fat

Method
Rub the duck legs with the coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, one crushed garlic clove, four sprigs of thyme and the bay leaves. Pack tightly into a ceramic dish, skin side down, then drizzle over the brandy, cover the dish with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 150C. Scrape the marinade off the duck pieces.

Heat the duck or goose fat in a heavy ovenproof casserole dish, then add the duck, the remaining garlic cloves and the remaining thyme. Make sure that the duck is completely submerged in the melted fat.
Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 3½-4 hours, or until the meat is very tender when pierced with a skewer and the fat in the skin is completely rendered.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool uncovered. Strain half of the fat and bring to the boil in another pan, then pour into a clean ceramic dish large enough to hold the duck without it touching the sides. Leave to set in the fridge.
Once the duck is cool, place into the prepared ceramic dish and strain over the remainder of the melted fat and place into the fridge for 1-2 hours to set. (This can be stored in the fridge for up to one month.)
To serve, preheat the oven to 200C. Scrape off the fat from the duck legs, then place into a roasting tray. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and golden-brown. Serve immediately.

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


The perfect green salad

The perfect green salad relies on the freshness of it's ingredients, the variety of lettuces and herbs you add and of course the perfect balance between a good olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice.

Start with a selection of leaves and herbs, preferably from the market. Examples are butter lettuce, cos, frisse, chicory, rocket and watercress. Bring in some freshness with herbs - mint, flat leaf parsley, onion cress, chives and basil.

You can add some texture if you like in the form of green asparagus (lightly blanched or grilled) or croutons.

Place all the ingredients for your salad in a large bowl. It's important to have room to lightly toss your salad with the dressing so that each leaf is evenly coated and not bruised by being over-worked.

The next important step is the dressing. The dressing should never overwhelm a salad, but compliment it's ingredients. The simplest and best form is a vinaigrette made from good olive oil, good vinegar or lemon juice, salt and pepper.

 

Basic vinaigrette dressing
2 tablespoons vinegar or 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)
90 ml extra virgin olive oil

Method
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar or lemon juice with the salt, pepper and mustard if using.
Gradually whisk in the oil in a steady stream until the vinaigrette is blended and thickened. Taste for seasoning. If the dressing separates, bring it back together by whisking rapidly.

Once you have your dressing made, pour it over the salad at the very last moment just before serving. Remember the word 'dressing' says it all - it should just be a light coating around the leaves and not flood the salad. Remember too that if the dressing is added too long in advance, the vinegar or lemon juice will begin cooking the leaves and they will turn limp and soggy.

Your salad can be put together with whatever you have or is in season. Feel free to add other ingredients to turn it in to a more substantial meal. Think too about adding different flavours to your vinaigrette in the form of chopped garlic, shallot, herbs or flavoured vinegars.

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


Roast Duck Breast with Red Wine and Citrus

SERVES 4

Ingredients
4 duck breasts, about 150g to 200g each
rosemary sprigs or leaves

FOR THE SAUCE
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
250ml dry red wine
250ml chicken stock
1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
grated zest and juice of an orange
grated zest and juice of a lemon
1 tablespoon honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO GARNISH
wedges of orange and lemon
Rocket or watercress

TO SERVE
roasted potato chunks

Method
Preheat the oven to 200° C. Score the fat of the duck with a sharp knife in a criss-cross fashion. Place in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat, skin-side down, to brown slowly and render the fat. Pour off the fat as it accumulates in the pan. Turn up the heat and cook the duck on the meat side for 1 minute. Remove to a roasting tray, tucking a sprig of rosemary under each breast.

To make the sauce, very gently cook the onion in the heated olive oil until softened and golden brown. Add the wine and reduce by two thirds. Add the stock and reduce by half. Remove the onion and discard. Add the sage, citrus zests, juices and honey and simmer for 5 minutes. Add a twist of black pepper and check the seasoning.

Pour the sauce over the duck and roast for 7-10 minutes. Allow to rest before serving, garnished with citrus wedges and rocket or watercress.

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


Noordermarkt

The Noordermarkt situated in the Jordaan district is a must-see if you have a free Saturday morning. Buzzing with tourists and locals alike, the range and quality of produce on offer is some of the best you will find in Amsterdam. You'll find bread, bundles of fresh herbs, fruit, seafood, cheese and mushrooms. Most of the produce is organic and a trip to the market is highly recommended. The market starts at around 9:30 and ends around 16:00. It's advisable to get there early as it fills up quickly.


Baked Ricotta

Ingredients
500 g tub fresh ricotta
1 red chilli
1 small bunch tarragon
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
1 small bunch chives
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 180° C.  Finely chop the herbs. Remove the seeds from the chili and chop finely too. Mix all the herbs and chilli together.

Gently unmould the ricotta on to a greased baking tray. Season the ricotta with salt and pepper and using your hands, gently press the herb and chili mix on to the ricotta. Drizzle with the olive oil and place in the oven for about 15 minutes. In this time the ricotta will firm up.

Remove the ricotta from the oven and slice wedges. Serve with a green salad and some freshly baked bread.

Tip: If possible, we recommend using the organic ricotta from Lindenhoff. It's flavour and texture are far superior to anything you'll buy in the supermarkets.

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