Traditional Oliebollen

An oliebol is a traditional Dutch food. They are called oliebollen (literally oil spheres) in the Netherlands. In English they are more commonly known as Dutch Doughnuts or Dutchies. 

Oliebollen are a variety of dumpling made by using an ice-scooper or two spoons to scoop a certain amount of dough and dropping the dough into a deep fryer filled with hot oil. In this way, a sphere-shaped oliebol emerges. Oliebollen are traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve and at funfairs. In wintertime, they are also sold in the street at mobile stalls.

Makes about 25

Ingredients
125 g golden raisins
75 g currants
50 g butter
500 ml buttermilk
10 g dried yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar
500 g flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 litre sunflower oil
cinnamon-sugar or icing sugar for dusting

Method
Place the dried fruit in a bowl and pour over 300 ml boiling water. Allow the fruit to swell up for 15 minutes, then pour off the water.

In the meantime, gently heat the buttermilk and butter in a saucepan over low heat until lukewarm. Place the yeast and sugar in a bowl and stir in the warmed buttermilk.

Place the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Add the yeast mixture and beaten egg to the flour and mix to a thick batter.

Roughly chop the fruit and add to the batter and mix well. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a large pan or deep fryer to 180 C. Dip an ice cream scoop or 2 tablespoons in the oil to prevent the batter from sticking and drop the spoonfuls in the oil. Fry for about 6 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Drain the oliebollen on kitchen paper and roll in cinnamon sugar or dust with icing sugar. Serve with a glass of champagne or sparkling wine and toast the new year in.

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

 


Croissant Bread Pudding

Serves 4

Ingredients
100 g golden raisins
sweet sherry, vin santo or marsala, for soaking the raisins
6 croissants
4 eggs
500 ml cream
100g sugar, plus extra for sprinkling over the pudding
1 vanilla pod
20 g butter
250 ml milk
pinch of salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 180° C.  Place the raisins in a pot and add enough of your chosen alcohol to just cover the raisins. Bring to just below boiling point and set aside to allow the raisins to swell up. Slice the croissants and grease a roasting dish with the butter.

Scatter half the raisins over the roasting dish with some of some of the alcohol.

Place the croissants in the roasting dish and scatter over the remaining raisins. Place the eggs, 400 ml cream, the milk, sugar, the seeds from the vanilla pod and a pinch of salt in a bowl and whisk the ingredients well together. Pour the mixture over the croissants, sprinkle generously with more sugar and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Bake the bread pudding in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the egg mixture has set. Remove the dish from the oven and serve with the remaining cream.

Tip: Also delicious served with vanilla ice cream. If there is any pudding left over, it can still be enjoyed the following day either served cold or reheated for 30 seconds in the microwave.

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


Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Chicken with Rice

This recipe is inspired by one of favourite authors and chefs, Yotam Ottolenghi.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 onions, thinly sliced
6 Tablespoons olive oil
8 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
salt and pepper
10 cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
300 g basmati rice
600 ml boiling water
small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
small bunch dill, chopped
small bunch coriander leaves, chopped
50 g raisins
100 g Greek yoghurt seasoned with 2 Tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper, to serve

Method
Heat a (Le Creuset) casserole pan over medium heat with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and sauté the onion for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion has caramelised and turned a deep golden brown. Transfer the onion to a small bowl and wipe the pan clean.

Meanwhile, place the chicken thighs in a bowl with a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Mix everything well together. Heat the casserole pan with the remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil and brown the chicken (with the spices) for 5 minutes on each side until a lovely golden colour. Remove the chicken from the pan, leaving the oil and the loose spices in the pan. Add the rice and toast off for 1-2 minutes. Add the caramelised onions, salt and pepper to taste and the raisins. Stir well and then add the chicken thighs, pushing them well into the rice.

Pour over the boiling water, cover the pan and cook over a very low heat for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Take the pan off the heat, cover with a clean tea towel, replace the lid and allow to to steam for 10 minutes. Scatter the herbs over the disk and loosen the rice with a fork. Taste if more salt and pepper is needed. Serve with the yoghurt.

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


Sumac Veal Schnitzel with Cauliflower Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients
600 g cauliflower
2 Tablespoons tahini
1 lemon
2 veal schnitzels of 150 g each
2 Tablespoons sumac
50 g rocket
40 g  almonds
40 g raisins
50 g panko breadcrumbs
olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 200° C. Cut the cauliflower into florets and place them together with the almonds in a roasting dish with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, stirring now and again.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice to taste and 6 tablespoons lukewarm water. Season with salt and pepper. This is the dressing.

Rub the schnitzels in with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix the panko and sumac together in a bowl. Run the schnitzels through the panko mixture, pressing the crumbs well on to the meat. Heat a frying pan with 3 tablespoons olive oil and fry the schnitzels until golden on each side. Remove the cauliflower from the oven.

Add the raisins and rocket to the cauliflower. Divide the schnitzels and salad between 2 plates, drizzling the tahini dressing over the salad and serve straight away.

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


Babas au Rhum

Makes about 16

Ingredients
100g raisins
1¼ cups rum
100g butter, softened to room temperature
25g fresh yeast or 10g dried yeast
250g flour, sifted
25g sugar
generous pinch of salt
4 eggs
50g melted butter, for greasing

Syrup
1 liter water
500g sugar

Method
Soak the raisins in the rum.

Mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons warm water. Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the sugar and salt, 2 eggs and the yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is elastic, then add the other egg. Work this in and then add the final egg and work it in. Finally add the softened butter and the drained raisins.

Brush 16 dariole moulds with the melted butter. Divide the dough into 16 small pieces and put a piece into each mould. Leave in a warm place until the dough has risen to fill the moulds. Preheat the oven to 200°C and then bake them for 15-20 minutes. Turn the babas out immediately onto a rack and allow to cool completely.

Prepare the syrup by boiling together the water and sugar. Add the remaining rum. Dip each baba into the boiling syrup and leave submerged until no more air bubbles are released. Drain and place on a cake rack resting over a dish. As the rum syrup collects in this dish, repeatedly spoon it over the babas to keep them very moist.

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

 


Pear and Saffron Chutney

Autumn is the prefect time to use pears, which are fully in season. Other than poaching or roasting them, why not turn them into a chutney. This also makes a great gift to give to others.

This recipe has been adapted from renowned British chef, Jason Atherton.

Makes about 1 kg

Ingredients
160 g onions, diced (about 2 onions, depending on their size)
200 g apples, peeled, cored and diced (about 2 apples)
200 g sultanas or golden raisins
1 Tablespoon orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
40 g finely chopped fresh ginger
200 ml white wine vinegar
1 kg pears, peeled, cored and diced
350 g caster sugar
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, infused in 1 Tablespoon warm water

Method
Place all the ingredients except for the pears, sugar and saffron in a large pot. Bring to the boil, stirring often and cook until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds. Add the sugar and the saffron and cook for further 5 minutes.

Add the pears and cook gently, uncovered for about 1-2 hours or until the chutney is thick and syrupy. The chutney is ready when you can draw a line across the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Spoon the chutney into sterilized jars and seal while still hot. Store in a cool place.

We also make the pear chutney ourselves. Please contact us if you like to order. Subject to availability.

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


Bakery Paul Annee

Bakery Paul Annee bakes traditional wholemeal bread in the Artisan way.

The grain used in the flour has been grown without fertilizers and chemicals.

At the mill, the grain is ground slowly between the millstones into flour. As a result, the flour retains the essential nutrients.

The bread is created from a sourdough base and expertly baked by master bakers. They also supply health food shops, hotels and caterers with their bread.

In the shop you'll also find muesli, teas, juices and organic honey.

For more information please visit bakkerijpaulannee

 


Sardines in saor

Ingredients
12 fresh sardines
flour for dusting
salt and pepper
60 ml olive oil, plus extra
2 onions
2 bay leaves
150ml white wine or rice vinegar
30 g-40 g sugar, or to taste
handful toasted pinenuts
handful sultanas
pinch of ground allspice

Method
Get your fishmonger to fillet the sardines for you. If they are unable to, this is how to do it. Ensure that the guts have been removed. With the spine of the fish pointing up towards you, gently press the fish on a board to flatten. Now turn the sardine over and you should easily be able to pull out the centre bone. Try and remove any little pin bones. Rinse the fish under cold water and dry well on a clean tea towel.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the sardines in the flour and fry in the hot olive oil until golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Slice the onions and fry gently with the bay leaves and allspice in a pan with 4 tablespoons olive oil for about 20 minutes until soft.

Add the sugar and vinegar to the onions, followed by the pine nuts and sultanas. Take a small dish and place a layer of the onions in the bottom.  Then layer the sardines on top. Repeat the process finishing with a layer of onions.

It's best to let this marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours 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