Spicy Sausage Stew

A steaming hot pan of this sausage stew set in the middle of the table is the perfect excuse we need for spending a cold evening at home.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 stick celery
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
4 spicy sausages of 120-150g each
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
a sprinkle of chilli flakes
2 tins tomato cubes
2 tins cannellini beans
125g baby spinach
25g panko
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Finely chop the onion, garlic and celery. Remove the seeds from the pepper and cut into strips. Drain the liquid off from cannellini beans.

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil and fry the sausages until golden brown. Remove from the pan and add the onion and celery. Fry for 5 minutes, then add the rest of cut vegetables and fry for a further 5 minutes.

Add the spices to the pan and fry for 1 minute. Then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently, covered with a lid, for about 10 minutes. Add the sausages and cook for a further 10 minutes. Lastly, add the beans and cook for 5 minutes more.

Heat the grill in an oven. Add the spinach to the pan and mix gently together. Sprinkle over the panko and drizzle over 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place under the grill for 2-3 minutes.

Serve the dish straight from the pan.

 

Nederlands

voor 4 personen

Ingrediënten
1 ui
2 teentjes knoflook
1 stengel bleekselderij
1 gele paprika
1 rode paprika
4 st pittige worstjes van 120-150gr per stuk
1 theelepel gerookte paprikapoeder
½ theelepel komijnpoeder
snufje chilivlokken
2 blikken tomaatblokjes
2 blikken canellinibonen
125gr baby spinazie
25gr panko
4 eetlepels olijfolie
zout en peper

Bereiding
Snijd ui, knoflook en bleekselderij fijn. Verwijder de zaadjes van de paprika’s en snijd in reepjes. Giet het vocht van de bonen af.

Verwarm een gietijzer pan op medium-hoog vuur met 3 eetlepels olijfolie en bak de worstjes rondom goudbruin. Haal ze uit de pan en voeg de ui en selderij toe. Bak 5 minuten, voeg de rest van de gesneden groenten toe en stoof nog 5 minuten.

Voeg de specerijen toe aan de pan en bak 1 minuut. Voeg de tomaten, zout en peper toe en breng aan de kook. Kook zachtjes afgedekt voor ongeveer 10 minuten, voeg de worstjes toe en kook 10 minuten. Voeg de bonen toe en kook nogmaals zachtjes 5 minuten.

Verwarm de grill in de oven. Voeg de spinazie toe en meng voorzichtig door elkaar. Bestrooi met de panko en druppel 1 eetlepel olijfolie eroverheen. Zet 2-3 minuten onder de grill.

Serveer het gerecht direct uit de pan.


Smoked Bacon and Tomato Spaghetti

Imagine a recipe for a quick dinner to get on the table during a busy week with ingredients that you most probably already have and one that's going to please the whole family? Well, here it is.....

Serves 4

Ingredients
400g pack spaghetti
175g smoked bacon
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 tins tomato cubes
75g grated Parmesan
75g rocket
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Finely chop the onion and garlic. Cut the bacon into small strips. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and fry the bacon for 2-3 minutes. Add the onion and fry for a further 4 minutes.

Add the garlic and smoked paprika and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced by a third.

Add the spaghetti to the pan of boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Reserve a cup of the cooking water and drain the spaghetti.

Dress the rocket with a little olive oil and salt. Mix the spaghetti through the tomato sauce and if necessary, thin the sauce down with some of the reserved pasta water. Divide the spaghetti between 4 plates, sprinkle over the grated Parmesan and top with the rocket.

 

Nederlands

voor 4 personen 

Ingrediënten
400gr spaghetti
175gr gerookte ontbijtspek
1 ui
2 teentjes knoflook
2 theelepels gerookte paprikapoeder
2 blikken tomaatblokjes
75gr geraspte Parmezaan
75gr rucola
4 eetlepels olijfolie
zout en peper

Bereiding
Snijd de ui en knoflook fijn. Snijd het ontbijtspek in kleine reepjes. Breng een pan water met zout aan de kook.

Verwarm een koekenpan op medium vuur met 2 eetlepels olijfolie en bak het ontbijtspek 2-3 minuten. Voeg de ui toe en bak nog eens 4 minuten.

Voeg de knoflook en gerookte paprikapoeder toe en bak 1 minuut. Voeg de tomaten, zout en peper toe en kook zachtjes 10 minuten. Kook 1/3  van de saus in.

Voeg de spaghetti toe aan de pan met kokend water en kook in 8-10 minuten beetgaar. Bewaar een kopje van het kookvocht en giet de spaghetti af.

Maak rucola aan met olijfolie naar smaak. Meng de spaghetti door de tomaten en verdun, indien nodig, met het bewaarde kookvocht. Verdeel de spaghetti over 4 borden, bestrooi met de geraspte Parmezaan en leg wat rucola bovenop.


Steak Sandwich

Everybody loves a good steak sandwich. Make sure you use the best quality meat that you can afford and cook it medium rare for the best results.

English

Serves 2

Ingredients
300g entrecote
2 ciabbata rolls
75g rocket
2 tomatoes
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Slice each tomato in four. Heat a grill pan. Drizzle the tomatoes and entrecotes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Briefly grill the tomatoes on each side until lightly coloured. Set aside.

Grill the steak for about 1-2 minutes on each side until medium rare. Set the steak aside to rest.

Slice the ciabbata rolls open and lay, cut side down, on the grill until they are lightly toasted.

Spread 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard on each roll. Dress the rocket with 2 tablespoons olive oil and place on the rolls. Lay the tomatoes on top.

Thinly slice the entrecote into strips and lay over the tomatoes. Top with the remaining half of the ciabatta roll.

Nederlands

voor 2 personen

Ingrediënten
1 entrecote van 300 gr
2 ciabbata broodjes
75g rucola
2 tomaten
2 eetlepels Dijon mosterd
4 eetlepels olijfolie
zout en peper

Bereiding
Snijd beide tomaten in vier schijven. Verwarm een grillpan. Besprenkel de tomaten en entrecotes met 2 eetlepels olijfolie en breng op smaak met zout en peper.

Grill de tomaten kort aan beide kanten totdat ze licht gekleurd zijn. Zet ze op zij.

Grill de steak voor ongeveer 1-2 minuten aan elke kant voor medium rare. Zet de steak opzij om te laten rusten.

Snijd de ciabbata broodjes open en leg ze met de gesneden kant op de grill totdat ze licht geroosterd zijn.

Smeer elk broodje met 1 eetlepel Dijon mosterd in. Meng rucola aan met 2 eetlepels olijfolie en plaats de rucola op de broodjes. Leg de tomaten er bovenop.

Snijd de entrecote in reepjes en leg ze op de rucola. Plaats de andere helft van het broodje er bovenop.


Easy Paella

Try bringing some of the sun home with this easy and delicious recipe for Paella.

Serves 2

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
120 ml White wine
salt
pepper
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
150g paella rice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
100g chorizo
250g frozen mixed seafood
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube
100g peas
1 lemon
1 small bunch  flat leaf parsley

Method
Finely chop the onion and garlic. Remove the skin from the chorizo, if necessary and cut into small cubes. Dissolve the chicken stock cube in 500 ml hot water.

Heat a frying pan or paella pan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and fry for a further 1 minute.

Add the rice and fry for 1 minute. Add 120 ml white wine and cook until it has been absorbed into the rice. Add the tin chopped tomatoes and stock to the pan and cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring every now and again.

Add the seafood and peas, cooking for a further 5 minutes. Finely chop the parsley and cut the lemon into wedges.

Season the paella with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and arrange the lemon wedges around the pan. Serve at once.

If you have saffron in your store cupboard, add a few strands to the hot stock and allow to infuse before adding to the paella.

 


Mussel and Fennel Soup

A beautiful combination, this is somewhere between a soup and a 'stew' of mussels.
They say mussels should only be eaten in months with an 'r' in the name, but that's untrue. Mussels are available year round.

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 kg pack mussels
2 fennel bulbs
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 large onion
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 sourdough roll
olive oil
splash of white wine
salt and pepper

Method

Thinly slice the fennel. Finely chop the garlic, parsley stalks and onion. Open the pack of mussels and place in a bowl of cold water. After a few minutes, check to see if there are any open mussels. If so, discard them.

Slice the sourdough roll and fry in a frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil until a light golden brown.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot and add all the chopped vegetables and sweat for 5-7 minutes. Add a splash of white wine and the tinned tomatoes and bring to the boil. Add the mussels to the pot and place on the lid. Cook for 5 minutes until the mussels have opened, shaking the pan after about 2 minutes.

Add salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil to the soup. Divide between 2 bowls. Scatter with finely chopped parsley and serve with the fried bread.

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

Klik hier voor het recept in Nederlands.


Pumpkin and Chorizo Soup

This soup can easily made vegetarian by omitting the chorizo and replacing it with a little smoked paprika when adding the butternut squash.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 – 2 butternut squash weighing 1,5 kg
250 g chorizo
2shallots
3 cloves garlic
2 tins tomato cubes
1 tin black beans
2 vegetable stock cubes

Method
Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into cubes. Finely chop the shallots and garlic cloves. Remove the skin from the chorizo and cut into ½ cm cubes. Dissolve the stock cubes in 2 liters of boiling water.

Heat a pan with 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and fry the chorizo for 2 minutes. Scoop out of the pan and drain on a piece of kitchen paper. Add the garlic to the chorizo oil and fry for 1 minute.

Sweat the shallots in the chorizo oil. Add the butternut and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer gently until the squash is tender.

Blend the soup with a stick blender until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Drain the beans and add to the soup to warm through. Spoon the soup into bowls, sprinkle over the chorizo and and drizzle with a little olive oil.

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

Klik hier voor het recept in Nederlands


Tomato Shallot Sauce

This is a super delicious sauce to serve with roasted beef. We usually serve it with a roasted Simmenthaler beef fillet. It requires a little care and time to make, but the results are so worth it.

Serves 6

Ingredients
6 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
35 g unsalted butter
8 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped
sprig of tarragon
sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
250 ml red wine
200 ml dry Madeira
100 ml Port
300 ml veal or chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Gently cook the shallots and garlic in 20g of the butter until very soft. Purée in a blender and place in a clean pan with the tomatoes, tarragon, thyme and bay leaf. Cook gently for five minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down.

Add the red wine, bring to the boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in the Madeira and Port, boil and reduce again by half. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Skim and simmer for 30 minutes.

Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and pour into a clean pan, bring to the boil and cook for about two minutes or until the desired consistency is achieved. Whisk in the remaining butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and keep warm until ready to use.

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


Chicken Tikka Masala

This is one of our favourite 'Indian' dishes. It's easy to make with readily available ingredients and it's always a crowd pleaser. We say Indian in inverted commas, as it's origins are not quite known. It's thought that it originated in Glasgow in the 1970's. The story goes: "On a typical dark, wet Glasgow night a bus driver coming off shift came in to the Shish Mahal restaurant and ordered a chicken curry. He sent it back to the waiter saying it was dry. At the time the owner had an ulcer and was enjoying a plate of tomato soup. So he said to the chefs why not put some tomato soup into the curry with some spices. It was sent back to the table and the bus driver absolutely loved it. He and his friends came back again and again and since then it was put on the menu."

Serves 4

Ingredients
sunflower oil
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
1 red or green chilli
5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 small tin tomato puree
2 tins peeled tomatoes
1 kg boned and skinned chicken thighs, cut into cubes
10 curry leaves (optional)
4-6 tablespoons natural yoghurt
bunch fresh coriander, chopped
steamed rice, naan bread and poppadums, to serve

Method
Finely slice the onion. Heat 2 tablespoons sunflower oil in a pan. Add the onions and fry on a medium-low heat for a good 15-20 minutes until they become soft and caramelised. In the meantime, deseed and chop the chilli, ginger and garlic. Add to the pan with the onions and fry for a further 2 minutes.

Add the chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and sugar to the onions and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the the tomato puree and fry for a further 1-2 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Place the sauce in a bowl or a jug and blend with a Bamix (stick blender) until smooth.

Add 1 tablespoon sunflower oil to the same pan you cooked the sauce in and fry the chicken pieces until lightly coloured, about 5 minutes. Pour in the blended sauce and curry leaves, if using, and some salt and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until the chicken in cooked through and tender.

Stir the yoghurt and half the coriander through the tikka masala. Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve with steamed rice, naan breads and/or poppadums.

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


Tomato, Basil and Parmesan Quiche

Ingredients
Pastry
280 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
140 g cold butter, cut into pieces
a pinch of salt

Filling
300 g cherry tomatoes
10 ml fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
drizzle olive oil
50 g parmesan, grated
2 eggs
250 ml cream
small bunch basil leaves, shredded, plus a few small ones left whole for scattering

Method
Heat the oven to 120 C. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and lay on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. Sprinkle with thyme leaves, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and bake for 1 hour until slightly dried and the flavour concentrated.

To make the pastry, tip the flour, a pinch of salt and butter into a bowl, then rub together with your fingertips until completely mixed and crumbly. Add 8 tablespoons cold water, then bring everything together with your hands until just combined. Roll into a ball and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a round about 5cm larger than a 25cm tin. Use your rolling pin to lift it up, then drape over the tart case so there is an overhang of pastry on the sides. Using a small ball of pastry scraps, push the pastry into the corners of the tin. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 180 C.

Lightly prick the base of the tart with a fork, line the tart case with a large circle of greaseproof paper or foil, then fill with dried beans or rice. Blind-bake the tart for 20 minutes, remove the paper and beans, then continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the tart case from the oven.

While the tart is cooking, beat the eggs in a large bowl. Gradually add the cream, then stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. When the case is ready, sprinkle half the cheese over the base, scatter over the tomatoes, pour over the cream mix, then finally scatter over the rest of the cheese. Bake for 20-25 mins until set and golden brown. Leave to cool in the case, trim the edges of the pastry, then remove from the tin. Scatter over the remaining basil and serve in slices 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


Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup

Ingredients
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 red chilli pepper
1 tin diced tomatoes
2 red peppers
1 vegetable stock cube
1 small French baguette
black olive tapenade and basil cress, to serve

Method
Roast the peppers over a flame or in a hot oven (225° C) until blackened. Place in a tightly closed plastic bag for ± 10 minutes to steam. Remove the skin from the peppers.

Dissolve the vegetable stock cube in 600 ml hot water. Finely chop the onion, garlic and chilli. Slice the peppers into strips.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan and sweat the onion until soft. In the meantime, cut the baguette lengthways into thin slices, drizzle with olive oil and toast in the oven at 200° C for 6-10 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

Add the finely chopped garlic and chilli to the pan and fry for 2 minutes. Add the strips of roasted pepper and the tin of tomatoes and mix well. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Blend the soup with a stick blender or in a traditional blender for a smoother finish. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the soup into bowls and drizzle with olive oil. Top the toasted baguette with a little olive tapende and basil cress and rest it gently on each bowl. Serve at once.

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