Gravy

This is a recipe we've adapted from Jamie Oliver for making your gravy ahead of time. It's really brilliant!

Makes 1 litre

Ingredients
2 celery sticks, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly sliced
2 onions, peeled and quartered
5 fresh bay leaves
5 fresh sage leaves
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 star anise
2 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
8 chicken wings
olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons plain flour
60 ml port
2 heaped dessert spoons cranberry sauce, for finishing

Method
Preheat the oven to 200º C. Put the vegetables, herbs and star anise into a roasting tray. Scatter the bacon on top. Cut the chicken wings in half to help release more of their flavour. Put them in the pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle over a few pinches of salt and pepper then toss everything together and put the tray in the oven to cook for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

Take the pan out of the oven, and put it on a hob over a low heat and use a potato masher break everything up. Keep mashing, moving and scraping all the goodness from the bottom of the pan as you go. Gradually mix in the flour to thicken the mixture. The longer you let everything fry, the darker your gravy will be. When the flour is combined add the port and cook until it has almost all but disappeared. Pour in 2 litres of hot water, turn the heat up and bring to the boil for 10 minutes, till thickened, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When it's reached the consistency you're looking for, check the seasoning then push it through a sieve into a large bowl. Really push and mash everything through so you get as much flavour as possible. Discard anything left behind. Once it has cooled down to room temperature put it into containers or freezer bags and pop it in your freezer. You'll finish it off on Christmas Day.

Finishing the gravy
To finish the gravy, take your it out of the freezer when you're ready to cook your turkey. That way, it will defrost as your turkey cooks. When the turkey is perfectly cooked, put a carving fork inside the cavity and use that to pick the bird up and tilt it over the pan so all of the juices inside run out.

Spoon away as much of the fat as possible, then pour your pre-made gravy into the pan with the rest of the turkey juices. Bring it to the boil over the hob and scrape all those flavourful bits and pieces from the bottom of the pan. Have a taste then add the cranberry sauce. It won't taste sweet but it will add a wicked background flavour.

Once your gravy is piping hot, strain it through a sieve and into a pan. Leave that on the lowest heat to keep warm until you're ready to serve. Skim away any fat that rises to the top and add any extra resting juices from the turkey 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


Weekend Lunch

Before you go to the market this weekend and restock your fridge with fresh produce, use up the vegetables you have left in the fridge for lunch. Here are 2 easy ways:

Roasted Vegetables
Heat the oven to 200 C. Roughly chop and aubergine, red pepper, courgette and a couple of red onions. Toss them in a roasting dish with some fresh thyme and a couple of whole, unpeeled garlic cloves, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender and tinged with a golden hue. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Aubergine Spread
Take 2 aubergines, and chop them into 1 cm cubes. Heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat. Toss the aubergine cubes in olive oil and grill until tender and coloured. Season with salt and pepper. Place half in a food processor with a couple of tablespoons good mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Pulse to a chunky puree. Transfer to a bowl and fold the remaining aubergine pieces through. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

 


"Groente bijbel" - Vegetable Bible

Covering more than 65 types of vegetables with 850 recipes and an endless list of variations thereon with matching serving suggestions, Groente Bijbel has become the standard on vegetable cookbooks.

Mari Maris decided to hang up her chef's jacket after twenty years of cooking and started growing her own vegetables. Groente Bijbel is the culmination of that. It is not a vegetarian cookbook, but rather a book consisting of recipes without the use of fish and meat, including Mari's own experiences as a chef and vegetable grower.

Every vegetable is given its own chapter, describing in detail how they are best prepared and used including some interesting facts and their seasonality.

Publisher: Carrera Culinair

Author: Mari Maris

Price: 29,90 euro

 


Zuider Market

This past Saturday was the most gorgeous Fall morning. Crystal clear skies and a distinct chill in the air. We had a busy day ahead preparing for a catering but we couldn't resist taking a little detour on our way to work and popping by the Zuider Market.

Held every Saturday on the Jacob Obrechtstraat behind the Concertgebouw (Concert Hall) in Amsterdam South, this small market is bustling with locals and visitors alike. Besides offering a fantastic array of vegetables, meats, and ready prepared items like crepes and pies, there is a wonderful vibe around the area.

This certainly should be on your list to visit. It's the ideal place to buy local, seasonal produce and a great meeting place to catch up with friends over a cup of coffee and a bite to eat.

For more information please visit Zuidermarkt


Fattoush

Ingredients
2 pita pocket breads, cut into strips about 2 cm wide, then toasted and crumbled
2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 tomatoes, diced (let them drain a minute or two if extra juicy)
1/2 cucumber, diced (same size as tomatoes)
small bunch coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
small bunch coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley (leaves only, no stems)

Dressing
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped (depending on how garlic you like it)
1 teapoon salt
lemon juice, to taste
1 teaspoon Sumac, plus more for sprinkling at the end if desired)
125 ml extra virgin olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C. While the oven heats, mash together the chopped garlic and salt using a mortar and pestle, or the side of a knife. Put the garlic paste in a small bowl, then the add lemon juice and 1 teaspoon Sumac. Whisk in the olive oil and set dressing aside. (You can also make the dressing in a glass jar and shake to combine.)

Cut the pita into strips about 2 cm wide and arrange on baking sheet. Bake until the pita strips are crisp but only just starting to brown, less than 10 minutes. Watch carefully as they can go from crisp to overly brown rather quickly.

Remove the outer leaves from the Romaine, trim the stem end and then wash and dry with paper towels. Cut  the Romaine into quarters lengthwise, then turn and chop crosswise into small pieces. (If you have a salad spinner, you can chop the Romaine first, then wash it.) Put chopped lettuce into salad bowl large enough toss all ingredients.

Chop tomatoes, spring onions, cucumbers, mint, and parsley and add to the lettuce. Add about half of the dressing and toss, then add the crumbled pita chips and toss again with more dressing. (You may not want to use all the dressing, but this salad should be quite wet.) At this point the salad should sit for a few minutes (or longer) to let flavours blend and so the pita chips absorb some of the dressing. To serve, arrange the salad on a platter and sprinkle with a bit more Sumac.

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


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


Bilder & de Clercq's new recipes week 31

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:

Roasted veg and quinoa saladPaparadelle with meatballsChilli beef salad with basil


Artistic Portraits

We were recently asked to contribute to a final exam for a young gentleman, Tobias Groot, completing a project for his photographic study. After taking pictures of us in action cooking, we were asked to pose for portraits in a rather unconventional way. These are the results which we love and we hope that he passed his exams with flying colours!

Chefs radishes

Chefs cauliflower

Photos © Tobias Groot


Wüsthof knives

A good set of knives are essential for every chef. Without them, we can't do any of the cutting, trimming and shaping of ingredients that is an integral part of food preparation.

They are so important that professional chefs carry their own personal portfolio of knives. Sharpness is critical, so too is matching the correct tool to the job.

We believe in having a few basic knives in your kitchen. They are the chefs knife, bread knife, vegetable knife, tomato knife and filleting knife.  Also important is a steel, to keep them sharp and at their best.

Our knives of choice are by Wüsthof. The name Wüsthof first appeared as a factory in the records of the Duchy of Berg in 1814. It was in that year that the family's ancestor, Abraham Wüsthof, founded his "factory for fine steel wares", which is now known as the Dreizackwerk. The business has remained in the family ever since. Over the past 200 years, their products have established a reputation above all for their quality and functionality. Wüsthof is recognised worldwide as a specialist in outstanding knives.

We are proud to have Wüsthof as a partner of Amsterdam Flavours.


Chard

Chard is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. In some, the leaf stalks are large and are often prepared separately from the leaf blade. The leaf blade can be green or reddish in colour;  the leaf stalks also vary in colour, usually white, yellow, or red. Chard has been bred to have highly nutritious leaves and is considered to be one of the most healthful vegetables available, making it a popular addition to healthy diets (like other green leafy vegetables).  Chard has been around for centuries, but because of its similarity to beets and some other vegetables such as cardoon, the common names used by cooks over the centuries can be quite confusing.

The word "Swiss" was used to distinguish chard from French spinach varieties by 19th century seed catalogue publishers. Chard is very popular among Mediterranean cooks. The first varieties have been traced back to Sicily.

Fresh young chard can be used raw in salads. Mature chard leaves and stalks are typically cooked or sauteed; their bitterness fades with cooking, leaving a refined flavour which is more delicate than that of cooked spinach.