Restaurant Beluga in Maastricht

I have been lucky enough to have eaten in a few of the worlds best restaurants. Lunch at D.O.M in Sao Paolo, dinner at Astrid y Gaston in Lima, both of the *** restaurants in the Netherlands, Oud Sluis & Librije, and the Tasting Room in Franschhoek, South Africa. But my all time favourite isn't ranked in the Worlds 50 best restaurants list nor does it has 3 Michelin stars.  

Although I really don't understand why not. It makes me wonder how these inspectors rate the restaurants they visit. Because it's just impossible to compare a high rated restaurant in, for example, South America with a not rated restaurant in the Netherlands.

I was not planning on writing restaurant reviews on this blog, but I make an exception for my favorite restaurant EVER. It's Beluga in Maastricht; a burgundian city in the south of the Netherlands. It has 2 Michelin stars and chef Hans van Wolde is cooking just the way I like it. Not too much meat and almost no intestines. Lots of  fish & other seafood. A major role for vegetables and light and tasty dressings instead of those with cream. 

The reason I prefer Beluga over many other fine dining restaurants, besides the food, is the relaxed atmosphere. That starts in the lounge where you are welcomed to have a pre-dinner drink, accompanied with at few amuse bouches.

Vegetarian amuse bouches

Amuse bouche: 10 preparations with local Limburg 'grotchampignon' aka Champignon de Paris

The chef himself comes around to say hi, personally hands over the menu and discuss the menu options. I've been here 8 times so far and he has done that every time. In contrary to some other chefs who walk around in their restaurant to meet the customers, he's the only one who does it with a natural flair.

After that you are guided to the comfortable chairs and couches in the restaurant which make you want to sit back and relax. Which is what they are meant to be for. Once at the table Hans van Wolde's famous Chef's special signature amuse is served; Parmesan, basil and tomato. This looks like a famous and simple combination, but is wonderfully prepared with very strong flavours. The Parmesan always as a foam, the basil sometimes as ice, the tomato I've seen liquid and crispy (like on the pictures below)

Previous presentation of Chefs special; Parmesan, basil and tomato

Latest presentation of the Chef's special amuse bouche; Parmesan, basil and tomato

It's the combination of the high quality food, perfect matching wines, the relaxed atmosphere because of the informal yet amazing service, from the minute you walk in that make it worth every Euro you spent. 

It didn't really came as a big surprise in these economical bad times, but it still was a little shock to read that Beluga decided to make a big change! They are changing the concept, NOT the quality of the food or service, which makes it accessible for more people. Less amuses bouche, less expensive menu options and less exclusive dinnerware. It sounds good to me! 

We have enjoyed quite some of their 4-course Pleasure and Business lunch deals; a great deal where you're welcomed with a glass of  Cava and about 4 or 5 amuses, then 4 courses including matching wines and coffee or tea with friandises to finish with. And all of that for the price of € 90,-! Compared to other 2-star Michelin restaurants that was a really great deal. There are still 2 months left to make a reservation for this offer on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Matching sweet wine with dessert and specially for Beluga brewed beer with verbena to accompany the cheese

But I'm sure the menu in the new concept from October 1st, when the name of the restaurant will be Beluga Loves You, is gonna be great as well. They have posted a preview on their website which except for some dishes also reveals the coming of an 'upper top table'; on a stage over the stairs!

Because my husband only had experienced lunch at our visits together we decided to have a 'Last Supper' in Beluga old style and chose the full 10- course tasting menu. Plus the wine accompaniment!
I would be a very bad restaurant critic because I forget the exact ingredients of all the different dishes. Especially after some wine ;-)
But to give an impression of the fabulous food, here are some pictures I made during our visit last Friday.

Hans van Wolde's signature dish: Lobster Chicory Tarte Tatin. 

Lobster - avocado - americain - anchovy

Turbot - cauliflower- almond

Veal neck - foie gras - garlic plant- rhubarb

Hit me dessert; passion fruit

Beluga restaurant is a reason in itself to visit the city of Maastricht, either if you live in the Netherlands or as a tourist. But it is also one of the oldest cities in Holland with a beautiful centre worth visiting. Maastricht is known as a city of indulgence and culinary highlights. There are excellent restaurants and eateries, vineyards close to the city and an extensive range of great quality regional products and dishes. 
Any foodie should not miss out on Maastricht!

I will definitely pay a visit again as soon as possible to find out about the new Beluga Loves You.

Watermelon Daiquiri; Summer in a glass!

Ever since we came back from our 8 month trip to South & Central America last year we have been wanting to make cocktails at home.
Before that we actually never really drank cocktails; I prefer wine with food and my husband can appreciate both wine or a good beer. In South America that was not a problem; especially Argentina and Chili have great quality wines. But when you're travelling on a budget, once moving north to Central America we started drinking cocktails since they were cheaper than wine or beer! So while back home in the Netherlands we would never think about ordering a cocktail in a bar or restaurant, at the end of the trip we were enthusiastic cocktail drinkers.

It took us about a year before we gathered the basic stuff we needed; a cocktail shaker, cocktail glasses and a blender which can also crush ice.  No more excuses for not making these delicious drinks by ourselves.

We started with the Daiquiri; a mix of light rum, lemon juice and a sweetener like sugar or syrup.
Sitting at the bar of El Floridita in Havana, known as 'the cradle of the Daiquiri' (in Spanish: "la cuna del daiquiri"), it looked very simple. The bartenders were making all the different orders really fast without measuring. They make them so often that they know it by heart and told us they use an average of 40 bottles of Havana Club 3 years old every day. ( Bacardi is not sold in Cuba today, although the Daiquiri probably was born with that brand of rum).

Pictures of the El Floridita bar in Havana Cuba

There are a lot of variations on the original Daiquiri recipe and we are still in search of our own perfect mix.
With the beautiful summer weather of the last few weeks we started experimenting with the strawberry Daiquiri and the Watermelon Daiquiri. 
Especially for the last one there are tons of different recipes to be found on the Internet.

I was first triggered to make a watermelon Daiquiri after seeing Annabel Langbein making a big can of it on an episode of The Free Range Cook. She mixes the pieces of watermelon, lime juice and sugar in a blender and then pours it in a can with ice cubes. 
A Nigella Lawson recipe brought me on the idea of freezing  watermelon cubes and then mix all the ingredients in a blender. This is a great way but you really need a good quality blender for it to crush the frozen watermelon. 
Then there are a lots of recipes which use already crushed ice. 

From all of the above mentioned methods I prefer Nigella's way because there is no more ice needed to cool the drink. If you do use extra ice it immediately weakens the flavour of the rum.
But if you don't own a special blender to crush the frozen cubes, you can mix all the ingredients together and then put the mixture in the freezer for a few hours. This method takes a bit longer but also makes it perfect to prepare these summer cocktails in advance! 

Frozen Watermelon Daiquiri

I wrote down the recipe the way we like to make it, but you really have to adjust to taste! So add more sugar if you like it more sweet, or a bit of rum for a stronger alcohol flavour.

Ingredients for Watermelon Daiquiris

Makes 2 cocktails

Ingredients:

• 350 grams watermelon (without the seeds)
• 60 ml white Havana Club rum 3 years old 
• 60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar (this dissolves easily)

Extra equipment: blender or mixer

Mix all the ingredients in a blender and put it in the freezer for a few hours before serving.

Dutch pancakes; budget dinner for one

Although I love cooking most of the time; I can't deny that I like it more if I can share it.
Most of the times that's not a problem; my husband is an enthusiastic and not so fussy eater.
But sometimes he must work overtime and let me know at the last minute... Whenever I cook just for my self I like it to be quick and tasty, so I often make Nigella Lawson's Lemon Linguine, Spaghetti Carbonara (without the heavy cream) or her Pea Puree with salmon. 
I can see a Nigella pattern here ;-)  
And I even admit throwing a frozen supermarket pizza in the oven occasionally! 

But tonight I did not feel like anything from the above. And because my husband is not a big fan of pancakes it was the perfect opportunity to bake them just for myself. It's a childhood favourite and I'm still happy to eat them for breakfast, lunch or as a main meal any time of the year.  While in wintertime it's a tradition to eat them after 'snert' (a thick typical Dutch pea soup). I remember my grandmother baking big piles of pancakes while the large pot of snert was simmering on the stove. She kept them warm by putting them on a plate on top of a pan with simmering water. 

Baking Dutch pancakes 

Dutch pancakes (pannenkoeken) are much thinner and larger than the American pancakes. The basic ingredients are always flour (plain, self-rising or both), milk, salt, and eggs. The addition of buckwheat flour is traditional but according to Wikipedia much less common nowadays. Although it looks like there is some kind of revival of the use of buckwheat flour because it's more healthy and ranks low on the glycemic scale. Wikipedia wrote a nice little piece about Dutch pancakes. 

Pancakes in the Netherlands are pretty popular; we even have lots of pancake-restaurants where you can order them with tons of different fillings. Plain ones are commonly eaten with sweet toppings like icing sugar (powdered sugar) or 'stroop'; treacle or syrup. A popular savoury filling is bacon & cheese. My 'secret' ingredient when making pancakes is to add a pinch of cinnamon to the batter. This even works with savoury fillings.

Pancake batter with cinnamon

If I make them as breakfast I use Jamie Oliver's 1tweetrecipe: 'Perfect pancakes: 1 egg, 1 cup self-raising, 
1 cup milk, pinch of salt. Whisk. Pour into a hot frying pan. Flip!' I get 3 pancakes from this recipe.

Today I made a bit more because I also love to eat them cold the next day (sprinkled with icing sugar and rolled up to be eaten by hand).
This recipe is adapted from an old fashioned and much reprinted Dutch cookbook; the Margriet kookboek:

Dutch pancakes

adapted from Margriet cookbook

Makes about 8 pancakes

Ingredients:

• 250 grams self-raising flour ( or substitute up to 50% with buckwheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg (large)
• 450 ml  milk
• Butter 
• Cinnamon
• Savoury and sweet ingredients as you like

1. Mix the self-raising flour with the salt.

2. Make a well in the middle, add the egg and half of the milk. Make a smooth batter of it, starting in the middle and mixing with a whisk. Add in the rest of the milk while stirring. Flavour with a pinch of cinnamon.

3. Leave to rest for half an hour if possible. 

4. Heat a small amount of butter in a frying pan, making sure it's hot before you pour in enough batter to just cover the bottom of the pan. (if you want to use bacon fry it first then add the batter)

5. Bake the pancake on medium heat until the top is dry.

6. Flip the pancake and cook the other side till golden.

7.Keep warm while baking the other pancakes. Fill as you like with sweet or savoury ingredients.

Rolled up Dutch pancake with 'stroop'

Tasty tapas: Asparagus,Serrano Ham and Aioli

Although the white Dutch asparagus season has finished since 24th June,  I can not resist sharing my favorite green asparagus recipe here!
I only made it twice this year but it's actually one of my most successful tapas recipes and never lasts long.

It's a combination of different recipes which I changed just a bit by blanching the green asparagus peaces for 3 minutes before putting them in the oven.  Additionally I serve it together with an easy aioli made by ready made mayonnaise and sprinkled with cayenne pepper.

I love it as part of a tapas meal but also as an appetizer or starter of  a more course dinner.
No cutlery needed, just use your hands!

Roast green Asparagus with Serrano ham and Aioli

Ingredients:

• Thin green asparagus, cut into half
• Serrano Ham
• Optionally: Parmesan cheese

1. Grease a baking sheet or tray.

2. Blanch the halved green asparagus, briefly, about 3 minutes.

3. Roll  a halved slice of Serrano ham around two or three halved asparagus (bottom and top), and add some grated Parmesan cheese if wanted.

4. Grind pepper over the asparagus and cook in about 10 minutes in a preheated oven at
200 ˚C. Cover the scale the first 5 minutes with aluminum foil to prevent the asparagus from burning.

Serve together with a spicy aioli as a dipping sauce:
Mix an olive oil based mayonnaise (or regular ready made mayonnaise)  with crushed garlic (about 2 cloves), some lemon juice and cayenne pepper on top.

Finally graduated!!! Plus home made Cole Slaw recipe

It took me about 10 years to finish my Bachelor of Laws degree; but I finally graduated last Friday!

Me and my mother after my final examination

I'm so relieved not having the obligation to spent most of my free time studying anymore!
For months now I can't stop thinking about all the things I've been wanting to do but didn't have the time; cleaning up our house; spent more time with my husband; go running three times a week instead of two and off course more time for cooking and blogging.  But now it's finally that far it doesn't feel like a big relief; it actually feels a bit uncomfortable.

I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I find a new balance,  but all this free time even got me thinking;
'is this the moment in life where women decide they are ready for motherhood???'
Believe me;  for this happily childfree crazy Dutch foodie that's a really extreme thought!
But I decided that still was not something that suited me and went back to celebrating my graduation by throwing a BBQ party for my close relatives.

We started with little Peche Melba cupcakes; again by a recipe from the cupcakes book from Rudolph van Veen. Then a few cucumber/smoked salmon & melon/prosciutto appetizers.
I kept what went on the BBQ simple by buying different kind of sausages and marinated a bunch of chicken wings. There was also lots of  bread with homemade herb butter (based on a recipe from the Dutch foodblog Uit Pauline's Keuken, with an extra sprig of tarragon and a pinch of dried Provencal herbs), tzatziki and a roasted red pepper with feta dip from Epicurious.
But most of the preparation time was spent to three home made salads which were a huge success!
Even my 11 month year old niece ate a bit of everything :-).

Peche Melba cupcakes, herb butter & pasta salad

For the potato salad I used this recipe from Jamie Oliver. A pasta salad was made at random by mixing some short pasta with pesto, dried tomatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes, chopped black olives, little pieces of mozzarella, a bit of rocket salad and toasted pine nuts with a dressing of olive oil & balsamic vinegar and finished with some coarsely grated Parmesan cheese.

But I was most proud of the big bowl of  Cole Slaw salad. It was based on a American cole slaw recipe from my little brothers former father in law which is an enthusiast BBQ fan with a lovely website in Dutch full of BBQ recipes. It's funny that although we call it American cole slaw the dish has Dutch roots ('koolsla' in Dutch means 'cabbage salad'). It fits perfectly with everything that comes from the barbecue and I love it with grilled chicken because it reminds me of Belize where it is a popular combination together with black beans.

Here's my recipe of how I made it last Sunday, for the Dutch version click here:

Graduation Cole Slaw

Ingredients for 1 bowl (enough for at least 4-6 people as a side dish) 

• 500 grams of oxheart cabbage, finely sliced ( oxheart cabbage is used instead of white cabbage, which makes perfectly sense in summer time) 
• 125 grams carrots, grated
• 1/2 onion, medium, finely chopped
• 2 red chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 50 grams raisins, soaked in water 

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup (= 100 grams) mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Make the dressing and set aside.

2. If necessary, chop the cabbage and grate the carrot.

3. Mix the onion and chili with the finely sliced ​​cabbage and grated carrot.

4. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix well.

You can easily make the salad a few hours in advance; keep it in the refrigerator and mix in the raisins just before you serve it.

I totally forgot to make pictures of all the food this day...

Fortunately my brother in law has a great camera and quickly made some pictures just after the buffet was opened; thanks Per!

Foodie destination: Israel

Being a crazy Dutch foodie who loves to travel it probably doesn't come as a surprise that most of my trips are planned around food & wine. It was five years ago that my husband and I had been to Israel, so when I was dreaming about a good plate of hummus last summer we decided to go back. 

If you, like myself, are a big fan of Middle Eastern food there is just no better place in the world to choose for your culinary travels than Israel. Imagine the Middle Eastern flavors combined with Arab, North African & Mediterranean influences; foodie heaven on earth! Count to that that Israel is an ethnic melting pot of immigrants from all over the world and you will understand the food scene is extremely diverse. And with almost everybody speaking English and Western standards in hygiene & service it's also really convenient travelling around. That, plus the beautiful weather most of the year, tons of historical & cultural sites and the lovely clean beaches makes it your perfect next holiday destination. 

We were in the lucky position that the Israeli friends we visited are pretty crazy Israeli foodies; no better way to taste the country than with locals.  They have showed us around the best restaurants, street food vendors and wineries. We could have never have visited all of these places and book a trip to Bethlehem in one week if they hadn't  took the time to drive us around.

After a week of eating too much delicious food (yes even for a crazy foodie there is a limit!) I am very inspired to make a table full of mezze with all that great flavors on little plates.  
But for now I will share my Top 10 tips for foodies visiting Israel. Off course these tips only cover the tip of the iceberg because there are tons of great places for foodies to discover in Israel.

1) Make reservations @ Machneyuda restaurant 

Probably the most popular restaurant in Israel; located next to Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem. It's owned by three Jerusalem chefs who run the restaurant together. The Israeli food with a Mediterranean touch is tasty and based on the fresh ingredients from the nearby market stands. Try the excellent calamari (with onion, tahina and a blue cheese/eggplant puree) and ShikShukit ( cooked minced beef and lamb in Mediterranean spice mixture with a mix of tahini and yoghurt) which are both house classics. And ask about the 7-course tasting menu if they forget to tell you about it! (what happened to us and we still regret not being able to order it...).

Calamari at Machneyuda restaurant, Jersusalem

But it's not just the food that makes this restaurant so busy that you really have to make reservations in advance; it's the whole atmosphere. The open kitchen, the familiar manners of the waiters, the loud music and best of all the chefs singing and 'drumming' on the pans. Don't go here if you're looking for a romantic dinner for two. Try to get seated at the kitchen bar so you can join the chefs on a toast!

                                             Machneyuda chef playing 'drums' in the kitchen! 

2) Eat hummus at Abu Ghosh

This Arab Israeli town is also known as 'Hummus capital of Israel', need I say more?  I would never dare to express my opinion about where to get the best hummus; even Israelis among each other can't  agree on this question :). But I can say that it looks like to me that the Arab places are the most popular ones.  Check out this nice post about the search of the best hummus from travel & food writer Katherine Martinelli if you want to read more it.

3) Lunch @ Raphael restaurant on Shabbat

Raphael restaurant is located in front of Frishman beach, situated in the David Tower and diners have an amazing sea view overlooking the Mediterranean beachfront.
But the view is just a very nice extra; chef Raffi Cohen cooks delicious Mediterranean/Israeli food with  Moroccan influences and the best ingredients. It's pretty expensive, although worth every shekel. But the Shabbat lunch deal on Saturday is the best food deal ever! You pay 125 Shekel (about € 26,- or $ 34,-) and start with home made bread and rolls with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar & butter. 

Starter at Raphael restaurant, Tel Aviv

Then the real feast starts; a variety of appetizers (mezze) will arrive at your table; I counted 11! 

Appetizers/ Mezze included in the 125 NIS Saturday lunch deal at Raphael restaurant, Tel Aviv

And from most of them you can order refills if you like. My tip; even though it's really tempting to order the refills please don't and save room for the main course of your choice. I ordered the 'Lamb Shoulder Couscous with whole chickpeas, market vegetable & spices from the Maghreb' and it was absolutely marvelous but I couldn't even get close to finish it... 

Lamb shoulder with vegetables & couscous at Raphael restaurant, Tel Aviv

Needles to say that reservations are required! 

4) Visit the Jaffa Port Market in Tel Aviv

Called 'a new mecca for hungry foodies' by Haaretz you will find various food stands and restaurants in renovated warehouse number 1. It's still an active fishing port too which makes it really lively.  
We especially liked the Beer market; a small stand which sells dozens of Israeli made beers in many different styles.

Beers from the Beer Market inside Jaffa Port Market

5) Try a Sabich sandwich

I still can't believe I never heard of this extremely popular Israeli sandwich before; it's a fresh pita stuffed with  hard boiled egg & fried eggplant. Lots of it! And off course the usual fillings like hummus (off course), tahini, salads (cucumber & tomato ) and a tangy sauce from pickled mango called amba. We ate it late in the evening (and there was still a line of people waiting to order) at a place called Oved, located just east of Tel Aviv on Sirkin Street in Givatayim. It's amazing how much food will fit into one pita! Another good place to try it more centrally located is Frishman Sabich on the corner of Dizengoff & Frishman Street. You will recognize it at the big line of people waiting to order. Here they served it slightly different with red cabbage and extra pickles on the side. Just as with hummus and the iconic falafel sandwich there are probably just as many versions as there are chefs. And it's definitely worth a try.

Oved Sabich

Frishman Sabich

                                                                                            

6) Visit some Israeli wineries

I can hear you think: 'Israeli wine, really?' Yes! You will be amazed about the quality of some of them. There are over 250 wineries of all sizes. But it's still a young wine country; over 95% of them have been born in the last 20 years even though wine has been produced in this region sicne biblical times.  Lots of wineries are open for visitors and most them offer a tasting for a few shekels. Often the tasting is free when you buy a bottle. One of the biggest and oldest wineries in Israel is Carmel which offers different tours and tastings. From the boutique wineries we visited I really liked Tzora Vineyards and Vitkin Winery. The first one also sells some really tasty local cheeses and makes a unique icewine. Vitkin has a nice tasting room and provides a lot of interesting facts about wine making in Israel. Nice to know; in some of the Israeli wine regions the grapes are picked during the night! 

7) Order Msabbaha instead of hummus

Msabbaha (or musabbaha) is a variation of hummus with the main difference being the texture and the fact that it is served warm. Part of the chickpeas remain whole and are covered with tahini sauce and olive oil. It's a really nice variation and some call it 'next level' hummus. More about hummus and msabbaha at this great Hummus Blog.

Msabbaha at Sisi restaurant, Tel Aviv

8) Dine at a locals home

The Israeli people are very generous where it comes to food. We were invited to attend some home made dinners at our Israeli friends house and their parents. Every time there was a table full of fresh and tasty food made from scratch.  If you don't have Israeli friends but would like to eat a homemade dinner you should check out the Eat With website which has lots of Israelis who can host you.

Shabbat lunch at Dina's mom house

Delicious carrot salad with honey roasted pecans, made by our friend Dina

9) Stroll some local markets

Be amazed about the huge amounts of fresh vegetables and herbs, tons of olives, nuts and dried fruits, big piles of spices and have your eye out for halva; a tahini (sesame paste) and honey mixture. On the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem there is a stand know as the Halva Kingdom with 100 different kinds of halva. And most of the times you will find small market restaurants and juice stands, where oranges, grapefruits, pomegranates and carrots are squeezed to order, in or around the market.

Halva Kingdom at Mehane Yehuda market, Jerusalem

Nuts and dried fruits at Mehane Yehuda market, Jerusalem

10) Buy a bottle of Sabra at the airport before you leave

Sabra is a chocolate-orange flavored Israeli liqueur which is probably the hardest local product ever to buy in the country itself! During our last visit 5 years ago we only got to take 1 bottle home because they don't seal bottles at Ben Gurion airport (we had a stopover in Swiss) and we didn't find more bottles during our visit. This time it was the same thing; we visited a few wine/liqueur stores and all we found was just 1 bottle (with the coffee flavor instead of the original chocolate-orange one). According to one of the shop owners it is an 'old fashioned' drink. But it actually is really nice; all our dinner guests who had a taste of it where enthusiastic about it and we got several request to take some extra bottles home! So buy some before you leave the country and make sure you can bring it through security if you don't have a direct flight.

Links:

For more information about Israeli cuisine or Israeli wines you could check this sites:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_cuisine 
• http://www.israel-food-guide.com/
• http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/WhatToDo/Culture/Pages/The-Wine-Routes-of-Israel.aspx

They are back; Dutch white asparagus!

At the end of April to me there is nothing more exciting than the arrival of the first asparagus.
Are they there yet? Can I afford them already?
Because especially in the beginning when they are still rare  the price can go up to € 18,- a kilo!
And even though I really love them I can control myself and wait a bit longer until they are a little cheaper. But it's a short seasonal delicacy, until 24th June, so don't wait to long!

When I talk about asparagus I always mean the white ones which grow under the ground. They are more expensive than the green and purple ones, even though it's the same plant, because it's much more labor intensive to grow and harvest them.

They are planted in 'beds' covered with white and black plastic, to control a bit of the warmth and keep them from coloring, and have to be dug up as soon as there tips come above the ground.

Asparagus beds at asparagus farm Santspuy in Etten Leur, Netherlands

You  have to peel the white asparagus before preparing them; their skin can't be eaten like the green ones. But even though it's more work and pretty expensive it's totally worth it; they are less bitter and much more tender. In the Netherlands we call them 'the white gold' or 'queen of the vegetables' with a reason ;).

Ready to harvest

Although we Dutch people do exaggerate it a little. Apparently we are willing to pay more for the white asparagus if they are 100% white; also the head. They are considered the 'best' quality if they are totally white and between 20 and 28 mm thick; the so called 'AA white' class. I can understand why Michelin star restaurants prefer these ones, but in taste it makes no difference if the tip is a bit green or purple.

Different categories of Dutch white asparagus

Besides from being a really healthy vegetable you can use it in many different ways; in salads, soups, quiche, risotto or pasta, cooked, steamed or grilled.
But the way I still like them best is the traditional Dutch combination of cooked white asparagus with a sauce of melted butter and parsley, served with ham, boiled egg and new potatoes (krieltjes in Dutch).

Traditional Dutch white asparagus 

Main course for 2 persons

This is not so much a recipe but more a combination of ingredients that combine perfect with each other. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 kilo white, thick, Dutch asparagus (weight before peeling)
• 3 eggs, cooked 
• 6 slices of cooked ham
• 50 grams butter
• 400 grams new potatoes, skin on
• few sprigs of parsley, chopped finely
• salt
• an asparagus pan (see picture below) where the asparagus can stand or a big pan which will fit the whole asparagus lying down

1) Peel the asparagus very carefully, you really don't want any strings of asparagus in your mouth, with a vegetable peeler holding them flat on a cutting board starting from just under the head and work your way down. Then cut about 1 cm off the woody end.  

Boil asparagus for 8-10  minutes (depending on how thick they are) in the asparagus pan,  remove from fire and leave them with the lid on the pan for about another 5 minutes.

Drain them well!

2) Boil the potatoes for about 5 minutes, rinse the water and fry them in a hot pan until lightly browned. 
Or cook them 10 - 15 minutes and serve them like this. 

3) Meanwhile cook the eggs for about 8 - 10 minutes and chop finely. 
I often cook them together with the asparagus if there is enough space in the pan.

4) Slice the cooked ham or make rolls of them and slice them on your plate. 

5) Melt the butter in a small saucepan and mix in the chopped parsley.

6) Serve the asparagus on a warm plate with the potatoes, ham and egg and pour some of the melted butter sauce over the asparagus. 

A heavenly combination! 

Wine pairing; Pinot Blanc from Alsace.

P.s. some proper pictures of the dish and how it's been made are following soon together with more delicious white asparagus recipes. 

Cooking asparagus in our garden

Change of plans & Nutella cookies

It's almost unbelievable how fast things can change. One minute you're busy in the kitchen with dinner party preparations and the next minute you're husband falls down the stairs and breaks his ankle.
That's what happened last weekend when I asked him to bring down my ice making machine. It turns out it's pretty risky to marry a crazy dutch foodie who want to make her own ice cream  ;).

After falling down the stairs...

As far as the ice maker; it was off course broken but the insurance company immediately compensated that.
My husband on the other hand had to undergo surgery and can't walk for at least 6 weeks :(.  After a few days I realized this was not only about my husband having a lot of pain and unable to walk. It also caused a change in a lot of other plans which I hadn't thought about before. We couldn't travel to the two Michelin star restaurant where we had a lunch reservation. But even worse; our planned trip to visit friends in Israel and spent a few days in the old city of Jerusalem in April  is probably not possible. My husband can't walk without crutches and this place was not exactly designed for the disabled  with all the narrow, cobble stoned streets ;).

And with my husband recovering at home it also meant  all of a sudden family, friends and colleagues came along to keep him company and were a welcome distraction for the pain.
So besides I had to do all the things at home all by myself now I also had to make sure all the visitors were 'entertained' with drinks and food. That combined with the fact I'm really busy writing my Bachelor thesis made me a bit stressed out and I decided to keep it simple. Well as 'simple' as a crazy foodie can be; I still refuse to get takeaway or microwave food. For me it's just cooking things that are easy to make and do not involve a lot of shopping for ingredients in different stores. 

So when my mother in law and her boyfriend came over I made lasagna the night before and served it with a green salad. For dessert I used the Doyenne du Comice pears, which I actually had intended to make ice from, in a crumble. My parents brought french fries and snacks with them and I made a tapenade with olives, sun dried tomatoes & Parmesan as an appetizer on toast. One day I heated up some leftover potatoes and sauerkraut-dish from the freezer and the day he came back home after the surgery we baked pizza's. 
And one afternoon, while my husband was talking to one of his visitors, I tried a recipe from Pinterest which was almost to easy to be true. 

It was a recipe for nutella cookies originally from the blog 'A Busy Nest' and someone who pinned it wrote a very clear instruction; DO NOT ADD SUGAR!
So I didn't and was amazed by the result; chewy chocolate cookies. A bit crispy on the edge and soft on the inside. And from start to finish it only took me about 15 minutes! Definitely the ideal recipe for unexpected visitors :). Meanwhile I found even more 'Nutella cookie' recipes on Pinterest with different additions like peanut butter or sea salt. Can't wait to try them all. In the meanwhile I safely stored them on my Pinterest board 'recipes to try'.

You can find the recipe through the blog link above; just leave out the sugar. They are sweet and tasty enough. Here I 'translated' the recipe to European measurements. For the Dutch version in PDF click here.

Nutella cookies

• 1 cup Nutella -> 200 grams
• 1 cup all-purpose flour -> 120 grams
• 1 egg (large)

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit/175 degrees Celsius. 
Blend all ingredients together well (I used a spoon first and then mixed it by hand).
Form into 2,5 centimeter balls (a bit smaller than golf balls).  
Place on cookie sheet & press down firmly with bottom of floured glass. 
Bake 7-8 minutes or until set (my oven needed a bit longer) and cool.

Even after a few days in a cookie jar they are still good!

Measuring cups to grams