Sabzipolo (Persian New Years Specialty)

 Happy Norouz! The 25th of March was the Persian New Year and thanks to our very dear friend, Don Chelo, we were able to experience this beautiful holiday in Amsterdam! Thank you!

According to Zoroastrian tradition, at the beginning of Norouz, each family sets a table with several items symbolizing health (garlic), wealth (coins), rebirth (sprouts), love (dried fruit), beauty (apple), affluence (wheat germ), sunrise (sumac), age and wisdom (vinegar), and life within life (fish in water).
This table remains set for the whole holiday, which lasts for 13 days.



On the first day of the New Year, fish is prepared with a special rice dish made with vegetables, herbs, and saffron.

Ingredients for 4 people:
2 cups dry basmati rice
1 tsp saffron
1 leek
10 sprigs of fresh parsley
5 sprigs of both dill and corriander
1-2 gloves of garlic
2 Tbsp frying oil (sunflower or corn)
2 tsp butter (for the final touch)
Cook basmati rice until water has been 1/2 absorbed. Finely chop all the herbs, garlic and the leek. Add these and the oil to the rice. Stir so that everything is well blended. Place lid on pot and let the rice mixture cook until soft. Before serving, add the saffron and the butter and stir well but slowly so that rice does not fall apart.

To complete Sabzipolo, white fish is baked or fried to accompany the rice dish. A quick and nice way to prepare the fish is to wash 2 white fish filets (we used Pangasius fish). Place in a baking dish and season generously with lemon pepper (or pepper and 1/2 lemon) and herbs of your choice (parsley or herbes de provence) and add 2 chopped carrots, 1 leek or some celery to your liking. Sprinkle with olive oil or buter and turn filets so that they are well coated. Bake in oven for 35 minutes or until the fish well done.

Serve with a nice glass of Shiraz wine!

Noush-e-jan!

Red Lentil Dip

An easy, delicious, and oh-so-creamy dip quick to serve with some toasted baguette, pita, or naan. Great hot or cold as a starter, afternoon snack, or for your first spring picnic!

Ingredients:
2 cups red lentils
1 sweet potato
2 onions
5 cloves garlic
3 tbsp paprika
lemon pepper (or 1/2 lemon and black pepper), salt, and parsley to taste

Wash lentils and add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and turn down heat to a simmer and let cook until water is absorbed and the lentils start falling apart when you stir the mixture. Add salt, paprika and lemon pepper to taste.

In a frying pan, saute onions, garlic, and sweet potato that you have cut into little slivers (to avoid having to puree the mixture at the end) in a bit of olive oil. Add some water if mixture starts to burn and cook until the sweet potato is soft. Stir until the sweet potato starts to fall apart. Then add to the lentil mixture with shopped parsley. Add garlic and other seasonings to taste. Garnish with a finely chopped scallion or remaining parsley.

Eet smakelijk!

Lamb Tagine with Dates and Almonds

Our good friend Cardamoens took the challenge to cook a wonderfully-fragrant meal. After a week of hard work, there is nothing more satisfying. Thank you!

Lamb Dish

Inredients:
1 kg boned lamb
4 tbsp sunflower oil
2 small onions
1/2 tsp saffron
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1-2 tbsp clear honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick
black pepper (plenty)
300 g dates
150 g almonds

Slice lamb thinly. Heat oil and brown lamb lightly. Remove lamb from pan and saute sliced onions and remaining juice. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon stick, and meat. Cover with some water and simmer for 60 minutes. Stir in honey, cinnamon, and pepper and reduce sauce. Add dates and cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with browned almonds.

Couscous Side-dish

Ingredients:
2 cups couscous (or more according to dinner party size)
Cinnamon stick
4-6 cardamon pods
600 ml vegetable broth
2 tbsp oil
2 shallots
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt

Mix coucous with spices and poor broth oer. Mix, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime, simmer onions in butter until brown. Then add honey, cinnamon and salt and poor sauce over couscous. Preheat oven to 200 C or 400F and place coucous in oven for 15 minutes (or until steamy).

Dankje wel!

Leek parmigiano risotto

After a long cycle ride against the Dutch wind, this is a perfect way to regain your strength and finish the day with a glass of white wine.

Ingredients:
Risotto rice
1 leek
1 yellow onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 cup white wine
2 cups of veggie stock
Freshly sliced parmigiano
Black pepper, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg

Finely chop onions, garlic, and leeks and saute them in a spoon of olive oil until soft and aromatic. Add the risotto rice and saute for a few minutes before adding the slowly adding the stock and white wine. Simmer lightly until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. Add more stock if necessary. Add a bit of the parmigiano so the rice becomes creamy. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg. Serve on a large plate and garnish with the remaining cheese. Finish with a sprinkle of black pepper.

Fijne avond!

Twee Appel Tartes

At the moment, many farms are getting rid of their 2011 apple harvest and so if you go to a farmer's market this week, you may find a large bag of cheap apples. This pairs nicely with a steamy cup of coffee or tea on a warm spring day.

Eerste appel tarte (the left tarte):
1 pre-made pastry dough (bladderdeeg)
4-5 apples peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups of quark or available substitute
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon of armagnac or cognac
3-4 tablespoons of white sugar
1/2 jar of apricot jam
1-2 remaining egg whites (can save last on for the next apple tarte if you want to make both).

Place dough in baking dish and pre-bake for 5 minutes
mix quark and egg yolks until smoothe. Add armagnac and sugar and whisk until shiny. Remove pastry from oven, poor quark-egg mixture into form and bake for 15 minutes. Remove when starting to brown just a bit, and cover with apple slices. Mix 1/2 jar of apricot jam with remaining egg whites and poor over apples. Bake 30-40 minutes or until brown.

Tweede appel tarte (the right one):
Pastry dough
7 Apples
4 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/2 jar of apricot jam
1-2 egg whites

Place dough in baking dish and pre-bake for 5 minutes.
Chop 3 apples into small cubes and cook with a bit of water and brown sugar until soft. This should become a chunky applesauce.
Peel and slice the remaining 4-5 apples. Remove baking dish from oven and spread apple sauce evenly. Cover with apple slices. Mix apricot jam with egg white and pour over apple slices. Bake for 25-30 minutes of until golden brown.

Genieten van je thee and koffie tijd!

Zucchini Boats

Ahoj sailors! Jump on our zucchini boat for a quick vacation...

Ingredients:

2 zucchini (courgette)

1-2 onions

2-3 cloves of garlic (to taste)

Ground beef or tofu substitute (that's what we used)

1 jar of tomato sauce

4 sundried tomatoes

1 large bunch of basil

1 handful of grated cheese (Emantale, Gruyer, or Comte, or Cheddar)

Optional: 1 carrot

Hollow zucchini boats and keep insides to be added to the filling mixture later. Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil and when translucent, add the ground beef. When beef is cooked, add tomato sauce and season with freshly ground black pepper and herbal salt. If you wish, add a diced carrot. Add zucchini interior to the mix and simmer until soft. Add fresh basil.

Fill zucchini boats that you have placed in a baking pan and sprinkle generously with the cheese of your choice. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cheese starts to brown.

As a nice side dish: cook rice and before serving, add half of a very thinly-sliced (or grated) zucchini and sliced bits of sundried tomato. Garnish with basil leaf and a slice of fresh tomato.

Eet smakelijk sailors!

Potato Leek Soup

Ahoj spring!! We picked up some fresh leeks and potatoes from the market, and what better way to use them than to make a light soup for lunch?

Ingredients:
4 potatoes
1 large leek
1 chicken or vegetable bouillon
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
Some garnish (scallion, rosemary, thyme...)

Braise the leeks in olive oil until soft (ca 15 minutes). Meanwhile, cut and peel potatoe in small pieces. When leeks are soft, add dissolved bouillon (in a cup of hot water) and add the potatoes. Let simmer for 15 more minutes. Puree if possible, otherwise, add 2 tsp of creme fraiche per bowl and mix. Decorate with some scallion or rosemary twig.

Eet smakelijk