Caprese

Monday Night Stir-Fry

I love a good stir-fry. Yes it's usually a super healthy way of cooking and all that, but that's not why I love it. That's just a nice bonus.
I love it because getting the old wok out, to me, means experimenting a bit. During a stir-fry you don't have the time to stop and read a recipe, so it's 'go with the flow' time. It's not as intimidating as you might think though, you just have to make sure to hit the few basic flavours. Salty, Sweet and Sour. If you manage a combination of those (and have some nice textures) it's always going to taste OK. This particular version, which I concocted tonight, turned out especially good. It's not overly complicated, but it just works.
The thing to remember is: prepare everything you need before you even think of heating up the wok. This is frantic cooking, but by having everything you need ready to go, it still manages to be relaxing.

So let's prepare.
Cut into small strips: one fillet of pork, one red pepper, one head of bok choy, three spring onions.
Finely chop: two cloves of garlic and one red chilli (seeds and all! be brave!).
Combine: three tablespoons of soy sauce with one tablespoon each of sweet chilli sauce, honey and oyster sauce and half a tablespoon each of ginger syrup and rice wine (or white wine) vinegar.
Also: put on a pan of boiling water (from a kettle).

Now let's heat up that wok!
Put it on a high heat and add two tablespoons of sesame oil. Let it get nice and hot, but be careful not to burn the oil. The way to test it is to hold your hand a few inches above the wok. You want it to feel about halfway between discomfort and searing pain. When it's hot toss in the sliced pork with the chilli and garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Squeeze over some lemon or lime juice (either from a fresh fruit or one of those green or yellow bottles) and add a dash of the sauce (about two to three tablespoons, I'd say). Fry for another 30 seconds and remove to a plate.
Return the wok to the flame and toss the noodles of your choosing into the boiling water (remember that pan we'd put on before?) and turn off that heat.
To the wok add another tablespoon of sesame oil and add the vegetables. Stir-fry for a minute and add one tablespoon of the sauce. By this time the veg will have reduced in volume by about half, the bok choy wilts a lot. The red pepper will be tender but still crunchy. Quickly drain the noodles and add those to the wok. Also add the pork, with the remaining sauce and stir to combine.
Serve immediately.

And yes, I do realise that I started off by saying that whilst stir-frying you don't have time to stop and read a recipe... So why did I bother writing this down? I think I've just confused myself. But hey, I had fun doing it.

Christmassy Snickerdoodles

Let's just get it out of the way immediately: No I don't know why they're called that. They certainly have nothing to do with Snickers, so rest easy, I'm not about to start deep frying candy bars.
There's a theory that the name comes from the word 'Snegl', which is Danish for snail. Cause of how the cookies sort of look like snail's houses. Doesn't really make much sense, but it implies that the cookies come from Denmark and I like the story so I for one am sticking with it.



Cream 125 grams of soft butter with 100 grams of vanilla sugar (I keep a jar of regular caster sugar with a vanilla pod stuffed in for just such occasions). Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and one egg. Cream until combined. Add 225 grams of flour, half a teaspoon of salt, same of cardamom and three quarters of a teaspoon of bicarb. Combine until the dough is soft and easy to shape into little balls. Before you start, take a plate and combine 3 tablespoons of vanilla sugar, one tablespoon of cinnamon and a pinch of ground nutmeg and cardamom (the nutmeg and cardamom make them extra Christmassy). Now roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and roll these through the sugar mixture. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 180C oven for 15 minutes.
They're wonderfully aromatic, but because of the relatively large amount of salt, not overly sweet. Great little cookies, and really, with a name like that you just can't go wrong.

Fully Festive Cupcakes

The Holiday Season is upon us! What we need now, apart from some tidings of comfort and joy, are recipes that are quick, simple and comforting. I know, I know, we always need those. But now more than ever. A special thanks to my friend Ceci (check out her Cuisine here) for introducing me to this recipe. I have fiddled with it slightly (do forgive me) and added some icing. My cup of good cheer nearly runneth over!

Now before I start, in Holland we have such a thing as 'speculaaskruiden'. It sounds quaint and deeply exotic, am I right? If you can get it, great, if not:
Combine 30 grams of cinnamon, 10 grams of nutmeg, 5 grams of aniseed, 10 grams of ground cloves, 5 grams of white pepper and 5 grams of ground coriander. There! You now have 'speculaaskruiden'. I may have just taken away some of the mystique, but it'll taste great just the same.

Cream 125 grams of soft butter with 125 grams of dark muscovado sugar and 10 grams of vanillasugar. Do use an electric mixer! You want to cream it for a good 5 minutes and it's no fun decorating a tree with carpal tunnel.
When light and airy, add an egg, mix until well incorporated and add another. When that's incorporated too, add 3 tablespoons of milk, 130 grams of self-raising flour and one generous tablespoon of 'speculaaskruiden'.
Combine well and bake in a preheated, 200C oven for about 15 minutes.
Leave to cool on a rack and proceed with the icing:

In a saucepan melt 40 grams of white chocolate (I know it's not chocolate! It annoys me too, but bear with!) with a tablespoon or so of water. Let it bubble away for a minute, take off the heat and add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and 115 grams of sifted icing sugar. Stir well over a low flame until smooth. Act quickly, this will start to set the second it's off the heat. Dollop a spoonful on each cupcake and decorate with whatever you like, as long as it's whimsical.



When you bite into these, you know the world is a better place.
Now let's deck those halls!

Chinese Chicken

I'm a great fan of dishes that get on with themselves. Much like people really. If something (or someone) needs constant fussing and endless attention, well, that's not my cup of tea. I'm more the 'you do your thing and I'll do mine' type. Which is exactly why I like this dish. After a little preparation you just leave it for an hour and before you know it dinner's ready. Completely free of hassle.



Take some chicken, I used three fillets and 5 legs (you could take a whole chicken and dismember it if you're into that) and place in an oven dish.
In a bowl combine 1 cup of chicken stock, half a cup of soy sauce and a quarter cup of oyster sauce. Add one tablespoon of dark muscovado sugar and a quarter teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder. Add three star anise, two cloves of garlic, sliced, and a good chunk of fresh ginger, also sliced.
Pour this over the chicken, cover with a lid or with tinfoil and cook in a preheated 200C oven. Serve with a crispy duck style plate of crunchy veg and some Jasmine rice.



Simple work, complicated flavours. I'm game.

The Ultimate Tiramisu

I Love Tiramisu. I love how it hints at all the different flavours it contains. A hint of coffee, a hint of mascarpone, a hint of chocolate... If it leans too much in any one direction I quickly lose interest, but if it stays somewhere in the middle of all these flavours, there's simply nothing better.
Now, I've had my fair share of Tiramisus in restaurants. Some are spectacular, some are too soft, too warm or too dull. When I saw this recipe I've got to admit, I had my doubts. It seems too small somehow, to achieve the grandeur of a great Tiramisu. While I was making it I thought, for sure, the taste would be dull or lacking. Making it with sponge cake instead of ladyfingers seemed blasphemous. And yet...
Like I said, I've had my fair share of this dessert and this version is absolutely better than most. It's proof that some of the best things in life are simple. Putting this Tiramisu together is an absolute doddle. And eating it? Well...



First, make a good strong cup of espresso coffee, you need about 80ml. Leave that to cool and add 80ml of Tia Maria (or any other good coffee liqueur).
In a bowl beat together 250 grams of mascarpone, 80ml of single cream and 50 grams of icing sugar until thick.
Take about 300 grams of store bought sponge cake and crumble some of this into the bottom of your serving glasses. Press down and trickle over some of the coffee/Tia Maria mixture. Now add a generous dollop of the cream mixture, press down and repeat.
Top with shavings of good dark chocolate and refrigerate for a few hours.
You will swoon. You will 'Ooohh' and 'Aaahh'. You will wonder how a few simple ingredients can create such a delight and your guests will look at you like you're some kind of shaman, not knowing whether to fear or worship you.
Try it. You'll like it.

Oh My Stars

Red onion & Rosemary Pasta

The days I discover great new pasta recipes are among my favourite days.
I love this sauce. It contains only a few ingredients and while cooking it mostly gets on with itself. It’s easy to make but boosts great, deep flavour. What's not to love?

Chop two red onions into half rings and fry in a generous amount of olive oil, with a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary and half a teaspoon of coarse salt. The trick is to keep the heat as low as possible so the onions soften but don't colour or crisp up. Fry gently, stirring occasionally, for twenty to twenty-five minutes, until the onions are soft and sweet. Add half a tablespoon of dark muscovado sugar and one tablespoon of good balsamic vinegar. Turn up the heat and fry for a few minutes, stirring constantly, caramelising the sugar and the vinegar. At this point the sauce will smell incredibly (almost inedibly) intense, but don’t fret. The flavours will mingle and mellow and will eventually turn into something else entirely.

Add one tin of chopped tomatoes and turn down the heat again. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to simmer for another ten minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down and the sauce has thickened. Use this time to cook the pasta.
I won't be bossy and tell you exactly what pasta to eat with this sauce, but please do give it some thought. This sauce is very soft so you want a type of pasta that remains a little toothsome when cooked. If you don’t have a lot of experience with different kinds of pasta, something like penne is a safe bet. Whatever type you choose, cook it al dente before draping it with the velvety sauce. Add some Parmesan if you want, personally I don’t think it needs it.

Swedish Lemon Poppyseed cakes

Chewy Almond Macaroons

Beat two egg whites until stiff. Fold in 300 grams of powdered almonds, 250 grams of powdered sugar, the zest of one lemon and a pinch of salt. With wet hands, roll into little balls and place in a baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and bake in a preheated oven for 10, until they're just starting to colour.