Freekeh Salad With Lamb Sausage

Ingredients:

150 g freekeh

4 lamb sausages

1/2 courgette

3 grilled pickled red peppers, cut into stripes

Handful roasted almonds

bunch of fresh parsley. chopped finely

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lime juice

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of cumin seeds

salt & pepper

*

Freekeh or farik is a cereal food made from green wheat that goes through a roasting process in its production. It is an ancient Arabian, super-nutritious, low in fat, high in protein and fiber food that is digested slowly. This was her first attempt to cook with this old-new super-food and the salad came out really tasty. Cook freekeh until soft with a pinch of  salt in a saucepan. Meanwhile fry the sausages on a frying pan, add a bit of olive oil, courgette and cook until al-dente and sausages are done. Add the freekeh and stir altogether adding cut slices of red pepper, roasted almonds and all the seasoning.  Super easy.

Bon Appetit!

CousCous With Lamb Sausage And Mint Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 cup couscous

4-6 lamb meat sausages

100 g canned chickpea

8 dried dates, sliced

Bunch of fresh baby spinach leaves

1 cup white yogurt

bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped finely

bunch of fresh parsley leaves, chopped finely

pinch of dried out chicken bouillon

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of chili powder

pinch of curry powder

cumin seeds, grounded

salt&pepper

*

Such a great couscous alternative. Put couscous into a bowl with the sliced dates, pinch of nutmeg, chili and curry powder, grounded cumin seeds, salt, pepper and dried out chicken bouillon. Pour over boiling hot water, cover with a lid and let rise and soften. Meanwhile start to fry the lamb sausages. No need to use any oil for frying. At the end throw in chickpeas and  heat it up on the oil from the lamb sausages with a pinch of nutmeg. Prepare yogurt sauce by simply mixing finely chopped mint leaves and parsley leaves with the yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Place sausages on a plate, put couscous on a bed of fresh baby spinach leaves, top with chickpeas. Serve with the yogurt sauce..

Bon Appetit!

Udon Noodles With Asparagus and Beef Strips

Ingredients:

250 g lean beef fillet

1 small pack fresh asparagus

8 radishes 

1/2 pack udon noodles 

Sauce:

60 ml soy sauce

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp sesame oil 

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, rasped 

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, plain or smoked 

salt&pepper 

*

For those who like to experiment with Asian cuisine, this may be a simple and tasty meal to try out.

Start out by cooking the asparagus al dente. Cut the radish and cooked asparagus and put into a bowl. Put the udon noodles into sauce pan with salted boiling water and cook until soft, this should take about 8-10 minutes. Drain the water and let cool off. Prepare the sauce by mixing all ingredients together. Put noodles into the bowl with prepared vegetables and add the sauce. Stir together.

Now the main focus is on the beef meat that should be tender and a bit pink inside. To ensure the best result, take the steak out of the fridge a minimum of 15 minutes before cooking. Brush both sides of the steak with olive oil, season the steak with sea salt & black pepper to taste, place the steak into the pan, try to avoid turning the steak too much. Ideally, you should only flip it once. Don't poke it with a fork or knife as it will put holes in it and allow the juices to seep out. When your steak is cooked, take it from the pan and place on a warmed plate or wrap in aluminium foil, allow the steak to rest for about 4 minutes. Cut into slices and place onto noodles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bon Appetit!

Homemade Hamburgers

Ingredients:

400 g minced lean beef meat

1/2 small onion, chopped finely

1 egg, lightly whisked

1 tbsp bread crumbs

1 teaspoon olive oil

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Bunch of fresh parsley leaves, chopped finely

4 hamburger buns, halved

4 slices cheddar cheese or similar (here Dutch Oud belegen)

Bunch of  lettuce leaves

1 tomato, sliced

4 gherkins / pickles, sliced

2 tbsp mayonnaise (optional)

2 tbsp ketchup (optional)

1 tbsp mustard (optional)

1/2 red onion, sliced into circles (optional)

1 avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)

4 Pancetta slices (optional)

Tabasco sauce (optional)

Pinch of chili powder (optional)

salt&pepper

*

Since they managed to get a brand new "hamburger making machine" on the King's Day flea market for 4 Euros, they had to try to make their own hamburgers, that was without a doubt. The device has proven to work fine but its cleaning wasn't that joyful :).

The basic way how to make your own hamburgers from minced beef is as follows. Place the beef mince, onion, Worcestershire sauce, bit of parsley, breadcrumbs and egg in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until evenly combined. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion with your hands into a patty. It is recommended to put the patties (covered with plastic wrap) in a fridge for about half an hour to rest so that the chilling helps them hold together during cooking.

Now, if you have a hamburger making machine, you can just place the patties on the upper part made of non stick material (Teflon) and fry. At the same time you can place the buns into the casket opening from the side and close it while the heat from the upper pan part will warm them up. Smart ha? :)

If you don't have the machine, just use any non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat and cook half the patties for about 4 minutes on each side or until browned and cooked through. It is important to cook mince right through. Heat up an oven or a toaster and warm up the buns. Even better, the best would be to use the outside barbecue grill if the weather and occasion allows so.

The fun part about making your own hamburgers is to experiment with different ingredients. She wrapped her patty with Pancetta bacon and placed some Dutch Oude Kaas on top of the patty towards the end of its cooking. You can put all sorts of things into your bun once it is warmed up. She used a bit of mayo and mustard,  he loved ketchup as well. Always put some tomato and lettuce, gherkins are also great. This time she made a Mexican version and topped up her burger with some avocado slices and seasoned it with Tabasco and a pinch of chili powder.

The options are numerous. You can also use mushrooms, red pepper, blue cheese, bacon, and different types of meats -chicken or lamb instead of beef. You can even top your burger with fried egg. Just have fun and experiment. 

Bon Appetit!

Lamb Chops With Pistachio Crust

Ingredients:

4 lamb chops

1 teaspoon mix of Provencal or Italian dried herbs

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped pistachio nuts

1 tbsp  bread crumbs

1 tbsp soft butter

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

5 medium size potatoes, with skin, washed and scrubbed

1 tbsp dried thyme

salt&pepper

*

The spring season always brought some lovely fresh ingredients such as asparagus, green peas, strawberries or chicory. Lamb meat belonged to the main spring meat representatives. She altered recipe she found here and a delicious spring dinner option was discovered. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking sheet on the oven plate. Put whole potatoes with skin to boil with a pinch of salt and caraway seeds for about 20 minutes. Season each lamb chop with Provencal or Italian herbs with a bit of salt and ground black pepper.

Heat a spoon of olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Place lamb chops on the pan and fry, browning on all sides for about 3 minutes. Transfer lamb onto the baking sheet; set aside.

Stir crumbled pistachios, bread crumbs, butter and a pinch of salt and black pepper in a bowl. Spread mustard on the fat-side of each rack of lamb. Pat pistachio mixture on top of mustard. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden and lamb is pink in the center for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile once the potatoes cooked, slice them up and throw them into the frying pan which you used for sealing the lamb chops. The fat from lamb will give potatoes some flavor. Season with dried thyme, salt and pepper.

Bon Appetit!

Poppy Seed Pork Tenderloin With Green Olives Salsa

Ingredients:

250 g - 300 g pork tenderloin

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup poppy seeds

1/2 pack dandelion salad leaves

salt&pepper

salsa:

1 tomato, chopped finely

1/3 cup green olives, chopped

1/2 avocado

1/3 small red onion, chopped finely

dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice
dash of Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt&pepper

*

She almost stopped eating pork meat since she moved to the Netherlands, but when she saw a recipe on the Czech Apetit smart phone app, she realized she could give it a shot for a change. This recipe was super easy yet had a sense of novelty because of the poppy seeds which was not a very common ingredient and has proven to be difficult to find in the Netherlands (thank you Arab food market). Cut the tenderloin into medallions about 2 cm in width. Brush gently all the sides with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roll from both sides in poppy seeds. Let rest in the fridge for about an hour. Prepare the salsa by simply chopping tomato, onion, green olives and avocado, mix altogether with a dash of lemon juice, olive oil, Tabasco sauce and season with salt and pepper. Fry the pork medallions on a tiny bit of butter and on high heat from both sides for a few minutes, cover the pan with a lid and let finish of on lower heat. Serve with bunch of dandelion salad leaves and the salsa along with some bread as per your preference.
Bon Appetit!

Macaroni With Mushroom Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

300 g pasta, here macaroni

200 g mix of fresh mushrooms - meadow, oyster, cantharellus mushrooms etc., chopped in bigger pieces

150 ml cream or creme fraiche

80 g bacon stripes

1 tbsp flour

Bunch of fresh thyme leaves, chopped finely

Bunch of fresh rosemary, chopped finely
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

salt&pepper

*

There were never enough dishes with mushrooms in autumn and winter. This time a version of super fast and easy pasta meal. Cook the pasta al dente. Fry the bacon stripes on a sauce pan until crunchy, get rid of the surplus fat. Add the mushrooms and stir for a while, season with salt and pepper. Pour cream over and cook. Sauce made with creme fraiche will not be too liquid, but if you use cream, you might need to thicken the sauce with a little bit of flour. Mix thoroughly so no lumps remain in the sauce. Add the end, throw in the chopped herbs. Serve with pasta and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bon Appetit!

Potato And Cauliflower Curry Beef Pot

Ingredients:

200-300 g minced beef meet

5-6 big potatoes, pre-boiled (with or without skin)
1/2 head of small cauliflower, divided into smaller florets and pre-boiled
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 pot creme fraiche
2 eggs
50 g Gouda cheese, grated
2 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinaigrette
bunch of fresh parsley leaves, chopped finely
Pinch of cumin seeds
salt&pepper
*

Autumn is here and with it comes a number of vegetables that are quite missed out from our dietary regimes for the rest of the year. One of them is cauliflower, a vegetable that is cheap, low in fats and carbohydrates yet high on vitamin C and compounds that might protect against cancer.
Pre-boil potatoes until soft and cauliflower florets al dente. Cut the potatoes into thin slices. Prepare a sauce by mixing creme fraiche, eggs, grated cheese, olive oil, curry powder, mustard, chopped parsley leaves, balsamic vinaigrette,cumin seeds, salt and pepper together. Or buy an already made curry sauce for meats :)
Fry finely chopped onion on a little bit of olive oil until golden colored and add minced beef. Stew the beef until cooked with a pinch of salt and grounded pepper. Dispose of any fat that might arise from the meat. Towards the end add cauliflower florets and mix together.
Drizzle bottom of a baking pot with a bit of olive oil and place a layer of potatoes circles. Afterwards layer the minced meat with cauliflower and top it up with another layer of potatoes. Depending on the size of the pot repeat another layer if you can. At the end pour the sauce over and place it into 180C pre-heated oven for about 20 mins. Top it up with more cheese for a cheese crust if you like.
Bon Appetit!

Lamb Chops Marinated In Chili And Mint Sauce

Ingredients:

4 smaller lamb chops

1 cup of rice

1/2 fresh chili pepper

Bunch of fresh mint leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

salt&pepper

*

Sometimes a little shift from the usual chicken and fish is needed. Lamb was not everyone's favorite but this marinated version had rather a success. Put the lamb chops into marinade made of honey, olive oil, a bit of lemon juice, finely chopped mint leaves and chili pepper, salt and pepper for at least a few hours and store in a fridge. Fry on a sauce pan with a lid or grill on a barbecue if possible for about 20 mins. Serve with rice or potatoes.
Bon Appetit!

Beef Skewer With Apricots And Green CousCous

Ingredients:

300 g beef meat, cut into squares

1/2 cup dried apricots or alternatively prunes

Fresh Spinach leaves

1 cup couscous

1/2 cup of fresh or frozen green peas, boiled

Alternatively green beens

Bunch of fresh mint leaves

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

3 tbls olive oil

Salt&Pepper

Skewers
*

This meal was met with a warm reception by the boyfriend :) It has a little exotic feel to it and can serves as filling but healthy lunch or dinner alternative:

Stick the beef squares on a wooden skewer combining one piece of beef with one apricot at time, sprinkle with salt, pepper and dried rosemary and fry slowly on a frying pan with a bit of olive oil until done.

Place couscous in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Allow some extra water so that the couscous has enough liquid to rise. Cover with a lid and wait a few minutes until couscous swells up. Mix with salt, pepper, finely chopped mint leaves and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add boiled green peas and stir.

Serve all on a bed of fresh spinach leaves and alternatively accompany also with green beans.

Bon Appetit!