Super fast IKEAnized Salmon

Dear Peeps,

I can officially say: I am back!!!! It has been a crazy month as I mentioned before. I was so extremely busy with moving at first and then recuperating from it. I needed a little holiday from everything so I went to my parents house, or as I call it: Spa Hamilton! The only thing I do there is sleep, run and cook! This time was no different except that I still had so many things on my mind that I still had to do for the move and the start of my new job....

After my Spa treatment I finally finished my room, and it looks amazing! I feel super duper at home. The kitchen is really nice too and my dear roomies gave me a green card in the decoration so that I can cook the way I want to cook. Guess it is also in their benefit eh...;) The only left to complete is the living room but that will come with time.

Today I also started my new job, and even though it will be super busy there too I decided I needed to pick up blogging again as it gives me so much joy. So I am just going to try to keep it up but don't expect daily things. I will continue cooking daily though so at least I will have continuous material to post!

First things first: my first dish made for my dearest friends Julia & Stef cooked in my brand new kitchen and served on my little balcony.
Moving means going to IKEA right? And what else is there at IKEA besides furniture? The IKEA food section with the most famous swedish meatballs and the Gravlax sauce based on mustard and dill which is exactly what I got and that I served my friends.

Ingredients:

• 700 gr salmon steak
• salt and pepper
• Broccoli cut in florets
• Parmigiano 
• Gravlax sauce

How to make it:

You heat up your grilling pan to a sizzling heat while you salt and pepper your salmon steak to taste. When the pan is nice and hot, you start grilling the salmon. Depending on the thickness of the salmon and your personal taste you grill the fish 3-4 minutes on each side. I like my salmon nice and crispy on the outside and still a tad raw on the inside.

While grilling the salmon you cook the broccoli in boiling salted water. This doesn't take longer than 5 minutes but again this depends on the size of the pieces you cut the broccoli into. Sieve the broccoli once it's done.

Serve the salmon and broccoli on a plate and add the parmigiano on top of the broccoli and the gravlax sauce on top of the salmon.

Voila you're done in less that half an hour! 

Output:

Super good healthy dinner that will fill you right up after a day of moving and a visit to IKEA!

IKEAnized Salmon

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

How to make Hummus: part 1

Reading Andie's blog post on her favourite healthy foods, she made me think about my favourite health kick these days and I came up with: chickpeas!

You can make....

• Chickpea puree 
• Chickpea Tajines 
• Chickpea salad
• Chickpea pasta
• Chickpea con carne
• many other things that my mind can not think of at this second....

Or ... a million different types of hummus! Maybe some of you don't know this, but hummus is made with chickpeas, pureed chickpeas to be precise. And then you add whatever you feel like adding, that very moment.
As I know that a few of our readers are beginning cooks, I thought to have a little cooking series especially for them. This series is about 'how to make hummus'. We start of with part 1, making a very simply classic hummus. Then while we proceed in time, we are going to add spices, herbs and other kind of things to make hummus even more exciting.
By the end (if there is such a thing with cooking) you will be dreaming how to make hummus, and most of all, you will be craving hummus at a weekly base like I do.

Ingredients:

• one can of drained chickpeas 
• 2 tablespoons of tahini (sesamepaste) --> invest in this one as you will be needing it during the course!
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 0,5 clove of garlic 
• 1 tablespoon yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• pinch of chilipepper
• pinch of salt

How to make it:

It is the most easy thing ever!

Make sure you rinse the chickpeas after having washed them to take away most of the sodium that accompany canned foods.

Chuck everything in a high container.

Blend it down to a puree....taste.... add whatever YOU feel is missing... blend.....

Outcome: classic HUMMUS!!!

Get ready for part 2 next week or so; we will be adding some more exciting spices!

Hummus

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Cook to impress: Risotto Milanese

What is gold for a foodie??
Saffron is gold for a foodie....

Saffron is a powder extracted from a flower called the Saffron Crocus. They take it from the stigmas of the plant and seen that each plant only has 3 pieces of them, it is a rarity and difficult to cultivate and therefore so expensive. It is actually the most expensive spice that exists out there, hence the fact that saffron is a foodie's gold! Thank god that although expensive, the powdery gold is also very very powerful. The powder on each stigma is strong enough to colour and flavour a liter of boiling water into deep golden yellow, so you don't need much to cook a big bowl of risotto or paella!

And here is my link to the recipe of today.... Risotto Milanese! A simple yet impressive dish that is typical for the region of Milan. It is bright yellow risotto that I thought being boring at first, but when made right, it can be quite the taste-bomb! I made this a couple of weeks ago for Chef Stefano, and it was approved... few!

Ingredients: serves 4

• two garlic cloves peeled
• olive oil
• a big glass of white wine
• 4 cups of risotto rice and one for the guest (arborio rice is the best)
• one liter of vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 envelope of saffron powder
• 50gr parmigiano
• fresh parsley to serve

How to make it:

Contrary to what people think, risotto is actually quite easy to make. It just takes full attention for 20-25 minutes. So get ready to cook!

Prepare the broth and once it's boiling you can start making your risotto.

Heat the olive oil in a big anti-sticky pan and add the smashed garlic cloves (don't cut them up as you want to take them out after). Once they're turning golden brown and they are releasing their divine garlicky smells in your kitchen, you take the garlic out of the pan.

Add the rice and start stirring. You want to bake the rice until the grains get slightly transparant and start releasing a creamy white tail. At this point you add the white wine.

Keep stirring until the rice has absorbed the wine and releases the creamy white tail again.

Add a soupspoon of broth, keep stirring until the rice has absorbed the broth and releases the creamy white tail again. Repeat this process for 20 minutes more or less or until the rice is cooked. Some like their risotto firm and others like it more cooked - this is totally up to you, so make sure your taste it.

When it's almost done, add the saffron to the risotto and stir - this will turn your white risotto into a beautiful golden mixture of goodness. Then to finish it off, you add the parmigiano for a cheesy taste.

Outcome: GOLD! With a sprinkle of bright green if you serve it with the fresh parsley on top like I did.

Risotto Milanese

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Lunch: Tuna Salad Sandwich

Problems with inspiration for your lunchbox?? No particular idea on what you feel like having, and no desire to work your kitchen for hours today? My lunchbox today might inspire you a bit...

My seaside weekend inspired me to make a healthy 'seaside lunch'.
The salty water still in my nostrils reminded my brain of the existence of a tuna can in my cupboard and the sight of bread in my other cupboard then created the idea to make a fresh home made tuna salad!

Ingredients:

• tuna can (water based)
• 2 tablespoons of yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon mayonaise
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• pinch of salt
• pinch of dried origano
• two slices of whole weat bread

How to make it:

Mix the tuna, with the yoghurt, mayonaise, mustard and herbs.

Keep it in a separate container until you serve it, because otherwise your bread will soak up and it ain't particularly nice!

Once it was lunchtime I spread the tuna salad on my slices of bread and served it with a classic green salad with some balsamic vinaigrette and tomatoes.

Outcome: a very satisfying lunch if I may say so... next time I am going to add some fresh capers to give it a little hmpf extra!

Homemade Tuna Salad

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Crispy Catfish & Sweet Chicory

Many people don't like a lot of foods and to be honest, I don't like those people very much! Seriously didn't your momma teach you how to eat and try everything in front of you??

Adults that don't like certain foods act like kids. Because kids tantrum in order not to eat something they don't like, and if you, as a parent, give in to those tantrums it will result that once grown up, those kids will still not like the food! Instead, if you make sure your kid eats the food he/she doesn't like, they will most likely be cured from their aversion. Obviously you are not going to serve caviar or foie-gras to a 6 year old, as there are things that simply have too strong tastes for their young tastebuds to accept, but I do think you must slowly teach your kid to eat more and more vegetables and try new flavours in order for their pallet to develop itself. How else are you going to create foodies?! ;)

My memory about an episode like this is when my mom made this spinach casserole... I don't remember what exactly was in it, but I remember it had spinach!! And I DID NOT like spinach. I also remember that my parents had to leave that night, probably going out for a dinner or a party and that we were left with the sitter. My evil little mind thought 'briljant!! Def getting out of this one!' EEEEEEEHHHH WRONG! I was not allowed to leave the table unless I had finished my spinach, and I think I was still sitting there when my parents came back! In the end I ate the damn green things and obviously they weren't as bad as I thought but hell had to freeze over before admitting that to my parents, otherwise my tantrums wouldn't be as effective anymore - and I think my mom will confirm that they were quite embarrassing at times. Ops... I am sure there are several more episodes like this with chicory and fish!

Outcome of my parents insisting on me eating spinach, chicory and fish: I definitely like them much more now. Spinach and fish are a stable factor on my menu, however chicory is still not one of my favourites. But I can not preach what I don't believe so I looked and found a way to eat and like chicory: by adding sugar or at least something sweet in order to balance out the bitter taste.

Voila a magic recipe:

Ingredients: serves 2

•  300 gr catfish
• 3 slices of whole weat bread crumbles
• 3 teaspoons mustard
• 4 chicory
• juice of an orange
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• pinch of sugar

How to make it:

Heat the oven on 180 degrees.

Crumble the bread with a kitchenaid. Prepare the fish by seasoning it with the salt and pepper and place it in an oven tray. Spread the mustard on top (if you use spicy mustard, then be careful with the quantity you use) and sprinkle the crumbles on top of the fish. The mustard will make sure the crumbs stick to it. 

Put the fish in the oven for circa 20-25 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

In the meanwhile you clean the chicory by removing the ends and tearing the leaves apart. You can chop them in big pieces but I kept the leaves whole. 

Heat up the olive oil in a non-sticking pan and add the chicory. Bake for a couple of minutes until they get softer. Add the pinch of sugar and the orange juice and let them simmer for another 5-10 minutes. The sugar will caramelize the bitter taste of the chicory and will make them irresistible!  

Outcome: Place the chicory next to the fish, and serve with a fresh green salad or some bread, a potato... whatever you like! Or have it like that as a proteined dinner after a good workout! 

Crispy Catfish
&

Sweet Chicory

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Asian Cravings: Panang Gai Curry

Happy sunday peeps,

And yet another weekend is coming to an end. Why oh why do weekends pass by so fast?! And why oh why must weekdays be so long?! Is it because in the weekends you can do whatever the beep you want? Whereas the weekdays are filled with work and doing things one 'must' do, such as cooking, cleaning, sports to stay in shape?? 

Hmm could be, which is why I have decided that my goal in life is to have absolute pleasure in my work, and if I don't, well then I'll change. Because let's face it, you are stuck in the office or wherever a lot of hours of the week, so better make the best out of it. 

Another thing that I decided is to take away all the 'must do's' and turn them into 'wants': I must not do anything, instead I will do them because I want them. I want to clean the house because I want a clean house, I want to cook because I want a healthy and good dinner, I want to go running because it makes me look and feel good. Most importantly, if I want to see my friends I will see them no matter what day it is. Why limit yourself to the weekends? Let's make the best out of every day!!!

What do you like to do most on the weekends? 

Speaking about giving in on 'wants'..... once in a while, as we know from the beginning of this blog, I want and absolutely MUST give in on my Asian cravings. For these emergencies I always have my panang gai curry and coconut milk ready to turn into a yummy, fast and most of all easy curry. 

For Italians out there: check out the asian or international food stores near Centrale or on the borders of the city to get the ingredients...you'll be surprised about the number of things you can get there other than Italian shizzle.

Ingredients: serves 2

• 2 espresso cups of rice
• 300 gr of chicken cut in cubes
• 1 green pepper cut in cubes
• 1 paksoi cut in chunks
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
• 2 teaspoons panang gai curry
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon lime leaves

How to make it:

Bring a big pan of water with a fist of salt to a boil. Add the rice and cook it according to the pack - usually it's around 10 - 15 minutes.

In the meanwhile you heat up one tablespoon of sunflower oil (olive oil is too strong for asian food), and you add the curry. Stir until it slightly melts a bit into the oil. Then you add the coconut milk. Heat it up before you start adding the chicken and vegetables.

Once you added the chicken and vegetables (which you can do at the same time) you let the whole simmer for 5 minutes in order for it to cook and suck in all the flavors. Then you add the fish sauce, peanut butter and lime leaves. Stir for another 2-3 minutes. 

The rice should be done by now. If it's cooked before the curry is done, then you can take it out of the water and let it steam a bit. 

Outcome: serve the rice with the curry and simply enjoy... nothing else... just enjoy! 

Panang Gai Curry

Buon Appetito
Chef Steph & Chef Cathinka

Italian Fish

I am about to reveal something that is going to make a nation jump up and down and yell: TOLD YOU SO! This month's 'La Cucina Italiana'  publishes the announcement that the mediterranean diet/pyramid is the most healthy and most aspired diet everyone should be following. 


The diet became a fact when an English writer and chef Elizabeth David published a book in 1950 about the mediterranean diet explaining the sobriety and simpleness of the food the Italian people were consuming after the war. The sobriety was of course due to the fact that people didn't have the resources to feed themselves like rich men anymore, because let's be honest, I am sure the Giuseppes and Marias at the time were craving some more meat and fish during the week, but they simply couldn't. So they reached out to vegetables and legumes that they could grow in their own backyard, combined with their beloved pasta made out of flour and eggs and some olive oil extracted from the olives of the neighbours. Unnoticed and definitely unintentional, they created the perfectly balanced meals.


This pyramid is no surprise to anyone who is into food, or who watches the fat percentage on their bodies. But the real surprise in my revealing all these little facts to you, is that UNESCO has included the diet in their Humanitary Heritage list. So there, it is a fact: Italian food IS the best in the world!


Hold your horses Italian friends: this doesn't mean that other foods aren't good or just as pleasurable to make or eat! Plus, I am a firm believer of variety.. NAH! :) But on your behalf, here's a good oven baked Orata fish with some healthy salad to go with.


Ingredients: serves 1

• 1 whole sea bream (Orata) - cleaned
• 1 scallion sliced
• 0,5 lemon sliced
• little handful of parsley
• olive oil
• salt
• lettuce
• tomatoes chopped
• snowpeas 
• vinaigrette: olive oil, balsamico vinegar, 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon honey

How to make it:

Heat the oven at 180 degrees Celcius. 

Prepare the fish in an oven tray: put a couple of lemon slices, salt and parsley in the belly of the fish. Place it in the tray. Then you pute the scallion on top of the fish and sprinkle the whole with some olive oil. Voila, you're done! You can now put it in the oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

While the fish is cooking, prepare the salad and the vinaigrette in a bowl.

Outcome: easy, fast and super healthy dinner! I usually have this one after a good run because it is the perfect dinner after a good workout session! For your male friends: add some potatoes with the fish or simply have some bread with it.

Italian Fish & Healthy Salad

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Fusion: Chickpea puree with grilled asparagus & tuna

Bonjour from rainy Milan!!

Must be honest that the rain is bringing a breath of fresh air, so it's not too bad...Because it has been quiet hot & steamy around here the last couple of days!

Don't have a lot of time because I am crazy busy with a million things but wanted to give you a treat of my cuisine happenings lately. I got the inspiration for this one, out of May's issue of the dutch delicious! Instead of combining the vegetables with meat, I went for tuna.

Ingredients: serves 2

• can of chickpeas 
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon kurkuma
• 250 gr asperges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tuna steaks

How to make it:

boil the chickpeas for 5-10 minutes in a bit of salted water. Drain them and puree 3/4 of them with a blender or whatever you have at hand. Add the spices and mix some more. At the end you add the whole chickpeas you kept aside, to give the puree an extra bite.

In the meanwhile you cut the asperges in 5cm pieces and grill/ bake them in a heated skillet. It takes around 7 minutes to cook. But it depends on your taste, I like them crunchy.

Last but not least, grill the tuna that you salted and peppered, for a couple of minutes. Again, this depends on your taste. I like my tuna pink on the inside!

Outcome: easy fast, midweek or busy weekend dinner. But good and special enough to make your day end well! 

Chickpea Puree with grilled Asperges & Tuna

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

First entry of a 26 year old: Spring Chicken

Hi everyone, I am back!
I was away for a while because I spent a long weekend in Holland with my friends and family to celebrate my 26th birthday (ssshhhhh don't spread the word!). Hence the absent note: partying! It was fantabulous! I went to this 80's party on saturday night where EVERYBODY was dressed up in crazy panther printed leggings and fluerescent colours and hair of like 5m tall, hilarious. Only the Dutch can do that and enjoy themselves while doing it. Wellll... maybe the brits or germans could too but...
Sunday was a family day: went horseriding with my sis after years and years of not having ridden - it felt great! In the evening I had dinner with my parents, sis, bro and gf at a cute little 'french bistrot'. Had a smoked duckbreast salad and a steak tartar, aka raw meat!!!! But let me tell you, it was divine. But most of all, the company made into a super birthday dinner.
Monday evening I spent it with friends and it made my birthday complete. Time to go back home....

I have literally 2 minutes to post this recipe but as it has been a little while that I haven't posted anything, I wanted to treat you with my spring chicken creation I made last week. Simply because it is such a nice midweek dinner, and who knows it might inspire you this week.

Ingredients: for 2 servings

• 2 chicken legs, or 4 drumsticks
• 0.5 kg carrots - peeled
• 1 red onion cut in rings
• 1 garlic smashed
• extra vergine olive oil
• splash of lemon juice
• herbs provencal
• salt and pepper

How to make it:

Peel the carrots, cut the onion, clean the garlic and place them all in an oven tray.

Salt and pepper the chicken. Place in the oven tray in between the veggies.

Sprinkle the lemon juice, olive oil and herbs on top.

Place in the oven at 180 degrees celcius for about 40-45 minutes.

Outcome: Easy peasy springy light chicken meal. Add bread or potatoes for your male friends! :)

Spring Chicken

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Back to my roots: Dutch Stamppotje & Honey Mustard Chicken

A club by dictionary means: A group of persons organized for a social, literary, athletic, political or other purpose. So our club would be a group of persons for a culinary purpose, that cook together and share their secrets, doubts and love for cooking and extraordinary foods.
Furthermore my goal of this club is to gain experience and knowledge about different cultures and their customs about food. So I have thought to go looking for information about different cultures and their foods and post them one by one accompanying the respective recipes.

So I live in Italy, but I am Dutch.

Dutch cuisine; what is Dutch cuisine really? Many of my friends ask me what a typical Dutch dish is, and my usual answer is 'stamppot', which is a mash of potatoes and vegetables. Traditionally it is made with 'boerenkool' or in English: kale! Actually kale has become a very fashionable ingredient these days in the states, everyone is cooking with and frying kale! However for the Dutch it has become so old school that Dutch foodies desperately look for new ways to make their easy and traditionally heavy and wintery dish. And it is doable: imagine a mash of potatoes with sundried tomatoes, or with chicory and goat's cheese... or even with broccoli like I did, turns out a good combination.

The mash is then traditionally combined with 'rookworst', a smoked sausage, and trust me when I say it is gooooood! Really good! But again, very wintery and quite fat. So I looked for a lighter alternative and found a honey mustard chicken recipe over at Jessica's blog 'How Sweet it is'. Mustard is another Dutch traditional spice, because all the way back, when spices were super expensive, the Dutch would spice up their solid foods such as potatoes and different plain cabbages with mustard. It was so famous that each region had, and still has their own type of mustard. I used 'Zaanse Mosterd' and a french mustard 'Dijon' for this recipe. (I live in Italy, not all Dutch mustards are available here).

Ingredients: serves 4

• 250gr peeled potatoes chopped in small cubes.
• 250gr broccoli chopped
• 200gr cauliflower chopped
• stock
• 20 dl milk
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 600 gr of chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil extra vergine
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons of spicy mustard 
• 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

How to make it:

Boil a big pan of water and add a cube of broth - boil the potatoes. 5 minutes before the end, add the vegetables. They have to be all soft and mashable when they're done. Rinse the vegetables and start mashing the vegetables while adding the milk to make it a bit more creamy. At the end add salt and pepper to taste.

While the vegetables are cooking, pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. The trick to really nice and crispy golden brown chicken is to make them really really dry (I had no idea of this fact, did you?!). Heat a bit of oil in a pan and fry the chickens 6-8 minutes - depending on the thickness of the breast filets. 

In a bowl combine, the oil, mustards, honey, salt and pepper and mix it well. When the chicken is done and still hot, brush the honey mustard mix on the chicken and serve with the mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Outcome: a traditional Dutch AVG'tje in a new jacket... AVG=  Aardappels (=potatoes), Vlees (=meat) and Groenten (=vegetables) in a new jacket, yet still with old school flavours.

Stamppotje & Honey Mustard Chicken

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Summer is Magic.... with a Greek Salad

After a hangover... it's time for recovery with a touch of health for the body and mind, and especially a touch of freshness, and what better to do that than with a good old Greek Salad.

A greek salad for me = sun, beach & fun!
Where before I would only have it on the beach on holidays, nowadays I have to admit it has become a weekly meal during the summer months. That tradition came into my life by a certain someone who didn't like many many many things except for this salad... so yeah, there wasn't a lot of choice there! But I have grown to love the routine a little touch of greece during my boring weekdays, I guess it's all about give & take.... ;)

The main trick of a good Greek Salad is to use fresh produce! Pop by the market and get firm plum dark red tomatoes, some cucumbers and fresh black olives and you're good to go.

Ingredients: serves 2

• 2 big firm tomatoes
• 1 big cucumber - peeled
• 1 red onion
• 150 gr feta cheese
• 50gr black olives (or green ones)
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil extra vergine
• 2 teaspoons Origano

How to make it:

It's a salad, so there's ZERO cooking involved - how convenient.

Slice up the tomatoes, cucumber and red onion in thin slices or cubes - depending on your taste.

Chop the feta in cubes of 1cm.

Toss all together in a bowl with the olives.

Sprinkle the olive oil and Origano on top.

Outcome: 2 minutes and you're done! Even a person with 2 left hands can make this one work. Serve with dark brown bread or a nice and tasty focaccia works well as wel - but makes it less healthy   

You can also add a drop of good quality Balsamic Vinegar if you like it. 

Greek Salad

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

THE HANGOVER CURE nr1 : Risotto Primavera

What do you eat when you have a massive hangover?!
written for and inspired by my amazing blogging friend Andie over at Can you Stay for Dinner!!!


When I was young - ok ok I still am - but I mean, out-of-school young, I was ready to fly out of my homey nest and discover the world. And that brand new world was mighty interesting, especially when the sun went down, the music turned up and the alcohol started flowing....

It's a bit like a music video in my head: a group of girls getting ready for a night out, trying out a million outfits, putting on make-up, gossiping, speculating about how the evening is going to end up, all the while with loud music, dancing and sipping a glass of wine to get into the mood. They go to a cool club where they meet up with all of their friends, they drink some more, get loose, dance all night long, make new friends, meet new boys.......................... lights on.... and lights off!

Until... the next morning! When I wished the lights were still off! From headaches to bad breaths and an occasional visit to the loo, we all know to what disease these symptoms belong to
: a classic hangover! Why does fun always have to go hand in hand with pain?! Not fair!

The cure: WATER, H2O, liquid (non alcoholic - even though they say one drink might actually help you as your body is in rehab from the night before, but don't think it will help in the long run) and foods. Your brain is dehydrated so your body gives you signs to eat greasy and unhealthy foods. It's definitely not yearning for tea and raw vegetables. So in order to give both, the mind and body, what they needed and wanted, I came up with two magic recipes, one of which is RISOTTO! Creamy, thick, full of carbs, tasteful yet healthy compared to the burger you might have craved. The other will remain a tiny secret till the next hangover....(next weekend.... :) )

Ingredients: serves 4

• 1l of chicken broth
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 zucchini cut in little cubes
• 5 espresso cups of risotto rice (one for each and one for the 'guest')
• 2,5 dl white cooking wine
• 2 handfuls of frozen peas
• 100 gr of feta cheese
• a hand of fresh cut parsley

How to make it:

Prepare the broth beforehand as you will need it ready once the rice goes into the pan.

Crush the garlic with a knife to peel it easily. Once peeled, keep it like that and don't chop it up.

Heat the olive oil in a large anti-sticky pan and fry the garlic until they release their perfume. Take the garlic out and fry the zucchini for a couple of minutes.

At this point you add the rice. Stir so that the rice and zucchini mix and fry together. Once the rice get's a 'trasparent' look you add the wine. Stir slowly until the rice has absorbed the wine and releases a creamy white trace when stirring.

Here you start adding the chickenbroth bit by bit. Each time after having added the broth, you stir until the rice has absorbed the broth. This process takes 15-20 minutes - don't worry, it might sound boring but it actually works quite hypnotising!

After 15 minutes, start tasting the rice. It has to be soft while maintaining a bite to it - at least that's how the Italians like their risotto, if you don't, then continue cooking it for a bit.

Add the peas and feta and stir until both are heated up nicely and the cheese has melted into the risotto.

Last but not least, you add the parsley for a fresh herby taste.

Outcome: A happy hangover body filled with carbs, vitamins, calcium and a bit of healthy fats! WIN WIN WIN WIN situation!

Risotto Primavera

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Puzzled Pancakes

What puzzles you in life?


Recently many things in my life have puzzled me. 
Puzzling... euhm what? Ok being puzzled or something is puzzling, means that something is confusing, it doesn't add up, you can't see the whole picture and are therefore not sure of what you have in front of you. Capiche?


Well I thought of it, and basically everything in life can be one big puzzle! Let me elaborate:

Life: from the minute you are born until the day you die (ah one certainty that is NOT puzzling) you have to take one step at a time to make your life complete. Each step is a puzzle piece that is supposed to fit somewhere in the puzzle that will create your life. Sometimes I come across pieces - or steps - which are, in my eyes at that time, simply unplacable! I think to myself 'where the hell does this piece fit and what's the point of it fitting???' What I tend to do with the unlucky puzzle pieces is to put them aside for later. Yep, I'm an ostrick cos I stick my head into the sand! Ciao! Once the head comes popping out luring to see if the coast is clear of course I am bound to find that piece again. Solution to that problem: I start cooking to work through the process of putting the piece somewhere in my life: in the upper right corner seems to be a good spot.... Because in the end, every step and every puzzle piece makes your life yours and is needed to be complete.

Love: Now this is a complicated puzzle because I think men work with round puzzle pieces and women with squared ones or vice versa. How can that ever fit?????????? Hence the invention of the actual puzzle piece that you have in mind when talking of puzzles ...
So I guess to make this puzzle work, and get to a complete and beautiful puzzle, the trick is to communicate and always ask whatever makes you puzzled!
But other than that you need to have pieces that fit into each other. So the question is: does love work when the pieces are rather the same or do opposites work better together? Do accomplished puzzles even exist?

The solution to being puzzled = cooking... even though cooking is also one big puzzle at least it's not made out of carton puzzle pieces but out of ingredients; beautiful diverse raw materials that when put together it turns out a gorgeous and usually well-turned-out puzzle! It's up to you how to make your puzzle according to how you feel that day. And that is the absolute joy of cooking: you can make your own puzzle and actually see the result in a matter of minutes or sometimes hours... and be proud of yourself!

Happy Puzzling!

Protein Pancakes

These puzzling thoughts all came up to me while devouring a pair of proteined pancakes! If you're training, wanting to loose some weight (summer is around the corner you know!) or simply want to eat healthy, but still want some pancakes for breakfast, these babies are the answer to your prayer.
I got them over at The Novice Chef...

Ingredients: 4 pancakes

• 250 gr egg whites
• 150 gr oats
• 250 gr cottage cheese
• 20 gr brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 0.5 teaspoon salt

How to make it:

Mix all the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Heat up a medium sized skillet with a teaspoon of sunflower oil. Add a big spoon of mixture and spread.

Bake until little bubbles come up - then you turn the pancake delicately.

Cook well for 4-5 minutes.

Keep the baked pancakes hot in a slightly heated oven.

Outcome: serve with fresh fruit, yoghurt, peanut butter, maple syrup, jam... whatever piece of puzzle works for you to make this puzzle perfect!

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Asian Cravings: Silky Soya Marinated Salmon

What do you do, to make, a what usually is a normal day, into a special one?

My way of making my day special is by cooking something extraordinary. Something that I don't cook every week, and/ or something that takes just that little extra effort that will make my dinner special. After a cooking session like that, my normal day doesn't seem so normal anymore. If on top of that, I manage to share that delicious recipe in the company of someone special and a nice glass of wine my day can't be ruined - yes even though there's not much left anyways! :)

Last week I made Chef Cathinka's and mine famous Panang Curry with some green peppers and paksoi, that resulted in some paksoi leftovers. So thinking of paksoi, and thai food, it made me crave for more.... I came up with Soya Marinated Salmon with some stirfried veggies!

Ingredients: serves 2

• 2 salmon steaks of circa 150 gr each
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 15gr fresh ginger grated
• juice of half a lemon
• 10 ml sesame oil (or almond oil)
• 50 ml soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1 small paksoi chopped

How to make it:

Heat the oven at 170 degrees Celcius.

Prepare the marinade by mixing the garlic, ginger, lemonjuice, sesame oil and soya sauce. Add the salmon and set for 30 - 40 minutes.

After having marinated the salmon, take it out and remove most of the garlic and ginger - not all because you want to maintain their flavours.

Heat a skillet (or even better is to use a wok) and fry the salmon for a minute on both sides - just to make the outside golden brown and crispy. Then you put the salmon in an ovenproof dish and put it in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes.

Sieve the sauce so that you get rid of the pieces of garlic and ginger - and catch the soya liquid in a little pan. Reduce the soya sauce by heating it up and add the butter once it has been reduced. Stir until you get a silky thick soya sauce and turn off the heat.

While the sauce is reducing - you start by stir-frying the vegetables in the same skillet you used to fry the salmon so that the flavours mix. Stir-fry them on a high temperature for 5 minutes keeping them crisp and fresh. 

Once it's all done, take out the salmon and place it on a plate together with the vegetables and pour over the silky soya sauce. Don't add any salt because it's really not needed!

Outcome: Putting humbleness aside here... it rocked my day :)

You can add some brown or white rice to make it man-proof (they do need their carbs!)

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Happy Easter Everyone: Classic Buttery Asparagus, Eggs & Salmon

Happy Easter to all of you!
It's friday which means it's almost weekend, thank god! And it's a long weekend... one that we haven't had in a while now. So while everyone is going home to their families and is gaining at least a couple of kilo's worth of chocolate, eggs and lamb, I will be home alone! :( Eh, that's the downside of living abroad I guess. But it's fine, my weekend will be full of cooking, running, watching movies and some dancing! Doesn't sound all too bad to me.

Do you already know what to make this weekend? If not, let me help you with that by giving the easiest recipe ever. What is more easterly than asparagus?? Ok lamb and artichokes... but you will have to wait another day for those recipes. Last night I had an easter dinner with my dear roommate Chiara and we had the traditional (in my family it's considered traditional anyways) green asparagus, eggs, salmon and a butter vinaigrette; it turned out simple & super tasteful.

Ingredients: serving 2

• 400 gr green asparagus
• 200 gr smoked salmon
• 2 eggs
• 50 gr butter
• chive

How to make it:

Get two pans with water boiling. One should be really tall in order that the asparagus fit in, and the other one is for the eggs so a smaller one is fine. Once the water gets boiling, add the asparagus and eggs to cook.

Asparagus take circa 10 minutes.

Eggs to your choice:

- soft = 5-6 minutes

- medium = 7-9 minutes

- hard = 9-10 minutes

While they are cooking, melt the butter in a little pan and add the chive once it's all liquid.

Now all your ingredients are ready to place them on a plate. Drizzle the butter sauce over the eggs and asparagus and you're done.

Outcome: HAPPY & DELICIOUS EASTER!!!!!!! 

Easter Dinner: Asparagus, Eggs & Salmon

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

All Purpose Strawberry 'Jam'

I had waaaay too many strawberries in my fridge and my sole little belly couldn't handle devouring all of them by itself. So I had to find a solution in order not to throw them away.
I decided to make a strawberry compote or rather a coulis of them.... and it turned out suuuper good. It's more a kind of jam than a compote and is spreadable on bread, or as a sweetener in your yoghurt and I have another little surprise for you in store for what to do with it...

Ingredients:

• 1kg strawberries
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

How to make it:

Blend all the strawberries.

Cook the strawberries with the lemon juice in a pan over a slow fire. It needs at least 30-45 mins. Make sure it gets all thick and gewy!

Voila you're done... put it in the fridge over night and it will get even gewier.

So goooood!!!!

Peanutbutter & Homemade Strawberry Jam Cracker!

Keep tuned for part 2....

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Cook to Impress: 'Perfect First Date Dish' Sea Burger alla Stefano

Chef Stefano is my fellow cook and friend in Milan. He is the one I call whenever I (think) have made something awesome because he gets the actual awesomeness of standing in the kitchen with a glass of wine, music and letting go of your creativity through cooking.
Besides getting the awesomeness, he is also a very good cook! One day he will open his own restaurant, you wait and see. So you can understand I could not let him get away with not sharing his recipes with this lovely little community. His first recipe is a perfect first date recipe ladies... your man to be will be thrilled with the idea of having a burger and you are thrilled because the burger won't end up on your hips. WIN WIN situation!

Ps: Chef Stefano gets the colour grey for his recipes! So whenever you want one of his recipes just check the colour of the 'ingredients', 'how to make it' and 'outcome' and you will see in a blink that it's his.

Ingredients: for one burger

• salmon or grouper filet of 200/250 gr
• one tablespoon olive oil
• 5/6 anchovies
• 1 tablespoon chopped up chive
• cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

How to make it:

Clean the fish: take off the skin, the spines and the greasy parts. 

Once the fish is clean, chop the fish up in tiny pieces, to which you add the freshly chopped chive. From this mixture you make the burgers.

Heat up the oil in a pan and fry the anchovies. Add the burger and fry it for 3 to 4 minutes.

In the meantime you cut up the cherry tomatoes in halves and make a little salad seasoning them with some olive oil, salt and pepper. You can add some basel if you wish.

Outcome: A beautiful impressing plate that will steal hearts! Note: important to have the tomatoes with the burgers as the acid of the tomatoes accompanies and compensates the taste of the grease of the fish really well. 

Sea Burger

Con Piacere

Chef Stefano

Little Saturday Sunshine = Goat's Cheese & Avocado Sandwich + Pear/Strawberry Smoothie

The sun is out, 30 degrees celcius and it's a NON weekday!
Waking up by yourself instead of the dreadful alarm clock, and having ZERO plans sometimes is what a girl needs. After a morning of market, groceries, several specialty stores my belly was hungry for some fuel. One look at my balcony, fridge and drawer (where bikini is was stowed away) and I knew my mission.

Goat's cheese and avocado sandwich and a homemade pear/strawberry smoothie... a towel, bikini and an easy read magazine... music on and voila - my day was made!

Ingredients:

• two slices of dark brown bread - or any kind you like really
• one small tomato sliced
• 1/4 avocado sliced
• goat's cheese - or any kind of cheese that is currently in your fridge
• one pear
• three strawberries
• glass of milk
• a couple of ice cubes

How to make it:

Staple cheese, avocado and tomato on a sandwich and voila! I wanted to grill it, but without an actual panini grill that is hard to do!

Blend fruit and milk with the icecubes... and voila!

Outcome: Summer Heaven in 5 minutes!

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Quick Refreshing Side Dish

I'm feeling hot hot hot....
Summer is on the way, and besides stowing away my thick winter coats and woollen sweaters and taking out the summery flower dresses, I am also slowly exchanging my winter diet for a more appropriate and light summery diet, rich with vegetables, fruits and fresh herbs containing heaps of colour and flavour.
Nothing to do about it: summer is the best!

Yesterday I was looking for a side dish to accompany my Fennel&Pea Quiche,  and came up with this minty tomato chickpea dish made of ingredients that were all at hand.

Ingredients:

• one can of chickpeas
• 4 firm and juicy tomatoes cut up in chunks
• a handful of chopped mint
• splash of lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil Extra Vergine

How to make it:

Easy: mix all the ingredients in a bowl and you're done!

Outcome:

It was a surprising mix of flavours - mint is a perfect substitution for basel once in a while.

It goes well with grilled meats - seen the season I'd suggest a nice lambfilet, or even a chickenleg- but fish works as well. You can literally go into any direction with this side dish; add some mozzarella or feta cheese with a slice of fresh bread for a complete and nutritious lunch or dinner.

Minty Tomato Chickpea Side Dish

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph

Just an Ordinary Tuesday Lunch: Broccoli Pesto Orecchiette

I have lunch at the office with the 'in the office luncher crew'! Yes we consider ourselves a crew against those who eat out. And basically we vow that we always eat better, nicer and waaaaay cheaper than the rest of our colleagues.... maybe we should make tshirts to represent ourselves!

Anyways as 'brava ragazza' (= good girl) living and adapting herself in Italy, it means adopting Italian cuisine and eating habits too. Not to unpleasant to do, but quite hard to accomplish as Italian food may seem easy, it actually is quite hard to make because they have like a million gazzillion rules and idiotic guidelines. Pasta and meat together on one plate is for example a BIG FAT NO NO!!!! :(
Pasta and vegetables are a good and allowed combo, so here we go....

Ingredients:

• 250 gr Orecchiette 
• 200 gr Broccoli
• 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 clove Garlic
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons pinenuts
• 4 tablespoons Pecorino Cheese grated

How to make it:

Cook the broccoli.

Bring a pan of water with a fist of salt to a boil.

To make the pesto: put broccoli, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, pinenuts, pecorino cheese in a blender and BLEND until smooth. Taste and add whatever ingredient you feel is missing.

Cook the pasta according the package. Drain.

Mix with pesto.

Sprinkle some fresh Pecorino over you dish and voila: real southern Italian Orecchiette.

Broccoli Pesto Orecchiette

Outcome: My eating-out lunching colleagues were jealous! 

What do you like to have for lunch???

Buon Appetito

Chef Steph