November 5, 2016

Mushrooms and celery salad with pecorino romano

Mushrooms are best in the fall and I am trying to use them in various dishes. This simple salad is made with the “normal” white and cremini mushrooms sliced very thin and combined with thinly sliced celery and shaved pecorino. The magenta salt you see the image is a wild berry salt from Iceland, I brought it back from a recent visit, but you can use pink Himalayan salt or any interesting salt that is... View Article

November 4, 2016

The Hague (Netherlands part 2 of 5)

Continued from here. The Hague The Hague was high on my agenda for this trip. The Hague derives its global fame from the fact that it is the seat of over 150 justice organizations, including the International court of Justice and the International Criminal court. It used to be the capital of the Netherlands and although Amsterdam was declared capital in early 1800s, the Dutch government, justice institutions and the Royal family are still based... View Article

November 3, 2016

Amsterdam – food, art and bicycles (Netherlands Part 1 of 5)

After cruising around the Baltic sea for a couple of weeks aboard the MS Koningsdam we returned to our first port of call Amsterdam and spent a week exploring the city and getting a taste of its food, culture and art. I have been there before and knew what to expect but still, every time you visit a place you get a different sense of it, partly because places change over time and partly because... View Article

November 1, 2016

Cauliflower “rice” with barley and shaved brussels sprouts

I wonder who was the cook who first came up with the idea of cauliflower “rice”. Since they “invented” it, the concept has spread like wildfire in kitchens around the world and for good reasons. It’s a simple and delicious way to serve cauliflower and can easily replace rice if you are a no-carb person, which, let me clarify, I AM NOT. I love carbs. I prefer to chop the cauli in a food processor... View Article

October 31, 2016

Polenta with foraged mushrooms and creme fraiche

I went to the market on the weekend in search of foraged mushrooms and found our forager Scott Moran just gathering his boxes and getting ready to leave. He still had a pile of pine mushrooms left so I took a few of them home. Pine mushrooms are quite rare so it was a special treat. As you can see from the images these are large mushrooms with whitish skin and white flesh and have... View Article

October 29, 2016

Slow baked apple stacks

It’s apple season and I am making apples desserts. One of my favourites is this thinly sliced honeycrisp apple, stacked in a ramekin dish and baked until soft and caramelized. I serve it with vanilla ice cream that I have melted (basically a creme anglaise) or with caramel or butterscotch sauce. The spun sugar is an extra that can looks impressive but it’s not a must. If you want to try it check my spun... View Article

October 27, 2016

Roasted pepper salad with goat cheese

Roasting peppers transforms their flavour and texture and makes them versatile and adaptable to many dishes. I almost always have roasted peppers in the fridge, marinating in a little olive oil and flavoured with garlic, salt and pepper. I add them to grains and legumes, use them to top pizza or bruschetta and to make sauces and soups but my favourite way to eat roasted pepper is as they are an a salad. Since the... View Article

October 26, 2016

Book review: The Photographing Tourist: A Storyteller’s Guide to Travel and Photography

As bloggers we are often offered books for review and now and then I pick a book that interests me and is relevant to the food and travel theme of this blog. When notice of this award-winning book came across my inbox I jumped at the opportunity to receive a copy and see what I can learn about travel photography and pass on to the readers of this blog. The author, David Noyes, a graduate of... View Article

October 26, 2016

Roasted onion petals

This recipe works well with smaller onions and they don’t have to be of equal size. I roasted them whole, skin on, drizzled with a little olive oil. Once they cooled I slipped them out of their papery skin and separated the layers into “petals”. A drizzle of olive oil, a little sherry vinegar and a sprinkling of herb flower salt finished the dish. Serve as an accompaniment to other dishes, to top pizza, with... View Article

October 25, 2016

Lemon-marinated fennel and pear salad

Fennel is a fall vegetable and although it is available all year it is really best in the fall when you can get it locally. Many people are not that familiar with it and are reluctant to try but I would say be adventurous and go for it. What can happen? Fennel  is a white”ish” bulb with fronds that resemble dill. It has anise-like flavour and crispy texture when eaten raw. I shred it into... View Article

October 23, 2016

Roasted cauliflower with crispy crumbs and pine nuts

Roasting cauliflower is my favourite way of cooking it. Roasting brings out deep earthy flavours and natural sweetness that may otherwise not come forward. It’s not the only way to cook cauli, I like it pickled, steamed with a sauce, cauliflower rice, mashed and more. So many recipes, so little time. I made this bowl of cauli for lunch (we eat simply over here) and it was so good and easy, I wanted to share.... View Article

October 21, 2016

“No recipe” vegetable and bean soup with pasta

Once you understand how to construct a soup you hardly need a recipe. This is especially so in a simple and hearty soup such as this one, full of vegetables, beans and pasta and believe me, nothing could be simpler. I start with a heavy soup pot, my favourite is an enamelled cast iron pot such as Le Creuset, put in a little olive oil, heat it up and then begin adding the ingredients I... View Article