Hete bliksem

I suspect with a title like this one there might be a bit more spam then the usual amount..lol.. But I couldn’t resist the literal translation for this typical Dutch dish.

When I was asked by Ben from What’s Cooking if I wanted to do a guestpost in his worldseries I was flattered. I love Ben’s blog and have been following it faithfully for years now. His Mexican dishes are fantastic and you should really check out his blog. He lives in Mexico so you can be sure those are authentic Mexican too. On top of that he is also a really nice guy… Ben has an awesome series of guestposts by bloggers around the world. He has done a series before and is now bringing it back. And I’m one of the lucky people that gets to play a small part here!

So the idea was to write something about a typical Dutch dish. So that got me thinking, what is a typical Dutch dish? Our national ‘cuisine‘ doesn’t have a lot of highlights. The first thing that springs to mind is that we have lots of different mash-dishes (called stamppot) as our national kitchen, but then again those are terrible to photograph, so did I really want to go there? Plus most of them are typical winterdishes and in this part of the world it is spring so not the dish I was looking forward too. What is it with the Dutch and stamppot anyway? Why do we mash everything together..? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love stamppot and in winter we eat it at least once a week. We have several different varieties, but most commonly the potatoes are mashed with some kind of vegetable; endive, curly kale, brussels sprouts, carrots (in which case it is called Hutspot) and spinach, we like to add little bits of cruncy bacon to it and eat the lot with a smoked sausage (rookworst)

Apples, potatoes and cinnamon

I could make croquettes but then, they do exist in other parts of the world. And I was stuck with all these winter dishes in my head. Or I could attempt to make stroopwafels but having never done that, I had no idea where to start.

But then it hit me; I could make hete bliksem (hot lightning)! This is a dish I hadn’t made in at least 20 years. Not because I don’t like it, but because it goes together with a baked slice of cheese, something I couldn’t put Tom through as the cheese hater that he is. But he was going out for dinner with work so I could make this. It’s still a mash and therefore by it’s own nature wildly unattractive, but hey, it’s Dutch! So I apologize for the somewhat unappealing photos as I assure you that the content of the plate are in fact quite good.

Jacqueline, my friend, and I used to make this all the time when we were student nurses. Mostly because it was quick and tasted good and didn’t require extensive kitchen space (which we certainly did not have) It’s a pretty old fashioned dish, as it doesn’t get made a lot here anymore either. The core ingredients are apple and potatoes, in equal quantities which are then mashed together. There are a couple of varieties out there. Some with onions in it and other ingredients. But pair this with the caramelized apples and some crunchy bits of bacon and you’re gonna love it as it is the perfect combination of sweet and savory!

Now go on and check out the recipe on Ben’s blog What’s Cooking Mexico? You might be surprised at how tasty this little Dutch dish is!

Related Posts:

• Rumpsteak or potatoes; Donna Hay challenge nr. 8
• Pancakes – as it seems to be pancake day today
• Onion-cheese quiche
• Quinoa, feta and walnut salad
• Apple and caramel dumplings, I think

UPDATE!
Due to the slightly more complicated challenge this month the deadline is extended for one whole month. Get your entries in before end of May now! And remember; it’s not all about having the same props. Mood and atmosphere is more important. I don’t think anyone would have such a lovely rack to place the potatoes in but that is all good! Just be creative!

A meaty challenge! Photo by Ben Dearnley

I realized that after having done 7 Donna Hay challenges; we’ve done vegetarian, we’ve done sweets and we’ve done sandwiches but what we have not done before is anything really meaty. So when the latest issue of Donna Hay’s magazine arrived and I started drooling over the Argentinian pages I figured it would be perfect for this time of year! Ok, depending on where you live it might still be a little too cold for doing a full barbecue but maybe the weather is kind and we can eat outside. Fire up the grill and make this gorgeous salted rump steak. In the magazine these steaks are served with delicious roasted potatoes with chimichurri sauce and since it’s always good to have a vegetarian alternative you actually get to pick this month from two different recipes!

Roasted potatoes. Photo by Ben Dearnley

Now is that a luxury or what? Both photos are quite stylish and will probably give you some challenge in terms of props, lighting and placement but that is what this is all about. Last month was fairly straight forward, so I thought to mix it up with something a little more challenging for the more seasoned photographers out there but if you’re just starting out, don’t be afraid to tackle this too. Whatever happens, it will definitely teach you something.

The photography on both these shots is done by one of my favorites; Ben Dearnley, styling is done by Steve Pearce. I love the styling in both these shots as it give me a sense of summer but in a rustic kind of way. The colors are dark but still vibrant and the food jumps out at you. I can’t wait to make both of these (you don’t have to choose, you can make them both if you want!) but since I am currently without kitchen I could not taste test either of these recipes but I have the feeling they will be all right!

Enter your link below!

Since there had been some complaints about the quality of  my scans (rightfuly so!) I have found the originals on Ben Dearnley’s site so that looks a whole lot better! I’ll try to make sure the quality of the photos is good enough for you to be able to see what you need to do.

You can find all the rules for the Donna Hay Challenge on the special DHSPC page on top of the menu.

As usual the rules are very straightforward;

• recreate the original images to the best of your ability
• write a blog post about your experience and showcase the photos that you took
• Include some notes on how you took the photos and how you tackled the styling
• link back to this post
• Deadline for entry if April 30th.
• Read the rest of the rules on the DHSPC page
• Judging will be done by Jenn from jenncuisine, Meeta from What’s for Lunch Honey, Kay from KayoticKitchen and myself

Entries are open for everyone. No need to let me know if you want to join. Once you’ve made your post include the link in the linkytool below. It will need to be approved by me first so you will not see it before that.

Salted rump steak

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Serves	4
Prep time	1 hour, 10 minutes
Cook time	7 minutes
Total time	1 hour, 17 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish
From magazine	Donna Hay magazine

Ingredients

• 1kg rump steak (cut into large pieces)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup rocksalt (300 gr)
• cracked black pepper

Directions

Thread the steak onto metal skewers and rub with olive oil. Place on a baking tray and cover completely with the rock salt. Place in the fridge for 1 hour. Wipe with absorbent paper to remove the rock salt and sprinkle with pepper. Heat a char-grill pan or BBQ over high heat. Add the skewers and cook for 7 minutes each side for medium rare or until cooked to your liking. Serve with the chimichurri saue (see below)

Roasted potatoes with chimichurri sauce

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Serves	4-6
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	1 hours, 5 minutes
Meal type	Side Dish
From magazine	Donna Hay magazine

Ingredients

• 1,5kg large sebago (starchy) potatoes (peeled and chopped)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt
• cracked black pepper
• 100g wild rocket (arugula) leaves (to serve)

Chimichurri sauce

• 1/3 cup flat leaf parsley (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon oregano (chopped)
• 2 teaspoons rosemary (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1 clove garlic (crushed)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt
• cracked black pepper

Directions

To make the chimichurri sauce, place the parsley, oregano, rosemary, paprika, chilli flakes, garlic, bay leaf, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 220 C (425 F). Place the potato in a large saucepan of salted cold water over high heat and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes or until the potato is just tender. Drain, return the potato to the pan and cook for 1 minte to remove excess moisture. Shake the pan to fluff the potato. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 40-45 minutes or until crisp and golden. Serve the potatoes with the chimichurri sauce and rocket leaves.

Related Posts:

• Donna Hay styling and photography challenge #1
• Artichoke and feta tarts – DHSP challenge #7
• Bruschetta with arugulapesto – DHSPC #6
• DHSPC #6 – results and exciting news!
• Sage and prosciutto corn cakes – Donna Hay Styling and photo Challenge #4

The ultimate comfort food

When the alarms rings at 7 am I am already awake. Not wide awake but my dear old kitty friend Gizmo usually thinks that 6 am is a perfectly fine time to wake up and get fed. So around 6-ish she starts walking over my head, all the while miauwing loudly. She is getting a little deaf at the age of 19 so she doesn’t hear her own voice anymore… Annoying to say the least. So she wakes me up but I refuse to get out of bed before the alarm goes so I stubbornly ignore her, but it’s pretty obvious that any real sleep is not an option anymore.

Outside it is still dark and I can hear the wind howling around the house, telling me that I should stay in bed, but unfortunately duty calls so a little past 7 (snooze button!!) I swing my legs over the edge and go and feed a screaming cat (who then eats one tiny bit and follows me into the kitchen, so she can annoy me a little bit more. Typical start of my day… )

Italian sausage stew

The wind and rain keep it up the entire day and it is one of the first autumn days that is grey, dreary and mostly very wet. It’s a good thing that I do not suffer from autumn depressions but I can see how it easily would effect people that are more prone to weather changes. Me, I love autumn. I think I can safely say that I’m a season-girl. I love all seasons. I am not even sure I would like to live in a country where the sun always shines. That would be boring now wouldn’t it? Autumn is such a wonderful and comforting season. The season to snuggle up indoors, while the rain pounds on the roof, warming your hands around a mug of hot chocolate (preferably with whipped cream ofcourse) and gorgeous glorious stews.

Needless to say on that very first very real autumn day, my mind immediately went to stews. I had recently bought a bag of puy lentils (more lentil recipes here, here and here) so I figured I should make something with them and searching on the BBC Good Food site (my favorite recipe site) I quickly found the recipe for this delicious stew. The ultimate comfort food! We had it with baked potatoes but I think it might even be better with a nice potato mash. O or a potato/celeriac mash… Hmm, gotta try that next time!

Yummy puy lentils

Stew with sausage and lentils

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Serves	2
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	50 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Meal type	Main Dish
Misc	Serve Hot
Website	BBC Good Food

Ingredients

• 3 large baking potatoes
• olive oil
• 4 pork sausages
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• 1 pinch chili flakes
• 2 carrots (diced finely)
• 2 sticks celery (cut into small dice)
• 4 sprigs rosemary (needles only and chopped finely)
• 1 tin canned tomatoes (400 gr)
• 300ml white wine (Using chicken stock is also fine)
• 3 tablespoons puy lentils

Directions

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cut the potatoes into 2cm chunks, toss in olive oil then spread out on a non-stick baking tray. roast for 40 minutes until crisp and golden, turning a couple of times during cooking.

Meanwhile, cook the whole sausages in a little more olive oil in a large pan until browned all over. Take the sausages out of the pan then add the onions and garlic and cook until softened.

Add the chilli (if using) carrot and celery, then cook for 5 minutes. add 2/3 of the rosemary, all of the tomatoes, wine or stock and lentils. Slice each sausage diagonally into 4 thick chunks then add back to the pan. Simmer with a lid almost covering for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

When the potatoes are cooked, toss with some sea salt and the rest of the rosemary, then serve with the stew.

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• Mediterranean couscous and lentil salad
• Roasted butternut squash salad
• Pavlova with pomegranate and cranberry sauce
• Tarly salad with orange hazelnut dressing – living leaner
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Warm potatoe salad with bacon and blue cheese

Ahum…. I am slightly embarrased now… I always tell people to make sure that they put their iso back to whatever the original setting was or what you want it to be. In any case to check what your iso is before you start taking photos! As it turns out… I have forgotten myself and the setting was still on iso 800. And the worst thing is that I just discover that, after having taken all the photos and after I have eaten the entire dish! Haha… not a real disaster ofcourse, but still on the slightly stupid side…

I am feeling a little bit under the weather right now and I just hope that it doesn’t become worse. I have quite a busy weekend with lots of fun stuff and our cooking course will start this saturday as well. I would hate to be doing that with a running nose and feeling terrible at the same time. But getting the supply for lunch today was already very tiring… You know that feeling when you don’t show any outside symptoms of a cold yet, but your head feels like it is filled with little cottonballs and everything you do makes you extremely tired? Kind of how I feel right now!

So one more reason to have a  healthy lunch, so I wanted to make a recipe I had seen in the good food earlier, featuring potatoes, blue cheese (love, love, love blue cheese) and bacon. I couldn’t find some of the ingredients (such as fresh spinach and watercress) so I substituted those. In the recipe further below you will find my version of the salad.

Warm potatoesalad with bacon and blue cheese

I chose country potatoes (don’t ask me for any other name, as I honestly don’t know) but they looked good and they tasted delicious. It’s quite a healthy and filling dish and would also make for a very nice light dinner. Now the tastes are quite salty due to the bacon and the cheese and also the dressing, so make sure not to use too much salt on the potatoes when roasting. The Lamb’s lettuce that I use was delicious!

Here is the recipe!

Warm new potatoe salad with bacon and blue cheese

Warm potatoe salad with lamb's lettuce

serves 4*prep 10 mins*cook 40 mins

500g nice potatoes, halved. I left the skin on but if you like your potatoes without skin, then you can remove it

2 tbsp olive oil

2 red onions, each sliced into 6 wedges

4 rashers smoked back bacon, trimmed and cut into large pieces

140 g mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp whole grain mustard

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

100 g lamb’s lettuce

85 g creamy blue cheese (I used castello blue)

1. Heat oven to 220. Place the potatoes in a roasting tin, then rub with 1 tbsp of oil and a sprinkling of salt. Roast for 20 mins, then add the onion wedges to the tin, giving everything a good shake. Roast for 20 minutes more untill the potatoes have turned a deep golden brown and the onions have caramelised and softened. Leave to cool slightly.

2. Heat a non-stick frying pan. Dry-fry the bacon until crisp. Add the sliced mushrooms, then fry for 5 mins more untill they have softened.

3. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Whish the mustard, vinegar and remaining 1 tbsp oil with a splash of water. Place potatoes, onions, bacon and mushrooms in a large bowl with the salad leaves, pour over the dressing, then toss well. Divide between 4 plates then crumble over the blue cheese

By the way; if you love cheese then visit the blog of the Cheesewench and have a look around. It’s great fun!

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• Lamb’s lettuce salad with feta and tomatoes
• Quinoa, feta and walnut salad
• Strawberry feta salad
• Shaved fennel salad – Bookreview Supernatural Every Day
• Mediterranean couscous and lentil salad

Delicious potato dish with prosciutto and creamcheese

See in the title where it says “young” potatoe? Well.., let’s just say that if you are planning on replicating this recipe, then make sure that you pick young potatoes and not just any old potatoe you have lying around in the house..:)
It’s been a while since I have tried out some new recipes so I figured today would be a good day to try something new. I always like trying out new recipes when there is no one else around but me. At least no one else can complain, other then me!
As I mentioned I used the wrong potatoes and also the wrong ham. Unfortunately I live in an area where you can’t really buy a lot of things that do not fall within the normal cooking guidelines. So everytime I want a specific vegetable, meat or basically almost anything other then regular cabbage, meatloaf and potatoes I would need to go to another shopping area, which is just not always convenient to do.
I have found a fantastic supply of all things that I would want to use at some point in time, but it is in Amsterdam. Without any traffic, that would mean at least half an hour to go there, which would not be too bad if I could do it once a week, but the problem with Amsterdam is the horrendous amount of traffic jams… Anyway, I just have to find a good source of fresh produce!! Mission for the next month!
Over to the recipe; it is not a lot of work other then the fact it needs to cook and then stay in the oven for about 30 minutes, but during that time you can do other stuff, so I don’t mind! Again; using the right kind of potatoe would be a bonus. This recipe if from the delicious and Jill Dupleix. She recommends using Jersey Royale as potatoe, which unfortunately is almost impossible to find in Holland, so if you’re Dutch try another potatoe and let me know if you find a good one!!

Young potatoes with herbal cream cheese and prosciutto

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Recipe type: Sidedish, main

Author: Jill Duplex

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 4

Do make sure to use young potatoes and not any old potatoes you have lying around. You will notice the difference; I promise!

Ingredients

• 12 young potatoes, leave the skin on
• Oil for greasing the baking tray
• 2,5 tbsp olive oil extra vierge
• 1 large clove of garlic, pureed
• 2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 150g creme fraiche, ricotta or creamcheese
• 12 slices of Italian prosciuttoham
• 85g watercress

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes for 15 min. in boiling water with plenty of salt. Leave them to drain well and cool them down slightly.
2. Preheat the oven to 240 degrees C. Divide the potatoes over a lightly oiled baking tray or cover with baking paper. Press each potato flat with a spoon or other tool. Sprinkle with olive oil and add salt and pepper.
3. Bake the potatoes for about 20-30 minutes or untill crispy and golden brown. Leave to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Whisk the garlic, herbs and creme fraiche (or ricotta or creamcheese) together in a bowl and put a spoonfull on top of each potato. Put a slice of prosiutto on top and serve the potatoes on a bit of watercress.

2.1.4

 

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