Category: Rice

28th November 2016

Duck risotto

The southwest of France is known for duck. duck liver, duck confit, duck breast and duck pate. On the market you can find almost every part of duck to whole ducks without the liver – the prized part – that people are currently buying to prepare their Christmas dinner. I had some duck carcass left and turned it into a duck stock, with leek, onion, […]

13th July 2015

Coley, chorizo and black rice

Coley, or hake/pollock, is far from a glorious fish. It has a bland taste and the meat tends to flake. It is however a cheap alternative to cod and contains loads of potassium and calcium but also salt. It is very low in fat. It is a good fish to eat but you need to spice it up.

26th May 2015

Green asparagus risotto

When the vegetable stand on our market had French green asparagus, I could not resist buying them and decided to make a spring risotto. White asparagus are available in the south of the Netherlands; solid and straight stems that make a wonderful meal with eggs, potatoes and cream. In France, the white variety, sometimes with violet heads, comes from the Loire valley and the sandy […]

13th November 2014

Plain Risotto

Some people requested the recipe for a plain risotto of which my wife had posted a picture on Facebook. Well, why not? The trick with a good risotto is good ingredients and patience – you will have to stir almost constantly.

24th June 2014

A rice dish with eggplant, beef and raisins

A long time ago, I left my parents house to study at university in the big city of Amsterdam. My mother gave me a book of recipes as I had already showed signs that I would not be eating pizzas and French fries all the time but actually do some cooking. In my first student room – a rented room with a family in the […]

10th June 2014

Milan-style Ossobuco and ceps risotto

The other day I made a grilled chicken with lemon and did not feel like throwing the remains away so I turned it into a chicken stock. Then my wife suggested I made risotto and then I saw nice veal shank at the butcher’s. The ossobuco, “bone with a hole” can be made in advance and is even nicer when reheated. It also takes several […]

1st January 2014

Guinea fowl legs stuffed with duck liver

I was not at home during Christmas and while I assisted in the cooking of meals during those days, I did not have the opportunity to prepare a festive meal. But on New Year’s eve we were at home, alone, and I could prepare a meal for two. Just a one course dinner, after the calorie boost of previous days.

17th September 2013

Risotto with lemon, ginger and yoghurt

Recently I went to a restaurant in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt, le Bistrot de Laurent. Overall, the food and dishes were decent but I was disappointed about the risotto that was served with my tuna steak. It was supposed to have asparagus, very late in the season, but I could hardly taste that. There was a lot of chives and much olive oil. I […]