The French eat more offal than many other nationalities. In the Netherlands, I sometimes ate liver or blood sausage but that was about it. In France, I discovered sweetbread, kidney and spleen but I have not yet dared to eat heart or lungs. A French editor once tested my willingness to adapt to France andRead More
Poached Bresse chicken with bear garlic
I love to cook with the seasons and to use seasonal products, provided they are not very expensive such as the morel mushrooms at the moment. One of the early manifestations of Spring is the appearance of young shoots of various vegetables and plants. Such as bear garlic. I first ran into this herb inRead More
Beef and oyster pie with ginger
Beef and oyster pie is an old English recipe that stems from the times that oysters were so plentiful that they were cheap enough for the poor to eat. Beef was not cheap but the meat used was not a prime cut. Many recipes use a pint of British ale in the broth. Beef andRead More
Rabbit with prunes and cider
Rabbit is relatively lean meat and not expensive. The animals multiply fast and a lot because they have many natural enemies and feature on the menu of various wild animals and birds of prey. Man has also been catching rabbit for centuries. It easily falls prey to traps and can be blinded with strong lights,Read More
Grouse on sauerkraut
One of the earliest kind of game on the markets is grouse. In France it is imported from Scotland. The poultry man assured it was hunted grouse but I have my doubts due to the quantities – I fear the bird is reared and then shot. At least this means there is less of aRead More
Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, revisited
The chicken with 40 cloves of garlic is one of those rustic traditional dishes that are a pleasure to make and eat. Forty is just an approximative figure, as in Alibaba and the forty thieves, but there is indeed a lot of garlic in it. You do not peel the garlic but let it cookRead More
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 studentRead More
Grilled pork chops with chorizo on a bed of endives
A tasty meal does not need to be complicated. Endives are in season, it is a healthy vegetable with a bitter taste and as a standalone it is not appreciated by many. In the Netherlands, they present the endives rolled into a slice of ham and with a molten cheese sauce. That tastes good butRead More
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 advanceRead More
Pea pod soup
Fresh peas are in season and I like to use them as a vegetable side-dish. It is a bit of work to get them out of the pods. I usually leave the peas like they come but in gastronomic restaurants they remove the outer skin and use the two inner halves. At least that isRead More