Polenta ‘Pie’ for Dark Days

Ominous dark clouds, rain, and muddy roads in the French country side. Last week, when we visited my parents in their country house in France, my mom put the perfect dish on the table for this kind of weather. She made a ‘pie’ with a polenta crust, caramelized onions, and blue cheese, and served it […] Read more…

Nasi – Indonesian Fried Rice

I’m quite sure this was the first dish I prepared for friends. I was still a teenager, living at home, going to high school. On my birthday I wanted to invite some people over for dinner. I sent my parents away but not before they gave me their famous recipe for Nasi, a dish we […] Read more…

Spicy Hot Chocolate

Every now and then, on cold winter days, I make this decadent hot chocolate. It’s based on the traditional Mexican hot chocolate with spices, but over the years I developed my own recipe. I want it thick and velvety, so I add quite some cornstarch. I also love to give it some kick and add a pinch […] Read more…

Sauerkraut Casserole with Smoked Chicken

The world looks unrealistically bright, and soft, almost without color. Voices are smothered, cars seem to disappear, it feels quiet and serene outside. When there’s snow I’m always caught by the beauty of winter light. Winter, snow and sauerkraut…they belong together. Yesterday, I made this casserole with celeriac root and potato mash, leeks, red bell […] Read more…

Dutch Chatterbox Cookies

These are old-fashioned Dutch cookies that I found in a cookbook that belonged to my great-grandmother. In Dutch, they are called Kletskopjes, which means chatterboxes. I think they are called chatterbox cookies, because you eat them at teatime, when you’re chatting with your friends. However, it could also be because they stop you from talking, […] Read more…

Roasted Winter Roots with Walnut pesto

I’m always a little surprised how much weather and food are connected for me. It’s going to be a cold week here in the Netherlands, with temperatures below zero degrees Celsius, so I’m feeling like eating stews, soups, sauerkraut with smoked sausages, and so on. Comforting stuff. Who wants a salad for dinner right now? […] Read more…

Moroccan Carrot Soup with lamb & freekeh

This is a perfect soup for Sundays! It’s an old recipe of mine that was inspired by a recipe of a Moroccan friend. She and her family always prepare this soup, also known as Harira, during the Ramadan. Well, I know it’s not the Ramadan, but on grayish days like today in The Hague, it’s […] Read more…

Kedgeree (the Dutch way)

What do I eat? I mean what do I really eat? What do I cook for my family after a day of work? Several years ago my eldest daughter Rosa had a blog about our daily food, called Rosa 365 Eats (it’s still in the air, just click on the link). For a year she […] Read more…

Garlic Soup from the Dutch Garlic King

It’s true, we have a garlic king in The Hague! His name is Ton Oosterhout. Together with his wife Veronica he owns a teeny weeny shop in his former bike shed, called Vers uit de Gers (Fresh from the Gers). It’s full with imported purple garlic from Cadours, France, not far from where the couple […] Read more…

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