... in South Africa?

Green Pasta

South Africa is amazing when it comes to seasonal products. Unfortunately, my yearning for mango has not been satisfied yet (July is the coldest month of the year here...), but avocados are everywhere and are cheap!

1. Cook spaghetti al dente.

2. Chop and wash 2 baby leeks. Fry then on olive oil until soft.

3. Cut in half a handful of cherry tomatoes. Add them to the leeks.

4. Add cooked spaghetti to the frying pan. On low heat add cream and sprinkle the dish with chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with pieces of avocado.

... when Chicken is on bonus?

Mango Chicken Salad

1. Wash the arugula (rucola) and put in on the plate.

2. Wash and cut 5 cherry tomatoes, 1/3 of a cucumber, and 1/2 of mango and put them on arugula.

3. Cut 1 chicken breast in pieces, season with salt, pepper and dried oregano.

4. Warm up the oil on a pan. Squeeze 3 cloves of garlic and fry shortly. Add the chicken pieces and fry until ready.

5. Add the chicken to the salad, sparkle with sunflower seeds.

6. Add few tea spoons of ready made vinaigrette dressing or make it yourself: mix 3 table spoons olive oil with 1 table spoon of balsamico vinegar. Add few drops of lemon juice, salt, pepper and half of tea spoon Dijon mustard.

. . . when Salmon is on Bonus?

Salmon in Puff Pastry

Usually fish is quite expensive, so when you have a chance to buy it a little bit cheaper on a market or on bonus in AH, don't hesitate! This recipe  is for 4 puff pastry wraps, which is enough for 2 people, but it's so good that you will want more :) Puff pastry (bladerdeeg) you can find in the supermarket's freezers. 

1. Warm up olive oil on a frying pan, squeeze           3 cloves of garlic and fry them shortly. Add 250g of frozen spinach and fry until it defeezes.

2. Add few slices of courgette. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Squeeze few drops of lemon juice on a raw salmon, season with salt and pepper. Cut the salmon into 4 pieces and add to the spinach. Fry shortly, so that the inside is still raw.

4. Put one piece of salmon on each puff pastry square.Add a bit of spinach and courgette. Fold the puff pastry- put each pair of the opposite corners together.

5. Bake in the oven until the pastry puffs and turn brownish.

. . . when Tomatoes are on Bonus?

Tomatoes stuffed with Feta Cheese


This meal is perfect for longer celebration with friends, especially that there are ten tomatoes to use:) Baguette tastes great dipped in the warm feta cheese paste.

1. Cut off top parts of the tomatoes (save the tops), scoop out the flesh and put it in a bowl.

2. Add 200 g of feta cheese, few table spoons of olive oil, 4 squeezed garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence. Mix well until smooth.

3. Fill the tomatoes with feta cheese mixture, cover with the tops.

4. Bake in the oven until the tomato skins get wrinkled. Put the bread  shortly in the oven to warm it up and serve with hot tomatoes.

. . . in Spring?

Spring Risotto

This recipe was inspired by Nigella Lawson's cooking. The risotto is perfect in spring, when you can get fresh baby leaks and chives on the market. 3 baby leeks cost about €0.40, and so does chives, so it's a really cheap dish.

1. Melt a bit of butter and oil in a pan, add 3 chopped baby leaks (remember that the dark green ends are not eatable!) and fry until they are soft.

2. Add 300 g of risotto rice, add few drops of oil if the risotto sticks too much to the pan. Fry about a minute on medium heat.

 

3. Add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and 1/2 glass of white wine. Stir until wine is absorbed.

4. Start ladling the hot vegetable stock (to prepare it put a bouillon cube in about a liter of boiling water). Let each ladleful get absorbed as you stir, before you add another one.

5. When the rice is soft (try it from time to time), add cheese (grated or cubes). For example: cheddar, Parmesan or simply Gouda cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Sprinkle with chopped chives. 

I like to serve it with few cherry tomatoes previously baked the oven for few minutes. The tomato juice combines perfectly with the sticky rice. I also recommend seasoning it with lemon grass.

. . . when Asparagus Season is Open?

Asparagus in Béchamel sauce. 


Try to look for the short and thick ones- those are the softest ones. How to prepare them? Very easily. Forget the ready-made sauces on the supermarket shelfs, though. Here you have a nice recipe for real Béchamel sauce. Butter, flour and milk- there is nothing easier.

Cut the asparagus' ends (about 1-2 cm), peel them and cook in water with a pinch of salt until they get soft.

Sauce:

1. In a pan melt 1/4 cup of butter (low heat not to burn it).

2. Add 1/4 cup of flour and stir it well. Cook few minutes over medium heat. Remove pan from heat.

3. Meanwhile, heat 2 cups of milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. 

4. Add the warm milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth.

5. Return the pan to medium-low heat. Cook few minutes, stirring all the time. 

6. Season with nutmeg powder and salt.

For Garlic Lovers: you can add squeezed garlic and/or your favorite fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, coriander or basil). You can also add a bit of Parmesan cheese.

Magic Market

Thursday is definitely my favorite day of the week- a market day! It's really great: you get only the most fresh fruit and vegetables and... they are cheap! Cannot be compared to the supermarket prices. I also always buy some fresh or smoked fish.

As you probably know, on few days in a week  there are market stands in different locations in Tilburg. Check the location nearest to you below:

Wednesday	9 a.m. - 12.00	Omgeving Besterdplein
Thursday	9 a.m. - 12.00	Westermarkt
Thursday	1 p.m. - 17.00	Heijhoef
Friday	9 a.m. - 12.00	Koningsplein
Friday	11 a.m.-17.00	Wagnerplein
Saturday	10 a.m. -16.30	Koningsplein

Enjoy!