Orzo risotto with flat green beans & dill

For ➋

3 large shallots 

250 g orzo (or kritharaki) 

400 g flat green beans 

50 g Parmigiano 

1 bunch of dill 

olive oil 

pepper & salt 

1l stock 

Finely chop the shallots. Add a generous splash of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot and sauté the shallots until translucent. Season with salt. Add the orzo and cook with the shallots for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of stock and stir regularly. Continue adding more stock as the previous batch is absorbed, stirring constantly. Taste occasionally and stop cooking when the pasta is perfectly *al dente*. Taste and adjust seasoning with pepper and salt. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Trim the ends off the flat green beans and cook for about 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain and cut into thin strips. Finely chop the dill and grate the Parmigiano. Now mix the flat green beans, finely chopped dill, and half of the Parmigiano into the orzo. Serve with the remaining Parmigiano sprinkled on top.

♥︎Grilled tuna with green beans, lemon, garlic & eggs

For ➍

1 tbs olive oil*

300 g green beans

4 tuna steaks, 220 g each & 3 cm thick

1 tbs extra virgin oil

2-3 eggs

2 cloves of garlic

lemon (finely chopped zest of a lemon)

Hard boil the eggs in 10 m, peel them and rub them through a sieve.

Clean the beans and cook them until al dente.

Shock them in ice water and then drain them well.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the garlic in it.

Add the beans and heat well.

Season with the lemon zest, pepper and salt and carefully mix in the finely ground eggs.

Keep warm.

Rub the tuna steaks with extra virgin olive oil and grill them for about 5 m.

Season with pepper and salt afterwards.

Serve with the beans and southern sauce of your choice.

*or vegetable fat

Salade niçoise with maatjes

For ➍ 

4 maatjes (marinated herring fillets)
4 eggs
200 g extra fine princess green beans
250 g cherry tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes)
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 bunch scallions
600 g new potatoes
100 g black olives
1 tbs fine sugar*
4 tbp olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
pistou with 4 sprigs of basil**
salt and pepper
dressing:
250 g natural yogurt
2 tbs old-fashioned mustard
5 tbs olive oil
⅓ bunch flat parsley**
pepper & salt
4 sprigs oregano

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Clean the spring onions and cut the baby potatoes into 2. Peel the peppers and cut them into strips.
Cover the oven plate with baking paper and arrange the potatoes on top, with the cutting edge down. Prick holes in the cherry tomatoes with a knife and add them, together with the spring onions, the olives and the bell peppers. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, dust with sugar and sprinkle with thyme and oregano. Bake for 25 m and allow to cool.
Remove the tops of the beans and boil them for 5 m in salted boiling water. Scare them in ice cold water.
Dip the eggs in boiling water. Depending on their size, drain them after 7 to 8 m of cooking time and let them scare in cold water.
Make the dressing: mix the finely chopped parsley** with the other ingredients.
Peel the eggs and cut into 2. Arrange the grilled vegetables and beans on the plates or in a large bowl. Add the eggs, the maatjes and the basil.
Sprinkle with a little dressing and serve.

*Optional.
**Or mix the parsley and the yogurt with the hand blender, instead of chopping finely.

Fresh tuna & salade niçoise (French Riviera salad)

For ➏
400 g green beans, trimmed
750 g small potatoes
vegetable oil for brushing
20 g drained bottled capers
400 g lettuce (2 heads), leaves separated & large ones torn into pieces
1 bunch cherry tomatoes
100 g small brine-cured black olives
4 hard-boiled large eggs, quartered
3 tbs fresh parsley & basil, finely chopped
750 g (2,5 cm thick) tuna steaks*
ice-bowl with ice-cubes
20-25 cl (or 10 tbs for the salad +10 tbs for (optional) extra) salade niçoise dressing**

Cook beans in boiling salted water 3 to 4 m. Transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Add potatoes to boiling water and simmer 15 to 20 m, then drain. Halve potatoes while still warm (peel if desired) and toss with 2 tbs dressing in a bowl, then cool.
Prepare grill for cooking.
Brush tuna with oil and season with salt and pepper, then grill on lightly oiled rack, uncovered, turning over once, until browned on outside but still pink in centre, 6 to 8 m in total. Let tuna stand for 3 minutes, then break into large pieces. Put tuna on a large platter and drizzle with 2 to 3 tbs dressing and top with capers.< Add potatoes to platter with tuna. Drain beans and pat dry. Toss beans in bowl with 1 tbs dressing and salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to platter. Toss lettuce in bowl with 2 tbs dressing and salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to platter. Toss tomatoes in bowl with 1 tbs dressing and salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to platter. Arrange olives and eggs on platter and sprinkle salad with parsley and/or basil. Serve salad with remaining dressing on the side.

*You can do a light salad without the tuna. If you must, you can use canned tuna. If you prefer fully cooked tuna, try the marinating tuna recipe.
**Or try a lemon & mustard vinaigrette.

The salade was named niçoise by tourists, and originally meant a typical salad of the region, consisting mainly of tomatoes and olive oil. It became popular in the 60's, when scarcely clad, tan-hungry tourists from all over Europe were drawn to the French Riviera. The discussion thrives on about the original recipe of la sallada nissarda, mainly omitting green beans and potatoes from the now widely spread recipe.
The city of Nice is only a part of France since 1860. Before the treaty, it went its own way, mostly with Sardinian and Italian allies and influences, tough it was occupied by French (and Spanish) armies before. The Italian freedom fighter Garibaldi, born in Nice, tried to make it a part of Italy.
Picture in salade niçoise dressing shows the fishing nets on the beach of late 19th century Nice.
Read more Provençal recipes: salade niçoise dressing, Provençal garlic sauce, old-fashioned salade niçoise, Saint-Tropez (Provençal) chicken.

Shika tataki (deer tataki with vegetables)

For ➍
600 g deer (or hind) fillet
200 g fine green beans
200 g pod peas
2 carrots
2 lemons juice
ginger 3 cm
½ red pepper
4 tbs sesame seeds
1 dl soy sauce
1 dl rice vinegar
1 tbs raw cane sugar
2 tbs olive oil
salt & pepper

Cut the ends of the beans and pod peas. Blanch  them (and eventually the carrots) for 3-6 m in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain and scare into ice water so they retain their green color. Peel the carrots and cut into long pieces of 1 cm wide. Then cut them into thin strands with the peeler. (Raw, not when blanched).
Prepare the sauce. Peel, grate and squeeze the ginger. Mix the ginger with the lemon juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar and raw cane sugar.
Put a pan on the fire with olive oil and heat it.
Season the deer fillet with salt and pepper. Crust the meat 1 m on each side. Deglaze with the sauce, let cook for ± 4 m. Turn the meat regularly so that the flavour of the sauce is well absorbed. Bake the meat nice rosé (about 8 m for 400 g).  
Remove the meat from the pan, wrap in a sheet of aluminum foil and let rest for 5 m.
Let the sauce boil until slightly syrupy.
Sprinkle your work surface with sesame seeds. Roll the meat in it to get a crispy sesame crust. Cut the meat into very thin slices.
Divide the beans and pod peas pod on 4 plates. Arrange the thin slices of doe and cover again with the sauce. Finish with the rolled carrot slivers and bring to taste with finely chopped red pepper.
Serve with cooked glass noodles.

Mediterranean chicken skillet

For ➍
2 tbs olive oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1¼ ts salt
1 ts black pepper
1 large red onion, cut into 1.5 cm slices
800 g cherry tomatoes
800 g fresh green beans, trimmed*
1 tbs finely chopped garlic
1 tbs drained & rinsed capers
1½ ts chopped fresh oregano, plus more for garnish
10 cl dry white wine

Preheat oven to 230°C. Heat 1 tbs of the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle chicken on all sides with ¾ ts of the salt and ½ ts of the pepper. Place chicken in skillet, skin side down; cook, undisturbed, until brown and crispy, about 8 m. Flip, and continue to cook until browned on other side, about 4 m. Transfer chicken to a plate. (Chicken will not be cooked through.)
Place onion slices in skillet in a single layer over medium-high; cook, undisturbed, until slightly charred, 4 to 6 m. Flip, and cook until charred on other side, about 2 m. Transfer to plate with chicken.
Add tomatoes and remaining 1 tbs oil to skillet; cook, undisturbed, until blistered, about 4 m. Add green beans, garlic, capers, and oregano; cook until fragrant, about 1 m. Sprinkle with remaining ½ ts each salt and pepper. Stir in white wine. Place charred onions on top of tomato mixture; nestle chicken into tomato mixture.
Bake in preheated oven 12 to 15 m (probably more*).
Garnish with oregano before serving.

*It might be useful to pre-cook the green beans in water for 5 m.
**Or cook in skillet on stove-top for about 30-45 m.

Mediterranean roasted vegetables

For ➍
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
1 large red pepper
1 large green pepper
2 medium zucchini
1 medium sweet potato (or 500 green beans or 150 g mushrooms)
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut all the vegetables into 1.5 cm wide pieces.
Put in a large roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Cover the pan with foil and roast for 20 m, then uncover and roast for 20-30 m more, until the sweet potato chunks are tender when pierced with a paring knife. The veggies should be soft and sweet.*
Serve hot or at room temperature or toss with pasta, top a pizza, stir into soup, stuff a sandwich or wrap, or toss with vinaigrette for a salad.

*Cool on a rack, then divide them into servings to keep in the fridge for a week or the freezer for about 3 months.

Thai vegetables curry @ wok

For ➍
350 g broccoli & cauliflower
250 g green beans, broken
2 ts Thai curry powder (or curry paste)
40 cl coconut milk
180 g tofu, cubed
300 g rice
2 onions, diced

Boil rice.
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a wok. Bake tou for 1 m on high heat. Discard from wok.
Add 1 tbs of olive oil. Fry onions for 1 m.
Stir-fry broccoli,cauliflower and green beans for 2 m.
Add curry powder and coconut milk.
Lowerheat and cook vegetables for 6 m.
Add tofu.
Season. Serve with rice.

Kaeng paa moo (jungle curry)

For ➍
5 kaffir lime leaves (frozen, fresh or dried)*
½ chicken stock cube, dissolved in 30 cl just-boiled water
275 g long-grain or basmati rice
2 tbs sunflower oil
2 chicken breasts, boned, skinned, cut into small pieces**
1 large red pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into 2 cm chunks
200 g fine green beans, trimmed, halved lengthways
200 g baby sweetcorn, trimmed, halved diagonally
2 tbs Thai red curry paste***
1 tbs Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 ts cornflour
50 g fresh spinach leaves
large handful fresh basil leaves (optional)

Stir the lime leaves in to the stock and set aside to infuse.
Meanwhile, half-fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the rice, stir well and return to the boil, then cook according to the packet instructions.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add the chicken, red pepper, green beans and baby sweetcorn and stir-fry for 2-3 m.
Add the curry paste and cook for a further 1-2 m.
Add the stock, lime leaves and fish sauce, bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.
In a small bowl, whisk the cornflour with 1 tbs cold water to form a smooth paste. Whisk into the curry and continue to simmer for 4-5 m, or until the curry sauce has thickened slightly.
Stir in the spinach and continue to simmer until just wilted. Stir in the basil leaves just before serving. Discard the lime leaves.
To serve, drain the rice and spoon it onto serving plates. Top each portion with a ladleful of the curry.

*Use grated lime peel instead.
*Use 500 g pork tenderloin, cut into thin (5 mm) medallions instead.
***This is a toned down version of the original Thai curry, using a curry paste instead of fresh herbs.

Spring vegetables' risotto

For ➍
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
50 g fresh peas
100 g green beans, chopped
2 artichoke hearts, canned, diced fine
12 green asparagus tips
2 l boiling chicken or vegetable stock
100 g butter
400 g risotto rice
salt & pepper
60 g Parmigiano cheese, grated

Melt 50 g butter in a large pan and braise the onion. Braise carrots and celery for 5 m. Add peas, green beans and artichokes.  Stir briefly over low heat. Add the rice. Turn the rice over so every grain is coated.
Add a soup ladle of broth, when absorbed, add another. Add the asparagus after 15 m.
Keep adding broth for about 20 m and stir until the rice is al dente.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add pepper and salt.
Stir in the remaining butter and the Parmigiano and serve the risotto.

Read quick risotto tip.

Rich nikujaga (Japanese beef & potato stew)

For ➍
2 ts vegetable oil
200 g beef sliced thin (shortribs work great)
1 onion, in thick slices
4 yukon gold potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 carrot, cut into large pieces
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed & quartered
1 dl sake
4 dl dashi (or low sodium beef stock)
2 tbs sugar
½ ts salt
3 tbs soy sauce
100 g shirataki noodles, drained & rinsed
75 g green beans, trimmed

Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil.Stir-fry the beef until cooked through. Transfer to a bowl, with tongs or a slotted spoon, leaving as much of the oil in the pot as possible.
Add the onions and fry until translucent. Add the potatoes, carrots and shiitake mushrooms and continue stir-frying for about 3 m.
Add the sake and bring to a boil until you stop smelling alcohol (1-2 m). Add the dashi, sugar, salt, soy sauce and shirataki, and then return the beef to the pot. Simmer, partially covered for 30-40 m, or until the meat is tender and the carrots and potatoes are very soft.
Add the green beans and cook uncovered until they are cooked through.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to develop.

Nikujaga was invented by cooks of the Japanese navy, at the end of the 19th century,inspired by the beef stews of the British navy. It is a Japanese version of a beef stew that is simmered in the classic Japanese seasonings of soy, sugar, sake and mirin. Nikujaga can be made with different ingredients, and different kind of meats.
Try a simple version or a fusion tomato version.

Goat cheese, green beans & walnuts

For ➋
150 g fresh goat cheese roll
150 g fine green beans
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs walnut halves, toasted
marinade:
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs walnut oil
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, squashed flat
1 ts fresh thyme leaves
1 ts coriander seeds, cracked
1 ts fennel seeds

Cut the goats' cheese into thick slices.
For the marinade, combine all the marinade ingredients (olive oil, walnut oil, shallots, garlic, thyme leaves, coriander seeds, fennel seeds) together in a bowl. Pour the marinade over the goats' cheese slices, cover, and leave for a few hours or overnight, turning once.
The next day, drain the goats' cheese and reserve the marinade, discarding the garlic.
Top the beans. Cook in simmering salted water for 5 m. Drain.
Toss the beans in 1 tbs of the reserved marinade and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange the beans on two dinner plates.
Preheat the grill to medium. Transfer the goats' cheese to a sheet of foil and place under the grill for 2 m, or until just melted. Divide between the 2 plates, add 2 tbs of the marinade. Decorate with the toasted walnuts.
Serve with fresh toast.

Balsamic roasted vegetables

For ➍-➏
200 g red potatoes, unpeeled
100 g baby carrots
1 large red onion, sliced into strips
2 tbs balsamico vinegar
4 ts olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed & finely chopped
1 ts dried thyme
1 ts dried crushed rosemary
1 ts rubbed sage
50 g sliced green beans
¾ ts salt
½ ts ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 200°C.

Toss the prepared potatoes, carrots, and onions with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic and herbs. Arrange the vegetables in a lightly oiled, large roasting pan. Roast the prepared vegetables for 35 m, stirring every 10 m.

Add the cut green beans to the pan and roast the vegetables for an additional 10 m. Arrange the roasted vegetables on a serving platter and season them with salt and pepper.

Serve as a light vegetarian dish with some good bread. Or as a side-dish with roasted poultry or meat.

Read the similar oven baked cherry tomatoes or grilled vegetables recipes.

Catalan monkfish & mussels

For ➍
4 chunks (200 g) monkfish*
60 g flour
½ ts ground cumin
½ ts sweet smoked paprika
sea salt & ground pepper
3 tbs olive oil
1 kg mussels**
2 cloves garlic, crushed
15 cl sherry
4 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
400 g tin of butter beans, rinsed & drained
2 tbs butter
tomato bread***

Mix the flour, paprika and cumin in a shallow dish. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Dust fish in the seasoned flour on both sides and shake off excess.

Heat olive oil in pan over a medium high heat. Fry fish on both sides until just cooked. Don't let the flour burn.

Transfer fish to a plate and keep warm while you cook the mussels.

Increase the heat to high and pour in the sherry, garlic, most of the parsley and mussels. Give it a quick stir.

Cover with lid and cook over high heat, shaking the pan until mussels have opened. Discard any unopened mussels. Add the butter and just swirl it all together.

Tip any juices from the fish that was resting into the mussels. Place fish in a shallow dish or soup bowl and spoon the mussels, beans and juices over the fish. Season with freshly ground pepper and garnish with a a bit of extra parsley.

Serve with a slice of (sourdough) bread, Catalan tomato bread for instance.

*Or any firm white fish.
**Use clams instead.
***Optional.

Maatjes (Dutch young herring fillets with bacon & green beans)

For ➍
4 maatjes herring fillets***
1 apple
lemon juice
200 g green beans
pepper & salt
4 slices bacon
1 onion
10 cl milk**
10 g flour**
1 tbs sour cream
oil**
dill

Clean the herrings. Keep them cool.

Cut the apple into cubes. Mix with a little lemon juice.

Clean the beans and cook them briefly in boiling salted water*. Put in ice-cold water. Drain. Dry on a clean linen cloth.

Grill slices of bacon until crisp without additional fat in the oven. Chop.

Cut the onion into rings. Put the rings (about 8) in the milk, then in the flour, put in boiling oil until crisp. Drain and dry. Sprinkle lightly with fine salt.**

Mix the beans with apple and bacon. Season to taste with oil, salt and pepper. Arrange on a plate.

Place a spoonful of sour cream on the side of the plate. Sprinkle with pepper, and decorate with some dill.

Place the herrings on the beans. Rub the herrings with a finger to make them shine. Put fried onions on top**.

*3-5 m, depending on the size for crisp beans.
**Or use the onion rings raw. Or cube the onion and spread it raw on the fillets.
***Use high quality Swedish pickled herring instead. Their sweet marinade come close to the taste of very young herrings. Drain well in kitchen tissue to avoid messy wetness.

'Maatjes' are young herrings, known as Hollandse Nieuwe, is a typical Dutch delicacy. The raw young herrings, from catches around the end of spring or beginning of summer and the beginning, are eaten with raw onion and a glass of good jenever (Dutch gin). The tradition dates back to 1380 when Willem Beukelsstraat of Biervliet in Zeeland invented a method to cure herring fillets with the enzymes of their own pancreas, called 'kaken'. The method is still used today, but for safety reasons, today all maatjes are frozen to kill germs.
It is also very popular in Belgium, where it is sometimes used for a little more elaborated dishes.

Duck's delight

For ➋
3 tbs peanut oil
2 duck chest fillets with skin, 150 g each
200 g green beans
300 g broccoli
1 Spanish pepper
½ clove of garlic
40 g cashew nuts
3 tbs light Japanese oyster sauce
3 tbs sesame oil
5 tbs dry white wine or sake*
salt & black pepper
3 ts thickener(**)
2 sprigs coriander

Heat peanut oil in wok. Braise chests with skin down for 4 m. Turn and bake for another 3 m.

Slice the chests thinly and put aside.

Clean and cut beans, broccoli and pepper.

Squeeze garlic over bowl.

Add oyster sauce, nuts, sesame oil, white wine* and sliced chests.

Add salt and black pepper.

Shred coriander.

Mix thickener with 1 tbs water.**

Heat 2 tbs of formerly used oil.

Add mixture and wok for 5 m.

Add thickener and cook for another m.**

Serve and garnish with coriander.

Serve with white rice, cucumber and green tea. Dry white wine optional.

*Optional.
**Optional. Cook for 1 additional m when not used.

Cappesante arrostite (roasted scallops with green beans & orange sauce)

For ➍
12 scallops
200 g green beans
10 cl fresh orange juice
50 g leek
1 bay leaf
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Tear the leek into broad threads. Fry them quickly in some oil.

Trim the beans, wash and boil for 15 m in salted water, drain and cool them in iced water.

Clean the scallops*, roast with a little olive oil in a skillet over high heat very quickly, salt and pepper.

Pour the orange juice and the bay leaf in a pan. Reduce to about half on medium heat.

Remove from heat, whip the oil in. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Sauté the green beans in a pan with a little oil.

Put in a deep dish with the roasted scallops and top with the orange sauce.

Serve immediately, with threads of fried leek.

Serve the cappesante arrostite con faglioni e salsa all'arancia with a glass of dry Italian wine.

*Without removing the coral, if you like.

Read tip on cooking scallops.

Klondike baked salmon

For ➍
4 (Alaska) salmon fillets (thawed)
2 tbs mustard
2 tbs butter, melted
1 tbs honey
4 tbs fresh bread crumbs
4 tbs finely chopped pecans or walnuts
2 ts chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Blend mustard, butter and honey in small bowl. Set aside.

Mix bread crumbs, nuts and parsley in another small bowl. Set aside.

Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Place on non-stick or spray-coated baking sheet or broiler pan. Brush salmon with mustard-honey mixture. Pat bread crumb mixture onto top surface of salmon. Bake for 10 m per 2.5 cm of thickness, or until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Serve with side dishes like green beans or cinnamon applesauce.

The Klondike river, in Canada, near the Alaskan border, is best known for the famous gold rush in the 1890's, which spread to the Alaskan peninsula. Before there was gold, there were fish. Fish have supported the people of Southeast Alaska as long as there have been people. In 1878, fish canning came to Alaska. The Alaska salmon is considered one of the best in the world. It is now shipped frozen, and still canned as well.
Picture shows the Lynx brand wrapper.

tip: steaming vegetables

spinach, arugula: 3 m
peas: 3 m
broccoli & cauliflower florets, green beans: 5 to 7 m
carrots, potatoes, turnips, squash: 8 to 20 m
kale, collard: 10 m

tip: healthier salad toppings

Replace traditional salad toppings with healthier, lower-calories alternatives.

cucumbers >>> chopped raw zucchini

croutons >>> slivered almonds or chopped walnuts

iceberg lettuce >>> raw spinach

onions >>> spring onions or scallions

cheese >>> sliced avocado

green beans >>> raw broccoli

alfalfa sprouts >>> bean sprouts

chow mein noodles >>> toasted sesame seeds

bacon >>> pumpkin seeds

corn >>> beets, canned or grated raw or dried cranberries or grape halves

Read more tips.