Venison stew with Gouden Carolus & gingerbread

For ➍ 

1 kg venison stewing meat 

1 clove of garlic 

1 large onion 

2 bay leaves 

450 g pre-cooked baby potatoes 

1 tsp dried rosemary 

3 cloves 

2 slices of gingerbread with ginger 

2 tbs mustard 

1 tbs Liège syrup 

3.8 dl game stock 

7.5 dl Gouden Carolus beer 

1 tbs flour 

3 tbs butter 

pepper 

Place a roasting pan or heavy-bottomed pot on the heat, let it get hot, and melt a spoonful of butter in it. Season the meat with pepper and salt, then brown the venison pieces on all sides in the hot butter. It is best to do this in batches to ensure the meat sears properly. The meat does not need to be fully cooked through, as it will finish cooking during the stewing process.

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Place a pan on the heat with a spoonful of butter and sauté the onion and garlic. Sprinkle with the flour and add the browned venison pieces. Stir briefly, then immediately deglaze with the game stock and the Gouden Carolus beer. Add the bay leaves, cloves, and Liège syrup. 

Cut 2 slices of gingerbread and spread them with mustard. Place the gingerbread—mustard side down—on top of the stew and bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let the meat cook for 2 to 2½ h until tender. Preheat the oven to 200°C. 

Rinse the baby potatoes and spread them evenly in a baking dish. Dot with a few knobs of butter. Season with salt, pepper, and dried rosemary, then roast in the oven for approximately 30 m until golden brown. Serve the roasted baby potatoes with the venison stew.

Winter tabouleh with roasted vegetables

For ➍

1 cauliflower

½ pumpkin

4 handfuls of rocket

200 g cooked chickpeas

200 g wheat semolina

120 g feta* or 20 falafels

4 tbs olive oil

4 ts ground garlic, paprika, cumin

sauce*:

3 tbs olive oil

1 tbs honey

1 tbs mustard

1 lemon, juiced

1 clove crushed garlic

finishing:

pomegranate

coriander

Preheat the oven to 200°C

In the meantime, cut the cauliflower and pumpkin into pieces of about 2 cm. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

Divide the cauliflower and pumpkin pieces on a plate and brush them with half of the herbs and olive oil.

Do the same with the chickpeas on a second plate.

[Or spread everything out on a large baking tray].

Bake everything for 40 m.

Cook the wheat semolina with boiling water.

Prepare the sauce. Mix the olive oil, honey, mustard, lemon juice and the crushed garlic clove in a bowl.

Prepare the winter tabouleh by combining the rocket, semolina and roasted vegetables. Drizzle with the sauce, sprinkle with crumbled feta or add the falafels and mix again. If desired, finish with fresh pomegranate and coriander. Serve warm.

The tabouleh salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

*Double the quantity of sauce for more taste.

♥︎Turkey stew with Oude Geuze

For ➍

300 g fresh pearl onions

a large knob of butter*

300 g smoked bacon**

2 cloves of garlic

250 g mushrooms

2 stalks celery

1 kg turkey leg (turkey cubes from breast or leg)

3 tbs  flour

3 dl Oude Geuze Boon

40 cl chicken stock*

2 tbs grain mustard

some sprigs of sage

a few sprigs of thyme

4 bay leaves

3 cloves

1 bunch of (young) carrots

pepper & salt

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

800 g pine cones potatoes***

a dash of cream****

Preheat the deep fryer to 170 °C.***

First soak the fresh pearl onions in a bowl of hot water and remove the outer skin of the onions.

Melt a large knob of butter* in a large stew. Cut the bacon into strips and stew. Peel and crush the garlic and add, followed by the pearl onions. Cut the mushrooms into pieces and stew them. Rinse the celery under cold water, finely chop the stalks and stew. Season the turkey cubes with salt and pepper. Stew them and sprinkle some flour over them. Stir well so that the flour is evenly distributed over all the turkey pieces and vegetables. Pour the Oude Geuze and the chicken stock into the stew. Add the mustard. Make a herb bouquet from the sage, thyme and bay leaf and add it together with the cloves. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat down. Let the stew simmer gently for at least 1 h. 

About 20 m before dinner time, peel the carrots and put them in a pot over a gentle heat with a good splash of water and a good knob of butter. Season the carrots with salt and pepper and some finely chopped fresh thyme. Cook for 10 to 15 m under a lid. In the meantime, fry the pine cones until golden brown in the deep fryer at 170 °C. 

Season the stew with a little extra salt and pepper. *****  

Add the pasta in small pieces to your sauce and let it melt. 

Finish the stew with a dash of cream. ****

Spoon some turkey with sauce onto a plate and add the fried carrots and pine cones***.

*replace with vegan

**replace with smoked turkey meat

***replace with heart-friendly alternative

****optional

*****If necessary, add some beurre manié to thicken the sauce by kneading 1 tbs flour  into a paste with a knob of butter*.

Green apple & kale salad

For ➍
3 cups ribbed & chopped kale or borecole
handful of chopped parsley
1 cup cooked black lentils
1 green apple, diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup shaved Parmigiano, or feta or goat cheese
dressing
one clove garlic
1 tbs honey
1 tbs Dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup pumpkin seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
salt &pepper

In a large salad bowl, combine the kale, parsley, lentils, apples, cucumber, pepitas and parmesan.
For the dressing, blitz everything in a food processor or blender, with salt and pepper to taste, until the garlic is smooth.
Pour the dressing on the salad and toss well to coat. Garnish with more cheese if you wish. The salad will keep in the fridge for a full day and slowly loose it's crunch from there.

Cucumber sandwich with egg salad

For ➍ 

½ cucumber

8 slices of bread (rye bread)

egg salad:

8 cool hard boiled eggs (10 m boil)

3 tbs mayonnaise*

1 ts grain mustard

1 lick white wine vinegar

1 small bunch of chives

1 small bunch of dill

black pepper from the mill

salty

Finely chop the cold peeled eggs and place in a bowl. Finely chop chives and dill. Mix together with the rest of the ingredients under the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. If the egg salad is too dry, stir in an extra tbs of mayonnaise.

Cut the cucumber into thin slices (use the mandoline). Cover the sandwiches with the egg salad, finish with the cucumber.

*for a lighter sauce, replace 1 or 2 tbs mayonnaise with low-fat yoghurt

Cod on stewed cucumber

For ➋

400 g potatoes

2 cod fillets (140 g each), raw 

2 tbs fresh lime juice (or lemon) 

2 ts Dijon mustard 

1 medium cucumber 

40 g ham, raw or smoked 

1 ts oil 10x cl miso (or vegetable) stock 

(100 g cream cheese, light)* 

1 bunch of dill, chopped

Wash the potatoes and cook (with their skins on*) for 20 m until tender. (Or cook without peel*). 

Rinse the cod fillets, pat dry, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with lemon juice. Brush with mustard and leave to soak briefly. 

Peel the cucumber, halve lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut into slices. 

Cut the ham into strips. Heat the oil in a pan, fry the ham until crispy and remove from the pan. 

Add the cucumber to the pan, deglaze with stock, (stir in the cream cheese*) and season with salt and pepper. Place the cod fillets on the cucumber and cook for 10 m with a lid on the pan. 

Drain the potatoes (and peel them*). 

Sprinkle the cod and cucumber with dill and serve with the crispy ham and potatoes.

Herring salad with beetroot & potatoes

For ➋

200 g maatjes herring*

4 small or 2 large beetroots

500 g small potatoes

1 small red onion

1 tbs (grain) mustard

½ lemon, the juice

2 tbs olive oil + 1 extra dash

1 tbs wine vinegar**

1 bunch of dill

salt & black pepper from the mill

First roast the beetroot in the oven at 180 °C. Place the unpeeled beets on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a dash of olive oil, 1 tbs wine vinegar**, a pinch of salt and pepper. Wrap the foil so that no moisture can leak out and roast 40 to 60 m in the oven. The beetroot is done when a potato knife slides through it easily.

Meanwhile, peel the red onion, cut into fine half rings and place in a small bowl. Mix in the juice of ½ lemon, 1 tbs mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside until use and stir whenever you remember. Boil the potatoes in water with a good pinch of salt (no need to peel).

Remove the beetroot from the oven. Let cool, peel and cut into wedges. Cut the drained potatoes in half. Cut the herring into pieces and finely chop the dill.

Mix 2 tbs olive oil under the marinated red onion. Place in a large bowl and mix in the beetroot, potatoes and most of the dill. Finish with the herring and the rest of the dill. Give everything a few extra turns of the pepper mill and a pinch of salt. 

Serve the salad preferably lukewarm.

* Or 200 g herring fillets in vinegar

**Or 1 tbs brine vinegar from the herring

Roasted pointed cabbage

For ➍

1 pointed cabbage (+/- 500 g)

4 tbs olive oil

2 tbs mustard

1 tbs lemon juice

pinch of salt

75 g grated Emmenthal

handful of pine nuts *

 

Preheat the  oven to 180 ° C.  Grease an oven dish.

Make a dressing with olive oil, mustard, lemon juice and salt.

Cut the pointed cabbage in half lengthwise and cut in half so that you get nice pointed quarters. Remove unsightly leaves and the hard core.

Coat the quarters with the dressing, use your hands or a brush to get it between the leaves as much as possible. Place the pointed cabbage in the oven dish and grate cheese over it.

Bake the cabbage quarters 30 m in the oven or until done and the cheese is crispy. Put if necessary 5 m per quarter in the microwave.

Roast pine nuts or other nuts or seeds of your choice briefly in a dry frying pan and chop roughly.

Sprinkle the roasted seeds, nuts or seeds over the cabbage just before serving. Serve with chicken meat balls as a main course.

*optionally

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.

Salade niçoise dressing

For ➏*
10 cl red-wine vinegar
2 ½ tbs minced shallot
2 ts French mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced & mashed to a paste with ½ ts salt
½ ts anchovy paste (or mince a few anchovy)
25 cl extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ tbs minced fresh thyme
1 ½ tbs finely chopped fresh basil

Whisk together vinegar, shallot, mustard, garlic paste, and anchovy paste in a small bowl until combined well. Add oil slowly. Whisk in thyme, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with fresh tuna & salade niçoise .

*It is quite difficult to get the dressing right with smaller quantities. Make some more and put in the fridge, keeping the salad ingredients apart, or take ⅓ of quantities for 2.

Read more Provençal recipes: fresh tuna & salade niçoise , Provençal garlic sauce, old-fashioned salade niçoise, Saint-Tropez (Provençal) chicken.

Lemon herb salmon & zucchini

For ➍
4 zucchini, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs brown sugar, packed
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbs Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ ts dried dill
½ ts dried oregano
¼ ts dried thyme
¼ ts teaspoon dried rosemary
4 salmon fillets
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, dill, oregano, thyme and rosemary; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
Place zucchini in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add salmon in a single layer and brush each salmon filet with herb mixture.
Place into oven and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 16-18 m.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Roasted chicken with clementines & arak

For ➍
6 tbs arak (or ouzo or pernod)
4 tbs olive oil
3 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs grainy mustard
3 tbs light brown sugar
1½ ts kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
2 medium fennel bulbs cut lengthwise, then into quarters
8 chicken thighs (about 1.3 kg)*
4 clementines, unpeeled, sliced thin
1 tbs fresh thyme leaves
2 ts fennel seeds, lightly crushed
parsley, to garnish

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together arak, oil, orange and lemon juices, mustard, brown sugar and salt. Season with pepper, to taste. Add fennel, chicken, clementine slices, thyme and crushed fennel seeds. Turn several times to coat. If time allows marinate chicken for several hours or preferably overnight.**
Preheat oven to 220°C. Tranfer all ingredients, including marinade, to a large roasting pan. Chicken should be skin side up. Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, 35-45 m.*** Remove from the oven.
Lift chicken, fennel and clementines on a serving plate. Cover and keep warm.
Pour cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then simmer until sauce is reduced and you are left with about 8 cl (⅓ cup). You can degrease by using a spoon to remove some of the fat from top of the sauce.
Pour heated sauce over chicken. Garnish with parsley and serve. Serve with jasmine rice. Or with Greek lemon roasted potatoes.

*Or 1 large organic or free-range chicken, about 1.3 kg, divided into 8 pieces.
**Omit the marinade. Put the chicken and marinade in oven when it is pre-heating.
***Vegetables and fruit might be a little bit overcooked with this time-schedule. Add vegetables and fruit 10-15 m after chicken and marinade to have them crispier. When fowl meat is cut in smallish pieces (4x4 cm), all the cooking can be finished in some 20 m.
Otherwise, or when the chicken is not cooked through after this time, remove chicken and give it a microwave heat burst (1 m/ 100 g).

Okonomiyaki sauce

For ➍
4 tbs ketchup
1½ Worcestershire sauce
¼ ts mustard
1 tbs rice cooking wine or sake
1 ts soy sauce
1 tbs honey (use 2 if you like a sweeter sauce)
⅛ ts ground ginger

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and let simmer for 3 to 5 m, until smooth and thick.
Serve with okonomiyaki.

Cocotte de poulet au cidre (French chicken stew with cider)

For ➍
1 large chicken, cut in 6
pepper & salt
1 tbs butter or oil
250 g mushrooms, quartered
2 thick slices salted bacon, diced
3 celery stems, diced
50 cl cider
5 sprigs lemon thyme
2 leaves laurel
10 cl cream*
1 tbs mustard
parsley, cut

Heat the butter or oil in a large pot. Add the chicken pieces. Add salt and pepper. Brown lightly. Remove from the pot.
Add the mushrooms, bacon and celery to the pot. Sauté for a few m.
Put the chicken pieces on top. Add the cider. Add the thyme and laurel.
On low fire, cook for 1.5 h**, half covered.
Remove the meat and thicken the sauce. Add the mustard and cream. Add the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serve with a crispy baguette*** to dip the sauce.

*Use fresh creamed goat cheese (or Philadelphia cheese) instead.
**Reduce cooking time with smaller or fewer pieces to 45-50 m, such as a pair of chicken legs of +/- 500 g.
***Bake or toast slices.

Light avocado & tomato salad

For ➋-➍ as salad or side-dish
1 tbs minced shallot
1 tbs minced fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
½ ts Dijon mustard*
½ ts maple syrup
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
270 g gourmet tomato medley**
1 large avocado, pitted & thinly sliced
1 tbs fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped (for garnish)
100 g feta, crumbled***
salt & pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and chopped parsley. Very slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Wash and pat dry the gourmet medley tomatoes. Slice the small tomatoes in half, and quarter the larger ones. Place the tomatoes in a large mixing bowl.
Pour half of the vinaigrette over the tomatoes. Toss to combine.
Arrange tomatoes in the center of a serving platter and drizzle additional vinaigrette over top, if desired. Arrange avocado slices around the tomatoes in a single or double layer.
Garnish the entire dish with crumbled feta and chopped fresh parsley. Alternatively, you can simply toss everything together and pour into a bowl or onto a plate.****

*gluten free if possible
**or cherry tomatoes
***or crumbled goat cheese or sliced halloumi
****serve as a side dish with roasted chicken, a hearty white fish, or grilled tofu kebabs

Lamb steaks with chats & Brussels sprouts

For ➍
600 g chat potatoes*, halved
350 g Brussels sprouts
40 g butter, chopped
8 trimmed lamb steaks
1 small onion, chopped
6 cl white wine
12.5 cl beef stock
1 ts Dijon mustard
1 tbs chives, chopped

Boil potatoes and sprouts, separately, in medium pans of boiling water, uncovered, until tender. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt half the butter in a large frying pan, add the steaks and cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until cooked as desired. Remove from the pan, cover to keep warm.
Add onion to the same pan, cook, stirring, until softened. Add wine to the pan, then add the stock and mustard and simmer, uncovered, until hot.
Toss remaining butter and chives through the hot potatoes.
Serve lamb with the sauce, potatoes and sprouts.

*Or small new potatoes.

Boudins d'Amay (Belgian pudding sausages with sweet potatoes, turnips & parsnips)

For ➍
4 boudins blancs de Liège (white sausages with pork meat, bread and marjoram)
4 boudins noirs (black pudding sausages) with raisins
4 parsnips
4-6 sweet potatoes
3-4 rutabaga/swedes (purple turnips)
1 tbs honey
4 onions
2 ts sirop de Liège
4 garlic cloves
3 ts mustard
4 ts cranberry jam
fleur de sel
Espelette pepper
olive oil
butter

Dip the unpeeled parsnip in salted water and boil for 15 m. Cool in ice-water, rub the skin off.
Cut the parsnips into thick slices and brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle with fleur de sel, and toast the slices on both sides on a grill. Drizzle with (mandarin) oil and give them a whirl with the pepper mill.
Meanwhile put unpeeled sweet potatoes, in an oven @ 200°C. Roast for 45 m.
Put 4 unpeeled onions in the oven and let them yarn. Peel the sweet potatoes, rub the sweet potatoes with olive oil and a little sesame oil, sprinkle with fleur de sel, a little Espelette pepper and honey. Put the sweet potatoes in a baking dish with butter and bake them a little more.
Peel the onions, arrange them with some crushed garlic cloves in a baking dish. Peel the rutabaga turnips, cut into cubes. Fry them briefly in olive oil and add them to the baking dish. Brown a little butter and spread over the turnips. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper. Put the baking dish in the oven for 40 m @ 180-200°C. Toss a few times.
Mix 3 ts mustard with 4 (or more) ts of cranberry jam.
Slice black pudding sausages with raisins and white Liege tripes. Fry in foaming butter.
Arrange the sweet potato, roasted parsnips, turnips on the warmed plates. Dress the turnips with a spoonful of syrup of Liège. Put the sliced sausages next to a generous serving of the mixed mustard. If desired, garnish with parsley and sesame seeds.

*Alternatively, clean and slice the vegetables. Steam for 20 m and grill them lightly.

*Or peel the vegetables, cut  into small parts, preheat an oven to 200°C, put the vegetables on baking paper (each in  small group of its own), spray with olive oil, bake them for about 25 m. Dress the vegetables with honey, mustard & jam, butter, as indicated in the recipe.

Fennel-scented salmon with lentil & spinach salad

For ➋
100 g French green lentils, rinsed & debris removed
50 cl water
1 bay leaf
1½ tbs sherry wine vinegar
1 ts Dijon mustard
½ ts plus ⅛ ts sea salt, divided
4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1½ tbs minced shallot
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
2 [wild Alaskan] salmon fillets (150 g each)
⅛ ts pepper
⅛ ts ground fennel seed (or fennel pollen, if available)
2 handfuls baby spinach
6 cornichons, for garnish

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Prepare lentil salad. Combine lentils, water, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 m, until lentils are tender. Drain and discard bay leaf. 
While lentils are cooking, make the dressing.
Stir together sherry wine vinegar, mustard, and ½ ts salt in a small bowl. Gradually add 3 ½ tbs olive oil, whisking constantly, until emulsified. While lentils are still hot, add shallot, parsley, and ¾ of the dressing, and toss to combine. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Cook salmon. Wipe salmon dry with a paper towel. Brush an ovenproof baking dish with a little of the remaining olive oil, and set salmon fillet inside, skin side down. Brush salmon with the remaining olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and fennel seed. Bake until just cooked through, about 20 m.
To serve, divide spinach between 2 plates. Top each with lentil salad and a fillet of salmon. Drizzle the remaining dressing on the spinach and garnish with the cornichons.

♥︎Fat-free orange vinaigrette

For ➍
4 tbs orange juice
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs Dijon mustard
2 ts honey
⅛ ts coarsely ground black pepper

Put orange juice, vinegar, mustard, honey and pepper in a jar with tight-fitting lid. Shake until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. 
Use with oriental or summer salads.

*The vinaigrette will keep a week in the fridge. Shake before serving.

Guinea fowl salad

For➍
1 guinea fowl
1 focaccia
⅛ cauliflower
1 beetroot
1 jar green asparagus
150 g bacon
4 eggs
1 bunch watercress
1 scallion
3 tbs green peas
8 small potatoes
2 dl corn oil
2 egg yolks
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs mustard
sugar
olive oil

Cut the bacon into strips. Fry until crispy.
Cut fillets of the guinea fowl and cut it into strips, season with salt and pepper and fry until golden brown in olive oil.
Cut cubes from the focaccia, season with salt and pepper and fry in oil.
Peel and wash the beets, cut into cubes and cook until al dente.
Clean the cauliflower, pull them into florets and cook until al dente.
Poach the eggs in water with salt and vinegar.
Boil the potatoes in their skins, peel and halve them. Cut the vegetables finely and mix them with the potatoes.
Make a dressing with the corn oil, egg yolks, white wine vinegar, mustard and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the vegetable salad on a plate. Top with a poached egg and a few strips of guinea fowl. Finish with the focaccia cubes, the dressing and some chopped chives.