creative cook
I wanted to become a good cook and therefore never became a vegetarian. It’s not that I couldn’t miss meat. No, at that time, I actually ate vegetarian meals more often than I ate a meat based meal. Actually, I would have loved this Roasted beet risotto with goat cheese and walnuts.
Cook with what you’ve got, not to throw any produce, is one of my (very few!) kitchen rules. Although I can always dump leftovers on my compost pile, to me, that still feels a bit like wasting it. But what to do with a tree overhanging with fruits that you’ll never be able to eat before season’s over? Besides giving them away generously, I try to put it in any dish. And thankfully, my apples of unknown variety are great in this sensational Spinach Lentil Salad with Roasted Potatoes and Nuts with Balsamic Mayonnaise.
>> Interested in my apple tree?
I don’t know about you guys, but man, I do hate plain plane food. You know, the food they serve you when flying? For years, I’ve been refusing to eat it, getting the looks. But hey, the food I bring myself usually is much better, so I don’t care at all. On my recent trip to Europe* I had the best food ever. I made this Quinoa salad with radicchio and nuts and definitely will make it the next time I have to eat high in the sky.
After a week of camping and restaurant eating I craved for something I usually never make: chicken wings. Mr. Eats agreed and my cabinets inspired me to make these Whiskey Spiced Chicken Wings that cooked while we unpacked our car.
The more I cook and blog about it, the more I want my recipes to stand out. This Lemon risotto with arugula and salmon, for instance, really does. The bright lemon and spicy arugula balance really well with the smooth risotto and sweet salmon.
When I tell people in my cooking classes that probably the most difficult thing of cooking is to decide what to cook tonight, I’ll get a lot of smiling faces and glances of recognition. Because that IS the hardest part.
Also for me.
I also have those days that I really don’t know what to cook.
Every day again I’m making THE decision. What shall I cook tonight? What would I like to eat? What am I in the mood for?
If you’re tired of this answering this question, or would like to know how I stay inspired to find an answer on it every single day, read on.
>> Here!
I loved him. And hated him.
Jamie Oliver.
And those other cookbook authors.
But, Jamie Oliver in particular.
I love you, California. I really do. But you make it damn hard for me to get inspired what to cook for dinner. This sensational salad with fennel, fava beans, goat cheese and crunchy almonds didn’t came easy.
As a cooking instructor I like it when people listen to me. Follow my guide and instructions. At the same time I tell them not to listen too much to me. It has not really something to do with this recipe for the Turkish classic Imam bayildi, but in a way it does.
Imam bayildi is one of my all time Summer favorites. Ever since I learned to make these vegetarian, damn, vegan even, stuffed eggplants in 2006, I make them multiple times per Summer. They’re that good!
I guess I shouldn’t have sold the hide before I shot the bear.
Oh sorry! No please, read on. It’s not going to be brutal at all. It’s about a very good Italian plum cake and the weird way we Dutch express ourselves.