Pepernoten

Pepernoten (literally, 'pepper nuts', the Dutch equivalent of Pfeffernüsse) are a cookie-like kind of confectionery, traditionally associated with the early December Sinterklaas holiday in the Netherlands. Source wikipedia
Kruidnoten are a part of the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition, just like speculaas. Sinterklaas eve is celebrated on the 5th of December, his birthday is on the 6th.

Ingredients:
100 gr self raising flour
50 gr butter
50 gr brown sugar
2 tablsp milk
1 tablsp biscuit Spices

Directions
Mix all the ingredients well to a dough and form about 100 small balls. Put these on a greased baking tray and bake 12 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius. A simple recipe you can easily make with kids.

How to make biscuitspices:
30 gr cinnamon
10 cardamon pods, cut open and use inside seed
19 gr ginger
10 gr nutmeg
5 gr white pepper
5 gr anis seeds
5 gr coriander seeds
10 gr cloves
Put all spices together and crush them; put them through a sieve and crush the remaining big pieces. Store the spices dark and cool.

Couscous Salad

This nice salad you can prepare in advance, so easy when you are having a dinner with friends.

Ingredients:
250 gr couscous
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 green pepper
roasted pepper
2 spring onions
olive oil
cider vinegar
coriander
parsley
spearmint
salt
pepper

Directions:
Cook the couscous according the instructions on the package, because there are many sorts of couscous and each has its own way to prepare better check the instructions. Cut all the vegetables in very small pieces. Put the couscous in a bowl and add the fine cut vegetables. Add also fresh fine cut herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil and cider vinegar. Put it in the fridge to cool.

Roasted peppers

It isn't always possible to roast peppers on the bbq but it gives them just that extra flavor. The alternative is the oven. So this time I'm going to roast them in the oven.

Ingredients:
all sorts of colored peppers
olive oil
cider vinegar
oregano
jars


Directions:
Preheat the oven at 220°C and put the peppers in an ovenproof dish. Place the peppers into the oven and after 15 minutes turn them around. Leaves them in the oven another 15 minutes.

After half an hour take them out of the oven and cover the dish with tin foil and leave it for 30 min. The skin will go off easily this way. Peel them, get the seeds out and cut them in big long pieces. Don’t wash them with water because it will lose the nice flavor. Put the colored peppers nicely in a jar and pour olive oil and some cider vinegar on it until the jar is full. Add some oregano into the jar and shake a bit so that the oregano is all over. Leave this for at least one day before eating. You can keep these peppers in the fridge for about a week.

Peppers, zucchini, chicken filet and couscous

Today I made this simple and fast stir fry dish. I made this with couscous but you also can take rice if you're not familiar with couscous.

Ingredients:
2 red peppers
1 zucchini, I had a yellow one
1 red onion
2 chicken filets
Cornstarch or cornflower
Olive oil
Couscous or rice
Salt
Pepper
Coriander

Directions:
Cut the onion, peppers and zucchini in pieces. Cut the chicken filet in small pieces. Put the chicken filet in a bowl; add salt, pepper, olive oil and just a bit of cornstarch, this keeps the chicken more tender. Fry the chicken filet in some hot oil. Take the chicken out and put it aside. Fry the onion and the peppers a few minutes and add the zucchini. Put the chicken filet back in and stir fry this all together a few minutes. Cut the coriander leaves in small pieces and add this at the end when your dish is ready. Cook the couscous according the instructions on the package.

Beef with Eggplant tomato sauce

Sometimes I don't have a clue what to make for dinner so I look in my fridge and there arises a new dish like this one.





Ingredients:
600 gr beef
2 eggplants/ aubergine
1 big onion
2 Canned chopped tomatoes
Pepper
Salt
Sugar
Chili pepper
Oregano
Olive oil

Directions:
Cut the beef in large pieces. Cut the eggplant in slices and chop the onion in small pieces. Put salt on the eggplant and leave it for a while, this will take the moist out of the eggplant and keeps it from absorbing the oil. Make it dry with paper. Fry the slices eggplant in the hot oil. Put it on a plate with some paper to absorb the oil. Fry in the oil also the pieced of beef until it has a nice brown color. Take the beef out and put it aside. Fry the onion in the oil for a few minutes, add the tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, little sugar, chili and oregano. Stir this good and add the slices of eggplant and pieces of beef. Add some water and let it cook until the beef is ready.

Pesto with rocket leaves

This is an easy to make recipe and better than the pesto you buy in the supermarket.

Ingredients:
400 gr of any kind of dried pasta
4 tablespoons of pine nuts
3 garlic cloves
sea salt
handful of fresh basil leaves
2 hands full of fresh rocket leaves
a handful of grated parmesan cheese
olive oil

Directions:
Roast the pine nuts in a frying pan without any oil until they are golden brown. Crush the peeled garlic with some salt. Add the basil and rocket leaves. Leave some rocket leaves for decoration. Crush it all until it is a nice green puree. Crush the roasted pine nuts and add it with the parmesan cheese. Mix it with some olive oil until you have a nice thick sort of sauce. Cook the pasta "al dente" in some salty water. Drain it and put it on plates. Add the pesto and the rest of the rocket leaves and mix it.

Stuffed tomatoes and peppers- Gemista

A dish that you can make with and without minced meat so its also suitable for vegetarians.

Ingredients:
5 big tomatoes
4 peppers
Patatoes
Olive oil
1 cup of risotto rice. Count 1 1/2 tablespoon rice per vegetable
(250 gr minced meat If you want meat)
1 big onion
Canned chopped tomatoes
Zucchini
Few patatoes
Salt
Pepper
Spearmint
Parsley
Oregano
1 1/2 cup of water

Directions:
Cut off the top of the tomatoes and peppers. Use a small spoon to get out the inside of the tomatoes. Cut the inside out of the peppers with a knife. Try not to poke through the skin otherwise the filling will go out.
Chop de inside of the tomatoes and save it for stuffing later.
Cut the onion and zucchini in small pieces. Cut the cleaned potatoes in parts. Fry the onion in some oil. Add the rice bit by bit so it’s all covered with oil. Add if you want the minced meat now and fry it, leave this out if you don’t want meat. Add now salt, pepper, parsley and mint and fry it. Put the little pieces from the inside of the tomatoes and the little pieces of the zucchini also in your pan and fry this also. Take your vegetables and stuff them with this filling and cover them with their tops. Put them in a dish for the oven and put pieces of tomatoes around it. Mix the can of tomatoes with some oil, water, salt, pepper and oregano and pour this around the vegetables. Put it in the oven at 180ºC for 1 1/2 hour. Check if you don’t need to add some more water in between. This dish is ready when the patatoes are soft.