Coconut milk mussels

There's nothing more Belgian than digging hands first in a bowl full of fresh juicy mussels. Shamefully I never cooked mussels the Belgian way. Since I first made coconut milk mussels everybody was hooked and it became the superquick dish that never fails with guests. Including guests who never eat seafood. Or coconut milk.


Coconut milk mussels for 4
2 kilos cleaned fresh mussels
1 tbsp oil
2 shallots
3 cloves garlic
thumbsized piece of ginger
thumbsized piece of galangal (optional)
2 - 4 thai chilis
1 tbsp ground turmeric (optional)
4 stalks lemongrass
2 tomatoes
2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
juice from 2 limes
4 kaffir lime leaves, cut in very fine strips
handful of chopped herbs (coriander, thai basil)
400 ml coconut milk

Cut the shallots, garlic, chilis, ginger and galangal in large pieces. Whizz them in a food processor until you obtain a paste.

Take the largest pot you own and make sure it has a lid that fits snuggly.

In a little oil fry the paste until it starts to smell very nicely. Pour over the coconut milk. Add the turmeric if using.

Bruise the lemongrass stalks with the back of a knife, cut in two and throw in the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Peel the tomatoes, cut in dices and add them to the pot.

When the tomatoes are soft, add the mussels. Turn the heat on maximum, cover with the lid and wait 3 minutes without lifting the lid.

Check if the majority of mussels have opened. If not, replace the lid for another 2 minutes. Discard any mussels left unopened after this time.

Take away from heat and fish out the lemongrass stalks. Gently stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and the herbs. Sprinkle with kaffir lime leaves. You can add more chili - we always do.

Distribute the mussels between 4 bowls, ladle the coconut sauce on top and serve with fluffy thai rice.

This recipe makes 0.5kilos/person of pure goodness.

Beef with chocolate sauce & peach purée

You're not a proper chocoholic until you put chocolate in a savory dish. Though I'm far from being utterly crazy about chocolate, I happen to have the odd craving now and then. This is the dish that came up when I craved chocolate AND a steak at the same time.

Beef with chocolate sauce for 2
2 beef steaks
2 knobs of butter
50g bacon
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
2 cups red wine
1 cup unsalted beef broth
2 tsp whole peppercorns
a few sprigs of thyme
2 laurel leaves
2 tbsp dark chocolate broken in small bits
cocoa powder to decorate

Heat the butter in a casserole on a medium heat until it foams. Brown the bacon. Remove it from the pot and set aside.

Finely cut the shallot and garlic cloves. Put the shallot and garlic in the casserole and cook until soft.

Pour over the red wine and add the thyme, laurel leaves and whole peppercorns. Take the bacon and place back in the pot. Lower the heat and let simmer until the liquid has almost dissapeared.

Add the unsalted beef broth and reduce again. When ready, pass the sauce through a fine sieve to get rid of all the bits and pieces.

You should now have a few spoonfuls of concentrated and flagrant sauce.

With the sauce well away from heat, drop in the chocolate bits and stir well to dissolve. The sauce will become rich, dark and glossy. Give it a taste - depending on the chocolate you used, you might need to add a teaspoon of honey or brown sugar.

Now it's time to prepare the beef steaks. Pat dry and season on both sides. Heat the second knob of butter in a skillet and sear the steaks to your liking. Let rest for a few minutes while you reheat the chocolate sauce. Do it on the lowest heat and watch closely not to burn the chocolate.

Slice the steaks, arrange on plates and pour over the chocolate sauce. Sprinkle some cocoa on top and serve.


The chocolate sauce also matches wonderfully with lamb or venison, so get creative and experiment. You can also make a larger quantity of sauce and freeze it until the next special occasion (just add the chocolate afterwards).

Sweet potato & peach purée for 2
2 orange sweet potatoes
2 fresh peaches
know of butter
bit of salt

Bring some salted water to a boil. Plunge the peaches in for a few seconds and then cool in a bowl of cold water. Now the skins will easily come off. Peel, stone and cut in quarters.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in dices. Boil for 5 minutes, then add the peach quarters. Continue boiling until you can easily pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork.

Using a food processor, blend the sweet potatoes and peaches to a smooth purée. Stir in the butter and abandon yourself to the new taste.

This recipe makes 0.4kilos/person of pure goodness.

Pineapple creamy pork

A superfast way to cook pork and a very tasty one too. Pork meat pairs exceptionally well with fruit and today's choice is juicy ripe pineapple, soaked in a luscious sweet and sour sauce.

Pineapple creamy pork for two
4 - 6 lean pork fillets (tenderloin is best)

1 onion, diced
1 knob of butter

1/2 ripe pineapple, diced

1 - 2 tbsp sultanas or dried plums (optional)

1/2 glass sherry/white port
1 tbsp fresh thyme

200ml cream

salt & pepper

Heat the butter in a skillet until it foams. Pat dry the pork fillets with a paper towel and sprinkle on both sides with salt & pepper. Sear on medium heat until brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same skillet add the onion (you might need a bit more butter). Turn the heat down to low. Gently fry the onion until it turns very soft, sweet and sticky, like an onion confit.

When the onion is meltingly soft, deglaze by adding sherry. Use a spatula to scrap the pan and displace any tasty bits that might have stuck to the bottom. Add the pinneaple dices and sultanas. Scatter thyme leaves on top. Return the pork to the pan with its juices and cook for 15 - 20 minutes. Add some water if the liquid evaporates too quickly.

Last thing is to add the cream, stir and taste. If strangely not sweet enough, you can drop in a dollop of honey.

Serve with rice, vegetables of your choice and lots of sauce. Delicious.

This recipe makes 0.4kilos/person of pure goodness.

Mediterranean beef brochettes with parmesan polenta

What would be a sunny summer day without a barbecue? Try new bold flavours with this recipe that combines juicy beef with zingy fresh lemon. You can substitute beef for lamb or even salmon.


Beef brochettes for four
500g ground beef
breadcrumbs from 1 slice of bread
1 egg
1 small onion
2 tbsp capers
1/2 cup white wine
juice & zest from 1 lemon
handful chopped black olives
oregano
parsley
1 tsp salt
ground black pepper

Finely dice the onion. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and saute the onion on medium heat until it softens. Add the capers, lemon juice & zest and the white wine. Cook for a further 10 minutes, until almost all liquid has evaporated. Let cool.

Mix the the ground beef with breadcrumbs, the egg and the onion mixture. Add the olives and chopped herbs. Season well with salt & pepper.

Form balls the size of a walnut and arrange on a plate. Put them in the fridge for at least one hour - this will harden the composition and prevent your brochettes from falling apart during cooking. The longer you leave the flavours to blend, the tastier your brochettes will become.

While the meat is in the fridge, fill a pot with water and soak some wooden skewers. This way they won't burn on the barbecue.

Slip 3 balls on each skewer and barbecue until nicely brown on all sides. If you're unlucky and it rains, you can also grill the brochettes in a bit of olive oil, in a pan.

Parmesan polenta for four
300g corn semolina
3-5 cups hot water
1 tbsp olive oil or knob of butter
100g gratted parmesan
1 tsp salt

A good polenta takes time to make, but the good news is that you can prepare it way ahead and keep in the fridge until serving time.

What you'll need is a pot filled with salted boiling water. Drizzle the corn semolina really slowly over the boiling water and stir well. And when I say drizzle, I really mean it. The trick is to pour the semolina constantly and in a fine rain, otherwise you'll get lumps.

Lower the heat (almost to a minimum, or it will splatter) and keep stiring. You're going to be there for at least half an hour, but it's very important not to stop stiring. The polenta can stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. Add more hot water when necessary.

The polenta is cooked when it peels off the sides of the pot. The consistency should be creamy but some people like it firmer - it's up to you.

Now you can take the polenta off the heat and stir in the olive oil/butter and gratted parmesan. You can also add a sprinkle of dried mediterranean herbs.

If you plan to serve the polenta later, pour it while it's hot in an oiled baking tray. Leave it to cool. Later you can cut it in squares and heat those for a couple of minutes on the barbecue. It is also very good cold.

This recipe makes 0.4kilos/person of pure goodness.

Chinese noodle salad

There's no asian soup or stir fry that doesn't scream for noodles. Noodles come in so many shapes, thicknesses, flavours and ingredients you can never get bored. But as summer approaches and the temperature outside is already scorching hot, boiling soup or firing woks is just out of the question.

But if you still fancy a dish full of chinese flavours, get cooking and make yourself this simple and tasty noodle salad.


Chinese noodle salad for four
1 pack of rice noodles
2 chicken breasts, cooked
1 cucumber
2 carrots
some spring onions
fresh coriander & mint
toasted peanuts

Sauce
4 tbsp peanut butter
4 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chinese cooking wine or sherry
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar or honey
2 garlic gloves, finely cut
thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
1 tbsp water

Mix the ingredients for the sauce. It might look chunky at the beginning, so keep stiring until it becomes smooth. Add some water if it looks too thick. Put aside.

Soften the noodles in hot water or cook according to pack instructions. Let cool.

Finely cut the chicken breasts. Slice the cucumber, cut the carrots in thin sticks, chop the spring onions.

Mix noodles with the chopped ingredients and cover with the sauce. Sprinkle with herbs and peanuts.

Gulp.

This recipe makes 0.35kilos/person of pure goodness.

Prosciutto & lemon roast chicken

Roast chicken is probably one of the most popular dishes to appear on "favorite food" lists. It's a favorite on our table too and every time I roast one I experiment with new flavours. Prosciutto will give your roast a deep earthiness and lemons a zingy fresh taste. Pair with rosemary and you already have a sophisticated chicken that will fill the house with a mouthwatering smell.


Prosciutto & lemon roast chicken for four
1 whole chicken
100g prosciutto
2 lemons
5 sprigs rosemary
1 glass of sherry (or white wine)
salt & pepper

Mustard mashed potatoes
8 floury potatoes
2 laurel leaves
1 tbsp thyme
butter
double cream
salt
4 tbsp grainy mustard (I ♥ La Maille)

Preheat your oven at 175˚C.

Lightly season the chicken with salt & pepper. Zest your lemons and juice one of them. Throw the prosciutto, lemon juice and zest in a food processor. Whizz until you obtain a smooth paste.

Now prepare to get a bit messy. Take the chicken and using your hand work your way under the skin of the breasts until you pull it apart from the meat. Continue towards the legs. Careful not to rip the skin.

Spread the prosciutto paste under the skin on the legs and breasts, trying to reach all the hidden spots. Place one sprig of rosemary on each leg and two on the breasts. Place your leftover whole lemon and rosemary in the cavity of the chicken. Fit the skin with a toothpick if it's too loose.

By stuffing the skin of the chicken you'll prevent the breasts from drying out while still enjoying perfect crisp skin.

Place your chicken in a roasting pan with the sherry or white wine. Pop in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, checking from time to time if the liquid has not dried out. Rest the chicken for 10 minutes before carving.

Owners of microwave ovens, don't despair: you too can prepare this roast. Put your chicken in an oven bag (unless you're up for cleaning splutter) and roast for 24 minutes on maximum power. You'll need to turn over the meat at half time. Though the skin will somehow get a nice golden color, you might want to brown the chicken in a pan with a little oil before you put in the oven.


While the chicken roasts, prepare the mashed potatoes.

Peel the potatoes, dice them and boil in salted water with laurel leaves and thyme. Mash them while still hot and add butter and double cream until you reach the perfect consistency. Stir in the grainy mustard and taste. Amazing, isn't it?

This recipe makes 0.4kilos/person of pure goodness.

Japanese salmon & avocado

If you never made sushi, or especially if you have and know how much trouble it is, go for this spectacular dish that delivers all the right flavours but is put together in less than 30 minutes. The combination of raw oily salmon and lemony avocados is just too good to be true.

Using extremely fresh fish is essential, so if you're not sure about its quality, skip this recipe. If your salmon smells fishy as well, it has certainly been dead for a too long time and you can, without regret, feed it to the garbage bin.

This is the right time to invest in a good quality soy sauce. Often it's the only ingredient you need to turn a dish into something special. I used Kikkoman until they changed the recipe making it completely tasteless. Fortunately I discovered Shoda, a japanese brand that uses non-GMO soy beans to produce their sauce and a very secret recipe that has a fabulous flavour.


Japanese salmon & avocado for two
2 ripe avocados
1 sushi-quality salmon fillet
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 limes, juiced
thumb sized piece of ginger
2 spring onions
fresh coriander leaves
1 tsp wasabi
salt
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted for 2 min in a pan without oil
1 red chili

Slice the salmon diagonally into smaller rectangular pieces. Finely grate the ginger and mix with the soy sauce and the juice from 1 lime. Pour over the salmon slices and marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Peel & cut the avocados in small chunks. Sprinkle immediately with lime juice to prevent them turning brown. Add salt and wasabi to taste. Chop the coriander and 1 spring onion. Combine with the avocado.

Now you're ready to begin plating (if you're really hungry, skip this step and throw everything together on a plate - no need to be fancy everyday).

Place a cake metal ring on your serving plate and gently push inside half of the avocado mixture. Roll the salmon slices into flower shapes and arrange on top. Pour over a bit of the salmon marinade. Lift the ring. Sprinkle with finely cut spring onions, chilis and toasted sesame seeds. Repeat for the other plate.

Serve with sushi rice (if you can't find any, basmati is a good replacement) in which you mix 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp of rice vinegar & 1 tsp of salt.

This recipe makes 0.3kilos/person of pure goodness.

Stuffed bell peppers with nuts & sultanas

There's something about nuts that makes me crave them every second day. To stop the (bad!) habit of continuously snacking on the couch I try to incorporate them into real meals. One succesful attempt is this dish with a tempting oriental flavour.


Nutty stuffed bell peppers for four
8 medium sized green bell peppers
1 cup of rice
1 cup of toasted chopped mixed nuts (walnuts, pistachios, almonds)
2/3 cup black sultanas
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tomatoes
2 cups of vegetable stock
lots of fresh parsley
lots of fresh mint
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of chili flakes
salt & pepper

Cut away the tops of the peppers and take out the seeds. Keep the tops, they will serve as lids.

Fry the diced onion in olive oil until it turns golden. Finely cut the garlic and add in the pan. Toss in the rice and cook for a few minutes until it turns translucent. Time to throw in half the chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup of stock. Stir and turn off heat.

Add the nuts, sultanas and fresh herbs. Season and don't forget the cinnamon.

Stuff the peppers with the mixture, leaving a small gap on top. The rice will increase its volume while it cooks and you don't want losing in the pot all the good stuffing. Snuggly fit the peppers into a casserole and pour over the rest of stock. Fit the remaining tomatoes in between the gaps.

Cover and simmer on a medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, until rice is tender. Check from time to time the level of liquid, the rice will absorb it quite fast. Add more stock if you have to. Serve the cute peppers with mint & yoghurt.

This recipe makes 0.3kilos/person of pure goodness.

Penne alla soprana

I do nick recipes, but this one was faithfully handed over to me by an extraordinary woman who still happily cooks at 84 years old. Lucia Stanescu has had a long career as one of the greatest sopranas in the world and meanwhile found time to use her artistic flair in many culinary creations.

Like many others, this recipe was put together in her sunny italian kitchen, on top of a woody hill. Not far from this hill lays a traditional farm which produces one of the tastiest extra virgin olive oils I ever tried. It really comes to life in dishes like this.


Penne alla soprana for four
1 pack of penne (I used whole wheat)
4 big ripe tomatoes
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 dried peperoncino
2 tablespoons of good olive oil
100g grated Grana Padano
100g grated Pecorino Romano
200g double cream
bunch of fresh basil
sale & pepe

I always start by boiling salted water for the pasta. Do so. Meanwhile, peel & cut the garlic cloves in two halves and heat them up in a spoonful of olive oil. When the flavour starts coming up, add the chopped tomatoes, the peperoncino and half the basil leaves. Leave to cook on medium heat about 5 minutes.

When the tomatoes are soft, take away from heat and add the grated Pecorino. Stir until it melts. Now keep your pan warm while you deal with draining the pasta.

Tip the penne into the sauce, add the grated Grana, the double cream & a splash of olive oil and mix until the sauce coats everything. Taste for salt and pepper.

Scatter basil leaves on top and help yourself to more parmesan.

This recipe makes 0.35kilos/person of pure goodness.