Pizza

serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

For the dough:

* 500g Flour

* 1 bag of instant yeast (7 g)

* 250 ml warm water

* 1 spoon salt

* 1 spoon sugar

* 1 spoon oliveoil

* Oregano (optional)

For the sauce:

* 150ml passata

* Italian herbs

* Oregano (optional)

* 4 gloves of fresh garlic, minced

* 1 spoon salt

* 1 spoon olive oil

Preparation:

Put the flour in a big bowl, along with the salt and the oregano.

Add the yeast to the water, and add a whiff of sugar, and put the rest of the sugar in the flour mix.

Stir the yeast mix until the yeast is dissolved, and leave alone for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes there should be foam on the yeast, then you know it is ready. If not, throw it away and try again.

If the yeast is good, put it in the flour mix and stir to blend until all water is absorbed. Now add the olive oil and start kneading until it is sticky like a post-it note. It should still be sticky, but also let go easily. Knead it in a ball and leave alone in the bowl for an hour covered with a moist cloth.

(Tip: if it is still too sticky, slowly add a bit of flour)

Meanwhile we prepare the sauce by mixing all ingredients listed above. 

Another options is to use tomato puree instead of passata, and a bit of water to make it thinner. You can even leave out the garlic, some people also add a teaspoon of mustard, or go crazy and use barbecue sauce instead. It is up to you!

After the hour is done, push the air out of the dough, make a ball again, and leave alone for one hour more.

Now it is time to make your pizza, make 3 balls out of the dough and put some flour on your counter and use a rolling pin to make the pizza in whatever form you like, personally I use a rectangle form, since that is the size of my oven dish, and it is easier to separate for two people.

I also like to fold the edges up a bit so it is easier to hold once it is done.

Preheat the oven on the highest heat. I used 250 degrees Celsius.

Now cover the pizza with the sauce, and your favourite toppings. A tip here, if you use cheese, put 1/3 of the amount on the sauce, cover with your toppings and put the rest (2/3) of the cheese over the toppings for the best result.

For me it took only 15 to 20 minutes until the pizza was done, but I advice to keep an eye on your culinary creation!

In case you are curious about the toppings I used on my picture it is;
Minced meat, mixed with a self made herb mixture, onion, tomato, paprika and mushroom. As for the cheese, I used a small amount of Gouda and a bit more of Mozzarella.

Enjoy your pizza!

Mike & Leda

Gumbo

serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:

For the cajun herbs:

* 1 spoon garlic powder

* 1 spoon onion powder

* 2 teaspoons white pepper

* 2 teaspoons black pepper

* 1,5 teaspoon cayenne pepper

* 2 teaspoons thyme

* 0,5 teaspoon oregano

* Salt to taste

For the roux:

* flour

* butter/oil

For the dish:

* Cajun herbs

* 3 spoons of roux

* 2 middle sized onions

* 1 paprika

* celery

* 1 can okra (300 g)

* 1 can of tomato cubes

* 1 spoon tomato puree

* 60 g butter

* 2 garlic cloves

* 2 bay leaves

* 0,5 teaspoon piment

* Tabasco to taste

* 1 spoon worcestersauce

* 2 liters fish stock

* 500 gram middle sized shrimp

* andalouie sausage ( or "Gelderse gekookte worst" if you can't find it in the Netherlands)

* Rice 

Preparation:

Start by making the roux, you do this by having an evenly distributed amount of flour and oil or butter. I used oil. Heat up a pan and warm up the oil until it starts to get hot. Add a quarter of the flour and keep stirring on medium heat. Slowly add more and more flour until you reached an even amount of oil and flour. Keep stirring until it reaches a dark brown colour. It should not burn! Keep stirring, this is very important, but you can also take the pan from the heat and stir for 30 seconds before putting it back. When the roux is finished, put it aside. 

Rinse the okra and set aside for later.

Finely cut all the vegetables and the garlic. Stir fry the onion, paprika and celery on low heat for 2 - 3 minutes then add the garlic and the sausage. Put the heat on the lowest setting and let it cook for 10 - 20 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Meanwhile start boiling the rice.

Now add the Okra, the tomato cubes and the tomato puree to the vegetables, along with all the herbs, worcestersauce and tabasco. Stir thorougly and let it cook for 2 minutes. Now add the fish stock and the roux and mix until blended. Bring to the boil, turn the heat low and keep stirring occasionally for 15 minutes while it simmers. Now add the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes more and your dish is ready. Bring to taste with salt and pepper if you like.

Serve immediately with the rice.

Enjoy your meal,

Mike & Leda

Surinamese Broccoli

serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

* 1 kg Broccoli

* 500 g Chicken breast

* 1 Middle sized onion

* 2 Tomatoes

* 2 Garlic cloves

* 2 Maggi cubes

* 1 spoon Ketjap Manis

* 1 spoon Ketjap asin

* 100 ml water

* 2 Spoons sunflower oil

* Salt to taste

* Pepper to taste

* Peanut sauce (ready to use, self made or my recipe )

* Optional: 1 Madam jeanette if you want it spicy.

Preparation:

Finely cut the onion and garlic cloves, and cut the tomato and chicken in cubes. Cut the broccoli in florets.

Heat up a saute pan and stir fry the onion on medium heat until it looks glassy. Add the tomato and garlic (and madam jeanette if you use it) and stir fry for one minute more. 

Now add the chicken and stir fry until all the sides are gold brown. Now crumble the maggi and add to the mix, along with both the ketjap. Stir well.

Finally add the broccoli and the water and mix well. Bring to the boil and lower the heat to let it simmer for 10 minutes more.

After 10 minutes, check if the broccoli is as soft as you want it, if not boil a bit more.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with rice or noodles and the peanut sauce on top.

Enjoy your meal!

Mike & Leda