Tortellini with spinach

serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:

* 500g tortellini

* 250g smoked sausage

* 300g fresh spinach ( or frozen, adjust amount to your liking)

Additional:

* Jalapeño sauce
* Lemon juice

Preparation:

Boil the tortellini for 12 - 17 minutes.
Cut the smoked sausage in cubes. Heat up a saute or wok and add the sausage. Stir fry for 5 - 7 minutes. Add the fresh spinach and wait until it shrinks. Now add the tortellini and mix well.
If you use frozen spinach, make sure you precooked it.

It is a very simply dish, but it is really tasty!
Spinach is known for their oxalic acid, which gives you a weird taste. To make that a little less, use the lemon juice to sprinkle over the dish. For extra spice, add the jalapeño sauce.

I hope you like this dish and see you again soon!

Yours truly,

Mike

Peasoup

serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:

* 2L water

* 500g split peas

* 1 winter carrot

* 2 leeks

* 1 smoked sausage
* 1 celeriac

* 2 teaspoons of pepper

* 1 teaspoon of salt

* 1 herbs stock cube
* 1 beef stock cube

* 2 middle sized onions

Preparation:

Cut the carrot and celariac in small cubes, and the leek in half rings. Finely cut the onion. 

Put all the vegetables in a large pot with the peas, stock cubes and the water. 

Add one  teaspoon of pepper and bring to the boil. Keep stirring occasionally.

When the soup boils, lower the heat and close the lid. Let it simmer until the peas have dissolved.  

This could take a few hours. Be sure to stir every now and then.

When the soup has the right thickness, meaning, if the peas are dissolved, add the smoked sausage, 

cut in slices. Add the rest of the pepper, and salt too.

Let it cook for another 10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the soup is done.

Serve with rye bread and smoked bacon.

I hope you like this recipe, and I see you again soon!

Yours truly,

Mike

Curly kale mash with smoked sausage

serves 1 - 2

Ingredients:

* 500g potatoes

* 150g curly kale

* 1 smoked sausage ( or 2 small ones)

* 1 spoon of butter

* 50ml milk
* salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Yet another typical Dutch dish. As winter approaches I tend to fall back to the old traditional dishes, like mash, and since this is one of my favourite mash, I'm sharing it with you.

Peel the potatoes and cut in 4 pieces. Place in a pan, and add water until the potatoes are just a bit under water. Start to boil and once it boils lower the heat to medium and add the kale. Place the sausage on top, close the lid, and let it boil for 20 minutes.

When everything is boiled, removed the sausage and keep apart. Remove the plastic from the sausage. Now pour all the water out of the pan. Add the milk, butter and pepper and salt if you like and mix well by using a masher.

Serve with the sausage cut in slices, or like I did, right next to it.

I hope you like the recipe, and hopefully until soon!

Yours truly,

Mike