Smoked salmon pasta

serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:

* 200g smoked salmon

* Spring onion

* Mix of vegetables ( I used a mix of mushroom, onion and paprika)

* Your pasta of choice

* Cream cheese with herbs

* Tomato puree

Preparation:

Boil the pasta, meanwhile cut the salmon in small flakes. Cut the vegetables if needed ( since I used a pre cut package, I didn't have to). Heat up a saute pan and stir-fry the vegetables until they start to colour. Add some spring onion, in rings. Now turn the heat to low and add the salmon. Mix well. When the salmon starts to colour add the cream cheese. Blend well until they cheese melts. Now add the tomato puree and mix well.
Once the pasta is done serve the dish with the salmon mixture on top of the pasta. If you'd like you can also cut some rings of spring onion to decorate the dish.
I hope you like the recipe and hopefully I'll see you soon again. Bon apetite!

Yours truly,

Mike

Jalapeño Poppers

serves 1 - 2

Ingredients:

* 8 jalapeño peppers

* Cheddar cheese

* 1 egg

* Flour

* Breadcrumbs

* Oil

Additional:

* Cream cheese

* Bacon

Preparation:

Preheat your oven on 180C. You can also use a grill(pan) for this step.

Lightly spread some oil over the peppers. When the oven is done preheating lay the peppers on an ovendish and let them bake until the skin starts to blacken. Be sure to turn them around  halfway.

Take out of the oven and let it rest.
Meanwhile prepare one plate with flour, one with breadcrumbs. Seperate the eggyolk from the egg. Beat up the protein with a whisk until stiff. Now add the yolk and beat until mixed. Leave alone.
The peppers should be cool by now. Use a paper towel to peel the skin off, simply by brushing over the peppers. Once you got rid off the skin make a cut lengthwise and remove the seeds. The easiest way to do this is to cut under the stem and use a spoon.
Now fill the peppers up with the cheddar cheese (and anything else you'd like). Make sure the peppers are able to close well.
Now heat up a frying pan and wait until the oil is hot enough to fry. Now lower the heat to medium.
Roll the peppers in the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in that order. Shake off all loose bits.
Immediately place in the frying pan. Turn around and fry the other half. Make sure not to let them lay on one side too long as the breadcrumbs burn easily. Repeat for every other pepper.

I had this dish for lunch today and I must say it was surprisingly tasty.

I hope you will enjoy as much as I did. Bon apetite, and hopefully until next time!

Yours truly,

Mike

Tom yum prawn soup

serves 6

Ingredients:

* 800g prawns (cleaned)

* 250g oyster mushrooms

* 250g cherry tomatoes

* Tom yum paste
* 1 liter of chicken stock

* 250ml coconut milk

* Coriander

* 2 garlic cloves

* Small chunk of ginger

Additional:

* Pre boiled noodles

Preparations:

Finely chop the garlic and ginger. Cut the mushroom is strips and the tomatoes in halves. Finely chop the coriander. Heat up a pot with a bottom of oil. Turn on lowest heat and stir fry the garlic and ginger until they start to color. Now add the tom yum paste. The more, the spicier. Stir fry until the paste is mixed well. Add the coconut milk and mix well. Now add the chicken stock and stir until blended. Let it cook on high heat.

When the soup is cooking, add the mushrooms and cook for about one minute. After that add the tomatoes. Cook for one minute more. Now add the prawns and stir well until everything is mixed. Be sure not to cook too long now, since the prawns will dry out.
Mix some coriander in the soup and stir until blended. If you like noodles with this soup, make sure the noodles are pre boiled. Now put them in a bowl and pour the soup over them. Leave alone so the noodles will heat up by the soup. For decoration add some coriander on top.

Bon apetite!

I hope you like this recipe and hopefully until next time!

Yours truly,

Mike

Babi panggang with fried rice

serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:

For the Babi Panggang:

* 500g lard cutlet 

* 1 teaspoon coriander powder

* 1 teaspoon of Chinese 5 spices

* 5 spoons of Ketjap Manis

* 0,5 spoon of oil

* A dash of lemon juice

* 1 Garlic clove finely cut

For the sauce:

* 125ml Tomato ketchup
* 1 spoon of sweet chili sauce

* 2 spoons of vinegar

* 4 spoons of ginger syrup

* 3 spoons of Ketjap Manis
* 2 spoons of dark caster sugar

For the fried rice:

* 2 cups of rice

* 1 leek

* 1 middle sized onion

* 2 garlic cloves
* 150g ham in cubes

* 1 spoon of Sambal Ulek

* 1 spoon of coriander powder

* 1 spoon of cinnamon

* 1 spoon of nutmeg

* 1 spoon of cloves powder

Additional:

* Atjar (pickled vegetables)

Preparation:

The following preparations are best done a night before cooking this dish:

Boil the rice with plenty of water, meanwhile make a marinade of everything for the Babi Panggang, except the lard cutlet. Cut the lard cutlet in strips and mix well with the marinade. Meanwhile, when the rice is done, pour all the water out and leave alone until the next day. Put the marinated meat in the frigde. Mix all ingredients for the sauce with a whisk and leave overnight as well.

Cut the leek in rings, and finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat up a wok pan and fry the lard cutlet while stirring occasionally until it gets crispy ( or use the oven to do this ). Meanwhile heat up another wok and stir fry the hamcubes, onion and garlic with the spoon of Sambal. Add the leek to this mixture and stir well. When the leek starts to shrink a little put in all the herbs, stir well. 

Meanwhile the lard cutlet should be getting crisp. Pour the sauce mix over it once you are satisfied, if not, wait until later, be sure to put on medium heat, and stir occasionally.

Now add the cold rice to the leek mixture and stir well. It is best if you use two spatulas for it. The rice should be loose, if not break it. Blend the rice well with the mixture, making sure it mixes well with the vegetables, ham and herbs. Stir fry for about 1 - 2 minutes more. 

Don't forget to stir the sauce mixture occasionally as well. Be sure to put on low heat when you pour the sauce in. At this point you can add the pickled vegetables to the sauce mixture if you like.

Once the dish is done, serve the fried rice apart from the Babi Panggang.

I hope you enjoy this dish and hopefully until soon.

Yours truly,

Mike

Nacho Ovendish

serves 1 - 2

Ingredients:

* 300g minced beef
* 1 bag of tortilla crisps ( naturel or salted)
* 1 sweet pointy red paprika
* 1 middle sized onion
* 2 garlic cloves
* 1 handful of grated cheese
* 1 bag of Taco herbs

Additional:
* Salsa sauce ( or any dip sauce you prefer )
* Hot pepper sauce
* Jalapeño peppers
* Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Finely cut all vegetables and garlic. Put the crisps in an oven dish and preheat the oven on 180 degrees Celsius. Heat up a skillet or saute pan and stir fry the vegetables until the onion looks golden. Lower the heat to the lowest and add the minced meat. Bake the minced meat in such a way it falls apart. Make sure you have small parts. Add the taco herbs while you are stirring and make sure everything gets blended well. At this step you can also add the pepper sauce if you like spicy. Once the meat is done, scoop the mixture over the crisps Add the Jalapeño if you use them. Cover with grated cheese and/or cheddar cheese to your liking and place in the oven. The dish is done when the cheese is molten. Serve with a dip sauce on top of it, if you like it. Tastes good with a nice salad too.
I hope you like the dish and hopefully I'll see you soon again!

Yours truly,

Mike

Tagliatelle Spinach-creamsauce

serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:

* 250g chickenbreast

* 1 can of tomato cubes

* 200g fresh spinach

* 100g feta cheese

* 100 to 125g tagliatelle per person

* 1 spoon of chicken herbs 

* 125ml creme fraiche 

* 2 spoons of barbecue sauce

Additional:

Change the chicken for smoked salmon, it will taste fabulous as well!

Preparation:

Cut the chicken in cubes and heat up a wok. Meanwhile cook the pasta. Stir fry the chicken while adding the chicken herbs until brown. Add the spinach batch by batch until it shrinks. Now add the tomato cubes and stir well. Be sure to blend everything before you add the creme fraiche. Stir until everything is blended once more. Now add the barbecue sauce. Stir until blended and add the feta. Turn to low heat so the feta doesn't melt (like it did for me unfortunately) and remove from the heat after 1 minute. Serve together with the tagliatelle. If you want extra bite, use a spoon of Parmesan cheese as topping. Bon apetit!
I hope you like the recipe and I hope to see you soon again.

Yours truly,

Mike

Omelette a la Hartje

serves 1 

Ingredients:

* 1 croissant

* 1 slice of cheddar cheese

* 2 eggs

* 1 tomato
* A handful of small mushrooms

* Pepper to taste

* Salt to taste

* 1 spoon of parsley

Preparation:

Cut the croissant open and put the cheese in the opening. Scramble the eggs in a bowl. Slice the mushrooms and cut the tomato in cubes. Heat up a skillet and stir fry the mushrooms until they start to color. Add the tomato and stir fry for about one minute. Add the herbs, and then the scrambled egg. One minute on maximum heat, and then 2 - 3 minutes on medium. Fold the omelette in half and turn around.
Now heat up the croissant in the oven or microwave, and serve with a red sauce if you like. I used barbecue sauce, but you could also use tomato ketchup or sweet chili sauce.
I ate this for lunch, I hope you like the recipe and I hope to see you again soon.