Food For The Soul

I couldn't live without beauty in my life. Beautiful things, be it a lovely dish, a pretty flower, my daughter's laugh or a work of art can sometimes (more often than not!) really move me. These things reassure me that life is great. They feed my passion, my joie de vivre, and they always make me pause, observe and enjoy.

This afternoon Hans sent me this clip and it was one of those things of beauty that brought joy to my heart. I'd like to share it with you. Hopefully it will also touch you in some way or feed your soul like it did mine.

"Women in Art"

Lemony Grilled Veggie and Mozzarella Salad

The warmer days always have me craving a little sunshine on my plate. My favorites are Greek salads with some cucumber, tomato, feta and olives, insalata caprese, is of course another favorite and when I want something a little more substantial I'll choose between a couscous or bulgur salad, or my new favorite; my lemony grilled veggie and mozzarella salad. I'm slowly getting addicted to this decadent lunch so I thought I'd share it with you.

Simply boil a sweet potato cut in three or four slices for about five minutes. You don't want them too soft of course, so keep on eye on them. Drain and set aside to cool a bit. Meanwhile cut half an aubergine in thin slices and do the same with a large tomato making sure to keep the slices a bit on the thicker side. Heat up your grill and start by grilling the cooled sweet potato, then the aubergine and last the tomato as these only need about a minute a side. Transfer the veggies to a plate, add a few slices of mozzarella and dress the salad. The dressing I use is not really a dressing but rather a touch of cracked mixed peppercorns, a tbsp of high quality olive oil, a little lemon juice and a sprinkling of oregano. Really, this salad is so good! The flavors just work together beautifully and it is rather filling! I wouldn't n call this salad "light" (I don't do "light" anyway), but it is rather healthy with the beta caroteen in the sweet potatoes and the vitamin C and lycopeen in the tomatoes. The first time I made this salad I used sweet potatoes, aubergines, tomatoes and mozzarella, but in this picture I was out of aubergines so I just used a larger sweet potato and two tomatoes instead of one.

Market Day

I've told you before about our local farmer's market where they sell the most beautiful produce and lots of delicacies like the pure, mild buffalo mozzarella and the wonderful organic breads and pastries. It's such a joy to have a place like this so close by, especially for a foodie like me. A trip there on Saturday always turns into more than just a bit of shopping. There is lots to see and do. Yesterday for example, we walked around the newly built playground where everything is made of all- natural materials. No paint or chemicals so very environmentally friendly and kid-friendly. Of course, we always have to stop by the animals and pet them. I read that piggies had just been born but unfortunately, we did not get to see them yesterday.

Anyhow, back to the market. Aside from the usual huge bag filled with produce, cheese and some products for the pantry like grains, teas, jams, tomato puree, dried fruit and seeds, I also got some more of that stunning tableware from Maison d'Etre. This time I couldn't resist some cream and beige colored salad bowls. I just love the fancy edges and country look of these plates and for some reason I always think food tastes better when eaten from a pretty plate.

A trip to the market usually ends up with a fresher than fresh lunch made with the ingredients purchased that day and yesterday I was in the mood for a simple Caprese my way; some buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, a little spring onion and a drizzle of balsamic and a very mild, flavorful olive oil which is supposedly the Beaujolais Primeur of olive oils. I also added a few big, juice kalamata olives, which although not very traditional, still very delicious with this salad. The salad was served with slices of a wonderful bread which we discovered yesterday- Kamut bread. Kamut is an ancient Egyptian grain which is very nutritious, even more so than whole-wheat for example. It is higher in protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals and it has a low glycemic index. Kirstie and I are not huge bread eaters but we really loved the mild, almost buttery taste of the bread and the soft, fine crumb.

I'm getting hungry just writing this and seeing it's lunchtime around these parts, I'm off to make some lunch!

Oeuf Cocotte

We all have a day off here as it is Ascension Thursday so I thought I'd start the day with a nice breakfast. This recipe is one which I recommend you all try. It is so beautifully simple and so delicious. Certainly one to serve when you're out to impress.

It's a very easy thing to make:

Preheat oven to 220C. Take a ramequin and grease it with a little olive oil. Add a layer of finely chopped veggies (I used spring onions and cherry tomatoes), follow with a little bit of cream cheese or creme fraiche (in my case, some peppery cream cheese), break in an egg, top with some s/p and some herbs (I used oregano). Put the ramequins in a tray and fill that with boiling water, about half way up the ramequins. Pop in a warmed oven for 10-15 minutes and serve with some cheese and some more spices. I finished it off with some parmesan, a tiny sprinkling of sweet paprika powder and a little finely chopped parsley.

Serve with some pain de campagne and you have a gorgeous breakfast!


NOTE:
The beauty of the dish is that you can add just about anything, different veggies, cheeses, etc. I got this recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini.

A Little French Celebration

I'm giddy with excitement! In the last post I told you about our upcoming trip to the land of good food and wine. To celebrate, I decided to bake a tarte aux myrtilles today. The tart brings back a lot of fond memories of our last vacation in France. While we were eating it, I asked Hans if it was anything like he remembered and his reply was "no...this one's MUCH better". That was a huge compliment, but I can't take all the credit. This is a recipe from the fabulous blog Chocolate and Zucchini. If you're into good food and great ingredients you'll love this blog. Not to mention how inspirational its writer is!


Here's the recipe:

Tarte aux Myrtilles

Pie dough :
- 170 g flour
- 85 g sugar
- 85 g butter
- a dash of milk

Filling :
- 300 g blueberries
- 1 Tbsp crème fraîche
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 egg

Finishing touch :
- 1 Tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 230°C (440°F), and grease a shallow tart pan or line it with parchment paper.

Make the dough : in a food processor, mix the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add in the flour until the dough forms coarse crumbs. Add in a dash of milk, and mix again. Pour this mixture evenly into your tart pan, and press the dough down to pack it and cover the surface the pan, forming a little rim all around. Put in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.

Take the pie crust out and lower the temperature to 180°C (360°F). Pour in the blueberries, and return into the oven for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, beat together in a small bowl the crème fraîche, 1 Tbsp of sugar and the egg. Take the tart out of the oven, pour the mixture evenly over the blueberries and return into the oven for another 15 minutes, or until set. Leave in the turned off oven for another 15 minutes.

Let cool completely, and sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar just before serving.

NOTE: Keep an eye on the pie crust! Twenty minutes was waaay too long and I ended up burning my first one! Mine took more like ten minutes. I also used powdered sugar as a finishing touch.

I'm Going to See Rogier!

It's done! We're headed to Bourgogne this July and I'm counting the days already. This is THE place for good food and wine. Let's see where should I start? With the wine or with the MUSTARD?? Dijon here I come! I recently read an article in Elle Food where it said that there are certain types of specialty mustards that you can only get in Dijon and nowhere else. But food isn't the only thing I love, as you know...

I CANNOT wait to set foot in Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune!!! I think I'm more excited about this than I am about the food! This is, as far as I'm concerned, where Dutch art started. I still remember my professor telling us all about Rogier van der Weyden during our freshman year and I got emotional just looking at his work on slides. I don't know what will become of me when I see his 'Last Judgement Polyptych' up close and in living color! Hans has been warned that I will be having a moment then. The magnificence of this work is impossible to describe. The precise detail of van der Weyden's brushstrokes, clean, with almost photographic precision is amazing and the emotion in his paintings is phenomenal. I dare you to contemplate his 'Deposition' and not be moved. It's powerful, powerful work.

Rogier van der Weyden was one of the greatest early Netherlandish artists. His work is characterized by minute detail, intense colors and overwhelming emotion. To learn more click on the following link: http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/w/weyden/rogier/biograph.html


I can't tell you how excited I am about seeing his work this summer. It will be one of those things I never forget.

Mother's Day Bliss

I’ve had a perfect Mother’s Day. While I had a bite of my homemade French bread with butter and raspberry jam and drank my café au lait, I opened Kirstie’s gorgeous goodies: a beautiful card with a fairy and the prettiest handbag decorated by my little artist herself. Even the gift wrap was decorated by her, and it was the loveliest gift wrap ever. I kept kissing her and telling her that it was all beautiful, that she was beautiful and that I loved her and was very lucky to be her mom. When Hans came home from his Sunday squash session, we headed to the city for some lunch and some goodies. I was treated to a pair of very cute espadrilles in navy blue with a thin white rim with red stitching. Quite beautiful ( a rounded toe, not a pointy one) and very comfortable. I also got a pretty quiche form in baby pink, a must-have for my clafoutis!

I was dying to make this dessert ever since I saw the recipe in a French cookbook I got a few weeks ago, “De complete keuken van Frankrijk” or “The Complete French Kitchen”. The thing was this wasn’t the only recipe that looked lovely. I saw one with strawberries in a magazine and a few more on internet which all seemed very appealing. Decisions, decisions! In the end I just let myself get inspired by the recipes and created my own! Very brave for a clafoutis virgin but I had nothing to lose! Well let me tell you…it was gorgeous! Not too sweet, a perfect blend of creamy and cakey and so beautiful to see, and the smell! I served it warm with some crème fraîche, powdered sugar and a chilled glass of Chardonnay. Utter Mother Day’s heaven!

What more can I ask for than to enjoy a beautiful dessert outside in my sunny garden with the two I love most?

Here’s the recipe:

200ml cream

100ml milk

1 vanilla pod

½ tbsp almond extract

3 eggs

70g sugar

80g flour

500g strawberries

Preheat oven to 180C. Butter a 25cm quiche form and line with a layer of whole, washed and carefully dried strawberries. I cut the tops off so that they would sit nicely in the dish. Heat 200ml cream, add the seeds from one vanilla pod and boil gently for about three minutes. Remove from the heat and add 100ml cold milk. Let this cool. Meanwhile beat three eggs with 70g caster sugar, 80g flour and ½ tbsp almond extract. Add the cooled cream mixture to the eggs while beating and pour this mix over the berries. Bake for 35-40 minutes and serve warm with crème fraîche and powdered sugar. Bliss!

Anna Tagged Me!

Ok, so Anna tagged me! Here's my list:

1. I went to an all-girls private Catholic high school, Holy Rosary Academy. It was such a fun time and the fact that I was around nuns didn't make it any less fun! My best year was my senior year, of course. I was in Prom Committee and that was quite an honor! Actually, I was the one who was in just about all extracurricular activities! Lets see, Library Club, Computer Club, Peer Ministry, Band, Spanish Club, School Newspaper (The Diadem...I had a fashion column!!), Art Club (won lots of prizes!) and some more I can't remember now. Oh, and I did a lot of backstage work for our annual fashion shows, everything from set decoration to working backstage with the models doing their hair, make-up and taping up the odd boob!
2. I studied psychology before I decided to follow my heart and study art. I still have a thing for psychology and am constantly analyzing people, even from afar. My study wasn't really time wasted though because my background in psychology is proving to be a big part of my MA research.
3. I'm actually registered with a casting agency and have even done a few auditions. The most interesting one was the audition for the Amstel beer commercial last year. I had to feel up a few guys which was TERRIBLY awkward..and I didn't even get the part! Have also been contacted by the HEMA but was turned down because my boobs were too small! A few months ago I was asked to play a nurse on a popular crime show, Peter R. de Vries, I HAD the part (!) but I had to turn it down because the shooting was beginning at midnight, beginning mind you! I'm usually pooped at 9PM so this was NOT an option for me! Hey, I'm not that desperate to be famous!
4. My family is Colombian and Colombia doesn't just mean cocaine or the Medellin Cartel as so many people think. We have wonderful music, CUMBIA (!), food (arepas, arequipe, aguardiente, pan de queso, empanadas, natilla, bunuelos...the list goes on, landscapes, writers (Gabriel Garcia Marquez), artists (Fernando Botero), singers (Shakira, Juanes). I am very proud of my roots. Oh and here's a fun fact, Juan Valdez, Mr. Colombian Coffee himself, is a friend of the family!
5. I believe in Angels. Seriously.

In Love With a Pan

This weekend I came across Jamie Oliver's Italian Series cookware collection. Now, you know how much I love Jamie and I've raved enough about his Italian cookbook and series, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to find these beauties.

Hans also thought they were great so we purchased the first one, a stunning risotto pan with a gorgeous brushed aluminum exterior! Quite a sturdy piece of kitchenware too! I made my first risotto the next day and have been using it to make my ragu. Can't tell you how much I've fallen in love with a pan!

The pasta pan is next on the list!

Hard Work Pays Off...and a Date Tart That Rocks

Last Friday I delivered my first presentation in my MA career. Due to the fact that there was a shortage of classes on offer for art history, I decided to take a course on language and cultural identity with one of our university's best and most respected professors. Last year I was privileged enough to take a course with him on art and cultural identity and it was one of the most rewarding classes I have taken. He's a brilliant, witty man and he's the writer of one of my favorite art books on Dutch and Flemish art, "Een en toch apart".

Anyhow, I decided to do my research on the emancipation of Afrikaans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I started off by panicking when I saw that most of the interesting books that could be used for this subject were in Afrikaans! The language developed from 17th century Dutch so it wasn't so much that I didn't understand it, but rather that it was very tiring to read entire pieces of research in a language which I was not used to. Still, I'm not complaining. After reading at least ten books of 300 some odd pages each in Afrikaans, I now feel pretty comfortable with the language and am even looking forward to reading my first Afrikaans novel, "Fiela se Kind" (thanks Karin!) as soon as I am through with this course. I think another reason why I found the research so difficult was because we only had about two months to prepare...and that, at a Masters level, knowing it was for my much respected professor, was no picnic! There were days when I put Kirstie to bed and immediately went upstairs to work, until past midnight if necessary, but in the end all my work payed off.

My presentation was very well-received and the professor complimented me on my work. I left school with a huge smile on my face and even treated myself to some excellent sushi for lunch as a reward. When I came home that afternoon, I made myself a lovely date tart to celebrate. I had a slice of this heavenly creation one sunny afternoon on the terrace of Bagels & Beans and I was set on making something similar...until I found the original recipe! Do try it and please, have a good chai latte along with it.

In the end all hard work pays off!


Here's the recipe for the celebratory tart:

Bagels & Beans Date Tart (makes 2):

* 1500g chopped dates
* 750g butter
* 300g brown sugar
* 2 packs Maria cookies, broken in pieces of about 1
cm (digestives)
* 200g whole eggs (or 4 eggs)
* coconut for sprinkling

1. Gently melt butter
2. Add sugar
3. Beat eggs and add. Cook briefly while stirring constantly.
4. Add dates and cook for one minute
5. Add cookies and mix well.

Put everything in a greased tart mold and leave 1 1/2 hours in the fridge to cool before cutting. The tart should be 1 1/2 cm thick.

Serve with orange slices and grated coconut.

NOTE: I only made 1/4 of this recipe and it gave me about 10 slices. You can only manage to eat a little bit! I also used less sugar.