Fireplace Cuisine

I spent the whole day on the couch yesterday. Fireplace on, cozy blanket draped around me and a pile of unread magazines patiently waiting on my lap. I read, had some hot chocolate, took a nap, read some more and also called my mom for a nice chat. The house cleaning and laundry would just have to wait this time. I needed a break!

It really was the perfect day to stay indoors and as a matter of fact, I was feeling rather sorry for anyone who was forced to leave their house. The wind has howling furiously and by two o' clock I already had candles lit- that's how dark it was! This was definitely a day for 'stamppot'.

For those of you who don't live in The Netherlands or aren't Dutch, 'stamppot' is a classic Dutch winter dish which consists of potatoes mashed together with vegetables such as kale, endive, carrots and even sauerkraut. It is usually served with Dutch sausage (similar to Kielbasa) or a good Dutch 'gehaktbal' (meatball). It doesn't look pretty- trust me (actually it kind of looks like jail food) but don't judge a book by its cover! It is certainly one delicious and super comforting meal!

Here is one of my favorite stamppot recipes. Serve it on a day when like me, you've also spent the whole day on the couch feeling sorry for anyone outside. It's the kind of food that you want to eat in front of the fireplace. Perhaps accompanied by a glass of lightly chilled Beaujolais.

Here's the recipe:

Curly Kale Stamppot with Bacon, Red Onions and Sausage
Serves 4

1 kilo potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
250 curly kale, sliced in thin strips
1 liter water
1 Hema sausage (THE best, if you live in The Netherlands, or just use Kielbasa)
salt and pepper
250g bacon lardons
2 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 tsps mustard
200 ml milk

Place water in a large pan. Top with the potatoes, the kale and the sausage. Season with salt and pepper but go easy here as the sausage and the bacon are already salty!! No need to stir everything. Just leave it nicely layered.
In a separate pan, fry the bacon until crisp but not too crisp (no need to add oil to the pan). Drain the bacon leaving a film of fat in the pan. Add the chopped onions and a drop of olive oil to the pan if needed.
Saute the onions gently for about twenty minutes.
Drain the potatoes, kale and sausage after about 30 minutes. Set the sausage aside.
Add the milk, mustard, onions and bacon to the kale and the potatoes. Mash everything together, adding more milk if necessary.
Serve with the sausage and- ENJOY!!

Martha Fever!

Lately, I have become infatuated with everything Martha Stewart. In fact, I find myself spending every free moment browsing her website and pumping myself up with tons of inspiration. The brilliant recipes, savy housekeeping tips, fun crafts and all- American goodness always manage to put a smile on my face. I love to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea to watch Martha!

A few weeks ago I drooled while watching the episode where she gave us a tour through Skylands Grounds (her home, where Edsel Ford, yes, Henry's son) once lived. I was especially impressed with her glorious table linnen collection and at that moment decided that I would also start one of my own!

But, these golden popovers were also pretty impressive. Not just because of how delicious they were, but because I couldn't believe how ridiculously easy they were to make!

I served them for breakfast. Warm,and smothered in butter and jam!

Here's the recipe:
(I made mine in a muffin pan, so that gave me 12)

Martha's Popovers

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 scant teaspoons salt
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter a 6-cup popover tin; set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, milk, and salt. Add eggs, one at a time, and stir to combine (some small lumps may remain); do not overmix.
Using a 1/2-cup measure, gently pour batter into the center of each prepared popover cup. Transfer tin to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes more. Immediately invert pan to remove popovers, and serve.

Early, Way Too Early!

Call me a foolishly sentimental girl or maybe too much of a child at heart, but around this time of year (when almost all of the leaves have fallen from the trees) I begin to dream of Christmas. How will I decorate the house? What will I cook? When should I organize a pre-Christmas dinner party with friends? What shall I get my loved ones, and yes, what shall I get myself?

Christmas really is 'the most wonderful time of the year'!

It is no wonder that the festive season has slowly started to manifest itself around my place. Last week I purchased a few Christmas sofa cushions and a gorgeous Christmas bear. They'll fit perfectly with this year's theme- Country Christmas! And today, I couldn't resist dusting off all my Christmas CDs, lighting the fireplace and baking these chocolate chestnut muffins!

'Tis the (early, way too early) season!

Chocolate Chestnut Muffins
Makes 12

185g unsweetened chestnut puree
100ml hot milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
170g caster sugar
100ml sunflower oil
2 eggs
250g flour
pinch salt
2 tsps baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
4 tbsps cocoa powder
100g hagelslag (Dutch chocolate sprinkles, the dark variety, or just chop up some chocolate!)

Preheat oven to 200C and line a muffin tray with liners.
Put the chestnut puree in a medium-sized bowl. Heat milk until almost boiling and add to the chestnut puree. Whisk in to incorporate. Add the vanilla extract, sugar, oil, eggs and whisk thouroughly.
In a another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Also add the hagelslag (or chopped up chocolate).
Stir all the ingredients gently, just until combined. Remember, muffin batters hate being vigourously stirred!!
Fill your prepared muffin pan and bake the muffins 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool and enjoy!
Oh, and get ready for your house to smell like heaven!

Halloween!

What did you do this Halloween?? I decided to throw a spooky, somewhat elegant Halloween dinner party!

I really wanted to make a whole production of it this year, our first year in our new house. The plans started months in advance and I had the help of a very good friend- Miss Martha Stewart. Those of you who know Martha (or me)can probably imagine what that meant- lots of crafty decorations, a carefully planned menu and attention to the tiniest of details. So there we were, tearing into black construction paper, thinking of the spookiest tunes to play and putting together a disgustingly appealing menu!

The menu:

Appetizers
Pina Ghoulada with Monster Eyeballs:I won't mention the incident with RED food coloring that took place. Now that was scary as hell!

Escargots- simply because they look creepy- but taste heavenly!

Starter
Slime Soup: There simply is no Halloween without this one at my house!

Main
My Texas Chainsaw Chilli accompanied by Nigella's Blood and Guts Potatoes

Dessert
Chocolate Chestnut Death Cake with Glossy Mud.

The dinner was rounded off with chocolate- covered goat poop and an assortment of liqueurs.

And of course, we enjoyed this ghastly meal overlooking the graveyard!

Hope you also had a fun Halloween!