2014/05/28

Verona Wine Top 2014

 picture: Verona Wine Top


A Spring Monday evening in Amsterdam. The temperatures on the rise.  Through the luscious green streets of the Amsterdam South quarter I pedaled my way to the emblematic Hilton hotel. To visit the Verona Wine Top 2014. http://www.veronawinetop.it
The Amsterdam edition of this DOC and DOCG wine event was organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Verona and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam.
The Italian ambassador opened the evening with a short word. He was glad that Verona Wine Top 2014 finally  had come to Amsterdam to conquer The Netherlands.
The showcase of 13 selected winegrowers from the province of Verona had brought their beautiful wines. Whites, rose's, reds and sparkling ones. Wines to be tasted and enjoyed after a presentation held by a spokesman of the Chamber of Commerce of Verona. Wine is growing and taking the third place in the export figures of this region. After clothing and shoes, wine is a new asset  for export. The Verona area is the biggest wine exporting province of Italy. And the Netherlands stands on the 10th place as an importer. Who would have thought of that fact?
After the presentation a wonderful buffet was served, with polenta an local cheeses as antipasto, a primo consisting of risotto wit red Amarone and a classic pastissada stew. All paired with wonderful wines like a white Lugana, rosato from Bardolino and red like Ripasso made of the corvina veronese grape varietal. A red wine that reminded me of my first wine tasting lessons.
As a former wine importer and current culinary and wine writer I would like to know the produce of these winegrowers. My intention is to incorporate their wines this summer in my series Gereons Keuken al fresco, which can be read om my main blog http://gereonskeukenthuis.nl/blog/ One of my readers, she lives in Verona actually, suggested grilled polenta on my outside bbq. I already have a white wine in mind. Will it be the Lugana?



2014/05/15

Talk and table, cook Kiran Jethwa.


 picture: Kiran in his kitchen


For some time now, I watch the TV series ”Tales from the bush larder” on 24 Kitchen. Starring Kiran Jethwa.. He is a third generation Kenyan, a talented cook in Nairobi and a real adventurer. Cooking with all the lovely produce this amazing country has to offer. His mother is English and his father comes from  India. These two influences and the use of African produce contribute to all the taste that he shows us.
Kiran is also a big traveler, From the USA to Italy, from France to South East Asia, From Central America to India. All kind of flavors you will find on his menu! Intriguing!
Let's see if I can conceive a dish for this multitalented guy, from the answers he provides to my questions. Needless to say, this willl be an international dish travel and foreign exciting ingredients to be in it. And I hope to venture something Dutch in it.

Who is Kiran Jethwa? Tell me some more.
I, Kiran Jethwa am a colorful and ambitious 3rd generation Kenyan born in Nairobi. I have an English mother and an Indian father and the influence of the 2 cultures in his life can be clearly seen in my cooking style. Having completed a BSC in hospitality management in Manchester, I then traveled all over the world, from the US, to Italy, France, South Africa, South East Asia, South & Central America and Australia to mould my professional abilities and broaden my palate. In 2010 I opened my first restaurant Seven Seafood & Grill which has been a huge success in Nairobi, Three months ago I opened a second restaurant, a bespoke Steak House- Seven Lounge & Grill.

How did your attraction for cooking start?
Growing up in a house, where food was the most important occasion and coming from a family (Originally from Goa) who created fantastic dishes at simple mealtime, have all contributed to my comprehensive knowledge and interest of the culinary world. From a very young age I have been cooking, but begun my formal training in a Hilton in Florida in 1996.

What is your favorite country? To travel to and to stay
It’s difficult to have a a favorite as every country offers so much. If I had to pick my top 3 for food and travel combined would be India, Thailand and Mexico.

Which means of Kenyan produce do you like the most and which one you dislike? I am very curious about that.
I don’t think I dislike any produce. Every food has its place in the culinary wolrd. My approach is to take all food and get the best out of it in any dish you are creating. My favorite Kenyan produce has to be the Seafood from this country. We have incredible variety and quality here

Are there differences between African and European cooks?
There are differences and similarities. It is a bit difficult to generalize, but I would say the biggest difference in that African Chefs as a whole do not have the exposure to as much variety of ingredients. This is like only allowing an artist to use certain colours as opposed to all the colours of the world. The pictures ultimately will all have the same tone.

You talk a lot on finding local produce. What  do like like the most about it?
This for me is very exciting. We use food every day but often  have no idea where it comes from, or how it comes to be. The hard work and love. that farmers go through to give us the quality of food we desire in humbling and really makes you appreciate food more.

With whom would you like to cook one time and why?
Heston Blumenthal- quite simply as he is genius and he approaches food in away that is inspiring.

I once did a cooking workshop once for several guys from Eastern Africa. I remember that night very well.  Because the perception of cooking was so different between us. I learned a lot.“We men never cook” said one to me. They also didn’t understand the fun/leisure part of the cooking workshop. Can you tell me some more about the attitude of African men towards cooking?
Generally African men DO NOT cook. This is the womens job. I have just returned from Ethiopia filming series 2 of Bush Larder. This was very apparent there. I think its about tradition and chauvinism, but this is changing as Africa modernises.

On food, which food do you like and which you would never eat?
I am a great lover of ALL seafood, especially Oysters, There are so many different varieties and I love to try them. I dont think there is any food I would NEVER eat. Being a chef, it is your job to eat and understand all food. Some things you won’t like and some will allow you to discover new and incredible eating experiences.

Which wines do you like?
I LOVE WINE. In my restuarants I have a selection of over 150 at any time, and it always changes. I create the wine lists myself.  At the moment I am really loving the red wine from Sicily. I have a good selection of different grapes. There is a particular Nero-d’Avola which I love. I am also really enjoying various New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs and an Albariño from Spain. My taste changes all the time- I think wine is fascinating.

Can you tell me something about your “foodprint.” Are you a conscious cook?
I am a very concious cook. We are very lucky in Kenya as most of our produce is organic. This comes by virtue simply of the fact that farmers don’t have access to methods that make food “un-organic”. My beef all comes from one farm that practice fantastic beef rearing techinques.Completely organically fed and treated. My seafood I only source from sustainable sources. I try very hard to be concious of where my food is coming from.

What else do you want to tell us? Do not be shy

Besides being a chef I am a lover of sport and adventure. I have played professional rugby in my life, and represented Kenya many time at international rugby. I love motorsport and rallying which I do as a hobby and any chance I get to travel and explore, or go on adventures and fish I will take. These days with my workload I don’t get enough time for this- but I guess that is life.

 fishing for mackerel just outside of Amsterdam



The recipe

Kiran has given me a lot of hints for a recipe. What comes in mind is seafood ofcourse. In the Netherlands, as a small country we are never far away from the sea. Since Kiran is an explorer, I am too in a more modest way, I will make him my balcony smoked mackerel served on a flour tortilla with grilled vegetables, a Mexican salsa. Easy to take with you on a trip. Or as a snack, while watching the adventures of Kiran on TV. The wine I suggest is a white Rueda wine from Northern Spain made from the verdejo grape. Crisp and fresh to pair the smoked fish an spicy salsa 

Ingredients:

4 flour tortillas
2 tbs of sour cream

the fish:
600 g of mackerel filet
wood ground
pepper
salt
1 lemon for curing


the salsa:
6 tomatoes
2 red onions
1 clove of garlic
1 red spanish pepper
chives
parsley
salt
lemon juice
olive oil
1 ts cane sugar.

vegetables:

1 courgette
1 red bellpepper

Preparation:

You can either use an outside smoker or pan. You fill the smoker with special smoking wood ground, Like small pieces of oak, birch etcetera or smoking ground. An alternative way, is to use and old pan, with a thin bottom. You cover the whole inside of the pan with some aluminium foil, shiny side up. On top of the foil you put 4 tbs of special smoking ground. That is what I sometimes do on my balcony.
Meanwhile you cure the fresh mackerel filets in olive oil, salt, ground black pepper and some lemon juice and leave it to rest for 20 minutes. After that, you cut the fish in medium thin slices.
Cover the smoking ground with some alu foil, pierce it with a fork and put a plate on it. Put some pebbles under the plate to help smoke/air circulation. Put a small grill on top of the plate.
Put the pan on a high fire and when the ground starts smoking, put the cod on the grill. Cover up with foil and a lid. Smoke for about 10 minutes.

Peel the tomatoes, get the seeds out and chop in fine pieces. Chop the onion, garlic, Spanish pepper, chives and parsley very finely. Mix everything in a bowl to get a salsa. Add some lemon juice and olive oil. Season with som salt and a treaspoon of sugar.

Cut the courgette and bellpepper in pieces and grill them gently until al dente.

Spread some sour cream on each tortilla. Put some of vegetables and smoked mackerel on the tortilla. Top the whole with some salsa and fold them.

2014/05/13

The African flavored Wunderkammer.

 hidden behind a strelitzia.


It is a afternoon in May, walking around town I see an open door. A red poster on the typical dark green Amsterdam door says : "Africa, shop for a week". From 9 till 18 May. At Kerkstraat 67, right in the heart of the Spiegelkwartier with its antique shops and art dealers.
The designers Florian Seyd and Ueli Signer from www.thewunderkammer.eu, transformed a Amsterdam coach house and inner garden into an African dream, with beautiful  flowers. objects, scents.


 A bird, a red vase and  violet callas

The walls are covered in red with typical tribal objects, like spears, masks and a head of a Springbok. The inspiration came from several trips to the magnificent continent Africa. After their travels the both gents wanted to open this shop for a week full of all beauty, that Africa has to offer. And I must say they succeeded. you are drawn right away into African spirit. From black an white crocodiles  in the artificial pond to the colors of the beautiful flowers they use.

 big giraffes in a city's garden.

Giraffes have conquered the garden. The inner garden of the Wunderkammer offers a pond, lovely African seats, a boast of atmosphere and ideas. Big musa plants. You immediately feel as if you were invited for tea by Karen Blixen. I sure could cook or grill something in this summer garden. I immediately thought of my friend Kiran Jethwa*, the bush larder, who could show his African style of cooking in this garden. The pineapples were already there. As if they were picked in the early morning.

 luscious pineapples outside.


Anyway the place is a thrill, for you senses and if you are looking for something very special. I hope sincerely the two designers will participate in Talk and Table soon. They will be rewarded  with a customized recipe. For now I can only say: " Go to Kerkstraat 67 and grab the opportunity to visit and shop at Africa by the Wunderkammer."

 boast of African colors.



* more on Kiran Jethwa http://gereonskeukenthuis.nl/blog/talk-and-table-the-kitchen-of-kiran-jethwa









                             







2014/04/24

Royal Dutch Oven by BK since 1851

 picture: The Royal Dutch Oven


A sunny Thursday afternoon along one of Amstedam's canals, the Prinsengracht. In the former public library, now the Andaz hotel, a boutique hotel designed by Marcel Wanders, I visited the press launch of the Royal Dutch Oven by BK. The event was organized bij Kroon op het Werk and Royal BK, a well known Dutch oven and kitchen utensil manufacturer since 1851. Every household in Holland has at least one item from this factory from the town of Kampen in the East.
Joke Bruynzeel, www.chinpro.net an expert on China kicked of with her story on Chinese culture, cooking and customs. And how different the perception is towards a pan like this one. Every part has a little symbolic value. Joke also provided the listeners with some do and do nots in contact with Chines people.
BK and Royal delft made a Dutch oven full of Chinese symbolism. On the bottom there's a Chines inscription, simply transalted as "All over the world people love good food. Let's enjoy together" In a way it symbolizes harmony.
A Dutch oven? That's the English name of a cast iron pan to stew. A Dutch invention. I never knew this, until I made Ed's roast for this blog in January. Dutch quality hence, appreciated by the Chinese, designed for the Chines costumer. With a ceramic delft blue lid on it. Showing a peacock, the Chinese sign of excellence.
Again all symbolism.

 picture: presenting the Royal Dutch Oven

Gea Barth, marketing manager and Nadia Wijstma, designer told the audience all specifics on this remarkable product. The Royal Dutch Oven will be for sale in the Netherlands next Fall.  A short film on the casting of iron was shown. Every Royal Dutch Oven is made separately by Lovink Industries from the Achterhoek. An example of still exixting Dutch craftsmanship. A bit of nostalgia for me since I stem from a metal manufacturer's family. Though long way ago.
The most striking feature is the knob on the lid. Shaped like a yuan bao, which is a lump of gold that brings luck to the Chinese.
It did not bring me luck this afternoon, but did to a foodblogger Culinessa and my friend Maartje Stuive, owner of cooking school Keizer Culinair, www.keizerculinair.nl They went home with the beautiful pan.
More on the Royal Dutch Oven you can find on www.bk.nl




2014/02/09

Jeffrey Greene, tagliatelle with sea marsh foods


 Picture of Dutch and English copy of  books


I invited chroniqueur Jeffrey Greene to participate in “geprekken en gerechten” (conversation and recipes) Many years ago I read a book from his hands called “French Spirits” A story on living in in former presbytery in the smokey hills of Burgundy. In that time I did not visit this region often. Later I found the same book in Dutch in my parent’s house in Burgundy. It is translated by the mother of a dear school friend.  It is always nice to reread some parts from this book, especially when you are in a tiny Burgundian village. Jeffrey writes about the people he meets in a very colorful way. So I contacted Jeffrey in Paris. Kindly Jeffrey sent me another book, titled ” The golden bristled boar” He has dugged into the life and background of this beast. But Jeffrey does more things. He teaches creative writing and he is now researching on edible things from te wild. Quite a topic and a trending one.  Let's see if  I can write him a recipe, that  reflects  his knowledge on Burgundy, animals and wild edible things. And needless to say a combination with wine is made.

Who is Jeffrey? Tell me some more
I grew up in a shack-like house in the New England woods with a rather eccentric young mother and father.  My mother was a teenage runaway from a grim boarding school, her head full of fanciful ideas of creating a family and living off the land based on M.G. Kains' book Five Acres and Independence.  My father came from a typical Jewish family in New York's Lower East Side.  Sent to art school to study textile design for the family business, he made himself the family's black sheep by becoming a sculptor instead and marrying a sixteen year old.  My parents' attempts at raising goats and planting a garden turned out to be resounding disasters with deer and rabbits decimating the garden and the goats poisoning themselves on laurel. However, my father was a naturally gifted hunter-gatherer.  He never hunted game, but he gathered wonderful bounty from the seaside or berries from the woods.  Our having to move to the city when I was eleven was a great disappointment for me.  I was a shy kid who enjoyed solitude and the woods suited that.  My mother was too isolated though and took a job at Yale University, and my parents divorced. 
Although I've gone on to become a professor, poet, and author, I'm someone who likes to make things—whether it's building walls and bookcases or cooking dinner.  I'm ultimately more physical than intellectual.  I think that comes from my early years in the woods.  My writing comes from this too—it springs from things, thingyness—observant of how the senses are engage.  The rest is character and place.


When did you move to France and how did you adapt to French life and habits?
 To be honest, it never occurred to me that I would leave America, that I would become a permanent resident in France, a kind of dual citizen, not officially, but in every other sense, an insider and outsider in two countries.  It was not an overt decision like ones my ancestors made, immigrating to America for economic opportunities or to save their Eastern European skins.  My life in France crept up on me.  In 1986, I was finishing my graduate studies in Texas, and my mother gave me a call, "I've got good news!  I will be on sabbatical at the Pasteur Institute in Paris.  Why don't you come an write for a year?"  So instead of being a responsible, freshly minted Ph.D., hunting for a junior faculty position in some forsaken place, I came on quixotic impulse to Paris to be a writer.  I soon found myself at Castello di Gargonza in Tuscany, sharing a dinner that included crostini, pasta with artichoke, and wild boar stew with my mother's boss, Mary.  Who knew I'd end up marrying a molecular biologist in a foreign country?  It seemed like a conspiracy of improbables. 
For a decade my life was complicated, because I did get a faculty position at a university in New England and could have supported a small family on phone bills and travel.  But my sense of home slowly shifted to France, particularly after Mary and bought an old deserted presbytery (priest's house) in northwestern Burgundy.  We were living such a privileged life between the country and Paris.  Eventually, I made the decision to give up my tenured position and devote my time to writing.  Fortunately, I was asked to teach at the American University of Paris, which is a great pleasure.  I love working with our young people coming to us from all over the world. 


You wrote me that you were researching a book on edible things from the wild, why did you start these activities?
 My father had a huge influence my hunter-gather habits.  He fished, caught crabs, and gathered oysters, clams and oysters.  My brother and I joined him in these activities.  Simply, it was the most fun thing we did together, while he still lived with us.  Even now, as my father approaches 90, the woods and seaside provide pure joy for him.  He was a child of the Depression and his motivation as hunter-gatherer instincts seemed primarily based on getting something for nothing or a kind of treasure hunt.  It was my mother who instilled the value and pleasure derived from healthy natural foods.
When I came to France, I began collecting mushrooms and that alone became a passion.  I was writing for a different book, one about how I saw myself as an American transplant in France, in fact how imported my sense of Thoreau and Emerson, American transcendentalists, to the French forests.  I approached the subject through wild mushrooms, describing not only the pleasure of looking for them and their earthy, nutty, even smoky flavors that they add to cuisine but also the problems, how they absorb and concentrate radiation, heavy metals, and chemicals.  It occurred to me that wild edibles, a popular topic, could be approached in important ways, including their role in culture, art, and survival.

You wrote a book on buying a presbytery in a small village in Burgundy, where you still live. Has anything changed over the years?
 Yes, I wrote a book called French Spirits, which was translated into Dutch among other languages.  The village I wrote about is Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses ( Rogny of the seven locks), which has the Loing River and the Briaire Canal running through it.  Built in the 1600s, the Briaire Canal is the first canal in Europe linking two river valleys—those of the Seine and the Loire.  Much has changed in the twenty years since we bought the old deserted presbytery.  Part of the charm of the village was that it seemed completely lost, and our neighbors were woodsmen, sheep farmers, and masons, people with country savvy and worked with their hands. 
The ports on the canal and the river were renovated, a park built, and some parking put it, so the town has become something of a minor tourist destination.  Also a number of the old houses and the eleventh-century church next to our house were restored.  Of course we've don't major renovations and restoration work.  Our gardens are thriving as is the old curé's orchard.  My book turned out to be aptly named; many of the main characters have become French spirits.  
     
Another book from you hand is on boars, that are abundant in Burgundy,  you even learned how to butcher a half boar, what is you most striking anecdote on this animal?
 The Golden-Bristled Boar: Last Ferocious Beast of the Forest was so much fun to write.  In many ways, it was a sequel to French Spirits, since the main setting is the same as are many of the characters.  Of course, many of experiences are recounted in the book.  The wild boar and close relative the feral hog have become the number one animal outlaw in the world, and they've had an extraordinary relationship with humans, particularly in Europe and Asia.  They figure in art, myth, cuisine, and even the founding of early civilizations.  Burgundy is overrun with wild boars as is Germany, Italy, and elsewhere.  This anecdote doesn't appear in the book, but while I was doing a nationwide book tour in the United States I received an email from my personal doctor, who is a nature lover and helped connect me to a forestry expert who becomes a major character.  He was on a major highway just outside of Paris when a group of wild boars caused a six-car accident.  Only my doctor was still able to drive.  Wild boars cause 14,500 accidents in France, more than any other large animal. 

 I have the feeling that you are a dreamer. If you had to choose, only one option is possible, between being a writer or adventurer? What would it be?
 Yes, I am a dreamer, which is different from being an adventurer.  I have friends, mainly journalists who are far more adventurous than I am.  They are driven to experience life's extremes, often in awful war zones in Africa, the Balkans, Asia, and the Middle East.  It's not just war, but some go off to exotic places to report on nature.  I admire them—they are our witnesses.  Making a life in Europe seems to me a true privilege and maybe an adventure only in taking professional risks for love and a richer life.  So this question is for me.  Nothing keeps me going more than having a project at my writing desk.

Which plant do you like the most and which one you dislike? I am very curious about that
 This is one of the hardest questions I've ever been asked.  All plants are amazing and a discussion of grass is hugely important, since life as we know it is sustained on grass.  And who doesn't love violets or field poppies or wild daffodils or cyclamen or any wild flower.  The plant that amazes me is the snowdrop.  They are the first sign of spring and they generate warmth to melt through snow.  You see them take over the ground of forests here, and the wild daffodils.  It's truly magical. 
 I should say nettles and brambles, since I'm at constant war with them.  My legs are burning now from yard work and nettles.  But I wrote a book called Water from Stone about land restoration, the protection of endangered species, and environmental education.  When you change natural environment situations, certain native plants or exotics can take over and create hugely limited environments.  The ash-juniper does that in Texas.  

 As an American, what did wonder you the most in Burgundy ?
 I don't think Americans know too much about Burgundy, which is a huge region in France. They've heard of the wines and the cuisine.  Americans tend to go to Paris, Normandy, and Provence.  I saw a movie when I was very young that was set Burgundy, and I had a vision of gentle rolling countryside, hidden chateaus, forests, and misty world full of deer and wild boar. That's what much of it is—a beautiful harmony of forests, rolling countryside, rivers, ponds, and fecund earth.  It's hardly a wonder that the Neanderthals and early Homo Sapiens lived there and that there was always a significant human population.  There is much more—some of the most gorgeous Romanesque churches with carved capitals, a unique art giving insight into the both the secular and the religious life in the medieval world.  Abbeys, chateaux, and hospices.    


You also write poetry, can you share something on this topic?
What is the difference between Van Gogh or Rembrandt or the great Flemish painters and the greatest poetry of their time.  These are pure arts, the creative foundations since the cave painters and oral tradition, which was in poetry.  I started out as a poet, and I'm just finishing my fifth collection.  It's a pure art.  I love writing the prose because it really is fun and engaging, but poetry matters deeply to me.

Speaking of food, which dish you prefer the most? And of course what food you do not eat?
To pick out a single dish seems almost impossible—I love everything from macaroni and cheese and pizza to dinners we were taught to prepare by the French president's personal cook.  I love to cook, and I love trying different ethic recipes.  If I had to choose one thing, it would probably be lobster.  I used to dive for lobsters at night as a kid.  Now it's impossible to afford them.
 What I wouldn't like to eat is easy—brains, although I've probably eaten a lot of brains without knowing it.  Now that I'm writing a book on wild edibles, there a ton of things that I'm worried about eating but will have to try.   

Which wines do you like? Since you are in Burgundy it most be more.
 Our village is in northwest Burgundy.  Believe it or not, the closest wines to us are Sancerre, Menetou-Salon, and Pouilly Fumé and on the Burgundy side Chablis and wines in the north, mainly white.  We love these wines.  My wife is a scientist and I'm a professor, and we don't have much money to invest in wine.  We love wines from all over.  I still have to say Burgundies are my favorite.  It's still the wine we go to producers, and we put away to age.  The trick we use is to go to restaurants in the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, and get recommendations for wine with food and if it's good we get the producer's address and buy for the future.  Our big splurge is on Volnay and Pommard.  Santenay is great, Savigny les Beaune, Chassagne Montrachet.  It's not cheap. 

What else do you want to share?
 My mother is Gretchen Van Blaricom, and she is half-Dutch.  She's proud of it.  Obvious that makes me a quarter Dutch.  We have the most extraordinary Dutch friends in our part of Burgundy.  I can't believe how many they are, and they are among our closest friends.

Picture cover of Jeffrey's book



THE RECIPE

The Netherlands is a country of rivers and estuaries. Its shores, mudflats and beaches are full of edible wild things. Jeffrey went  all the way to Amsterdam to collect a boat, that he will use when he gathers wild edibles.  His wonderful story and ofcourse his Dutch descent this gave me the clue for his recipe. The dish I made for Jeffrey is a pasta dish with wild clams (kokkel in Dutch), Dutch shrimps, the grey ones, and salty vegetables like grasswort (salicornia Europea) and sea lavender (limonium vulgare) from the southwestern province of Zeeland. They can be found growing on the so called "kwelders" or sea marshes.
The wine to pair this dish is a white Burgundy form the village of Mancey in Southern Burgundy, "Mâcon Mancey  "Les Cadoles"  Blanc"  The dish, the wine and the terroirs will have a gathering of their own. I hope Jeffrey enjoys it. I wish him a lot of succes while exploring, gathering, eating and writing (on) wild edible things

Ingredients 4 persons:

300 g of tagliatelle
1 kg of wild clams
250 g  peeled shrimps
150 g grasswort
150 g sea lavender
1/2 lemon
1 chopped onion
1 glass of white wine
olive oil
butter
salt and  black pepper
parsley

Preparation:

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Put aside for later use. Rinse the clams a few times in salted water. This will take some time, because clams can contain a lot of sand! The last rinse should be done with fresh water. Gently rinse the vegetables and shake them dry. Never leave these vegetables in fresh water because they are used to salty waters. Cook the grasswort  for 3 minutes al dente. Heat 2 tbs. of oil in a big casserole, stir fry the chopped onion. Then add the clams and  the glass of wine. Put the lid on and leave the clams to cook for about 8 minutes. Shake the pan from time to time. Get the clams out of the casserole and save some of its cooking moisture. Put a knob of butter in the pan. Add the grasswort, the tagliatelle and some of the cooking moisture. Let this warm gently on a low fire. Put the clams back in the pan and mingle gently with pasta and vegetables. Finally add the shrimps and sea lavender. Season with some salt and  black pepper. Serve this dish on plates. Give it a dash of lemon juice, put on a tiny knob of butter and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

To vary this dish you may also use razors, American immigrants on our shores, to be found on every beach or mudflat. (picture)

Picture of razor shells on the beach







2014/01/25

Debbie Travis shares her memories of Amsterdam.


picture: Debbie Travis from her website



When I was researching Frances Mayes for my blogseries ”talk and table” I stumbled upon a short youtube film starring Debbie Travis, roaming around the Tuscan land. She also visited the Mayes' mansion Bramasole. My attention was caught. Wouldn’t it be nice to invite this multi talented woman to join my blogseries?  Debbie Travis is a British TV personality, a self taught interior designer, former fashion model.  Her ideas can be seen on Canadian television and of course on her website. www.debbietravis.com Caleidoscopical as she is, she brings colour in your life.Whether design from the City or tips and tricks from her Tuscan get away. Bright and fun!  Let's see if we can conceive a dish for Debbie from the answers she gives to my virtual questions. Needless to say that this willl be an dish  full of colour, nicely styled and with a Southern twist. 

Who is Debbie Travis? Tell me some more
I am British but moved to Canada when I was around thirty.  I began my working life as a model in London and traveled around the world at a very young age.  I wasn't the greatest fashion model but I did love doing television commercials.  I was intrigued by the process of making these programs.  I began to intern in London at different TV networks and finally in my twenties I launched my own television production company.  I was producing a show about self-made millionaires and took my idea to MIP the TV market in the the South of France, held in  Cannes every year.  On the first night there at a TV event I met a Canadian, fell in love and followed him back to Canada. I never actually sold my show but I did get myself a guy! He was European but living in  Montreal.  Here, reality set in.  I could not find a job in television because  the stations were French.  I began to practise the exciting craze that had just gripped the  UK.   It seemed everyone wanted to creat paint finishes on their walls.  This led to many jobs around North America.  Four years later I made a 'how-to' video which was a massive success, teaching home owners how to create sponged, ragged, marbleized walls etc.  Through this video I was asked to appear on talk shows which again became successful. Timing is everything.  I had hit the new DIY market at the perfect time.  Through these appearances I was asked to create a TV show showing people how to do up their homes with a can of paint.  We produced thirteen episodes of Debbie Travis' Painted House which became an instant success with a kind of cult following. Ironically the series was distributed back in Cannes at MIP and sold around the world.  I filmed this series, which I hosted and produced for seven years – two hundred episodes and sold in over eighty countries.  Then I created Debbie Travis' Facelift which was the first reality based design show in North America where I surprised homeowners with a newly renovated home while they were away on a trip. Again this series hit a cord with homeowners became a hit.  I produced sixty five episodes over five years.  This was followed by two primetime network series From The Ground Up and All For One.  During these seventeen years the shows aired worldwide, I authored nine books published by Random House, I write a syndicated design column published by Kingfeatures/Hearst across North America which appears weekly in seventy newspapers.  I created a home product line with Canada's largest retailer Canadian Tire producing Debbie Travis product from drapes, furniture, bathroom products, Christmas decorations, laundry etc.  I have become a speaker at mostly women's events inspiring working mothers, women entreupeners etc. Now I have taken all these aspects of my career and I am holding women's' brainstorming retreats in Italy.  I fell  in love with a valley in Tuscany where I have bought an eighty acre olive and lavender farm.  Here I have restored an ancient property into a fourteen bedroom boutique hotel where I take these women for a girls getaway under the Tuscan sun.  They come from all over the world to discover where their next chapter may take them and to meet other like minded women and share their stories.
I have two incredible sons and have been married for a very long time to my business partner and the man I met all those years ago at that party in Cannes.  We live between Montreal, London and Tuscany
  
How did your attraction for interior design start? 
Well I have answered much of this in the above but while I was a teenager and most of my girlfriends shopped for the latest trends in fashion I was always rearranging my bedroom.
 

You have an own show on TV, needless to say that we can’t see it in the Netherlands. Although internet opens some possibilties. Can you tell something about it and when you started?  
Yes my shows have all been sold to the Netherlands I have had 4 series which are seen worldwide and of course you can see them all online – my design books are published in English, French and Flemish
 

You worked as a model, what did you experience over there? Did it give you an eye for styling? 
No – my modelling years gave me the confidence to 'just go for it'.   If you can stand in a bikini with twenty male executives after a boozy lunch for a casting for some job believe me you can do anything
 

What is your favorite type of design? Are you a city dweller or a girl from the country? 
I have four homes all different styles. I love modern and old together and am now a huge fan of 'rustic chic'
   

Which type of interior do you like the most and which one you dislike?
 I am very curious about that  - I am not a big fan of over the top American homes – I like simple European designs
 

You traveled a lot,  what was your most striking moment? 
Touring South Africa with the TV station there that airs my show – I took my son on safari which was awesome.  I lived in Tokyo when I was a model for six months and that was a life changing trip for a young woman.  I also walked across Vietnam to raise money for colon cancer which killed both my parents at a young age and I loved that trip.  I have hiked up to Machu Pichu to raise money for children with arthritis, leading two hundred Canadians through the Andes was pretty special.  I travel all the time mostly now back and forth to Italy.  My most striking moment was the minute I discovered my valley in Tuscany and realized this was my future
 

What was de biggest difference for you to overcome when you started  with your Tuscan getaway?  It is  different world from my television world but in some ways similar – instead of inspiring millions through a TV screen I get to give fifteen women a life changing experience and one of the happiest weeks of their lives – it is an amazing week
 

What is your attitude to Britain and British design nowadays? 
Gosh my attitude to Britain.  I love England and feel there is an enormous amount of talent there.  I love the way Brits socialize – I love the pub.    I am not a big fan of the typical country British design but I love the new modern British look
 

On food, which food do you like and which you would never eat? 
I am afraid I love all food – I love the freshnes of Italian food and I love wine far too much.  The only food I really really hate is mashed potatoes.  They make me retch.  I was educated by nuns who forced me to eat grey cold mashed potato and would even rub our faces in it – oops I am retching now!!
 

Which wines do you like?
 I love all wine - can't say I am a great connoisseur  but I should support our local wine which is the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano – the vineyards surround our property.  I have planted my own vineyard so we will see if it is drinkable soon!
 

Can you tell me something about your “footprint”  We waste a lot of food in the Western world? 
Yes we do.  One of things that inspires me about Tuscany is how we shop daily for just what we need.  I have a garden which I live off in the summer.  I shop at the market and adore explaining to my guests how we can only buy what is in season.  If its not asparagus season it is impossible to find.  They find this strange coming from North America but they soon  get used to it.
 

What else do you want to tell?
 My passion is inspiring women whether through design or to live to their potential and demand a happy life.  I am a business woman who left school at the age of sixteen and built a small empire.   My motto is Dream it…Do it…Live it   
I also lived in Amsterdam, when I was a model and loved the city. One of my regrets is that I was once sculptured by a famous Dutch artist- no clue who he was, but he wrote to me years later and said the statue he had carved of me was in an exhibition in New York and if I would like to go. I was too young at the time to be interested. Of course now I would love to see it!



The recipe

What a wonderful and inspiring answers Debbie Travis gave to my questions. She is really a multtalented woman. For her I will make a simple, slightly classic, but nice dish full of flavour. It is a dish of fish and vegetables. Easy and  light. It is mid Simmer now. And this savoury fish will pair with a nice glass of white Vernaccia di San Gimigniano. A crisp organic Tuscan wine from Fattoria la Vialla.

Ingredients 4 persons:

4 trouts
1 courgette
1 leek
6 tomatoes
2 spring onions
1 red bell pepper
1 garlic clove
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 lemon
almond flakes
chopped parsley

Preparation:

Rinse the trouts and pat the fish dry with some kitchen paper. Give the fishes a dash of salt and pepper. Cut the courgette, red bell pepper in pieces. Chop the spring onion and leek in nice rings. Peel the tomatoes by putting them in hot water water first and cold after. Get the seeds out. Chop the peeled tomatoes in pieces. In a pan heat some oil and start stir frying the vegetables until light brown. Add the garlic, thyme and tomatoes and leave to simmer for just three minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C or 392 degrees F. Pour the vegetables and tomato moist in an oven dish. put the trouts on top. Place some parts of lemon aside. Put the dish in the oven for about 15 minutes. In the meantime you can chop some parsley and roast the almond flakes. When the fish is done, get it out of the oven and cover it. Leave the dish to rest for about 10  minutes.
Put some vegetables on a plate, put the trout aside together with a warm lemon part. Garnish with some roasted  almond flakes and parsley. Bon appétit.

When, after reading this, you would want to now more about Debbie Travis or the Tuscan Getaway? Go to www.debbietravis.com or www.tuscangetaway.com  Or just simply follow her on Twitter or Facebook

2014/01/22

Fenny's daging tumis paprika

Picture:  dish by Fenny!

I come from a family in which every member is connected to the food or wine in a way. Either preparing or enjoying it. Since last year our family is extended with a cooking princess from Indonesia, her name is Fenny. This means a vast extension of our daily menus with all kind of exotic dishes. Apart from cooking Fenny dedicates her time to architecture, designing books, teaching and writing a blog. Nowadays she works at www.atlantismedia.nl in 's-Hertogenbosch. She did the overall design for my book Gereons Keuken Thuis.* Today it is time for Fenny's Daging tumis paprika. No wine suggestion. To pair this dish I would suggest the thing all Dutch men do, a cold beer!

Ingredients:

250 g/ 8 oz  thinly sliced meat (beef)
1 onion, sliced into half rings
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp ginger powder (djahe)
3 tbs oyster sauce
3 tbs ketjap asin (salty Indonesian soy sauce)
3 tbs ketjap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce, 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bell pepper
1 bunch of chives, minces
3 tsp corn starch or Maizena, dissolved in 50 ml water
vegetable oil

Marinade ingredients:
2 tbs ketjap asin (salty soy sauce)
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tsp or corn starch Maizena, dissolved in 50 ml water

Preparation:
Marinade the meat with all marinade ingredients for three hours, put in refigrator.  Heat up 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, fry the meat until brown, put aside (keep warm under foil) Again heat up 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, put garlic cloves, ginger powder and onions. Add the oyster sauce, salty soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, salt, pepper powder. stir it well. Add the sliced bell pepper. Put the meat that you fried before. Add the finely chopped chives. Finally add the mix of water and Maizena and stir it well. Serve this dish with some rice and Indonesian prawn crackers.

* You can order the E book of Gereons Keuken Thuis on Gereons Keuken Thuis