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Mac & Cheese with Kale & Smokey Bacon

30 November 2023
American recipes/ Dinner/ Lunch/ One-pot recipes/ Oven dishes/ Quick & Easy/ Side Dishes/ Snacks & Fingerfood/ Starters/ Vegetarian
Artichoke Parmesan Dip

17 July 2023
American recipes/ Dinner/ Oven dishes/ Pasta/ Sauces, dressings & condiments/ Vegetarian
Baked Macaroni & Cheese

22 October 2020

About Me

Welcome to my page! My name is Saffron, I'm a freelance photographer living in Amsterdam. I’m not a chef but a passionate cook and lover of all things food. With this site I'd like to share my passion and knowledge and maybe even inspire you to go on an adventurous food journey as well.

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Latest Posts

Mac & Cheese with Kale & Smokey Bacon

30 November 2023

Smashed Jeruzalem Artichokes with Crispy Capers, Creamed Spinach, Hot Smoked Salmon and a Poached Egg

25 November 2023

Coq au Vin Blanc with Creamy Garlic Celeriac Mash

16 November 2023

Oven Stewed Fennel, Tomatoes & White Beans with Poached Cod

13 November 2023

One Pot Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup with Fennel Sausage

13 November 2023

apinchofsaffron_amsterdam

Chinese Stuffed Cabbage Rolls We’re harvesting

Chinese Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

We’re harvesting a lot of cabbage at the moment at the @plukcsafruittuin so I needed to find some new ways to use all these amazing leaves. Stuffed cabbage rolls are super versatile, I filled them with pork with a Chinese recipe, but you could also make Middle Eastern versions with lamb or chicken and they are great stuffed with vegetables and tofu as well.

Just be sure to blanch the leaves first so they’re nice and flexible, after that they just need to steam for 10 minutes. You’re left with amazing little steamed parcels of goodness and the steaming liquid left in the bowl afterwards is great to use to make a sauce.

Recipe inspired by @whattocooktoday , for the complete recipe see the link in my bio.

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #chinesefood #chineserecipes #asianfood #cabbagerolls #pork #steamedfood

Braised Shiitake Mushrooms What an amazing side d

Braised Shiitake Mushrooms

What an amazing side dish to any Chinese meal. The meaty texture and deep intense flavour of the shiitake mushrooms goes so well with this oyster and soy sauce bubbling sauce. Topped off with some chives and sesame seeds it’s also a delight to look at. And the best thing? It’s made within 10 minutes!

I used fresh shiitake for this recipe, you could also use king oyster mushrooms. Most Chinese recipes use the dried shiitake mushrooms though, they give an even more intense flavour. Be sure to soak the overnight in cold water or for an hour in hot water before using them though. Oh and don’t throw out the soaking liquid, this will be used in the sauce!

To keep it vegetarian / vegan you can of course replace the oyster sauce with a vegan version!

Recipe inspired by @redhousespice , for the complete recipe see the link in my bio.

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #chinesefood #shiitake #chineserecipes #vegetarian #vegan #sidedish

Everything Possible Salad Ah yes, salads, you ama

Everything Possible Salad

Ah yes, salads, you amazing little inventions. So versatile, so healthy and oh so easy to put together. There are just a few basic components you need to create a good salad:

1. Your leaves of choice: this can be any leafy ingredient which can be coated in a dressing. To name a few: any type of lettuce, rucola, spinach, chicory leaves, thinly sliced fennel etc.
2. Your hero ingredients: roasted beets, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, grilled courgette slices etc.
3. Your toppings: Toasted seeds, crumbled feta, crispy bacon
4. Some carbs: bread on the side, roasted potatoes, a can of chickpeas or lentils
5. Maybe something sweet to balance it out? Raisin, apple slices, oranges, dates?
6. What about some protein like smoked salmon or a poached egg?
7. Optional but very tasty a good handful of freshly picked leafy herbs like parsley, basil, chives, dille or mint.
8. And last but not least, your dressing. This can be as simple as a splash of olive oil and vinegar, or a bit more lush like a honey, lemon and mustard vinaigrette!

Anyway, my salad in this post has the following ingredients:
1. Oak leaf lettuce & curled endive
2. Roasted beets & cucumbers
3. Calendula flower petals
4. Pan fried potatoes
5. Poached egg
6. Honey, mustard and lemon vinaigrette

@plukcsafruittuin

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #salad #roastedbeets #vinaigrette #poachedeggs

Swiss Chard & Gnocchi Gratin Soft gooey gruyere c

Swiss Chard & Gnocchi Gratin

Soft gooey gruyere cheese sauce, silky Swiss chard (or snijbiet in Dutch) and crispy gnocchi. What a great seasonal veggie dish! The great thing about this dish is that it's super versatile. Instead of Swiss chard you can use any seasonal vegetable you can get your hands on: Kohlrabi, fennel, kale, courgette, or maybe even een combination of all of the above! You name it, you use it!

I got my Swiss chard from @plukcsafruittuin but you can find it pretty much at every market at the moment.

Recipe inspired by @foodandwine

For the recipe see the link in my bio!

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #vegetarian #seasonal #swisschard #ovenbaked #seasonalvegetarian

Kohlrabi & Courgette Risotto

I love risotto, it’s one of those super versatile dishes, it takes a bit of time but is super easy and very relaxing to make, almost therapeutic. And the best thing? You can pretty much use any vegetable to add to it, so why not kohlrabi?

The past few weeks I’ve harvested many kohlrabi and they keep getting bigger, more beautiful and are always super tasty. Strange that this is the first year I’ve actually ever cooked with them. Anyway, after many kohlrabi salads and stir fries I needed something else to do with it. Rummaging around in my fridge I found half a courgette (also harvested at @plukcsafruittuin ) and then the seed to make a risotto was planted.

What a great combo! Kohlrabi really keeps it’s texture very well, while slowly oozing out flavour into the sauce. The courgette on the other hand goes silky and smooth, also oozing out flavour into the sauce. A win win situation in my book.

I didn’t have any white wine open to deglaze the pan so I used red wine which turned the colour of the risotto kind of pinkish but the flavours was still amazing.

I served it with grilled chicken thighs but you can just as easily serve it as is!

For the recipe of the risotto see the link in my bio!

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #risotto #kohlrabi #vegetarian #courgette #italianfood

Vegetable Packed Kapucijner Stew One of the thin

Vegetable Packed Kapucijner Stew

One of the things I love about harvesting my own vegetables at the Pluktuin (@plukcsafruittuin ) is how creative I get when coming up with recipes.

Usually there aren't enough of just 1 ingredient, so I combine different vegetables and herbs. In the end I’m not following any recipe just basic techniques and experience from all my years of cooking. There’s a real freedom in that! 

For this recipe I was inspired by my recipe for French Lentil soup (see the link in my bio). The basis was the same but I replaced the lentils with the kapucijners (marrowfat peas I think they’re called in English), the spinach with chard and the parsley with the carrot tops. It was super delicious! Topped off with some fresh dill weed leaves and flowers for freshness and even more flavour, if that was even possible.

All the vegetables I used: onion, garlic, kapucijner peas, leek, chard, carrot, carrot tops, dill & tomatoes.

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #norecipe #harvest #pluktuin #kapucijners

Red Beet Millefeuille with Tomasu & Dashi Beurre B

Red Beet Millefeuille with Tomasu & Dashi Beurre Blanc Sauce

The star of this dish is the umami packed beurre blanc sauce, oh and also the slow cooked beets with sticky glaze. Oh and the soy sauce by @tomasusoysauce. Ok ok, this whole dish is a winner.

Definitely not a simple week night dish but great for a dinner party if you want to wow your guests. It’s a bit of work, but not difficult super easy to prep ahead, so you can wow your guest while also being all chilled and relaxed about it!

I first tried this dish during corona time when we got make-away dinner packages from the restaurant @rijksrestaurant by chef @jorisbijdendijk , wow what a flavours!

I made a few tweaks to the dish, like added a puree under the beets for extra richness and texture(inspired by @haroldkookt). I’ve tried it with cauliflower purée, parsnip purée and even silky mashed potatoes. Not a fan of beets? Replace them with pan seared scallops for extra decadence!

Recipe will follow on my site soon!

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #michelinstar

Easy Steamed Fish with Ginger, Chili, Garlic & Spr

Easy Steamed Fish with Ginger, Chili, Garlic & Spring Onions

And of course a lovely simple sauce full of Asian flavours: Soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, chili flakes and brown sugar. This little steamed fish dish is a winner, it’s super easy to make and ready in 5-6 minutes.

I used a vegetable steamer for this, but you can also use a bamboo steamer or a plate placed on some scrunched up aluminium foil which is used as a trivet. If using the vegetable or bamboo steamer line the bottom with some baking paper or cabbage leaves.

Add ± 1 cm of water to a large pan and place your steamer of choice on top, making sure it doesn’t make contact with the water, and bring to a simmer. Place your fish of choice (I used cod but you can also use salmon, Tilapia or any other white fish) in the steamer or on the plate and sprinkle ginger, spring onions and chilis over the top. Close the lid and let steam away for 5-6 minutes until the fish is just cooked through and flakey.

In the meantime make your sauce: 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, small pinch white pepper, 1 tsp brown sugar. Mix well and set aside.

When the fish is done transfer it to a deep plate together with all the toppings and immediately pour over the sauce and sprinkle on some extra sesame seeds and chili flakes. Serve with steamed white rice and some vegetables e.g. grilled bimi, stir fried Chinese cabbage or a Chinese cucumber salad. Enjoy!

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #chinesefood #steamed #seafood #fish #healthyfood

Lemon Curd Together with @julienmainois I hosted

Lemon Curd

Together with @julienmainois I hosted a 5 course dinner for 65 friends last night and it was a blast. A lot of work, but amazing.

We needed a dessert which was easy to put together and full of fresh zingy lemon flavour. Lemon curd had to be made!

Although lemon curd is fresh and zingy, it's rich and decadent at the same time. It's super easy to make although it does need your undivided attention and some elbow grease so it doesn't turn into scrambled eggs.

We served it with a cookie base crumble, vanille mascarpone cream and raspberry coulis. Mmmm.

So here by popular demand: the recipe for lemon curd!

Ingredients:
Zest of 2-3 large lemons, the same amount you squeeze
Juice of 2-3 large lemons (± 130 ml)
200 g granulated sugar
125 g unsalted butter
2 whole eggs, whisked

Method:
1. You need an au bain marie to make the curd: get a large sauce pan and add a layer of water, ± 3 cm. Bring it to a simmer. Place a larger heat proof bowl on top (glass or metal) and make sure it doesn't touch the water directly.
2. Add the butter, lemon zest and sugar to the bowl and let it melt.
3. When the sugar has dissolved add the lemon juice and stir well.
4. Then add in the eggs and continue to whisk the whole time, this will stop the eggs from turning into scrambled eggs.
Continue to whisk for about 15 - 20.
5. The curd is ready when it thickens and has the consistency of yoghurt and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
6. Transfer to a sealable container and cover with plastic wrap while it cools so it doesn't form a skin on top.

Store the lemon curd in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

Enjoy!

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #lemoncurd #sweetrecipe #dessert # lemon #summerrecipes

Single Layer Chocolate with Sea Salt In honour of

Single Layer Chocolate with Sea Salt

In honour of Robbie's birthday today a decadently rich chocolate cake. Happy birthday @wolf_rock_stuff

Fluffy, moist dark chocolate cake with creamy and rich milk chocolate butter frosting with flecks of sea salt sprinkled on top…

I’m not a huge baker, not that I don’t like sweet stuff, I just usually find that most recipes make too much to eat with just 2 people. A little indulgence is fine, but a whole cake is a bit extravagant. So I was looking forward to baking something for my colleagues after being 2 weeks off.

This little cake is super rich with dark chocolate, a small slice is all you need, I promise! The recipe is from @beyond.the.butter , she has some great small batch recipes.

#homecooking #foodphotography #foodie #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #baking #chocolate #chocolatecake #seasalt #globaleats

Aubergine & Mint Bruschetta Ok so this must be on

Aubergine & Mint Bruschetta

Ok so this must be one of my favourite bruschetta’s E V E R. It’s also one of the first dishes I remember making for a BBQ which I was really proud of, I was so amazed by the flavours of such simple ingredients!

You can make it either on the BBQ or in a grill pan, both super tasty. The grilled aubergine is marinated in a dressing of olive oil, wine vinegar, mint, parsley garlic, pepper and salt.

Divide them over freshly grilled bread slices rubbed with garlic and let the juices of the dressing soak into the bread. Serve when still a bit warm, but great cold as well!

Recipe inspired by @jamieoliver

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #bruschetta #aubergine #vegetarian #summerrecipes #bbqrecipes

Golden Macanese Cod A rich, turmeric golden cocon

Golden Macanese Cod

A rich, turmeric golden coconut broth with flakey cod fish, Thai basil and red chili’s, what a great combo! I don’t know a lot about Macanese food but after tasting this dish I can’t wait to try more! This is a recipe from @chinghehuang ’s cookbook ‘Wok On’. I adjusted it slightly here and there to my liking, but for the rest the recipe was great, and super easy too!

I’ll add it to my site for you soon!

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #chinesefood #macanesefood #cod #work

Nduja, White Bean & Tomato Stew with Lemon Gremola

Nduja, White Bean & Tomato Stew with Lemon Gremolata Crumb Prawns

KAPOW! What a flavour burst, and the best thing, this little wonder is done under 20 minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight but also perfect to wow your guests. Served with some crusty bread to soak up all the juices and you’ve got a winner.

I served it with gremolata prawns but it's also super tasty just as it is!

Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 350 g tomatoes cubed (or use cherry tomatoes)
- ± 90 g Nduja sausage (more or less to taste)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cans white beans, drained
- 100 ml cooking cream (replace with stock if you’d like it less rich)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (more to taste)
- 1 tsp sugar
- Good handle flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 400 g peeled and deveined prawns
- 1/2 cup (Panko) bread crumbs
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Lemon juice to taste
- Pepper & Salt to taste
- Bread to serve (optional)

Method
- In a heavy based pot heat the olive oil and add the garlic, onion, celery and a pinch of salt, sauté on medium heat until translucent and fragrant, ± 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and mix well to dissolve, sauté ± 2 minutes.
- Add the Nduja and mix until well incorporated.
- Pour in the white beans and mix to coat well with the sauce.
- Add the chicken stock, cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and sugar and let simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add the bread crumbs, toast until starting to crisp up. Add the prawns, half of the parsley and the the lemon zest and stir fry, coating the prawns with the bread crumbs until just cooked through, ± 3 minutes.
- Season with pepper and salt and a squeeze of lemon, stir well and remove from the heat.
- Serve the stew with the gremolata prawns, slices of lemon on the side, the parsley sprinkled on top and some fresh crusty bread on the side.

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #nduja #quickrecipes #whitebeans #stew #lemon #prawns

Halloumi Salad with a Ginger, Honey & Chili Vinaig

Halloumi Salad with a Ginger, Honey & Chili Vinaigrette

The stars of this salad are of course the crispy and gooey halloumi and the tangy, sweet and spicy vinaigrette. You only need the recipes for these two, the rest can be adjusted with the salad ingredients of your choice.

My salad ingredients were: lamb’s lettuce (veldsla in Dutch), tomatoes, spring onions, crispy fried oyster mushrooms (because I had some leftover in the fridge), pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. Oooohweee a great combo of flavours. But as I said, the salad can be made with what ever you have lying around: spinach, lettuce, raw chicory, raw fennel, cucumber, red onion, peppers, pine nuts, pecans, whatever you feel like!

The Halloumi is simply pan fried in some olive oil until crispy on all sides. The vinaigrette is also a simple one, I start with smaller amounts of the ingredients and adjust along the way after tasting. I like to use a small blender which helps emulsify the dressing into a lovely creamy consistency.

To a small blander add the following ingredients:
- 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp vinegar of choice (I used apple cider vinegar, but you could also use rice vinegar, wine vinegar, regular vinegar, what ever you have lying around)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (you can even add some zest)
- Good pinch of coarse sea salt
- Freshly crushed black pepper

Blend everything until smooth and emulsified. Taste and adjust with any of the ingredients to get your desired flavour.

The Halloumi is homemade by @darikaasenhoning

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #salad #cranberries #dressing #vinaigrette #halloumi #healthy #healthyrecipes #vegetarian

Saucy Vegetable Stir Fry with Crispy Smoked Tofu

Saucy Vegetable Stir Fry with Crispy Smoked Tofu

After a week of holidays, eating and drinking everything we want (and maybe even more), we were really looking forward to getting back on a healthier track. A vegetable stir fry is just that!

For this dish I used a mix of broccoli, shiitake and king oyster mushrooms in a lovely sauce full of Asian flavours (Soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil, white pepper, garlic, ginger and chili’s. Yum!

We could have eaten it just like this but I love the addition of crispy fried tofu coated in the dark and rich sauce.

For the recipe see the link in my bio! Inspired by @recipe_tin

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #stirfry #tofu #healthyrecipes #healthyfood #vegetables #asianrecipes #chineserecipes

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Spring Vegetables & Le

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Spring Vegetables & Leek, Dill, Dijon Mustard and Lemon Sauce

Juicy chicken thighs, crispy skin, crunchy spring vegetables, fragrant dille and a refreshing yet rich sauce. Yum!

This dish has a few steps, so takes a bit of time (± 45 minutes total), but it’s all very simple to do, a great dish if you’re not in a rush to enjoy making while you’re drinking a glass of wine.

I adapted the original recipe is from @primal_gourmet , the potatoes were my addition, but you can also leave these out if you’re looking for a lighter dish. The spring veggies and the sauce will also be great with pan roasted salmon or cod, maybe even some crispy pancetta or what about a poached egg? So many options!

For the recipe see the link in my bio!

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #chicken #springrecipes #asparagus #healthyfood

Turkish Eggs (çılbır) Soft poached eggs in a g

Turkish Eggs (çılbır)

Soft poached eggs in a garlicky spicy yoghurt with mint (or dill), drizzled with smoked chili butter with crunchy bread to soak up all the goodness! A great little brunch idea for when you have some time in the weekend.

#çılbır #turkisheggs #eggs #poachedeggs #poachedegg #brunch #breakfast #homemade #homecooking #homechef #globaleats #homecooking #easyrecipes #weekendrecipes

Lentil Salad with Warm Smoked Salmon, Goats Cheese

Lentil Salad with Warm Smoked Salmon, Goats Cheese and a Poached Egg

For the ease I used canned lentils, but of course you can also prepare the lentils from scratch. To the lentils add fresh and crisp veggies of choice (I used spring onion, red pepper, cucumber and a sjalot) and dress with a red wine vinaigrette (olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, mustard, pepper and salt). Top off with a boiled, poached or fried egg, whatever you feel like! For extra saltiness and texture I added soft goats cheese and warm smoked salmon.

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homecooking #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #dinner #dinnertime #dinnerideas #dinnerathome #healthydinner #dinnerrecipes #salad

Portuguese Caldo Verde In other words potato kale

Portuguese Caldo Verde

In other words potato kale soup with chorizo. So many of our food adventures have been inspired by Anthony Bourdain, and this is one of them. We saw it come by in one of his cooking shows, explaining it’s pretty much his favourite soup. That just meant one thing: we had to try it!

Man, it didn’t disappoint! A thick stewy potato soup, filled with kale and seasoned with fried chorizo. What’s not to like?

We served it with amazing bread from @boulangerie_noe_nl wow, that stuff is nuts. We’ll definitely be back for more!

Recipe for the soup inspired by @leitesculinaria

The kale I harvested at @plukcsafruittuin , it's a mix of regular kale and Russian kale. So good!

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #soup #portuguese #portuguesefood #kale #healthy #potatoes

Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry Did you know when ka

Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry

Did you know when kale blooms it has little yellow flowers that look exactly like rapeseed flowers? I had no idea! And they’re super tasty too!

I harvested vegetables for the first time last week at @plukcsafruittuin and we sure got an abundance of vegetables! I even needed to work on a week menu so I knew I would use it all.

Yesterday I made a yummy Chinese stir-fry. The recipe was inspired by @khinskitchen , it’s pretty much her recipe, with just the vegetables changed.

For the vegetables I used a mix of baby bok chow and kale (+ the flowers), both harvested at @plukcsafruittuin , oyster mushrooms, harvested from my home grown mushrooms from @rotterzwam and for the rest I still had spring onion, onions, garlic, chili, ginger and celery lying around. Yum!

For the recipe see the link in my bio!

#easyrecipes #simplerecipes #homecooking #homecook #homechef #homemade #homemadefood #recipes #fromscratch #delicious #vegetables #harvest #organicfarming #stirfry #chinesefood

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