Tag: Recipe

Posted on

Traditional Dutch Stamppot Recipe

Traditional Stamppot recipe

The traditional Dutch Stamppot recipe is a very popular recipe in colder months of the year. It is a combination of root vegetables and mashed potatoes. The Dutch Sausage topping really brings this dish together. Go on give it a try.

What you’ll need

  • 3 carrots
  • 1/2 of a turnip
  • 1 leek
  • 1/2 of an onion
  • 2 lbs potatoes
  • ½ lb sweet potatoes
  • 1 lb butternut squash
  • 1 lb green cabbage
  • ¼ cup of butter (add more dependent on taste)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 ½ lbs of Dutch sausage (Chorizo works well)
  • Optional Cashews

How to cook it

After washing and cutting the vegetables, chop the onion. Peel and cut the potatoes, with the butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, turnip and the sweet potatoes.
Using a large stock pot, place the vegetables in water, this should be brought to boil and simmered for 15 minutes
During this time you can cook the Dutch sausage to the packaging requirements
Once the vegetables are tender they need draining for mashing, then season with salt and pepper to required taste. This is when the cup of butter is added and mashed
Now add the Dutch sausage to the top and serve
Enjoy!
For a real taste of Holland why not take a look at our Dutch tours available with Leger Holidays.
The image is courtesy of Flikr user – Incase

Posted on

Delicious Falafel Recipe

Falafel was officially adopted as the national food of Israel. In recent years, it has lost a bit of its popularity, although is still quite ubiquitous.
These are small fried balls of mashed chickpeas, usually served inside pita bread.
This recipe will allow you to experience this amazing dish from the comfort of your home.
 

What you’ll need

  • 1 cup of dried chickpeas (or 16oz can of chickpeas)
  • 1 large chopped onion
  • 2 cloves of chopped garlic
  • 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon of coriander
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 2 tablespoons of flour
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Oil for frying

 

How to cook it

Soak dried chickpeas in a bowl overnight in cold water (don’t do this if using canned Chickpeas)
After draining the Chickpeas, place them in a pan of water, and bring to boil.
After boiling them for 5 minutes, let them simmer for an hour on a low heat
Once again drain and allow cooling for 10 minutes
Now add them to a bowl with Garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper.
Before adding flour, mix it all together, until a thick paste is achieved.
Once paste is achieved, make small balls with the mixture and slightly flatten
Then finally fry them in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown (5-8 minutes)
For more information abour Israel or to take a look at our Tours of Israel visit our website
 
Image courtesy of Flikr user yummyporky
 

Posted on

Light up your Christmas…

These cinnamon candles will bring a warm glow to any room this Christmas time, and they’re so quick and easy to make.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You’ll need:

  • One Large candle
  • Elastic band
  • String or ribbon
  • Candle holder/tray
  • Cinnamon sticks

 

Firstly, put the elastic band around your candle.
Then, one by one, slip the cinnamon sticks under the elastic band until you’ve covered all the way around.

 

Once the cinnamon sticks are secured, remove the elastic band.
Tie string, ribbon or raffia around the candle. You can even tie on some dried orange slices, holly or other festive decoration.

Place the candle on a candle holder, and there you have it – just remember never to leave a burning candle unattended at any time!

 
You can even make a few of these and place them together to make a table centre, adding in pine cones, offcuts from your Christmas tree (only if it’s a real one, of course!) or nuts and berries.
 
And, if you have any cinnamon sticks left over, why not make a few extra decorations to either add to your table centre or decorate your tree.

 
Happy decorating! Why not enjoy a warming mulled wine with a festive mince pie while you create your festive masterpieces!

 
 
 

Posted on

Easy Traditional Christmas Mince Pie Recipe

Christmas at home isn’t for everyone as some like to escape on our Christmas holidays, but for you guys at home here is a very festive recipe which will allow you to make 12 mince pies. These with our Classic Mulled Wine Recipe from last week are perfect together.
What you will need to make 12 Mince Pies:

  • 300g Short crust Pastry
  • 1 beaten egg
  • Granulated sugar
  • One jar of 400g jar of mincemeat

How to make them:
Preheat the oven to 200C – 400F or Gas mark 6. Place a baking sheet in to warm it up (to help cooking the base of the pie)
Start by rolling out the pastry. Make sure it is nice and thin, around the a cm thick. Keep an eye out for thin areas as the more even the pastry the better they will bake as if it is too thin they may burn before the rest of the mince pie has baked.
The next step is to cut out the bases for the pies; there should be twelve of them no bigger than 7cm in radius. These will then form the base of you mince pie once placed in the tray. Once these have been done you can start adding the mincemeat (about a tablespoonful)
The next step is to cut out or stamp another 12 circles for the lids. These will be used as the lids for your mince pies. A little brush of milk or water on one side will help them stick to the base so ensure the wet side is face down. These will then need a gentle pinching around the edge (a folk is perfect).
This is where the egg comes in. Brush a little over the top of the pies and sprinkle with caster sugar.
Now make a little hole in the top to stop the filling from boiling over.
The pies are now ready to be placed in the oven for around 15-20 minutes or until a nice golden colour.
Most of all Enjoy!
Image courtesy of Flikr user – NickJWebb

Posted on

A Simple Chicken, Prawn and Chorizo Paella Recipe

Bring a taste of Spain to your home with this simple paella recipe that combines chicken, prawns and chorizo into a mouthwatering dish that is perfect for parties!
This dish takes about an hour to create and should serve about eight.

What you’ll need

Chicken, prawn and chorizo paella
A simple chicken, prawn and chorizo paella recipe – the perfect party dish!

1 thinly sliced chorizo sausage
3 chicken breast fillets, chopped into bite size chunks
1 pack of large, pre-cooked, tiger prawns
2 large, diced onions
400g arborio paella rice
Paprika
White wine
Olive Oil
1.25 litres of chicken or vegetable stock

How to cook it

  • Add a glug of olive oil to a large, heavy bottomed frying pan and heat on a medium to high setting. Add your thinly sliced chorizo to the pan and allow to cook on both sides until golden and starting to go black. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chorizo whilst leaving the oil and chorizo juice in the pan.
  • Add the diced chicken to the pan and cook until lightly golden, the meat doesn’t have to be cooked thoroughly at this stage. Remove the chicken and keep until later.
  • Add your diced onions to the pan and cook until brown and soft.
  • Now add your rice, two teaspoons of paprika and about 200ml of white wine.
  • Bring to the boil and allow the mixture to cook for around 2 minutes.
  • Now add your chicken and chorizo to the mixture and stir in your stock.
  • Reduce to a low heat and allow the paella to cook for 20 minutes without stirring.
  • Finally, add your prawns to the dish and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes or until the remaining mixture has been fully absorbed.

Freshen things up a bit

If you would like to freshen this dish up a little, let your paella cool, add some freshly chopped tomatoes, peppers and cucumber and serve on a bed of lettuce.
Image courtesy of flickr user S. Navarro

Posted on

The perfect recipe for a tasty Ratatouille dish

Ratatouille Dish

Ratatouille is a traditional French dish which packs plenty of vegetables into a tasty meal for the entire family to enjoy. This rustic recipe will serve four, is ready in about 40 minutes and packs in a massive 4 of your 5-a-day quota for fruit and veg!

Ratatouille Dish
A traditional, tasty ratatouille recipe

What you’ll need

4 large tomatoes
2 peppers
4 courgettes
2 aubergines
1 diced onion
3 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Basil
Sugar

How to cook it

  • Prepare your vegetables by chopping your aubergines, courgettes and peppers into bite size chunks.
  • Quarter your tomatoes and scrape out the seeds before roughly chopping into smaller pieces.
  • Heat a heavy bottomed sauté pan over a medium flame and then add a large glug of olive oil.
  • Brown your aubergines, courgettes and peppers on each side for 5 minutes or until soft. TIP – Be careful not to overcook the vegetables at this stage.
  • Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside for later. Add in a little more oil if required and cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
  • Stir in a handful of basil, a pinch of sugar and your tomatoes and allow to cook for a minute.
  • Return your vegetables to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes. TIP – now’s the time to add a little salt and pepper to your meal if required.
  • After 5 minutes of cooking it’s time to dish up and enjoy!

Spice things up a little

If you would like to create your own version of this traditional ratatouille dish why not add some chicken, chilli and fresh noodles for a modern twist on a French classic.
Image courtesy of flickr user jplahm