Author: StefanGourmet

According to Collins Dictionary, a gourmet is "a person who cultivates a discriminating palate for the enjoyment of good food and drink". That's quite a good description of me, although I do not only enjoy good food and wine, but also like to cook and select matching wines. I'm a guy (1974) from the Netherlands, living near Amsterdam. On this blog I intend to share my experiences with cooking, eating at restaurants, visiting wineries, and related topics.
2. Primi (pasta, risotto)9 Comments

Fresh Pasta with Rabbit (Tajarin al Sugo di Coniglio)

StefanGourmet

I really liked the fresh tagliatelle with rabbit at Bussia, and so I decided to make a similar dish. Tajarin al Sugo di Coniglio is a dish from the Piemonte region, where narrow tagliatelle (taglierini) are called tajarin in the local dialect. It really brings out the delicate flavor of the rabbit, which pairs very well with the delicate pasta. I decided to enhance the rabbit flavor by using rabbit stock rather than chicken stock. Ingredients For 4 servings 1 kg (2.2 lbs) rabbit legs 1 small onion, minced 1 carrot, minced 1 celery stalk, minced 1 glass (100 ml) … Continue reading Fresh Pasta with Rabbit (Tajarin al Sugo di Coniglio)

Asian cuisine6 Comments

‘Japanese’ Salad

StefanGourmet

This salad isn’t truly Japanese, but it does include some Japanese ingredients and I did find the dressing in a booklet with recipes that are supposed to be Japanese. This post is all about the dressing which is really good. The salad is good too, it just isn’t very authentic. Ingredients lettuce shii take mushrooms bean sprouts green onion 2 Tbsp oil cherry tomatoes For the dressing 2 Tbsp rice vinegar 3 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce 2 Tbsp sesame oil 1/2 fresh red chile pepper Preparation Remove the tough stems from the shii take mushrooms and slice them. Sauté the … Continue reading ‘Japanese’ Salad

Eating17 Comments

Dining in South Dakota: Gem Steakhouse, Deadwood

StefanGourmet

We are in Deadwood, South Dakota, a wild west town from 1876 and still has some of its original charm (most of it is drowned out by countless slot machines though). It was nice to be back in a slightly more populated area after touring national parks in an RV for a week, so we decided that we would eat out instead of cooking at the campsite. Steak is usually a safe choice outside of major cities in the US, so I checked out TripAdvisor to find a recommended steakhouse in Deadwood. Gem Steakhouse seemed a good choice, located in … Continue reading Dining in South Dakota: Gem Steakhouse, Deadwood

4. Dolci (dessert)18 Comments

Cake with Plums, Almonds and Orange

StefanGourmet

I served this delicious cake to my parents for dessert when they came over for dinner, and everyone loved it. I got the recipe from the newspaper a long time ago, and found it when I was sorting out old recipes. It’s so good I regret not making it earlier. Ingredients 500 grams (1.1 lbs) ripe plums 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar juice and zest of 1 orange vanilla bean For the dough 150 grams (11 Tbsp) butter at room temperature 150 grams (3/4 cup) sugar 2 eggs 85 grams (1/2 cup) flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 100 grams … Continue reading Cake with Plums, Almonds and Orange

1. Antipasti (appetizers)13 Comments

First experiment with Agar Agar: Beetroot Tagliatelle

StefanGourmet

When I say beetroot tagliatelle, I don’t mean tagliatelle flavored or colored with beetroot, but tagliatelle made of mostly beetroot, without any flour. It is a simple form of modernist cuisine (not capitalized, since I’m not referring to the book). I had eaten tomato tagliatelle at Piazza Duomo, one of Italy’s best restaurants in Alba, and thought I could use agar agar to try something similar with beetroot. I don’t have a juicer so I used beetroot puree rather than beetroot juice. Agar agar is a gelling agent that is made from red algae that has the interesting quality that … Continue reading First experiment with Agar Agar: Beetroot Tagliatelle

1. Antipasti (appetizers)8 Comments

Kale Salad with Apples, Trail Mix, and Blue Cheese

StefanGourmet

I was intrigued when I read about a kale salad on EmmyCooks.com, as kale is something that I had never associated before with a salad. Kale is called boerenkool (“farmer’s cabbage”) in the Netherlands, and is eaten boiled with mashed potatoes, gravy and smoked sausage. In the Netherlands boerenkool is a winter vegetable and is not available fresh in summer, so I haven’t been able to try this salad until now. As I am currently touring national parks in the USA with an RV, I noticed that kale is indeed available here as a summer vegetable. So I decided to … Continue reading Kale Salad with Apples, Trail Mix, and Blue Cheese

Cooking3 Comments

Improvised Chicken Fajitas

StefanGourmet

Some believe that I only eat food at the level of Alinea, or at least cooked sous-vide. But since one does have to eat, I do adjust to the circumstances and, depending on the circumstances, will eat almost everything. As we are currently touring national parks in Utah and Wyoming with an RV, quite some adjustment is necessary. Luckily I can enjoy what I’m eating anyway. The burners in the RV are so bad that it takes 15 minutes to bring half a liter (2 cups) of water to a boil. So cooking on those is out. But at the campsite in … Continue reading Improvised Chicken Fajitas

Secondi di Pesce (fish dishes)10 Comments

Fish soup (Zuppa di Pesce)

StefanGourmet

My parents came over for dinner and my dad’s favorite dish is fish soup filled with different kinds of seafood. There are many varieties of this type of soup, including bouillabaisse from France and zarzuela from Spain. It can’t be a surprise that my version is Italian style and therefore called zuppa di pesce. The quality of this soup depends solely on the freshness of the seafood used, and there are hardly any ingredients besides the seafood itself. It is a very elegant dish that looks great to boot. From sous-vide cooking we’ve learned that the ideal temperature to cook … Continue reading Fish soup (Zuppa di Pesce)

Eating15 Comments

Dining in Chicago: Alinea***

StefanGourmet

Being jetlagged has its advantages. I’ve just had a fantastic dinner at Alinea and am eager to blog about it, but I wasn’t sure when I would get around to that as I will be travelling in areas where wifi is not something to count on. We went to Alinea with friends from Chicago where we are also staying the night. I’ve slept really well after the dinner at Alinea for about 6 hours, but now it’s 5am (i.e. noon in the timezone I left yesterday) and I am wide awake. So what better thing to do then to do … Continue reading Dining in Chicago: Alinea***

4. Dolci (dessert)2 Comments

Tina’s Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp (Rabarber och Jurdgobbar med knäckigt havrepajs täcke)

StefanGourmet

When we were visiting our friends Tina & Magnus in Sweden, Tina made this wonderful dessert for us: rhubarb and strawberries topped with an oats crust and baked in the oven. I watched her making it and took some photos, and thought it was delicious so I got her permission to share the recipe with you. For those of you who can read Swedish this should suffice, but for the rest here is the step by step in English. I’ve increased the quantities in the non-metric equivalent a bit to avoid things like “5/6 cup”. Ingredients For the oats crust … Continue reading Tina’s Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp (Rabarber och Jurdgobbar med knäckigt havrepajs täcke)

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)16 Comments

Risotto al Basilico

StefanGourmet

This basil risotto was inspired by a similar risotto we got at a recent dinner at restaurant Bussia in Amsterdam. Their version was lighter and greener, but this was just as delicious. The lighter and greener style may in part have been to blanching the basil leaves to set the color and lighten the taste, something I did not do and may try next time. Ingredients For 2 servings 130 grams (2/3 cup) risotto rice 1 bunch fresh basil (about 50 grams/2 oz) 1 small onion, chopped 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 glass (100 ml) dry white wine … Continue reading Risotto al Basilico

4. Dolci (dessert)4 Comments

Ciambelline al Vino

StefanGourmet

When he tasted my cantuccini, my co-worker Mauro said that he usually prefers ciambelline al vino, the typical cookies from his home-town Rome. I had never heard of those, but decided to make them and liked them. You can make them with either white wine or red wine. Although I have not tested this theory myself, I believe these cookies are very suitable to bake with children. Easy dough and an interesting shape. The alcohol will of course evaporate when they are baked. On a side note: this morning I finally succeeded in booking a table at l’Astrance*** in Paris! … Continue reading Ciambelline al Vino

Secondi di Pesce (fish dishes)11 Comments

Sea Bass poached in fresh Tomatoes (Branzino al Pomodoro Fresco)

StefanGourmet

I have tomato envy. I read all those posts of fellow food bloggers who are buying heirloom tomatoes at farmers markets, or even harvesting perfectly ripe tasty tomatoes from their own backyard. And given the local climate here, I have to make do with tomatoes that come from a greenhouse and are just not the same. If you do have access to good tomatoes (as well as fresh sea bass), do yourself a favor and make this recipe. I promise it will be an outstanding way of tasting what summer is supposed to taste like! This is one of the … Continue reading Sea Bass poached in fresh Tomatoes (Branzino al Pomodoro Fresco)

Secondi di Carne (meat dishes)5 Comments

Pork Ribs Sous-vide

StefanGourmet

When Conor wrote about pork ribs, I knew I had to try pre-cooking them sous-vide rather than boiling. Sous-vide cooking allows us to get ribs that are both tender and succulent. Since I had never made pork ribs before, I wanted to experiment a little before serving them to my friends at a BBQ. For this trial run I seared the ribs in a hot frying pan rather than firing up a BBQ, since it was only the two of us on a week night. I tried two flavors: Conor’s paprika – honey – soy marinade and Italian style sage … Continue reading Pork Ribs Sous-vide

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)18 Comments

Pasta with Carrot sauce (Fusilli alle Carote)

StefanGourmet

Before I started blogging, I used carrots mostly as supporting ingredients in stocks and stews, one of the few exceptions being hutspot sometimes in winter. Fellow bloggers have inspired me to give carrots a leading role as well. This is another primo piatto using carrots inspired by 35aweek.com with some adaptations. This one’s even easier to make than the carrot risotto. And if you prepare the carrots the night before like I did, it only takes as long to prepare this dish as it takes to boil the pasta. Fusilli (similar to the rotelle used by K. on $35 a week) are a good pasta … Continue reading Pasta with Carrot sauce (Fusilli alle Carote)

Cooking15 Comments

Pizza ai Funghi (Pizza with Mushrooms)

StefanGourmet

Now that I’ve got the hang of making great pizza at home using cold-fermented dough and baking it tender but crispy in 3 minutes on an aluminum plate, it is time to make pizzas with different toppings. Mushrooms are always a favorite, and the most important thing to get it right is to always sauté the mushrooms before putting them on a pizza. When you bake the mushrooms raw, they will release a lot of liquid that will make your pizza soggy. For additional flavor I like to sauté the mushrooms trifolati, with garlic and parsley. Ingredients For 1 pizza cold-fermented … Continue reading Pizza ai Funghi (Pizza with Mushrooms)

Secondi di Carne (meat dishes)28 Comments

Wagyu Flank Steak, Pan-seared versus Sous-vide

StefanGourmet

On nice days I often walk from the train station to work, rather than taking a tram or subway. On my way to work I will then walk by the fanciest butcher shop that I know of in Amsterdam (and probably in the whole country): Slagerij De Leeuw. This is not a place to get your daily meat, but for special occasions they have great stuff like organic foie gras, Rubia beef from Spain, and wagyu beef (imported from the US). Wagyu is usually outrageously expensive, but the flank steak (referred to as “bavette”) looked great and almost reasonably priced. … Continue reading Wagyu Flank Steak, Pan-seared versus Sous-vide

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)5 Comments

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

StefanGourmet

If you ask an Italian which food is the best in the world, he will say that of course that is Italian food. If you then ask further, he will tell you that the food from his own region is best. If again you ask further, it’s only food from his own city or even quarter that is superior. And in the end, it’s the food of his mamma or nonna that is really the best. I like the name of this pasta dish. “Puttana” means whore, so this is “whore’s spaghetti”. There are various theories why it’s called this … Continue reading Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Eating7 Comments

Dining in Amsterdam: Bussia

StefanGourmet

Bussia is one of my favorite restaurants in Amsterdam. It is a true Italian ristorante where you eat antipasto, primo, secondo, dolce instead of pizza. Everything is made from scratch from fresh ingredients and they have a nice selection of Italian wines. The service is as professional as it is friendly. Last night we took a friend there for her birthday, since I knew she would enjoy this. And she did, as did we! Although you can also eat à la carte, the main attraction of Bussia is the six-course daily menu (antipasto, pasta, risotto, fish, meat, dolce) that you can … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Bussia

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)6 Comments

Carrot Risotto (Risotto alle Carote)

StefanGourmet

I’ve enjoyed cooking for a long time, but since I started blogging about it I’ve been experimenting and trying new things much more often than before. One of the big drivers of this is that other bloggers inspire me. One of the blogs that I get a lot of inspiration from is 35aweek.com. She posts a lot of things that sound and look delicious that I’ve never cooked before. One of those dishes was Roasted carrot & thyme risotto. Carrots are one of those vegetables that are healthy, cheap, and readily available, but can be a bit boring. So I … Continue reading Carrot Risotto (Risotto alle Carote)

Eating6 Comments

Dining in Sweden: Pio Country Club

StefanGourmet

Despite the cheesy name, Pio Country Club, in south Sweden along the road between Halmstad and Simlångsdalen, is a very good restaurant. Two years ago we had a very nice mid-summer’s dinner there with typical Swedish mid-summer’s dishes in haute cuisine fashion with paired wines. This year we discovered that the guy who runs it is a fan of Argentina, has visited the country and serves great Argentinian food.  They have a garden where they grow their own vegetables and everything is freshly made from good quality ingredients. Reservations are required; since it is a bit out of the way … Continue reading Dining in Sweden: Pio Country Club

Contorni (side dishes)10 Comments

Esther’s Tomato Salad

StefanGourmet

This is my version of the tomato salad that my friend Esther always used to make. Unfortunately she passed away much too young. Today would have been her 14th wedding anniversary, so I thought it an appropriate day to tell you about this recipe in her memory. Esther loved to cook and unfortunately we haven’t cooked much together because we lived too far apart and only saw each other about twice a year. Although her birthday was in February, she liked to celebrate this in summer with a BBQ and she usually made a tomato salad with basil, red onion, … Continue reading Esther’s Tomato Salad

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)6 Comments

Pasta with Peas and Pesto (Mafaldine Piselli e Pesto)

StefanGourmet

This veggie pasta dish may seem very similar to last week’s pasta with peas and tomato, but the flavor is much ‘greener’. I’ve used the same type of curly tagliatelle called mafaldine, but feel free to use regular tagliatelle if you can’t find those. Peas and pesto work together very well. I wanted to freshen up the dish by adding some celery, and it worked like a charm. I made the pesto à la minute, but I’d recommend to make it the day before instead and keep it in the fridge so the flavors can develop. Ingredients For 2 servings … Continue reading Pasta with Peas and Pesto (Mafaldine Piselli e Pesto)

1. Antipasti (appetizers)21 Comments

Hot-smoked Salmon

StefanGourmet

A stovetop smoker is a great tool to have. It allows you to turn a piece of salmon fillet into wonderful hot-smoked salmon in only 20 minutes without any effort or skill. This is one of the course I served during the recent dinner on our boat. The recipe is as simple as it is delicious. You can do the same for other types of fish such as halibut. Using an instant-read thermometer ensures that the fish will always be perfectly cooked and never too dry (if you don’t use frozen fish). Hot-smoked salmon is very different from cold-smoked salmon, … Continue reading Hot-smoked Salmon

Asian cuisine14 Comments

Easy Chicken Yakitori from the BBQ

StefanGourmet

One of the first Japanese foods I fell in love with was teriyaki and yakitori. Yakitori actually just means grilled chicken in Japanese (yaki = broil or grill, tori = chicken), whereas Teriyaki means grilled & glazed (teri = gloss or luster, yaki = broil or grill). Teriyaki can be used for different types of meat or seafood, where yakitori is obviously always chicken. The sauces used to make them are very similar, with Japanese soy sauce, mirin (sweet sake), sake, and sugar as the main ingredients. The main difference between chicken teriyaki and yakitori is that yakitori is grilled … Continue reading Easy Chicken Yakitori from the BBQ

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)7 Comments

Pasta with Peas and Tomato (Mafaldine Piselli e Pomodoro)

StefanGourmet

This is a very simple light pasta dish with vegetables, and the nice thing is that you don’t have to go shopping for it if you sieved tomatoes and pasta in your pantry, peas in your freezer, parmigiano in your fridge, and parsley in your garden. In other words, all ingredients keep very well. If you can get good fresh tomatoes where you are, by all means use them instead! But with the ridiculously cold summer we’ve been having here, fresh tomatoes just aren’t good enough. The white wine is optional, it adds freshness and complexity to the dish. I … Continue reading Pasta with Peas and Tomato (Mafaldine Piselli e Pomodoro)

1. Antipasti (appetizers)17 Comments

Lobster Carpaccio with Gorgonzola Sauce

StefanGourmet

A few months ago we had a wonderful dinner at Combal.Zero** near Turin (Italy). My favorite dish of the evening was lobster carpaccio with gorgonzola sauce. It was such a surprising combination that I wanted to try to make something similar myself. The result was pretty good, although it was not as good at Combal. I know that Davide Scabin does a lot of experimenting to get a dish just right, so it was to be expected that my first try would not be as good. Unlike Davide, I served the claws with the dish and they were cooked. I … Continue reading Lobster Carpaccio with Gorgonzola Sauce

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)13 Comments

Home-made Orecchiette with Tomato and Basil

StefanGourmet

This post is dedicated to Natasha from Come Due Maiali. She was one of the first followers of my blog and is one of those fellow bloggers who has made this journey such a great experience. When I posted about orecchiette with mussels and broccoli almost six months ago, she commented that she’s a huge orecchiette fan and would love to get her hands on wholemeal orecchiette. I then responded that she could always make her own, even though I had never yet made orecchiette by hand. I decided to give it a try myself, and now was the time … Continue reading Home-made Orecchiette with Tomato and Basil