A hearty dish for a winters day: Potato and leek mash with pesto

On cold autumn and winter days I just yearn for a hearty meal with caracter like a good old mash up. This Leek mash is quick to make.

500 grams of leeks, rinsed and chopped into small rings
1 kg of floury potatoes
2 tbsp. green pesto
200 grams of cooked ham diced up
a handfull (or two) of grated cheese,
some fresh basil leaves

Boil the potatoes in a large pan with water. You can add a stock cube for some extra taste to it. Then for the last 5 minutes of the cooking time of the potatoes, throw in the leeks rings and let those cook in there till all is cooked. Drain the potatoes and leeks and put back into the pan. Then add the pesto. You can make the pesto yourself as well by blendering a good bunch of fresh basil with a handfull of freshly grated parmesan cheese, some pine nuts and a good lug of olive oil.
Mash the potatoes and leeks up with a masher and adapt the taste by adding pepper and salt to taste.
Meanwhile, fry the ham cubes lighty in a pan with a tiny bit of olive oil. When lightly browned add these to the mash. Put in the grated cheese too and mix it all up.

Serve the mash and garnish with a few leaves of fresh basil. You can serve it with a nice porc chop and some pickled onions or gerkins and the gravy of the meat.

A treat from the sea, Mussels, Provence style

Mussels are a treat of the sea I believe. Just boil them in some beer or white wine with some chopped vegetables and a full load of fresh parsley, is heaven to my taste buds. This recipe is a slightly different, but still delicious way to cook up a big pot of mussels.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tablespoon thyme chopped
½ tablespoon basil, finely chopped
4 dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, diced
50 g pitted black olives, chopped
150 ml white wine
2 kg mussels, ready to cook
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Heat some olive oil in a wok and fry the shallots. Add the garlic, thyme, basil, dried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Stir the olives in and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat the white wine into a large pan. Add the mussels, put the lid on and bring to a boil. Cook the mussels for 6-8 minutes until the mussels open, shaking the pan frequently. Spoon the mussels into four warm bowls. Pour 200 ml of the mussel broth to the tomato sauce. Boil the sauce slightly and pour the sauce over the mussels. Sprinkle the dish withthe chopped parsley.

Serve this dish with some French baguette, french fries or a salad.

When you unpack the mussels, you should immediately separate good from the bad before you cook them. Nowadays, mussels that are packed in leak-proof containers are all slightly open and close themselves after a few minutes. This is because the mussel is relaxed in its protected environment (packaging). When it's removed from the packaging, it responds slowly. Hold the clam open with the convex side under cold running water and tap simultaneously against the shell. After a few minutes the shell closes. Mussels whose shells or so damaged, should discarded.

comfort food for an autumns day: pumkin soup

On days like these, cold, rainy and wet, I just long for some warmth and soothing. This pumpkin soup is one of my favorite autumn dishes. And it is so quick and easy to make !

1 pumpkin of any kind
3-4 stock cubes
2 liters of water
some fresh or dried sage
chili flakes
Greek yogurt or sour cream






Bring the water with the stock cubes to the boil. Meanwhile de-seed and cut the pumpkin, including the skin into small cubes. The smaller you cut them the quicker they cook. The skin can be left on, because it softens beautifully while it cooks and when you puree the soup in a later stage, it gives the soup a wonderful bright color too. 
Add the pumpkin cubes to the stock and let it simmer for at least 15 to 20 minutes until soft. Add the dried or freshly chopped sage and some chili flakes. Then puree the soup either in a blender. Be careful here, because due to the hot steam the substance can create a pressure in the blender, so don't need to fill the blender up to the max ! Better puree it in multiple portions then all at once. Now put the pureed soup back into the pan and let it simmer for just a few more minutes. Taste and correct the flavor to your taste if necessary. 
Mix the yogurt or sour cream with some dried or freshly chopped sage and chili flakes. Now serve the soup in a large bowl, and put a generous dollop of the yogurt in the middle of the soup. Have some homemade or rustic bread with it. 
Bon apetit !