Smoesjes..............

Natuurlijk zou ik kunnen aanvoeren dat ik erg druk ben geweest met de verbouwing van onze keuken, met het herstel van de zoveelste blessure of met de cursus Zweeds. De diepvries die bij vorst in de berging ging ontdooien gaf ook de nodige perikelen maar eigenlijk zijn dat allemaal smoesjes. Soms moet het maar gewoon gezegd worden; IK HAD EVEN GEEN ZIN!!!

Pfff, het hoge woord is eruit. Het zat er gewoon even niet in. Brood bakken en experimenteren in de keuken gingen gewoon door maar op de een of andere manier had ik niet het gevoel iets zinvols naar buiten te kunnen brengen. Noem het maar een blogblock.



Nu de keuken praktisch klaar is en de nieuwe oven geen verrassingen meer voor mij heeft, heb ik het laatste beetje inspiratie dat ik nodig had opgedaan tijdens een hele leuke workshop 'pasta maken' bij Nicoletta van la Cucina del Sole. Deze gnocci zijn helemaal gemaakt volgens het filmpje en waren vooral heerlijk met zelfgemaakte tomatensaus. Eigenlijk verwachtte ik dat het zwaar eten was maar dit bleek niet zo te zijn. Met het prachtige weer wat wij nu hebben kan ik helemaal niet meer wachten om lekker aan de slag te gaan met Italiaanse recepten.

Eggnoodles with chickenbreast and cashews

From the very first moment I tasted chinese food, I loved it. Living in a place like Rotterdam it wasn't difficult to discover the restaurants where the Chinese themselves sat down to enjoy the (mostly) Cantonese kitchen. That's how we were introduced to oystersauce, watercress, sesame oil, black beansauce and hoisin sauce.

Now, 30 years later, these are common products in our supermarkets but at that time I had to search for it in Chinese toko's in Amsterdam. I can't remember where I've found the following recipe; it must have been a book and probably one of the Timelife series. It's been in my notebook for a long time and my children already loved it when they were young kids.

Recipe

• 400 gr. chickenbreast curved in small slices


• white pepper, freshly ground


• sunflower oil


• 1/2 inch ginger root, in small slices


• salt


• 1 carrot in small slices


• 1 red onion in slices


• 300 br. broccoli in small parts


• 1 clove of garlic


• cashews, as much as you like


• 1/2 cup chickenstock, warm


• 2 tbsp. dark chinese soy sauce


• 4 tbsp. dry sherry


• 3/4 tbsp. cornflour


• eggnoodles


• sesame oil

Sprinkle the salt and white pepper over the chickenbreasts. Place the wok on the cooker and make sure it's warm before you put the sunflower oil in it. Wait till the oil is hot and stirfry the ginger root and chickenbreast in it, in about 3 minutes at high temperature. Take the chickenbreast out of the wok and keep it warm. In the meanwhile you can cook the water for the eggnoodles.

If necessary, add one tsp, sunflower oil in the wok and stirfry the carrot and broccoli in it. Add 3 tbsp. water and cover the wok for 4 minutes. After this, the water is evaporated. Now you can add the red onion and the cashews and stirfry again. Add the chickenbreast and stirfry again for one minute.

Move the vegetables and the chickenbreast out of the centre of the wok and add the chickenstock. In a small bowl; mix the soy sauce, the corn flour and the sherry. Pour the mixture in the centre of the wok and stir while it thickens. Stir the vegetables and chickenbreast through the sauce.

Add the eggnoodles to the boiling water and follow the instructions of the package about the cooking time. When they're done, drain them and add a tsp. of sesameoil. Put the eggnoodles in a deep dish and add the chickenbreast, vegetables and sauce.

Tagliatelle with smoked salmon and samphire

Have you ever tasted samphire? It tastes salty and reminds you of the sea. A few years ago I ate it for the first time during my holiday in Zeeland, at the Dutch coast, and loved it right away.

This recipe is part from me and part from a magazine of a supermarket. Instead of cognac you can use brandy, vieux or even wodka.

Tagliatelle with smoked salmon and samphire

• 400 gr. tagliatelle


• 2 tbsp. olive oil


• 1 small onion, diced
  


• 200 gr. smoked salmon in pieces


• 75 cc. cognac


• 200 cc. cream


• 25 gr. butter


• 200 cc. tomato sauce


• freshly grind white pepper
  


• garlic


• 150 gr. samphire

Wash and drain the samphire and bake it just a few minutes in garlic and 1 tbsp. olive oil.

While cooking the tagliatelle al dente; you can make the sauce by baking the onion very softly in 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add the smoked salmon, cognac and the cream. bring it softly to the boiling point. Add the tomato sauce and the white pepper and bring it again just till the boiling point. At this moment the sauce starts thickening. After about 2 minutes it will be thick enough.

Drain the pasta and serve it with the sauce and the samphire.