Roasted Lemon-Black Salsify – Belgian Recipe

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Ingredients (2 servings):

  • 500 g fresh salsify roots
  • 1 lemon
  • 100 ml dry white wine
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 bunch of parsley leaves chopped
  • 25 g butter
  • pepper and salt to taste

Preparation method:

  1. Rinse and brush the salsify because the roots can be very sandy and dirty.
  2. Peel the salsify roots using a vegetable peeler.
  3. Squeeze the juice of half lemon in a bowl with cold water.
  4. Add immediately the peeled salsify in this lemony water to avoid their oxidation, that would turn them yellow.
  5. Cut the salsify into 5 cm pieces.
  6. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the salsify pieces, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  7. Stir fry over high heat for about 5 minutes.
  8. Add the rest of the lemon juice and white wine and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated.
  9. Transfer the salsify to an ovenproof dish, season with some more freshly ground black pepper. Add some knobs of butter over the salsify.
  10. Roast the salsify in a preheated oven at 200°C for 40 minutes until golden brown and softened.
  11. Chop the parsley leaves.
  12. Add the roasted salsify in a bowl with the chopped parsley leaves and the juices from the roasting pan. Toss them around a bit.
  13. Serve them hot.

Arroz Negro – Spanish Black Squid Ink Rice Recipe

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Ingredients (4 servings):

  • 1 can squid in its ink
  • 200 g short grain rice
  • 1 litre hot fish stock
  • a few large prawns
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon sweet pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika)
  • 4-6 tablespoons canned chopped tomatoes
  • a few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 stalk green garlic (or green onion)
  • a handful of Spanish fried almonds

 

Preparation method:

  1. Chop the red pepper.
  2. Chop the onion.
  3. Chop the garlic.
  4. Slice the green part of the green garlic.
  5. Heat the olive oil and fry the chopped onions and peppers, over medium-low heat, for about 10 minutes until caramelised.
  6. Add the garlic and the pimenton, fry for another minute, stirring.
  7. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
  8. Add the rice, and stir to coat with the pan’s content for a few minutes.
  9. Add the fish stock and the canned squid with its ink.
  10. Cook, stirring from time to time, over low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked, for about 20-30 minutes.
  11. Meanwhile, cook the prawns in a different pot in salted water for a few minutes.
  12. Serve the arroz negro, while hot, topped with cooked prawns, green onion slices and a few Spanish fried almonds.

Fondant Potatoes Recipe

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Ingredients (2 servings):

  • 3-4 large potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 50 g butter
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 200 ml chicken or beef broth

         

Preparation method:

  1. Cut off ends of the potatoes, stand potatoes on end,
  2. Cut each potato in half crosswise into about 5 cm long.
  3. Peel potatoes from top to bottom using a knife to transform the potatoes into cylinder-like shapes.
  4. Put the potatoes into a bowl with cold water for a few minutes, then take them out and pat them dry with paper kitchen towels.
  5. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan.
  6. Add the potato pieces on of their flat surfaces facing down, season them with salt and black pepper, and fry over medium-high heat until nicely browned.
  7. Flip the potatoes onto their other flat sides, season with salt and pepper again.
  8. Remove the oil from the pan, add the butter and thyme sprigs, and fry the same as their other sides.
  9. Transfer the potatoes to an ovenproof dish and add the stock.
  10. Place this dish into the oven preheated to 200 C and roast the potatoes half an hour until the potatoes are cooked in their insides.
  11. Serve the potatoes hot and spoon the melted butter from dish over them.