brown bean soup

A Dutch dietary staple, brown bean soup, or bruine bonen soep is nutritious, filling and a cinch to make. A great mid-week meal for the whole family, it goes great with buttered brown bread.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. smoked bacon, cubed (145 g)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 5 shallots, chopped
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 large leek, sliced in rings
• 1 tbsp ground paprika
• 3 lb. canned brown beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed (1.3 kg)
• 12 oz. tomato puree (375 ml)
• 3 cups beef stock (500 ml)
• 2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
• Salt, pepper and ketjap manis or Worcester sauce, to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped celery leaves

Preparation:

In a large soup pot, fry the bacon in the butter. Add the shallots, carrot, leek and the ground paprika. Mix well. Now add the beans, tomato puree, stock and bay leaves.

Bring the soup to the boil and then turn down the heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Season to taste with salt, pepper and ketjap manis (or Worcester sauce) and then blitz the soup half smooth, using a stick blender or food processor. The soup should still have texture and not be completely smooth. Add the celery leaves right before serving.

Serves 4.

TIPS:

Dutch brown beans are also known as Swedish brown beans. If you can not find them, use pinto beans instead.

Add extra stock if you like a thinner soup.

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Blueberry Cupcakes/ Muffins.

A recipe for Blueberry Cupcakes/ Muffins. Follow the simple recipe instructions for Blueberry Cupcakes/ Muffins shared by other home cooking experts.

Ingredients

1/2 C Butter

2 Eggs

2 C Flour

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 1/4 C Sugar

1/2 C Milk

2 Tsp Baking powder

1 1/2 C Blueberries

Directions

On slow speed, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix until blended. Sift dry ingredients and add alternating with milk.

Mash 1/2c blueberries and stir in by hand. Add rest of blueberries, whole. Fill muffin cups high and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 375 F, 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan carefully.

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Lotte a L'Imperatrice

This recipe is traditionally from the Poitou-Charentes coastal region of France. It incorporates 'Cognac' famous from this region and known worldwide.

If you cook this monkfish mould or Lotte a L'imperatrice you will have a wonderful starter (or main meal for a vegetarian) which will truly impress any guest!!

Top Tip You can also prepare this dish a day ahead as it tastes better the next day, serve at room temperature.

Monkfish Mould (Lotte a L'imperatrice)

Serves:- 6, Preparation time:- 40 mins, Cooking time:- 30 mins

Ingredients

* 2lb of fresh monkfish, (you can just buy the tail if you can't be bothered removing the bones)
* 1 litre of fish stock
* 5 large eggs, beaten
* 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
* a little butter
* small glass of Cognac
* small handful of freshly chopped tarragon
* pinch of cayenne pepper
* salt and pepper to season

Method

* place the monkfish in a pan with the stock and simmer gently for 20 minutes

* allow the fish to cool, remove bones and cut into same size pieces

* while preparing fish pre-heat your oven to gas mark 4 or 180 deg C

* butter your mould well then place the fish pieces firmly and evenly inside

* mix the beaten eggs with the tomato puree, Cognac, cayenne pepper, tarragon and a little salt and pepper

* pour over the fish in the mould.

* cook in the oven for 30 mins or until firm

* leave to cool and unmould

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Tagliatelle with sardines

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 mango
- 4 leaves of marialuisa
- 1 spoonful of chilli oil
- 8 Sardine fillets
- For the spiced oil:
- A spoonful of sesame
- A spoonful of red pepper
- A spoonful of ground nutmeg
- A spoonful of vanilla seeds
- A spoonful of ground aniseed
- 20ml of Sunflower oil

METHOD:
First prepare the vinaigrette by mixing all the spices together with the sunflower oil in an electric blender or thermomix. Then start with the mango by peeling it and then cutting it into slices of 2milimetres. Put the tagliatelle on to boil (Use quick-boil tagliatelle). Whilst the tagliatelle boils lightly fry the sardines. When the tagliatelle is done drain it and serve it on a plate with the mango and sardines dressing with a little chilli oil, mariluisa and the vinaigrette.

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Indonesian Barbecued Shrimp

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

DIPPING SAUCE
• 1/2 c Peanut butter
• 1/2 c Water
• 1 tb Brown sugar; packed
• 1 tb Lemon juice
• 1/2 ts Salt
• 1/2 ts Red pepper sauce
• 1 sm Garlic clove; crushed

  -----------------------------------SHRIMP-----------------------------------
  

• 1 1/2 lb Shrimp; peeled
• 2 tb Vegetable oil
• 2 tb Water
• 1 tb Lemon juice
• 1 ts Brown sugar; packed
• 1/2 ts Salt
• 1/2 ts Red pepper suace
• 2 Garlic cloves; crushed

Directions

Prepare dipping sauce by mixing all ingredients until smooth. Cover until serving time. Make a shallow cut lengthwise down back of shrimp; wash out vein. Mix remaining ingredients in medium glass bowl. Add shrimp; stir to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove shrimp from marinade; reserve marinade. Thread shrimp on 6, 15" metal skewers, leaving space between each. Cover and grill shrimp about 4" from medium coals, 10-20 minutes, turning and brushing 2-3 times with marinade, until shrimp are pink. Serve with sauce, and if desired, lime wedges.

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