Nothing wrong with a classic

OK OK the picture isn't the best but that doesn't say anything about the taste - OK?

Fashion fades, style remains the same. Not that at this moment I give one flying c*** about what my clothes look like (I am wearing a dress that I ripped last year when falling off my bike in Copenhagen. And it's also missing two buttons). But what I am talking about is salad. And not just any salad: a salad with a capital a S. A Caesar Salad. Yes.

And we're back from...

FRANCE! Had a wedding there on Friday, so we squeezed in some days before - holidays yay! Of course I was already looking forward to some time off for ages. Mental prep is half of the joy.

Just sprinkle shit

Over the last couple of years I always used to have breakfast with something I like to call “apple pie oatmeal”. It’s basically the combination of rolled oats, diced apple, raisins and cinnamon. Now the thing with this apple pie oatmeal – just like with real apple pie – is that there’s no such thing as “enough”. Lazy cook as I am, I don’t want to use scales or whatever in the morning. So I just poured some oatmeal in my pan, some days double the amount of the previous.  And of course I ate it all. Not that I have a problem with too much food because there’s simply no such thing as “too much food”. 

You can't buy happiness

but you can buy pizza, which is kind of the same thing. Or even better: make it yourself. And when you don't feel like making it, just pimping a deep frozen pizza can give you the same gratification. Add some arugula on top, off you go!

Just a silly, simple salad

HEJ KIDS! Like I said in my last post (click): it's all about the fishfishfishfishfishfish and the summer induced cravings for fresh and pure food with a good zing. And here's a confession... I don't know why, but whenever I'm in this state of mind, I like to think that the food I'm dishing up is Scandinavian in some kinda way. Those that know me, know I'm a sucker for everything Scandinavian. So when we went to Denmark and Norway last summer on a camping trip I was in heaven.

I don't know what it is, but I feel as if those Scandinavians really know how to bring food back to its essence. Great example here is Mikkel Karstad. Please go visit his site (click); it's full of tasty, simple dishes with a minimum of ingredients. I'm so jealous of that guy - but also kinda thankful: he is such an inspiration. 

Now back to today's dish. I was in the kitchen, dancing away to the tones of Rhye, when I thought of this silly, simple salad. Which of course felt Scandinavian inspired to me in an instant.

Brace yourselves, here we go with one of the most simple dishes you'll probably ever make. Quick warning: it requires a tad more work than chopping some tomatoes and a cucumber.

What you need (gigantic portions for 2 regular people)

• A bulb of fennel
• 2 beetroots. I used the pre-cooked ones from the supermarket because A. they didn't have any non-cooked and B. ain't nothing wrong with pre-cooked beets
• A green apple, Granny Smith preferably
• 2 smoked mackerel fillets
• 2 hands of rocket salad
• 2 tbs Greek yogurt
• 1 tbs grainy mustard (a recipe for that coming soon!)
• Olive oil
• Pepper
• Salt
• Lemon
• A bunch of dill

What you do

• Cut off parts of the fennel that stick out at the top (if you know what I mean). Don't  throw them.
• Slice the fennel in fine... slices?
• Do the same thing with the apple and the beetroots
• Put the beetroot in a bowl, put the fennel and the apple on top
• "Crumble" the mackerel fillets on top, i.e. tear them apart
• Top of with the rocket salad, some dill and the discarded parts of the fennel
• Mix the remaining ingredients to taste for the dressing
• Drizzle the dressing on top once the salad has been plated. 
• Bon'ap!

Promise me you'll try this, use this as a soundtrack (click) and enjoy!

What else could I put in this salad, any suggestions?

Love,

Julie

I smell something fishy

Summer vibes make me crave fresh and healthy - but still very yummy - food. So that's why I'm all into fish at the moment: Thai mussels, oven baked fish filled with herbs or... this (improvised) apéro plate! We've been hosting our fair share of dinner parties lately, which is the perfect occasion to try something fishy. I really prefer serving some fishy friends over meat, since they don't lie that heavy on the stomach (at least if you don't drench your dish in creamy sauces and serve it with fries). I also feel as if fish lends itself better to serving Asian inspired dishes, which are favorite at the moment.

Summer lovin' happens so fast

HEJ KIDS! On this page I'd like to share my love for food. Pure ingredients, home cooking... sharing love by sharing food. I might not have great technical skills or the best pallette. But like I said: I have a love for food. I love the pure elements you find in Scandinavian cooking, the love and passion in Italian food, the audacity of Asian cuisine... the  everything everything everything that has to do with it.

I won't say I haven't tried this writing about food before. But maybe adding my name to the blog makes it feel more personal. Also the fact that I had some rosé earlier this afternoon (if you're ever in Antwerp, go to Café Kamiel and try their bio grapefruit - rosé) might have something to do with it. Add to that the fact that I just had a lovely, summer Sunday afternoon: talks with my love about the things in life that matter most, long strolls through the city and thinking about the fact that you only live once (yes I did just use YOLO in my first blog post - decide now whether you want to read on or not).

Whether any of the above made any sense to you or not: this is the page where I want to write about what food means to me. Because it's life and it's love - it's what it's all about. To me at least.

Love,
Julie