Abrikoos-tomaat chutney – apricot-tomato chutney (GF-DF-V)

Er zijn nog steeds abrikozen op de markt te koop; de laatste dit jaar uit het warme zuiden van Frankrijk.

Op de valreep, ik vertrek dinsdag naar Catalunya, dit gemakkelijke recept: zoete, licht pittige chutney; heerlijk op een boterham met kaas of avocado of naast een kom spicy curry.

Nodig:

6 rijpe abrikozen, ± 250 g

2 rijpe tomaten, ± 250 g

1 el olijfolie

1 grote teen knoflook, heel fijngehakt

1 sjalot, fijngehakt

1 groene peper, in fijne ringetjes, met of zonder zaadlijst

60 ml rijstazijn

1 el verse rozemarijn, heel fijngehakt

60 ml rozijnen

4 el oersuiker

½ tl zeezout

Was de abrikozen en tomaten en snijd ze in 8 stukjes.

Snijd knoflook, sjalot, peper en rozemarijn fijn.

Verwarm de olijfolie in een pan en fruit zachtjes de sjalot, knoflook en groene peper, ongeveer 2 minuten.

Voeg de rest van de ingrediënten toe, roer door elkaar en breng aan de kook. Zet het vuur zacht en laat in ongeveer 1 uur zachtjes inkoken tot een zeer zachte saus. Roer af en toe en als het gaat aanbakken voeg je een scheutje water toe. 

Proef en voeg naar smaak nog zwarte peper toe en eventueel nog wat zout of zoet.

Bewaar in een pot in de koelkast. Blijft zeker 2 weken goed.

Since there still are those rose-cheeked apricots I made a sweet and spicy chutney, just before I leave for Catalunya on Tuesday.

Quick, easy and delicious with a piece of old cheese, on the side with some fiery curry dish or on a sandwich with avocado. Whatever you eat it with, may be just with a spoon from the jar, it’s good!

You’ll need:

6 ripe apricots, ± 250 g

2 ripe tomatoes, ± 250 g

1 tbsp olive oil

1 big clove of garlic, minced

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 green pepper, sliced with or without the seeds

¼ cup rice vinegar

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, cut very fine

¼ cup raisins

4 tbsp raw sugar

½ tsp sea salt

Wash apricots and tomatoes and dice in 8 pieces.

Cut shallot, garlic, green pepper and rosemary fine.

Warm the olive oil in a pot and, on low heat, fry shallot, garlic and green pepper for 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients, give it a good stir and bring to the boil. Put the heat low and let the mass slowly reduce in about 1 hour, without a lid. Stir occasionally and when it starts to burn, add a little water.

Taste and add some freshly ground pepper and maybe some more salt or sweetness. Scoop into a glass pot and store in the fridge.

 It will keep for at least 2 weeks.

Provençaalse abrikozen confituur - Provencal apricot confiture (GF-DF-V)

Op de markt zijn nu, eind augustus, heerlijk rijpe abrikozen te koop uit de Provence. Ik maakte deze confituur, naar een klassiek recept uit de Provence, met de volle smaak van vanille en de abrikozenpitten erin.

Nodig:

1 kg rijpe abrikozen

600 g suiker

1 vanillepeul

sap van ½ citroen

Was de abrikozen en snijd ze doormidden. Houd de pitten apart.

Doe de abrikozen met de suiker, de zaadjes uit de vanillepeul, de vanillepeul in 3 stukken en het citroensap in een pan en roer goed door elkaar. Laat minimaal 1 uur staan zodat de smaken goed kunnen intrekken.

Ondertussen kraak je 12 pitten en deze blancheer je een paar minuten in een pannetje met kokend water. Giet af en verwijder de schilletjes. De abrikozenpitten geven een licht-bittere smaak aan de confituur. Roer ze door de abrikozenmix.

Breng na 1 uur of meer het abrikozenmengsel aan de kook en laat heel zachtjes 20-25 minuten koken. Roer heel vaak!

Zet dan het vuur af en laat nog 20 minuten afkoelen voordat je gesteriliseerde potten vult met het mengsel (2-3). Verdeel de pitten en stukken vanillepeul over de verschillende potten.

Mijn favoriete gerecht met deze confituur is gekookte havermout met getoaste amandelen en een schep crème fraiche! 

  

You’ll need:

1 kg ripe apricots

600 g sugar

1 vanilla pod

juice of ½ lemon

Wash the apricots and cut in halves. Keep the pits aside.

Put the apricot halves together with the sugar, vanilla seeds, the vanilla pod in 3 parts and the lemon juice in a pan, stir well together and let it stand for at least 1 hour. This is for soaking in the flavours.

In the meantime you crack open the pits and blanch them in boiling water for some minutes, drain them and discard the brown skin. The blanched pits will give the confiture a light-bitter taste. Add them to the apricot mixture.

After 1 hour or more bring the apricot mixture to a boil and let it simmer very slowly for 20-25 minutes. Stir frequently!

Put out the gas and let it stand for another 20 minutes before filling up 2-3 sterilized pots with the confiture. Be sure to divide the pits and pieces of vanilla pod over the different pots.

My favourite use for this confiture is over cooked oatmeal, with some toasted almonds and a scoop of crème fraiche!

But it is great on a piece of  toasted bread too:

Summer fruit tart – zomerse fruittaart (GF)

 

Yes, I know, there is sugar in this recipe and butter and eggs. So this isn’t a vegan tart, neither is it dairy free, but it is of course, as always gluten free. 

And, far more important, it is so delicious and I really believe that if you make something as delicious as this summer fruit tart and you taste this treat with your loved ones and enjoy it very much, it is healthy for me ;-)

Especially when it’s a birthday!

The beauty of this tart is that you can vary with the seasonal fruits that are available, cherries, blueberries, apple, banana, mango, pear. The base is always the same; so be creative and make your own variation!

Ingredients:

100 g brown rice flour

100 g blanched almond flour

2 tbsp corn starch

2 pinches of salt

120 g organic butter, room temperature

75 g cane sugar

3 big organic eggs, split, into 3 separate yolks and 3 whites together in a bowl

Fruit: I used 7 apricots and 1 cup of red currants

Pre heat the oven on 180°C.

Weigh the flours and corn starch, mix together with a pinch of salt and set aside.

With a hand mixer mix the butter and sugar for some minutes till light and fluffy. Add 1 yolk at a time and mix well.

Add the flour mixture and mix it together.

Clean the mixing irons really well and add a pinch of salt to the egg whites. Mix them till white peaks form. Scoop 1 big spoonful into the batter and mix it together with a spatula; it is still a bit stiff now. Then the rest, mix with a spatula by hand, till everything is well incorporated. But go gently, so that the air bubbles go into the batter!

I use a rectangular mold of 34 x 12 cm, but you can use a round one too, I think max. Ø 24 cm. With a piece of baking paper inside to remove the tart easily.

Scoop the batter into the mold and spread out softly with the spatula.

Make a nice pattern with the fruit you use and bake the tart into the middle of the oven for 35 minutes, till golden.

Let it cool completely and enjoy with a nice cup of fresh verveine tea from the/my garden.

Ingrediënten:

100 g bruine rijstmeel

100 g amandelmeel

2 el maïzena

2 snufjes zout

120 g biologische boter, op kamertemperatuur

75 g rietsuiker

3 grote biologische eieren, gesplitst in 3 afzonderlijke dooiers en 3 eiwitten samen in een kom.

Fruit: ik gebruikte 7 abrikozen en 1 kop rode bessen

Verwarm eerst de oven voor op 180 °C.

Bekleed een bakvorm met bakpapier; ik gebruik een rechthoek van 34 x 12 cm, maar ik denk dat een ronde vorm met een diameter tot max. 24 cm ook werkt.

Weeg de meelsoorten en maïzena af en meng met een snufje zout. Zet apart.

Klop de zachte boter met de suiker met een handmixer tot licht en luchtig. Voeg dan 1 voor 1 de eidooiers toe en meng goed.

Voeg de meelmix toe en mix alles snel door elkaar.

Maak de mixhaken goed schoon voordat je de eiwitten gaat mixen! Doe een snufje zout bij de eiwitten en klop ze tot zachte, witte pieken.

Schep eerst 1 flinke schep eiwit bij het deeg en roer door elkaar. Het deeg is nog vrij stevig.

Schep met een spatel de rest van de eiwitten voorzichtig door het deeg zodat de luchtbelletjes in het deeg blijven.

Schep dan het deeg in de geprepareerde vorm en strijk zacht uit.

Maak een mooi patroon met het fruit wat je gebruikt en bak de taart in het midden van de oven tot mooi goudbruin, ongeveer 35 minuten.

Laat goed afkoelen en geniet met een verse pot verveine thee uit de tuin! 

Lemon date energy bonbons (GF-DF-V-SF)

Always in search of an easy-to-make and easy-to-take snack, I created these yummy lemon date energy bonbons. Packed with dates and almonds for nutrition, flavor and natural sweetness, these bonbons stay good for weeks. Wrap them in a piece of baking paper or in a small bento box  and you have a healthy energizer with you at all times. A good start of the New Year, dear readers!! Wishing Love, Peace and Health!!

Even after 6 years on a gluten-free diet, I come into circumstances that I forget to take with me something to eat and, especially in colder times like right now, I cannot fill my empty stomach with some cold salad or an apple, as this is the only thing I can eat in Holland when I am on the road. I do need energy from time to time!

So take your food processor and pulse these babies in a few minutes:

1 cup pitted dates

1 cup raw almonds

½ cup raw cashew nuts

5 unsulphured apricots

Zest of 1 organic lemon

1-3 tbsp of lemon juice

Pulse everthing together till it forms into a ball. Add lemon juice to your own taste, start with 1 tablespoon and add more if you like it.

Take the ball out of the bowl and roll into truffle size ball or form into a rectangle log or press into a glass Pyrex mould.

Anyway, let the mixture in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour and then cut into bars or squares or whatever form you prefer.

Also very good with a cup of tea.

And……you can add any other nut or seed or dried fruit. Be creative!!

Almond-apricot tart – amandel-abrikozen taart (GF)

It is always the same, when I am back from a holiday.

I don’t miss the computer, or the news and newspapers.

Getting back into blogging cost me some time. I hope you will apologize me.

I did have a really great time in the Drôme-Provence with my big love.

We camped at a very quiet Aire Naturelle, from Monsieur Bernard at the small hameau la Bernarde. Monsieur Bernard is in his eighties and does everything by himself, the sanitary block, the waste bins, the administration etc. Every afternoon he sits under a tree with some companions and there is always time for a little talk.

That is the best thing on a holiday for me: slowing down, talking to everybody, taking the time for everything. We enjoyed every minute, even when the temperature went over 40 degrees Celsius. We had a wonderful time with our friends Jean and Chantal, especially sitting on their terrace, enjoying another delicious meal cooked by Chantal. She is a great cook and what’s so special is that she is always very concerned about me and the gluten that I never have to worry about being glutinized, I even get  special treats! The cooking is so flavorsome because of the good sun-ripened ingredients and the pure treatment of them and of course the love she puts in. I adore French cooking.

I took some apricots back with me, along with some other stuff as garlic, olives from Nyons, olive oil from Sahune, honey and of course some wines! I have some bottled summer now for the winter to come!

I had to be back in the cooking business right away because the apricots were so fresh and ripe. I made jam and marmalade, gave away to friends and neighbors and ate the rest.

Oh, and I made this lovely apricot tart.

Almond-apricot tart (6-8 pers)

8 fresh apricots

125 g white almonds

75 g raw cane sugar

3 egg whites

10 g corn or potato starch

75 g butter, melted

1-2 tbsp almond slivers

Butter a tart mold of 20cmØ. Set aside

Pre heat the oven on 180 ˚C

Grind the almonds together with the sugar in a food processor. Put the mixture in a bowl. With a handmixer mix the egg whites one by one in the sugar-almond mixture.

Stir in the starch. And then pour in the melted butter while you mix softly, mix it all good and pour the batter into the mold.

Slice the apricots in 6 and divide over the batter.

Sprinkle with almond slivers and put the tart in the middle of the oven and bake it 25-30 minutes till golden brown and when a needle stuck in comes out clean.

Let the tart cool in the mold and serve as quick as you can, it’s delicious!

You can use another type of fruit in this tart, like banana, apple, prunes, peaches, blackberries. Just try it out!

The 3 egg yolks you can freeze and use at another time or you can make a crème anglaise or custard.

Amandel-abrikozentaart (6-8 pers)

8 verse abrikozen

125 g witte amandelen

75 g rauwe rietsuiker

3 eiwitten

10 g maïzena

75 g gesmolten boter

1 el amandelschaafsel

Beboter een taartvorm van 20 cm Ø en zet apart.

Verwarm de oven voor op 180 ˚C

Maal de amandelen samen met de suiker in een keukenmachine heel fijn. Doe het mengsel in een kom. Klop met een handmixer 1 voor 1 de eiwitten door dit mengsel.

Schep dan de maizena erdoor en giet al zachtjes mixend de boter door het mengsel. Klop nog even goed door en giet het beslag in de vorm.

Snijd elke abrikoos in 6 en verdeel de partjes over het beslag.

Bestrooi met het amandelschaafsel en zet de vorm in het midden van de oven.

Bak de taart in 25-30 minuten goudbruin en gaar. Als je er een breinaald insteekt moet deze er schoon uitkomen.

Laat de taart afkoelen in de vorm en serveer hem dan meteen, zo lekker!

Je kunt ook banaan, of bramen of perzik of pruim of appel in deze taart doen, probeer het gewoon eens uit!

De 3 eidooiers kun je invriezen tot later gebruik of je maakt een custard of crème anglaise, voor bij de taart?!

Rome and 6 gluten-free summer dishes

Rome was great, in 1 word.

It was very, very hot, but that added to the feeling of being in the south of Europe in the middle of summer. I loved it.

I enjoyed walking around with my son, seeing all the historic sites, which I only knew from art history and books and films. The great thing is that you can walk in Rome, once in a while take a tram or bus but walking gets you to all the attractions and foremost to enjoy (normal)daily life which is on the street . Although it’s not normal at all that you have to visit the Vatican with 1000’s of others, shuffling in a row to see the Piéta behind a thick glass wall.

In Trastevere, where we stayed, there are so many small churches which contain beautiful sculptures and frescos, also from renowned artists, for me the small discoveries were my favorite.

As a person with celiac disease Rome is great too. Wherever you go to eat something, everybody knows what you mean. Although they don’t have a gluten-free menu they understand and propose something. That was my biggest surprise in Rome. Whereas in Holland celiac disease is still very unknown and I have so many encounters, also in restaurants, where people ask me: “Oh is that a new diet, but you don’t need that” or “so you cannot eat rice then or potatoes?”, in Rome you can go in any bar where they sell paninos and pizza slices for lunch, and they make you a salad filled with mozzarella, tuna, tomatoes, grilled aubergine and artichokes or what they have in the kitchen.

And after that a very good espresso

I did go to eat in 2 gluten-free restaurants (they are neighbors !) at the Piazza San Cosimato,the food and  the atmosphere were great, also a lot of Italian diners came to eat there too and that is always a good sign. We were there when Italy won the soccer match against Germany so that was a bonus too!

Near my hotel I discovered a gluten-free bakery: LE Ben, in summer it’s best to call them in advance and order what you want, because thebaker doesn’t bake so much bread every day. In the afternoon the owner makes a daily dish and you can order pizza and hamburgers on a gluten free roll. That was one more amazing thing in Rome, I didn't see any McDonald's but 100's of small bars and restaurants where you can eat at any time and for every budget.

I saw some gluten-free items in pharmacies and supermarkets or organic stores, there is not a lot to find and the prices are very high, compared to the Dutch stores.

 I recommend to take some crackers with you and I always take some gluten free granola or cruesli with me, so you can buy a can of yoghurt and a banana and start your day with a fruity summery breakfast.

After coming back we had a lot of things to do and to celebrate my sons graduation. I did a lot of cooking, of course, but was not in the mood for blogging or sitting behind my computer.

I want to make it up to you by giving some summer inspiration.

I made these lovely filled small sweet pepperoni

Just put them on an oven tray and bake them for 10 minutes in a 180 ˚C oven. Let them cool, make a slice in the middle and fill them with some feta cheese, drizzle with good olive oil and some pepper. Enjoy as a snack or side dish.

Cook a portion of polenta and at the end of the cooking process add some chopped dried tomatoes with a tablespoon of fried oregano, stir it in well. Pour the polenta on a wet plate and let it cool completely with a sheet of cling film on top. Cut the polenta in squares or slices and bake them in olive oil, till golden, sprinkle with some Parmesan.

Or serve with this gorgeous salsa verde:

20g basil leaves

20g flat parsley leaves

20g mint leaves

1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed and drained

1 anchovy filet

2 tsp good vinegar

2 tsp Dyon mustard

125ml extra vergine olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

You can make the salsa in a kitchen machine but the fun is making it with your knife and slice all ingredients as fine as you can on your cutting board. Then put them in a bowl and season with vinegar, mustard, oil and salt and pepper.

I filled and baked bell peppers

click for recipe

I made apricot marmalade from a kilo of fresh and juicy apricots from the market.

Wash them, de-pit them, slice in 6 and cook slowly with 50-100 g of cane sugar and a splash of water, till soft, about 20 minutes. Cool and store in a glass jar for about 1 week.

Did you know you can crack the pits and eat the core!

Or chop them fine and stir in the marmalade.

Great on a piece of flat bread.

I boiled fresh beets, peeled them and sliced them thick. Then baked them in olive oil with 2 sliced cloves of garlic and serve them with some chopped flat parsley.

Apricot chutney – Abrikozenchutney (GF- DF-SF)

The cherry on the cake: very nice on top of a sesame cracker with some labneh cheese is this very easy and quick apricot chutney.
It is raw and when you use unsulfured apricots very healthy too. Dried apricots are a natural and gluten free source of Vitamin E, iron, magnesium and fibers.
I found the recipe in Home Made, a delicious cookbook by the Dutch Yvette van Boven.

Apricot chutney
250 g dried, unsulfured apricots, welled 2 hours
2 sprigs of rosemary, chop the leaves
1 small clove of garlic
Juice of half a lemon
100 ml extra vergine olive oil
Pepper from the mill

Grind all ingredients in a food processor. Not too finely!
With a small layer of oil on top you can keep the chutney in the fridge for a long time!!
Enjoy!

Abrikozenchutney
250 g gedroogde, ongezwavelde abrikozen, 2 uur geweld
2 takjes rozemarijn, fijngehakt
1 klein teentje knoflook
Sap van een halve citroen
100 ml extra vergine olijfolie
Peper uit de molen

Maal alle ingrediënten in een keukenmachine. Niet tè fijn!
Met een laagje olie erop kan je de chutney in de koelkast vrij lang bewaren.
Heerlijk op een sesamcracker met wat labnehkaas!!