Ilse's Kitchen - culinary adventures of a girl who loves to eat

I was in the mood for some good old fashioned vegetable soup with meatballs - the kind my grandma might have made. It’s one of those soups you’ll find throughout Europe from north to south, all with slightly different details but very close to this. This version is an Italian variant using half beef half pork meatballs, oregano and acini di pepe and popularly known as as ‘Wedding Soup’.  Ingredients (serves 3): meatballs 250g minced meat, 50% beef 50% pork 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper  1/4 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 cup grated parmesan 1/2 egg soup 1 stalk celery, finely chopped 50g spinach, roughly chopped 1 cup baby carrots, cut into 1/2 cm thick slices 1 medium-sized onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1.25L chicken broth 1/3 cup acini di pepe  2 tablespoons olive oil  Instructions: 1. Put the minced meat in a large bowl and add the oregano, parsley, breadcrumbs, parmesan, egg and salt an...

The last time I tried to make polenta, I failed miserably. I was aiming for some sort of polenta fritters but the texture came out all wrong, and they were definitely not worth writing home about. I gave up on polenta ever since - so there was a bit of resistance I felt like I needed to overcome. This time wasn’t smooth sailing either; it took me two tries to get it right. The first time the liquid wasn’t warm enough and I didn’t whisk vigorously enough, and I got a strange chunky mixture that was impossible to get smooth after that. So I threw it out, and started over. Second time was a winner :) Ingredients (serves 2): 100g quick-cook polenta 600ml vegetable stock 100g Spanish soft chorizo, chopped 60g spinach, chopped 180g shrimps, peeled and deveined 1 clove garlic, minced 50g parmesan 30g unsalted butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Instructions: 1. Heat the oil in a skillet and cook ...

It’s almost Sunday, and I love my eggs on Sunday. And if you’re at all like me, you might find yourself in the kitchen tomorrow morning, eggs on the counter, wondering what to make. You might even think that perfect breakfast or brunch warrants an early trip to the supermarket. If that’s you and you need some inspiration, look no further because I’m sending you my recipe a day in advance - all the easier to enjoy tomorrow. Ingredients (serves 2): 3 medium-size eggs 60g spinach 60g mushrooms, cut into slices 120g asparagus, washed and ends trimmed. 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large shallot, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 cup milk salt and freshly grated black pepper handful grated cheese (optional) Need: an oven-proof skillet (preferably one with a non-stick coating) Instructions: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. 1. In an oven-proof skillet, heat the oil and add the shallot. Fry for 1-2 minutes and add the spinach. Sauté for a cou...

Risotto time! As usual I let my fridge dictate my dinner. I had some leftover spinach, so I opted for a spinach risotto. Rich and creamy, but also green and healthy :) Ingredients (serves 2): 100g spinach small bunch of parsley 750mL vegetable stock 150g arborio rice 4 slices of prosciutto 4 slices of prosciutto the white of 1 leek, chopped 1/2 lemon, zested and then juiced 1 shallot, chopped 1 large clove garlic, minced 20g parmesan cheese, plus some to garnish 10g butter 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons cream (optional dash of white wine (optional) 1 whole nutmeg seed, for grating (fresh nutmeg is tastier than the pre-grated versions) Instructions: 1. Pour the vegetable stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the spinach and parsley for 30 seconds until wilted, then remove using a slotted spoon. Set aside and let cool, while you turn down the heat of the stock. Take the cooled spinach/parsley mixture, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon water...

I couldn’t believe it: two milestones coincide today. This post is both the 100th recipe on this blog, and at the same time, the 60th recipe in the 60 days/60 recipes lockdown sequence I started March 16th. I’m a little humbled, and incredibly grateful. This project has taught me so much - I’m getting better at flavour combinations, starting to understand herbs and learning to cook with ingredients I never even thought I liked before. I can now poach an egg cook a salmon steak to perfection. I have been eating better than ever.  All these are very reasons to continue this experiment a little while longer. So I’ve set the next mark at 90/90 - 90 days/90 recipes. But first, today. And today, of course, calls for an amazing recipe. This salmon steak, perfectly tender in a beautiful creamy sauce, was absolutely irresistible. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Ingredients: 2 salmon filets, skin removed 1 shallot, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced ...

The first time I had gorgonzola and spinach together was when Paulijn, a former housemate, made me gorgonzola spinach pasta - about a hundred years ago. At the time I wasn’t very experimental when it came to food, and I was not a fan of gorgonzola. Too blue, too strong, too smelly. I was decidedly sceptical, but tried to be well mannered and keep my mouth shut about it. And glad I did, for what she made wasn’t strong or smelly at all. What I learned that day was not too judged too quickly - ingredients change when you combine them with others, and things you never thought you’d like may surprise you in all kinds of wonderful ways. I also learned that spinach and gorgonzola make a lovely pairing. Here’s a lovely gorgonzola spinach gnocchi recipe, adapted from Brandy at Nutmeg Nanny.  Ingredients (serves 2): 250g gnocchi 1 shallot, thinly sliced 120ml cup heavy cream 120g crumbled gorgonzola cheese, plus some for topping 85g fresh spinach 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, minc...

It’s not for nothing that an entire page on this blog is dedicated to risotto & pasta. Let there be no doubt: if there’s a team pasta, I’m on it. I like the versatility, and being able to throw in whatever inspires me. I like how little time it takes. I like that I can go for whole-wheat, and feel like I’m being somewhat healthy despite the carbs. I like carbs. Ingredients (serves 2): 120g whole-wheat spaghetti 300g spinach 100g Parma ham (or another cured ham), shredded into smaller pieces. 100g sun dried tomatoes, chopped 2 shallots, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 100mL cream 20g parmesan cheese 2 tbsp butter pinch of nutmeg salt and pepper to taste Instructions: 1. Boil the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package. 2. In the meantime, bring water to a boil in a large pan. When boiling, add the spinach and stir for 30 seconds or so, until the spinach is all wilted. 3. Drain, and cool the spinach in icy cold water to bring the boiling process...

When I was younger I didn’t appreciate it much, but spinach has become one of my favourite veggies. It’s packed with vitamins - K, A, C, B2, contains magnesium and iron - in short, a pretty good way to get a lot of the things your body needs. And there’s so many yummy ways to use it - in green smoothies, as soup, creamed, in pasta or risotto dishes... the list goes on. Or like this, as a base for your eggs, like I did this morning. Enjoy :) Ingredients: 150g spinach 1/2 leek, chopped 1 shallot, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 eggs 2 tbsp cream 1 tbsp butter olive oil pinch of salt thyme, lemon zest and chili flakes to taste Sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese Instructions (serves 1): 1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 2. Pour the olive oil and butter in a medium sized skillet, and add the leek and shallot. Fruit for about 5-6 minutes over low heat, until the leek is softened but not browned. 3. Add the garlic and spinach and sauté for another 3-4 minutes...

Eat healthy and you’ve got a better chance of staying healthy - and that’s especially important now that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic and on corona-lockdown. So I got down and dirty with a big bag of spinach and made some spinach salmon soup. Ingredients (serves 4): 3 tbsp butter 1 medium-size onion 2 shallots 3 cloves garlic 300g fresh, washed spinach 200mL cream 1L vegetable bouillon 4 salmon steaks (mine had the skin on one side) Instructions: 1. Chop the onions and shallots and glaze in butter. Sauté for 4-5 minutes. 2. Finely chop the garlic and add to the onions/shallots. Sauté for another minute or 2, then add the spinach and stir until it reduces in size. 3. Add the vegetable bouillon and boil for 15 minutes. 4. Finely mix with a hand blender or blender. 5. Add the cream and stir through. Reheat the soup but do not boil 6. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet and carefully place the salmon steaks in the pan, skin side down. Sauté for 5 ...