Zuppa !

Zuppa is the Italian name for soup made with a mixture of vegetables, cooked in broth. The word zuppa can also describe any general mix-up of things outside the soup bowl or the kitchen for that matter . . . such as a chaotic meeting or a confusing conversation for example . . .  It is derived from the word inzuppare which literally translates as to drench or to soak. 

Now back to the story of soup. The wonderful thing about zuppa is that its composition is a free-for-all for individualists. A limitless possibility of ingredient combinations are open to interpretation, depending on the cook’s mood and the availability that comes with the season. Continue reading

First harvest apple and oat honey crunch

I drag my feet at every change of season. As the long lovely days of sunlight clearly slip away into October, I dig my heels into every Indian summer moment until the arrival of first harvest apples. The entrance of countless sorts of just-picked varieties of this cheerful fruit, neatly organized in bushels and crates at farmers market stalls everywhere simply win me over. Before I know it, autumn feels like my favorite time of the year and I find myself experimenting in the kitchen with colorfully crunchy apples from countryside orchards spread across the low lands of the Netherlands.  Continue reading

Beet Bourguignon

Beets and mushrooms

It’s official. Autumn has arrived. As the hours from sunrise to sunset are divided equally between day and night,l I find myself unwilling to accept the changing of the seasons.  Holding on to summer’s bounty for a little while longer, loads of late harvest fruits and vegetables from the farmers market are making their way into my kitchen. Chutneys simmer on the stove and homemade tomato sauce is simultaneously in the making with no time to spare. It’s a rush holding on to the last days of summer, especially because I know stopping September in its tracks is simply impossible.

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