The first time I had Pannekoeken I was 18 and was on a ‘leisure’ trip to Asmterdam (yeah, of course!). I had them on the beach in Zandvoort on the Atlantic coast. At that time I was still thinking I would be a chef.  J

Thicker than a French crepe but thinner than a pancake they are a balance compromise. The thing that impressed me the most was that they are served mostly for lunch or dinner (not for brakfast) and very often associated with bacon and cheese (even though syrup and chocolate are also possible).

Serves 6/7

Ready in 45 minutes

250 grams all purpose flour

500 ml milk

2 eggs

a pinch of salt

200 grams speck, bacon or whatever cured meat you prefer

150 grams sliced cheese (Cheddar or Gouda)

(the base is the same both for sweet and salted versions)

Sieve the flour and put i tinto a container, add the egg, a pinch of salt, and whisk adding gradually the milk. You will have a semi-dens batter. Set aside and rest for 20 minutes at least (ideally for 1 hour).

On medium-high heat, melt a teaspoon of butter into a low pan, add a spoonful of batter and spread it evenly on the whole surface by moving the pan.

Add the slices of ham or bacon on the batter when it is still liquid. Cook on a side for one minute, then flip it and cook the ham side for 1 further minute.

Flip it back again, add the sliced cheese and let it melt down on a medium-low heat for a further minute or until brown. Close the pancake (roll it or just fold it).

Serve immediately.

Tteokbokki is the most popular Korean street-food. In Korea they have it when they are particularly stressed  it is said they help in releasing all bad energy: true? Dunno, I just think they are crazy good.

Soft rice cakes, cooked in a spicy and hot chili pepper sauce. Many other ingredients are paired: hard-boiled eggs, fish cakes, even sausages and melted cheese. The recipe that follow is very basic and I opted for the eggs version (cause this is the best in my opinion and the simplest on top).

Careful: you will need got-jang (easily found in international grocery stores and even on amazon). Rice cakes can be found deep-frozen in international grocery stores, but i decided to push boundaries further and I made them home: they are a piece of G-O-O-D-N-E-S-S!!!

Serves 4

ready in 20 minutes (with rice cakes ready)

500 grams Tteok (here the recipe)

800 ml water

3 salted anchovies (washed and cleaned)

1 leave of Kombu seaweed (if available)

salt (as needed)

70 grams of gochujang (chilli pepper paste)

1 tbs chilli pepper powder

1 tbs sugar

4 spring onions (in 2 cm wide chunks)

4 hard boiled eggs

In a small bowl mix well the chilli pepper cream, with the chilli pepper powder and the sugar.

Menawhile bring to a boil the water with the anchovies and the kombu seaweed and half tbs of salt. Boil for 7/8 minute. Retain the seaweed and clean the foam with a slotted spoon.

Add the rice cakes, the chilli pepper mixture and bring to a boil. Let simmer – high heat – for 5 minutes.

Add the green onions. SImmer for further 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens enough. Serve.

Serves 4

Ready in 30 minutes

400 grams tomato sauce*

5 eggs

80 grams Parmesan cheese (grated)

4 slices of toasted bread

*For a quick tomato sauce in a pan fry for 4 minutes half garlic clove with 3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil. Retain the garlic and add 400 grams of canned tomato puree. Season with 1 full tsp of sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, let simmer for 7/8 minutes (to evaporate the exceeding water). Add 5 or 6 fresh basil leaves and continue with the recipe.

Heat the tomato sauce.

Meanwhile beat the eggs together with the parmesan cheese. Pour the egg mixtures onto the tomato sauce.

At low heat let the eggs gently cook unitil they get creamy. Serve with toasted bread and season with extra grated parmesan cheese.

15 pieces circa

Reasy in 2 hours

(filling to be prepared the night before)

Filling:

6 hard boiled egg-yolks

150 grams granulated sugar

60 grams mlik powder

80 grams coconut milk

70 grams cornstarch

120 grams unsalted butter (soft)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dough:

420 grams all-purpose flour

100 grams cornstarch

7 grams active dry yeast

half tsp baking powder

70 grams granulated sugar

20 grams vegetable oil

240 grams warm water

Blend the hard boiled egg-yolks with the other ingredients.

Put in fridge for 2 or 3 hours until thickened (in case put it 30 minutes into the fridge to have it thicker), spoon the mixture into 20 single portions and roll them quickly with you hands in form of balls. Freeze them overnight.

To prepare the dough, mix all the dry ingredients, make a well in the center and pour in the wet ones. Mix and knead well for 15/20 minutes (add flour or water if necessary). The dough should be soft and still a bit wet.

Set aside fro first proofing. After 1H/1H30 mins, break the first proofing and set aside once again for other 40 minutes. Divide the dough into 20 small portions.

Take a portion of dough into your palm press in a frozen filling ball and close the filling with the dough, seal it well.

Put the Liu Sha Bao into a bamboo steamer, cover with the lid, put into a pan and pour boiling water into the pan (2 cm), Steam, covered, at medium heat for 8/9 minutes maximum (do not overcook or the filling might spill out). Serve hot.

1 kg potatoes

1 onion

5 eggs

sale

400 ml frying oil

Heat the frying oil in a casserole.

Dice the potatoes. Deep fry the potatoes for 15 minutes. Drain them on a cloth or on a sieve.

In a pan fry the sliced onion with 2 tbs of oil until translucent.

In a container beat gently the eggs with a pinch of salt

Add the onions and the potatoes and stir.

In a pan (max 22 cm diameter) heat 2 tbs of oil and pour the egg mixture.

Cook at medium-low heat for circa 12/13 minutes.

Turn the tortilla helping yourself with a lid, just turn the pan upside-down quickly and the gently lower the tortilla on the lid, into the pan again. Cook other 7 minutes. Serve.

Serves 2

Ready in 1.5H

150 grams fresh spinach

200 grams beef carpaccio

150 grams soy sprouts

150 grams mushrooms (shitake or button)

1 zucchini

1 big carrot

2 eggs

200 grams rice (steamed or boiled)

5 garlic cloves finely chopped

sesame seeds oil

salt

2 tbs brown sugar

3 tbs soy sauce

to serve:

korean hot pepper paste ( gochujang)

sesame seeds oil

Boil the baby spinach for 1 minute, drain and let cool down. Squeeze them and drain the water in excess. Season with half tsp of garlic, 1 tbs soy sauce and 1 tbs sesame seeds oil.

Boil for 6/7 minutes the soy sprouts. Drain well. Season with half tsp garlic, salt and 2 tbs sesame seeds oil.

Stir fry for 10/12 minutes (high heat) the sliced mushrooms with 1 tbs of sesame seeds oil. Season with 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs sesame seeds oil and 1 tsp brown sugar, stir fry for other 2/3 minutes. Set aside.

Stick the zucchini and the carrots and Stir fry them separately quickly for 5/6 minutes with a tbs of sesame seeds oil. Season with salt. Set aside.

Stir fry for a couple of minutes the sliced meat with 2 tbs of vegetable oil, add 1 tsp of garlic, 1 tsp brown sugar, 2 tbs sesame seeds oil, stir fry for 2 minutes more season with pepper and set aside.

Steam the rice, heat your dolsot (the stone bowl – if you do not have it you can use a normal hot bowl) and compose your bibimbap.

When you are ready to serve, fry the eggs.

Put the hot rice at the bottom and top with the fried egg and with meat and vegetables all around.

Serve hot with gochujang and sesame seed oil. Mix everything well before tasting it!

Quantities are fro 2 plum cakes baking tins

370 ml condensed milk

370 ml milk

12 egg yolks

60 ml water

220 grams brown sugar

Pre-heat oven to 180° C.

In a casserole put the sugar and the water and bring to boil firdst and let caramelise later. Once hazelnut colour, coat a baking tin (plumcake). Cool down.

Meanwhile in a container mix the milk with the condensed milk and stir. Add the egg yolk (passed through a sieve).

Pour the mixture into the 2 baking tins.

Put in a bigger tin and fill into the bigger tin pour hot boiling water up to 2/3 of the tins.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Unmould (use a knife to loosen the edge before turning them upside-down).

Serves 4

Ready in 20 mins

200 ml fresh cream of milk

160 grams parmesan cheese grated

30 small asparagus

4 poached eggs

Recipe: Poached Eggs

Clean the asparagus as shown in pictures.

Boil the asparagus in hot salted water for a 8/10 minutes (keep the tip outside the water so they remain crunchy. Set aside and keep warm..

In a saucepan bring the cream (or the milk) to boil. Retain from fire and add the parmesan. Set aside.

Compose the plate: pour 2 tbs of sauce at the bottom of the plate, put the poached egg gently in the center and top with the asparagus. Serve.

Make 2 layers of plastic wrap, oil it well and put this oiled wrap into a small bowl. Crack the egg into it., close the plastic wrap and make a bag out of it. Tie it firmly (air out). Plunge them into hot boiling water and let simmer for 4 minutes (max 5 minutes!). Cut the bags and take the egg out carefully. Serve or use it fo ryour recipe. The resulti s amazing.

Battere leggermente con una forchetta due uova per persona con un pizzico di sale e pepe.

Scaldare sul fuoco 1 cucchiaio di olio in una teglia da forno per pizza, versare le uova e farle scorrere su tutta la superficie (si creerà un foglio sottilissimo).

Lasciare rapprendere a fuoco lento, con una spatola staccare i bordi e rovesciare su un tagliere: arrotolare subito. Servire o utilizzare secondo necessità

Beat 2 eggs, a pinch of salt per serving. Heat 1 tbs of oil in a baking tin (the pizza tini s perfect), add the eggs mixture, make it spread throught the tin. I twill become a thin film. Let harden, low heat. With a spatula cut the borders and move to a board, roll imemdiately. Serve or use for your favorite recipe.