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

Asparagus cream pasta - this has got to be one of my favourite recipes. When I come home from a long day at work I don’t always feel like spending hours in the kitchen preparing dinner. Life gets a little dreary when all there’s time for is work and cooking. There’s more to be done.  So I look for quick fix solutions. Solutions that don’t imply me necessarily eating the same thing every day. Pastas generally make pretty good ones - this under-fifteen minute meal is one. Luckily quick in no way means less tasty. But I’ll let you be the judge of that ;)  Ingredients (serves 2): 220 mL cream 3 cloves garlic 16 large green asparagus spears dash of dry white wine 200g tagliatelle Chunk of parmesan cheese freshly ground black pepper to taste Instructions: 1. Peel the garlic cloves. Put cream and whole garlic cloves into a saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the cream starts to bubble, remove from heat and set aside. 2. Peel the asparagus. C...

In a world that seems increasingly rife with people with gluten intolerance or on no-carb diets, pasta and rice made out of vegetables is becoming more and more common. By now most of my local supermarkets sell one version or another. I don’t have a problem with carbs, or with gluten, but I think this is a pretty great development - even if only for the sake of helping us eat more of those recommended veggies. Veggies are good for the soul. Of course, while pre-cut supermarkt versions are ideal for those with little time, I’d still rather do it myself. And in this case, time saved wasn’t much of an issue (at all). This dish is on your plate in even less time than it takes to cook up a regular plate of pasta.  Ingredients (serves 2): 1 large courgette 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 100g bacon 1 teaspoon chili flakes Parmesan cheese Olive oil Instructions: 1. Wash the courgette, and slice into very thin spaghetti-like strips. No need to peel it first - the p...

It might have been in the name, but when I first picked up some merguez sausages I expected them to be Spanish. As it turns out, they're a spicy North African variety that comes in beef or lamb, and is often eaten with couscous or used in tajines. I'd bought beef, intending to use them for quesadillas. Figuring there was no reason not to continue along this original train of thought, I did, and I wasn't sorry. The spiciness makes a great combo with the goat cheese and cilantro. Ingredients (serves 2): 300g Merguez sausage (I used beef, but you can also go for lamb) 100g goat's cheese (I used chevre, sliced and tough white outside removed) 3 medium-size shallots, chopped few sprigs coriander (cilantro), chopped 6 flour tortillas (I used the 'gordita' type, which is a bit smaller and thicker than the tortillas used for burritos) 1 lime cut into wedges Mexican salsa roja ( click here for the recipe ) Instructions: 1. Place the merguez sausages in ...

Fall means pumpkin and squash, and for the past weeks, they’ve been everywhere - and a standard on my veggie shelf. I love them, whether roasted as a side, mixed in with creamy risotto, but also a big fan of squash and pumpkin soup.  There are countless ways to make it, and I probably do it slightly differently every time I make it. This version was especially lovely so I had to share. It’s full, creamy and the spices are just right. An added bonus - roasting the veggies in the oven saves you heaps of time.  Ingredients: 1 butternut squash 500g carrots 2 onions 2 cloves 1L vegetable stock 1 tablespoon ras el hanout spice 4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt Rind of 1 orange Salt and black pepper Toasted pumpkin seeds (optional) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Instructions: 1. De-seed the squash, chop into squares (no need to peel). Roughly chop the carrot.   2.  Line a baking tray with parchment paper, add the squash and th...

Ingredients (serves 2): 8 ripe peaches 1 cup Greek yoghurt 30g blanched (= white) almonds, halved 2 tablespoons maple syrup Honey and cinnamon to taste few drops of lemon juice Instructions: 1. Wash the peaches and quarter them. Brush each cut side with maple syrup. 2. Pre-heat a grill pan. Place the peaches in the pan until they’re ready but not falling apart. This only takes a few minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. 3. Take the almonds and toast them in a skillet. (You can also do it in the oven, but on top of the stove is faster and less hassle - no pre-heating needed, etc etc). 4. Take the Greek yoghurt and add honey and cinnamon to taste. Add a few drops of lemon juice and stir.  5. Divide the yoghurt over two bowls, top with grilled peaches and almonds and serve.

Ingredients: 300g soft goat cheese, tough outer edge removed 1 cup fine breadcrumbs 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives 2 large eggs handful of flour Salt and black pepper 1 bottle vegetable oil Instructions: 1. Take the goat cheese and roll into balls, a little smaller in size than a cherry tomato. You don’t want them to be too big, they’ll grow with the breadcrumbs and if they’re too large the centre won’t heat through when you fry them.  2. Roll the goat cheese balls in flour until they are coated, then set in the freezer for about an hour. 3. Mix the bread crumbs with cayenne pepper, a bit of salt and black pepper, and the chopped chives. 4. Place an egg in a large bowl, whisky it lightly to thoroughly mix the yolk and the white.  5. Remove the balls from the freezer. One by one, roll them through the egg mixture and then immediately through the breadcrumb mixture. Set aside, and roll the next....

There are few desserts that will make me as happy as a good chocolate mousse, so you can imagine my delight when I figured out I could make it myself. This recipe has been my rock for over ten years - and it’s so good I’ve felt little need to tweak it over time. It’s a slightly surprising, egg free chocolate mousse, inspired by an Allerhande (the Netherlands’ largest grocer’s free recipe magazine) from way back when in 2006. The rosemary, the tingle of salt - it’s a hit every time. Ingredients (makes 4): 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary 150 mL milk 200g dark chocolate, in small pieces 250 mL whipped cream 100g white castor sugar 1 teaspoon coarse grains of sea salt pinch of regular table salt NB: If you're cooking for 2, don't halve the quantities. Just make it all. I promise, you’ll be happy you did. Instructions: 1. Remove the needles from the rosemary. Place in a pot with milk and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to sit for a while. In the...

Do you ever food-google? I do it a lot, and sometimes I come across really nifty ideas. Like this one: a five-minute crowd pleaser... strawberry dipped in chocolate set in ice cube trays! Brilliant! I have a heart shaped one and used that.. look how pretty they turned out :)