5 variations on the gourmet

1. Asian

Provide plenty of trays on the table with: tofu (marinated in soy sauce, tahini and honey, extra tasty), chicken, tenderloin tips, roasted sesame seeds, chopped coriander, bean sprouts, sugar snaps, strips of pak choi, spring onions and shiitake. Serve with boiled noodles, a fresh mango salsa with onion and coriander and of course the soy sauce. Finish it off with fried onions, prawn crackers and satay sauce.

Satay sauce

Heat 8 tablespoons peanut butter and 200 ml (coconut) milk in a small saucepan. Crush 1 clove of garlic and add it. Peel 1 cm ginger root and chop or grate it very finely. Add garlic and ginger to the peanut sauce and season with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and sambal to taste.

2. Vegetarian

Take a look at the vegetarian section in the supermarket. Falafel is very tasty with gourmet with tzatziki, lettuce and a pita bread. Vegetarian pieces are also delicious to bake together with some strips of bell pepper. Don’t forget the eggs either, for stuffed omelettes in the gourmet pan with, for example, onion and slices of mushrooms. Or what about tasty skewers with marinated tofu and tomatoes? with Halloumi is also great for vegetarian gourmets. This is cheese you can bake. Cut the halloumi into 1 cm thick strips and fry until brown. Also delicious with tzatziki.

tzatziki

Take ½ cucumber for a bowl. Peel the cucumber and grate it very finely. Place the cucumber grater in a colander and sprinkle with some salt. Let the cucumber drain for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, stir 200 ml of Greek or Turkish yogurt with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ½ tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Squeeze 2-3 cloves of garlic on top. Press the cucumber grater well and stir the cucumber through the yogurt. Season with pepper.

3. Mexican

Give your gourmet a Mexican twist with canned corn, homemade guacamole, kidney beans, (vegetarian) minced meat or chicken pieces, sour cream, small wraps, tortilla chips, grated cheese and a tomato salsa. You can cut the wraps into quarters, so that you can always cover a mini-wrap with your favorite toppings.

Mexican Wraps

Drain a can of corn kernels and a can of kidney beans. Mix them in a bowl with chopped tomatoes, pepper, salt, chili powder, cumin powder and fresh coriander. Place the vegetable mixture in a saucepan and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted. Meanwhile, place a mini wrap on top of the gourmet plate. Serve the vegetable mixture on the warm wrap and eat them with some tortilla chips.

Tomato Salsa

Chop 1 onion and 1 garlic clove very finely. Chop 3 ripe tomatoes into small cubes. Clean 1 red pepper, remove the seeds and cut the pepper into very fine pieces. Mix onion, garlic, tomato and pepper with 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup. Finely chop a few sprigs of fresh coriander and add it. Season the salsa with 2-3 tablespoons of lime juice, salt and a drop of olive oil.

4. Arabic

Rich flavors where sweet and savory are amply combined. Make a couscous salad with pomegranate and mint or a bulgur salad with chickpeas and pieces of prunes and cucumber. Bake small (lamb) meatballs, slices of halloumi, chicken or white fish at the table and make sure you have enough hummus, feta, mint, fresh coriander and roasted pistachios. Delicious to serve with Turkish bread and full-bodied yogurt.

5. Italian

The Italians did not invent gourmet cooking, but you can give a tasty Italian twist to your gourmet. How about mozzarella, pasta salad, pesto, cherry tomatoes, basil, cod wrapped with Italian bacon (pancetta) and ciabatta bread. Just like the Italians, make sure you have a good olive oil.

Zucchini rolls

Cut a zucchini with a cheese slicer into long thin slices. Grill them on the gourmet plate. Place some mozzarella and fresh basil on the slice and roll it up or fill it with, for example, cottage cheese. A tasty variation on this: aubergine rolls with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.