traditional – The Glutton Life

Appelmoes / Easy Dutch Apple Sauce for Meat and Sweets

condiments, dips & sauces, fruit, recipes, sides, sweetsJune 7, 2023June 6, 2023 thegluttonlife

Appelmoes, basically meaning 'apple mush' in Dutch, is a popular (side) dish made with, well, you probably guessed it: apples. Traditionally, in The Netherlands, goudreinet (‘golden rennet’, also called goudreinette…
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Ampelokorfathes Toursi / Αμπελοκορφάδες Τουρσί (Greek Pickled Grapevine Shoots)

foraged greens and herbs, mezedes, pickles, recipes, salads, vegetablesMay 17, 2023May 19, 2023 thegluttonlife

In Greece, during the months of April and May, grapevines start sprouting shoots, tendrils and new leaves rapidly like many plants do in springtime. Unless you want your vine to…
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Hachee / Dutch Beef and Onion Stew

beef, browse by ingredient, mains, meat, meat, recipesMarch 14, 2023March 13, 2023 thegluttonlife

Hachée is a traditional stew made with meat and vegetables. In the Netherlands, the most common version of this stew is usually made with beef, onions, vinegar, spices such as…
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My Grandmother’s Plakkoek / Wingko (Indonesian Sticky Coconut Cake)

baking, party food, recipes, sweetsMay 24, 2022May 24, 2022 thegluttonlife

Wingko, wiwingka or wingko babat, is an Indonesian cake or kue made with mostly coconut and a few other ingredients. When sold by street vendors in Indonesia, wingko usually takes…
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Yanna’s Arni me Stamnagathi / Αρνί με Σταμναγκάθι (Cretan Lamb with Wild Spiny Chicory and Lemon Sauce)

browse by ingredient, lamb, mains, meat, meat, recipesApril 19, 2022April 19, 2022 thegluttonlife

Stamnagathi can be consumed either raw in a salad, boiled and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice, or cooked together with meat. My friend Yanna, whom hails from…
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Periwinkles with Currant (Raisin) Bread / Alikruiken met Krentenbrood

appetizers, Easter, fish and seafood, mezedes, other, recipes, snacks, special occasionsApril 12, 2022April 12, 2022 thegluttonlife

The common periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is an edible species of marine snails that can be commonly found in northern Europe. In the Netherlands, where I am from, these little sea…
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Fava / Φάβα (Greek Yellow Split Pea Dip)

appetizers, condiments, dips & sauces, legumes and pulses, Lent, mezedes, recipes, snacksMarch 8, 2022March 8, 2022 thegluttonlife

Traditional Greek fava dip is made with yellow split peas and not with beans as the name might imply. To make fava, yellow split peas are cooked until they fall…
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Andijvie Stamppot met Spekjes en Gehaktballen / Dutch Endive Mash with Smoked Lardons and Meatballs

beef, browse by ingredient, mains, pork, potato, potato, recipesFebruary 8, 2022February 7, 2022 thegluttonlife

stamppot’ referring to any dish made from a combination of potatoes mashed with vegetables. This wintery dish in particular is made with floury potatoes and thinly-sliced, raw endives or escarole…
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Stroopvet / Stroopjesvet / Stropiesvet (Dutch Lard or Bacon Drippings and Sugar Syrup Bread Spread)

breakfasts, condiments, dips & sauces, meat, other, pork, recipesFebruary 1, 2022February 1, 2022 thegluttonlife

On the kitchen counter of my parental home, my father always used to keep a large glass jar with what to my knowledge was mostly leftover fat rendered from smoked…
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Glyko tou Koutaliou Portokali / Γλυκό του Κουταλιού Πορτοκάλι (Greek Orange Spoon Sweet)

recipes, sweetsDecember 21, 2021December 21, 2021 thegluttonlife

Glyko tou koutaliou, or Greek spoon sweets (literally, ‘sweet of the spoon’) are a traditional preserve that’s commonly served as a sweet snack or dessert to houseguests and costumers at…
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Dutch Speculaas Cookie Chunks / Speculaasbrokken

baking, festive, recipes, sweetsDecember 9, 2021December 8, 2021 thegluttonlife

Last week I already posted a recipe for tiny kruidnootjes on the website that makes use of my homemade spice blend for speculaas, but actually my favourite type of ‘speculaas’…
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Dutch Spiced Mini Cookies / Kruidnoten

baking, festive, recipes, special occasions, sweetsDecember 3, 2021December 2, 2021 thegluttonlife

Kruidnoten are tiny crunchy spiced cookies that are traditionally associated with the month of December (though, sales of these baked goods in the Netherlands usually start around October nowadays, which…
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Dutch Speculaas Spices / Speculaaskruiden (Spice Mix for Biscuits and Cakes)

baking, festive, special occasions, sweetsNovember 30, 2021November 29, 2021 thegluttonlife

Dutch speculaaskruiden are an aromatic spice mix used for baking several types of Dutch biscuits and cakes, such as speculaas(jes), after which the spice mix is named (or is it…
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Dutch Brown Bean Soup with Sausage / Bruine Bonensoep met Worst

legumes, legumes and pulses, mains, recipes, soups, broths & stocksNovember 23, 2021November 23, 2021 thegluttonlife

Legumes and legume-based soups such as this bruine bonensoep and snert (green split pea soup, here), are a real Dutch dietary winter staple. Bruine bonensoep, simply meaning brown bean soup,…
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Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce and Jammy Cherry Tomatoes / Pasta al Pomodoro

browse by ingredient, mains, pasta, pasta, recipes, vegetables, vegetarianAugust 31, 2021June 11, 2023 thegluttonlife

While I usually believe you can never really have too many vegetables in a meal, for my recipe here I’ve chosen to stick to a small variety of tomatoes and…
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Mrs Julia’s Kolokithopita me Trahana / Κολοκυθόπιτα με Τραχανά της κα Ιουλίας (Greek Crustless Zucchini and Trahana Pie)

appetizers, baking, breakfasts, browse by ingredient, party food, recipes, snacks, vegetablesAugust 17, 2021August 17, 2021 thegluttonlife

This crustless pita here is what my boyfriend’s mother – the mrs Julia from the title – calls ‘moutzopita’ (Μουτζόπιτα)*, or ‘trachanokseskoufoti’ (Τραχανοξεσκούφωτη), but I suppose you could simply refer…
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Mushroom Magiritsa / Μαγειρίτσα με Μανίταρια (Vegan/Plant-Based Greek Easter Soup)

browse by ingredient, Easter, Lent, mains, mushrooms, recipes, special occasions, vegetables, vegetables, vegetarianApril 20, 2021April 19, 2021 thegluttonlife

This soup, or stew is traditionally made with offal removed from the whole roasted lamb that is commonly served on Easter day, which makes this one of those dishes that…
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Boerenkool Stamppot met Rookworst en Spekjes / Traditional Dutch Curly Kale Mash with Smoked Sausage and Lardons

browse by ingredient, mains, potato, potato, recipesMarch 9, 2021March 8, 2021 thegluttonlife

Dutch boerenkool stamppot (literally translated it means ‘farmer’s cabbage mash pot’, or ‘farmer’s cabbage hodgepodge’), is a traditional and quintessential Dutch winter staple. As is the case with most Dutch…
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Cuttlefish Ink Risotto with Squid and Bottarga / Risotto al Nero di Seppia con Calamari e Bottarga

cuttlefish and squid, fish and seafood, mains, recipes, rice, rice, seafoodJanuary 26, 2021January 25, 2021 thegluttonlife

This risotto al nero di seppia is full of that briny umami-rich cuttlefish ink which gives this velvety rice dish its distinctive glossy and dark look and seafood-y richness, it’s…
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Salatοuri / Σαλατούρι (Greek Skate or Ray Fish Salad)

appetizers, fish, fish and seafood, mezedes, recipes, salads, snacksJanuary 19, 2021May 31, 2023 thegluttonlife

Salatouri is a Greek meze, or salad with boiled and flaked ray, or skate fillet (σαλαχι), red onions, parsley, lemon and olive oil. Some like to add fresh dill, capers,…
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Lahanodolmades tis Tebelas / Λαχανοντολμάδες της Τεμπέλας (Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls for Lazy people / Cabbage Pie)

beef, lamb, mains, meat, meat, recipes, rice, riceJanuary 5, 2021February 15, 2021 thegluttonlife

While I would make the little individual lahanodolmades for a special occasion, on regular days I prefer this ‘lahanodolmades for lazy people’ recipe, which uses the same ingredients you’d use…
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My Grandmother’s Babi Ketjap / Babi Kecap (Indonesian Sweet Soy Braised Pork)

mains, meat, meat, pork, recipesOctober 6, 2020June 28, 2021 thegluttonlife

My Dutch-Indonesian oma used to make a huge pot of babi kecap for every important family get-together at her house such as her birthday, or Mothersday. Of course, she’d always…
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Panna Cotta with Cherry Sauce and Crispy Almond Lace Cookies

dairy, fruit, recipes, sweetsJuly 14, 2020July 13, 2020 thegluttonlife

In my opinion, a ‘good’ version of this traditional Italian dessert, the name of which simply translates to ‘cooked cream’, has a very wobbly, smooth, almost-melting consistency with a subtle…
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Pasta with Sardines and Fennel / Pasta con le Sarde

fish, fish and seafood, mains, pasta, pasta, recipes, seafoodJune 23, 2020June 23, 2020 thegluttonlife

Pasta con le sarde is a traditional Sicilian dish made with pasta – usually bucantini – olive oil, onion, sardines and anchovies. Other popular additions to add more flavor and…
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