Soup Supper: Tori Ramen – chicken broth based ramen soup.

Light and packed with flavor. Growing in depth with every ladle. Tender noodles, crisp spring onion and the vibrance of fresh cilantro. Add to that succulent chicken meat, almost sweet kombu and the hint of ocean that nori brings, and you’re left with the perfect soup for any time of the season. Throw in a soft-boiled egg marinated in soy sauce, and heaven is only a spoonful away. Making a good broth for ramen is all about taking time. There is almost nothing for you to do, but wait – assemble and eat. The perfect dish for a relaxed day. To treat yourself or to impress others.

Posh Pork: My slow-roasted pork belly.

Succulent meat that falls apart by just looking at it. A salty and crunchy crackling. An aromatic sweet sauce, with a hint of good ale that is what it takes to turn any Sunday great. My slow-roasted pork belly is as easy as making toast – it just takes a little longer. So, while you enjoy a relaxed morning – or a hard-earned evening wait with excitement as your kitchen and your house will fill with the aromatic scent that only a good roast can bring.

Breaking Bread: Bruschetta two ways – tomato & grilled mushroom.

Crispy, aromatic bread for the right chew. A soft and silky layer of creamy ricotta or rich and smoky bacon grease. And two different subtle but delicious toppings. This take on the italian classic might not be quite conventional, but who really cares when it is so delicious and simple to make. Sweet tomatoes, the comfort of garlic and the vibrance of basil for one, savoury and slightly smoky mushrooms, with depth of grilled onions and the punch of parsley. The secret to this dish is in the bread – and a little bit of patience. But who if not yourself is worth a little treat every now and then.

Brilliant Baking: My dark chocolate and cherry cake.colate

Dark and rich, creamy and moist. My chocolate and cherry cake has it all. Mixed up in about 10 minutes, done in under an hour – this cake is the perfect lazy Sunday treat. All you need to do is to say yes. Yes to chocolate. Yes to butter. Yes to cherries. And, “yes, baking is pretty easy”. Because it is. What’s not as easy is taking pictures of brown and white things. 

My favourite inauthentic pasta: My pasta with the easiest tomato sauce.

The freshness of a nearing spring fills my heart with joy. The air is clear and crisp. The sun is shining optimistically and it won’t be long until the first specks of green will appear in parks and gardens. On days like this, I like my food to mirror the simplicity of the nearing season. Few and subtle flavour, light and almost airy – this is how food should be. No fuzz and no work.
My pasta with the easiest tomato sauce will lift your spirits, I promise you that. Done in half an hour, requiring no work and using only three ingredients – food really doesn’t come any easier than this.

Godly Greens: My carrot noodles with cottage cheese.

After hours upon hours of feasting. Of roasts and stews, cakes and cookies, of chocolate and sweets, our bodies can take a break. Something light and uplifting, refreshing and nourishing. My carrot noodles with cottage cheese are exactly what a spring lunch should look like. Vegetable pasta, some cottage cheese, that’s all I want to start a year of good resolutions with.

Fancy Fish: My mussels in tomato sauce.

There is little more fitting to a dark winter night than a meal shared with family or friends. A big bowl in the centre of an even bigger table from which everyone takes as much as they like. Splashes of tomato sauce covering plates, table and diners. Happy chatting and deep glasses of wine. Sharing a meal is one of the simplest ways to connect with other people. No fancy plates or clever sauces needed. With my mussels in tomato sauce all you have to provide is a lot of napkins. Your guests will eat the mussels straight from the shell, which is half the fun. The slurping and sucking drops of tomato sauce out of the shells is the other half. However elaborate you think making mussels could be, forget about it. All you need is three ingredients, a large pot and 20 minutes of time. Cooking for other people has never been easier.

Posh Potatoes: My baked potatoes with chived crème fraîche.

There is a constant storm brewing outside my parent’s home. With grey skies hanging even deeper than usual and a nagging cold wind, trying to sneak into your bones, whenever you set a foot outdoors. This is the perfect weather to stay in. To drink hot apple juice with a shot of amaretto. And to take an unwilling dog out for a walk. I can’t think of anything better to come home to, than an oven full with steaming hot potatoes. My baked potatoes with chived crème fraîche is a dish worth taking into your repertoire. Especially, since it requires no work at all. All you have to do is pop some potatoes into a hot oven and let them do their thing for a bit more than an hour. No one can say that cooking wasn’t easy.

Busy Bites: My lentil and pumpkin couscous-mash.

There is something about spices like cumin and cardamom, sweet paprika and pepper, that warm my heart. A warmth and depth, that seems so suitable for dark and cold days like this. Christmas is a busy time, between lectures and Christmas parties, people need to be met, presents to be bought. In all this rushing around a plate of food that almost tells you to sit back and relax, to take some time to actually enjoy the season, seems like a welcome break. My lentil and pumpkin couscous mash is one of these dishes. Based on a thick, rich and aromatic lentil and pumpkin soup, this is comfort food in all its glory. Done in a few minutes, and served with a big helping of yoghurt sauce, this is food that feeds mind and body. Take a break, you deserve it.

Busy Bites: My egg pancakes with fried mushrooms and cottage cheese.

Sometimes all you want is a quick snack. Something light and rewarding. Nothing too fancy. Nothing too heavy. A few simple tastes. Juicy and refreshing. And above all: quick. Snack food doesn’t need to be heavy, or complicated or boring. With a few spare minutes. Two pans and a quick hand you can easily make snack-time worth every bite. Aromatic mushrooms, with subtle notes of garlic, the tang of lemon, combined with silky and milky cottage cheese, served on an extremely thin omelette. What better could a snack look like?