Rio's Photo Library

Chef's Table 2

Grilled Red Mullet with Pan Fried Potatoes and Salsa Verde

I like the color of this dish. The red skin of the mullet makes the plate look really bright, and they really shine against very simple white plate. In any dish, timing is everthing. So with this one, I started cooking potato first, and when it was almost done, I threw the fish into oven and grilled it. Chopped some fresh parcely, corriander, basil, and tomato quickly, and mixed with mustard, olive oil, splash of white wine vinegar, touch of wanut oil, and fresh lemon juice for salsa verde.

Hot Buttered Lobster

Summer has long gone in Amsterdam this year; in fact, there was none! But today it was wonderfully nice weather with lots of sun, and it made me feel like cooking something that gives some summerish feelings. The answer was lobster! First put a live lobster in a luke warm water, and heat for about 5 minutes. This is said to be the most friendly way to kill it. Then drain the water, put the lobster back onto heat, adding white wine, water, sliced onions, carrots, celery, prigs of parcely, and salt and pepper and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Take the lobster out from the pot, and cut in half using sharp knife. Remove all the meat inside, including green meat in the body. Heat the pan and toss the lobster meat with some butter, and fresh lemon juice. Use the shell to serve the lobster meat.

Tossing the lobster meat with butter and lemon juice.

Whole lobster after simmered for 15 minutes

Simmer the lobster in the pot with some root vegetable. Once done, the liquid becomes the amazing fish stock, so don't thow it away. In my case, I cooked rice using this stock afterwards, and it was amazing.

Roast Dorado stuffed with Dill

Really simple and unfussy dish. Season your dorado with salt and put some prigs of dill into the cavity. Lay the fish on the tray, together with some potatoes (boiled for 5 minutes), chops of garlic, and some fresh tomato. Splash some good glug of olive oil over the tray, and throw it in the hot oven for 20 to 30 minutes. I cooked seaweed risotto while the fish was in the oven.

Roast Turbot with Fennel Seeds and Slices of Lemon

This turbot weighed 1.3kg. No doubt, the biggest fish I have ever cooked. I did it for one house dinner occasion, but I was not sure how long it would take, and feared I might totally ruin this beautiful fish by overcooking it. While cooking in the oven, I opened it a few times, and pressed on the flesh to see how it is being cooked, and after 45 minutes, decided to take it out. The result was actually perfect.

Shrimp Risotto
This certainly has become my real favorite. It's easy, and from my point of view, also fun, and a bit of a spectacle. The most time-consuming part is separating the meat of boild shrimp from their shells, which will be used to take the broth out of. But I like to have my friends to help out doing this. That's the real secret of it.

Salmon Fillet Wrapped with Parma Ham

Chicken Wings Japanese Style

It is Japanese style, because the flavor comes from the mixture of soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar, in which these chicken wings were slow cooked, together with some root veges and okura. I actually first coated the chickens with corn starch, and deep fried. This holds the flavor with the chicken, and also thickens the sauce when slow cooked.

Asian Style Fried Noodles

This one is really easy and recommendable to all. First cook some Chinese egg-noodle in a plenty of salted boiling water. Meanwhile, pan-fry the ingredients for the topping. I used prawns and sepia squid and red paprika, some shiitake mushroom, and a few Okura. First, I seasoned the seafood with salt and black pepper, then coat them with starch powder, before throwing into the pan with olive oil. This way you can keep the flavor from escaping out with the juice. Add a glug of sesame seed oil, this will add fantastic flavor essential to Asian style noodles. Then throw in chopped garlic, and red chili, and your vegetables. Add a few table spoons of Japanese sake, and a spash of water, oyster sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Add the noodles into the pan, and before serve top it with plenty of fresh corriander.

Roast Chicken Breast with Marinade and Pan-fried Potato, Red Pepper, and Spinach, with Fresh Herb Sauce

The inspiration came from the chef, Jun Tanaka, a very famouns chef at the restaurant called the Pearl in London, where it is almost impossible to book a table. The original dish was with a nice pork belly with a bone on, which looks fantastic on the plate. But since I didn't have one, I used chicken breast instead. This marinade, made from tomato puree, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, and a touch of honey, actually goes better with pork than a chicken, I thought. Nevertheless, it is easy, tasty, and look at the color, it is fabulous.

Pan-fried Scallops with Asparagus and Spring Onions
This is really a simple dish. First cook the asparagus and spring onion in a salted boiling water for a few minutes. Then pan-fry with some olive oil, and season well. Then throw in some seasoned scallops, and at the end, put some butter in. This is so simple, but this is an amazing dish.

Roast Scallop

Spaghetti Vongole

Fresh Geen Salad with Bazil, Mozzarella and Parma ham

Spicy Asian flavor noodles with Rib-eye Steak

Inaniwa-Udon with Sea Fruits

Crostini with Paste of Sausage Meat with Fennel Seeds

Sformato di Spinaci con Pancetta

Roasted Joint of Lamb in Red Wine Sauce with Fennel Flavored Potato Puree

Easter Egg Salad

Still Life

Ballroom Dance

Brussels

Hotel Hannon

Brussels is home to some Art Nouveau architecture. Hotel Hannon is one of them. I felt particularly pleasant being in this house. I even danced in the room upstairs.

Wittamer

Among many world-famous chocolateries is Wittamer, located just behind the magnificient Notre Dame de Sablon. Fruit cakes of this sort are some of the best they can offer.