FavorFlav Favorites #5: “Happiness is sometimes a goat cheese sandwich”
Have you ever wondered where that impossible name ‘FavorFlav’ comes from? Yes, it’s a nod to the rapper, but it stands for ‘Favorite Flavors’. And what exactly are those? Everything from podcasts to hotspots and from secret ingredients to the latest gadgets. In this fortnightly feature, we share our favorites with you.
Lauretta: “This week I interviewed tea sommelier Kiona Malinka. And now you’re thinking, huh, a tea sommelier? Yes, they do exist! And that’s a good thing, because tea is still often underestimated. Yet tea can be just as complex and remarkable as wine. Kiona’s golden tip? You can keep fresh tea for up to a year, provided you store it properly. That means in an airtight, lightproof tin. Light in particular has a huge influence on the flavor. So much so that if you expose tea to too much light, it loses its quality in no time. That means the cup of tea hardly tastes of anything anymore. What a waste!”
Sabina: “Yesterday I felt a little pathetic, for no particular reason, really, but my hair looked weird and it was raining a little, but not really, and I’d just finished a very good, chunky book but had nothing lined up to read next, and I really needed to get my shoes repaired but couldn’t be bothered — that kind of mood. And then I realized I also had to have lunch. So here’s my tip, after all that moaning: I went to Gebroeders Niemeijer, a French bakery on Nieuwendijk, and ordered a baguette chèvre Florence, a baguette with goat cheese and pumpkin, toasted almonds and wild garlic oil — and my mood completely lifted. With a cup of tea, I sat at a little table watching people come in to buy bread or macarons, and tourists trying to translate the entire menu, and someone wearing a strange hat. I ordered another cup of tea, leafed through a little newspaper, and went home completely, utterly happy. Happiness is sometimes a goat cheese sandwich. And they’re close to Central Station, so it’s also a great place for a lunch meeting.”
Sharon: “Last week I was in Morocco and, of course, I visited a souk to buy spices and fresh tea. I love ras el hanout, so I brought back a generous bag of it. Moroccan chef Najat Kaanache, one of the nominees for the FavorFlav Food Top 100, taught me that ras el hanout is usually translated as ‘the best of the shop’, but in Arabic it means ‘top shelf’. It’s a spice blend created by North African traders who wanted to show what they had to offer. So they put together a mix containing sometimes more than fifty spices! Ras el hanout is wonderfully aromatic and usually consists of a number of ground base spices such as cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, coriander, ginger, allspice and black pepper. Its strong, warm flavor is delicious in a tagine, for marinating chicken or sprinkled over homemade chickpea or yogurt dip.”
Delilah: “My favorite this week, with an extra boost because the kids have just declared it super delicious again: lentil soup. I always start with a heavy pan and a splash of oil, then sauté a finely chopped onion in it until soft. Meanwhile, I rinse 400 grams of red lentils very well until the water runs clear. Then I Microplane 2 large cloves of garlic into the pan, stir in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (from a tube! sub-favorite!) and crumble in a stock cube, followed by half a tablespoon of vadouvan spices. (There’s a version from Euroma/Jonnie Boer at AH, but if you’re incredibly lucky, you’ve managed to get hold of a jar of Thiercelin 1809 through someone with a wholesale pass.) Sauté for another minute, add the lentils to the pan, pour in 1 liter of boiling water, season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for half an hour. Stir occasionally, sometimes add another splash of hot water, purée if you like but I never do, serve with bread or naan, a dollop of yogurt and hot sauce, a squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh green herbs — delishhhh. And there’s enough for lunch the next day too.”
Steffi: “When it comes to dates, the Medjoul is always crowned the supreme date, emperor of dates, the ultimate date. And yes, they’re delicious. But also quite expensive. And large. And I’m not always in the mood for that, so I did some research to broaden my date horizons. I generally love dates (except those really hard, dry ones from the supermarket), but Iranian dates come out as the winner. A little less meaty and handsome than Medjouls, but wonderfully soft, honey-sweet, perfectly compact in size and very affordable. You can get a box for just 3 euros. I’m not loyal to a particular brand, and neither is the shop where I buy them — De Volkskruidentuin in Amsterdam — as there’s a different type every time. But they’re always equally delicious. Tip: cut them open, remove the pit, add a little tahini (or peanut butter), and place a walnut in between. Abnormally delicious.”
Main image: Ro Achterberg
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