FavorFlav’s Lauretta Baarends’ favorites
Lauretta Baarends doesn’t want raisins in her apple pie (huh? No, she’s truly uncompromising) and she pinches her nose at bacalhau. But otherwise she’s a foodie through and through, with a bottle of spicy Italian oil always on hand and Grandma’s fried sauerkraut on her sandwich. With a limoncello tonic alongside. ‘Delicious!’
Always in the fridge
“A piece of Parmesan cheese. It really is worth going to the cheese shop and buying a good-sized piece. After all, you can keep it for a few weeks, so you’ll always have some on hand. Grated over a fried egg, of course over pasta and lasagna, but also over stir-fried haricots verts or other vegetables, it’s a real flavor booster!”
Favorite drink
“Of all soft drinks, blackcurrant soda is definitely number one. And the alcoholic drink I’m currently addicted to is Limoncello tonic. But a glass of delicious Spanish Verdejo goes down easily too.”
Favorite family recipe
“My grandmother’s sauerkraut. Extra delicious when it’s a day old, fried up on brown bread, mmm!”
Favorite ingredient
“Peperoncino in olive oil from a jar. Every time I’m in Italy, I bring back a jar. It’s actually chili oil, but with less oil and more pieces of chili pepper. For every dish where you first have to fry an onion and garlic, and which could use a bit of heat, I always fry a tiny spoonful (because spicy, spicy!) of this along with it.”
The first time I drank alcohol…
“I no longer remember when, but I do remember what: Passoã, Safari and Coebergh, the classics. Ah, the good old days.”
Favorite hangover food
“Thank god I don’t get those enormous hangovers very often. But when it does happen, I prefer to eat a pizza with fennel sausage, pancetta and red peppers (again!) And a bag of blue M&M’s for dessert.”
Guilty pleasure
“Milky Ways and applesauce!”
I can’t stand
“Getting up early, an empty fridge, raisins in apple pie and couscous.”
Favorite cookbook
“The Italian cookbook Big Mamma and Een ode aan groenten.”
When I don’t feel like cooking…
“I always have a freezer full of things I’ve made before, such as pasta sauce. Then all I have to do is cook spaghetti and that’s it!”
Never again
“Bacalhau (salted and dried cod). The smell of bacalhau… I honestly find it even more disgusting than socks that have been worn for six days straight.”
Favorite food series
“MasterChef Australia. By far my biggest favorite when it comes to food series. On Netflix, I like Somebody Feed Phill and Ainsley Eats the Streets too.”
