Ingredients
Baking equipment:
- buttered tart tin
- with removable non-stick base,
- top 28 cm diameter,
- bottom 26 cm, raised edge 2.5 cm
Crust:
- 100 g all-purpose wheat flour
- 100 g self-raising flour
- 1/2 level teaspoon salt (2 g)
- 40 g soft butter
- 100 ml milk
Filling:
- 75 g flat-leaf parsley,
- weighed without the bottom stem
- 300 g fresh cream cheese (Monchou)
- 4 very fresh eggs (L)
- plenty of white pepper and 2 g salt
Serving:
- cherry tomatoes
A modern idea from an Amsterdam rooftop garden? No, this concerns ‘Amsterdam cutting parsly’ (snijpeterselie). That is what it says on packets of seeds for flat-leaf parsley, which is highly recommended in culinary circles. That ‘Amsterdam’ intrigued me, but I couldn’t find anywhere why. Because of the greenhouses that stood in the town during the Golden Age? I called seed wholesaler Pieterpikzonen in Luinjeberd (since 1904). He had an answer immediately: an approved variety was often given the name of the place where it was selected or bred. The first descriptive list of varieties (Dr. O. Banga, 1943) lists 5 types of parsley, the ‘Amsterdam’ first. But you also find ‘Maastricht Storage Carrots’ and ‘Zwolle Curly Celery’ there. Vegetable cultivation, which began in monastery gardens in the Middle Ages, later moved to areas surrounding cities before significant expansion occurred in the late 19th century (partly due to improved transport). The current horticulture in the capital can therefore boast a truly green past.
- Mix the flours and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces using two knives. Stir in the milk with a knife (you may need a little more milk), and quickly knead into a smooth dough. Roll out on a floured work surface into a 33 cm circle. Fold into quarters and unfold into the mold. Press down at the edge.
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
- Wash the parsley thoroughly and spin dry. Chop coarsely.
- Beat the cheese loose with the dough hooks of the mixer; mix in the eggs, pepper, and salt using the beaters. Mix with the parsley and scoop into the dough bowl.
- Bake on the bottom rack of the preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes. Serve warm or cold. With cherry tomatoes. Incidentally, this recipe also works well with other green herbs. Can be reheated: 20 minutes at 200°C.
Wine: Rosé d’Anjou.
Menu suggestion:
- Starter: Fill crispy little gem lettuce leaves with a mixture of crème fraîche and mustard, top with thin strips of cucumber (peeled). Add black pepper at the table.
- Dessert: Lemon custard. Stir 8 tablespoons of lemon juice and 4 teaspoons of organic lemon zest into 500 ml of vanilla custard. Let it set briefly. Spoon into small bowls just before serving. Top with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.