Recipes
If you think that Japan has the most expensive vegetables in the world you are wrong. The most expensive vegetable is the Hops Sprout. Only available at Winter's end and only harvested in Belgium these sprouts are 999 Euros a kilo. They are a bitch to find and dig up as one has to feel around in the sand and find the sprouts growing out of the roots and then cut them by hand. Since they are only available as the hops start to grow this is usually a rather chilly occupation.
Here's a recipe.
Here's a recipe.
Asparagus Flemish Style
3 lbs White Asparagus
8 Tbsps unsalted Butter
4 Eggs
2 Tsps Lime Juice (or Lemon)
1/4 cup minced Chervil (or Parsley)
Salt and freshly ground Pepper
Freshly grated Nutmeg
Carefully peel the asparagus with a peeler. (Start peeling below the tip).
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling add the asparagus and lower the heat, simmer until tender, 15 minutes to a half hour depending on thickness of the vegetables.
Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs and leave in water to keep warm. Time the following actions so that everything is ready at the same time.
Melt the butter. Mash the eggs. Mix together with the juice, herbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Carefully remove asparagus from pot and drain.
Place asparagus on plates and pour egg mixture over them.
Smakelijk!
3 lbs White Asparagus
8 Tbsps unsalted Butter
4 Eggs
2 Tsps Lime Juice (or Lemon)
1/4 cup minced Chervil (or Parsley)
Salt and freshly ground Pepper
Freshly grated Nutmeg
Carefully peel the asparagus with a peeler. (Start peeling below the tip).
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling add the asparagus and lower the heat, simmer until tender, 15 minutes to a half hour depending on thickness of the vegetables.
Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs and leave in water to keep warm. Time the following actions so that everything is ready at the same time.
Melt the butter. Mash the eggs. Mix together with the juice, herbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Carefully remove asparagus from pot and drain.
Place asparagus on plates and pour egg mixture over them.
Smakelijk!
June 06 2011 | Recipes - Belgian Cooking | 0 comments
Attack Of The Killer Cucumbers - Recipe Of The Day 19
Attack Of The Killer Cucumbers - Recipe Of The Day 19
photo: Richard Harris
This new mutant E.coli bacteria scare and the response raises some questions. Why did the Germans immediately blame Spain for tainted cucumbers when they in fact have nothing to do with it? Why were people affected in the UK, The Netherlands, Germany and France but not Belgium (these other countries form a ring around Belgium)? Now that the culprit seems to be organic sprouts from Northern Germany will this be used by some to restrict organic vegetables?
With Russia putting an embargo on EU vegetables the losses are mounting. Spanish growers are losing 200 million euros a week. Here in Belgium, Flemish growers are losing 6 million euros a week.
Unlike in the US, E.coli scares are very rare in Europe.
So cucumbers have been very inexpensive this week and I've been taking advantage. If you go to Recipe of the Day 2 you will find a Belgian cucumber salad. Here is another:
Creamy Cucumber Salad with Chervil
3 Cucumbers
2 tsp Salt
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 tbsp Ghent Mustard (or Dijon)
Juice of a Lime
1/4 cup minced fresh Chervil (if you can't find Chervil, a mixture of tarragon and parsley with sort of approximate the taste)
Freshly ground black Pepper
Unless your cucumbers are waxed, don't peel. Just score lengthwise all around with a fork and slice.
Place the slices in a colander, sprinkle with the salt, mix, and let drain for at least an hour (two-three hours is best).
Whisk together the cream and mustard until a little thickened. Season with the lemon juice, chervil and pepper. Don't add any salt.
Once the cucumbers have drained well, toss with the dressing and refrigerate. Can be eaten immediately but I prefer to give it some time.
This new mutant E.coli bacteria scare and the response raises some questions. Why did the Germans immediately blame Spain for tainted cucumbers when they in fact have nothing to do with it? Why were people affected in the UK, The Netherlands, Germany and France but not Belgium (these other countries form a ring around Belgium)? Now that the culprit seems to be organic sprouts from Northern Germany will this be used by some to restrict organic vegetables?
With Russia putting an embargo on EU vegetables the losses are mounting. Spanish growers are losing 200 million euros a week. Here in Belgium, Flemish growers are losing 6 million euros a week.
Unlike in the US, E.coli scares are very rare in Europe.
So cucumbers have been very inexpensive this week and I've been taking advantage. If you go to Recipe of the Day 2 you will find a Belgian cucumber salad. Here is another:
Creamy Cucumber Salad with Chervil
3 Cucumbers
2 tsp Salt
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 tbsp Ghent Mustard (or Dijon)
Juice of a Lime
1/4 cup minced fresh Chervil (if you can't find Chervil, a mixture of tarragon and parsley with sort of approximate the taste)
Freshly ground black Pepper
Unless your cucumbers are waxed, don't peel. Just score lengthwise all around with a fork and slice.
Place the slices in a colander, sprinkle with the salt, mix, and let drain for at least an hour (two-three hours is best).
Whisk together the cream and mustard until a little thickened. Season with the lemon juice, chervil and pepper. Don't add any salt.
Once the cucumbers have drained well, toss with the dressing and refrigerate. Can be eaten immediately but I prefer to give it some time.
photo: Richard Harris
I came across this recipe recently and it is quite good. To toast the almond slivers, spread them on a baking sheet and bake them in a 350 degree oven (pre-heated) until they look toasty (seven to fifteen minutes - keep checking and stir them).
I came across this recipe recently and it is quite good. To toast the almond slivers, spread them on a baking sheet and bake them in a 350 degree oven (pre-heated) until they look toasty (seven to fifteen minutes - keep checking and stir them).
photo: Richard Harris
This week is National Frites Week in Belgium. That's the real Belgian fry, not the frozen once-cooked abominations one comes across in the kebab palaces and other foreign fast food places. Non frozen potatoes cut to specific sizes and fried twice at different temperatures for different amounts of time so that they are crispy on the outside and potatoey on the inside. And served with traditional sauces (though, for this week, a special sauce named Ketje (a Brussels street urchin) has been created in Brussels). All the real fritkot (fry huts) are highlighted and promoted by the various governments and there are photo contests and even a song.
the friterie in the photo above is, to my mind, the best fry place downtown. It's not a traditional free-standing fry hut but the fries are not frozen and they are perfectly twice cooked and if you tell them you are walking the fries home they will put them in special containers and bags featuring holes so that the fries don't go limp. Also they are open until 6am.
To make them at home Click here for my earlier post Recipe of the Day 8. Go to the bottom of the post and there is a recipe for Belgian Fries.
This week is National Frites Week in Belgium. That's the real Belgian fry, not the frozen once-cooked abominations one comes across in the kebab palaces and other foreign fast food places. Non frozen potatoes cut to specific sizes and fried twice at different temperatures for different amounts of time so that they are crispy on the outside and potatoey on the inside. And served with traditional sauces (though, for this week, a special sauce named Ketje (a Brussels street urchin) has been created in Brussels). All the real fritkot (fry huts) are highlighted and promoted by the various governments and there are photo contests and even a song.
the friterie in the photo above is, to my mind, the best fry place downtown. It's not a traditional free-standing fry hut but the fries are not frozen and they are perfectly twice cooked and if you tell them you are walking the fries home they will put them in special containers and bags featuring holes so that the fries don't go limp. Also they are open until 6am.
To make them at home Click here for my earlier post Recipe of the Day 8. Go to the bottom of the post and there is a recipe for Belgian Fries.