Serves 4 (as an appetizer or side) White asparagus tastes more mild than green asparagus, perhaps even a little sweeter. The topping is rather like a rich, lemony egg salad and goes well with the asparagus. Ingredients: 1 lb white asparagus 3 Tbsp melted butter 2 hard-boiled eggs 1 tsp fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp minced parsley salt pepper Method: 1. Trim ends off the asparagus. Cook in boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. 2. In a small bowl, mash egg with butter. Combine remaining ingredients. Mix together to make sauce. 3. Spoon sauce over asparagus and serve immediately. White Asparagus a la Flamande | Asperges op Vlaamse Wijze Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe White asparagus tastes more mild than green asparagus, perhaps even a little sweeter. The topping is rather like a rich, lemony egg salad and goes well with the asparagus. CourseSides & Salads LifestyleVegetarian Food TypeVegetables Servings Prep Time 4 people 10 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Servings Prep Time 4 people 10 minutes Cook Time …
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This recipe works great for nights that require something a little fancy, but you don’t have a lot of time to cook. Almost impossible to mess up, my version uses shredded cheese. You can get fancy if you want and serve this with a cheese sauce instead. Serves 4 Ingredients: 2 Endive 4 slices ham 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère dash nutmeg Method: 1. Preheat oven to 4ooF. Cut endives in half. Cook in boiling water for about five minutes. Drain well. 2. Wrap endives in ham and place in a casserole dish. Cover endives with grated cheese and sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Serve hot. Baked Belgian Endive with ham and cheese Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe This recipe works great for nights that require something a little fancy, but you don’t have a lot of time to cook. Almost impossible to mess up, my version uses shredded cheese. You can get fancy if you want and serve this with a cheese …
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Serves 2-4 (on a bed of French fries) Stoofvlees is a typical stew in that there are as many variations as there are people making it. Depending where you live in Belgium, Stoofvlees might have more or less vinegar, slightly different spices, and a textural range from soupy to thick and sludgy. My thick, hearty version sits well on fries, but if you want it more “soupy,” feel free to add more beef stock. Ingredients: For the marinade 1 pound stew beef, cubed 1 onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 rosemary sprig 1/2 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp pepper 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp coarse mustard 2 tbsp oil For the stew vegetable oil 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 1/2 cup Belgian beer 1 – 1 1/2 cups beef broth 2 bay leaves 1 Tbsp molasses salt pepper Method: 1. Add meat to a small casserole with lid (or plastic bag). Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over meat and squish around to combine. Refrigerate for at least an …
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Yesterday I mentioned the crazy concept called Dinner in the Sky, so, without further ado, here it is! What do you think? Would you eat dinner at this restaurant? I get vertigo just looking at those videos… and to think you can also do “Wedding in the Sky”!!!… Here, let’s settle our stomachs with a little Belgian scenery:
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Photo is courtesy of the CIA World Factbook. This stunning art-nouveau home was built between 1901 and 1903 for painter Georges de Saint-Cyr. There are over 400 kinds of beers in Belgium. Most are made from barley, although some are made from wheat. When a baby is born, the Godparents give out white Jordan almonds to family and friends. Chocolates are popular. One kind, called Fruits de Mer (fruit of the sea) is a seashell shaped mixture of chocolate and ground hazelnuts. Brussels has more than 2000 restaurants. The Belgian pieman, Noel Godin (a.k.a. George the Glooper), throws pies in the faces of people who take themselves too seriously. In 1998 he hit his 50th victim when he creamed Bill Gates! Belgium is home to the largest aviary (bird zoo) in Europe. The Parc Paradisio houses over 2,500 birds. Belgium uses about 46% percent of its land for farming and livestock. The country grows about 80% of what they need. …
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The fries in Belgium, plucked fresh from noisy street vendors, are something special. Each bite begins with the satisfying crunch of a crackling, golden “skin”, followed immediately by soft, steamy insides that melt, almost immediately, on the tongue. With just enough oil to help it all slide down, the fries – amazingly – are never greasy. You’ll be happy to know that you can experience Belgian-quality fries in you own home. The key is twice-frying the potatoes. Basic Recipe (full recipe with step-by-step photos will be posted on Monday) 2 extra-large Idaho or Russet potatoes, cut into fries (about 2.5lbs) vegetable oil, for frying salt Soak potatoes in ice water until needed, for at least 30 minutes (or, alternatively, rinse in cold water until the water runs clear). This step removes loose starches and helps assure crisp fries. Heat oil to 320F. Cook fries in small batches until soft, but not golden, about 4-8 minutes (depending on thickness). Let sit for at least a half hour to drain over paper towels. Heat oil to 375F. …
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When I had trouble deciding which dishes to make (big surprise), you guys helped me out on our Facebook page by suggesting I make it all! Yikes! Although I’ll be busy, I am happy to oblige… I mean who wouldn’t love a menu like this… Vlaamse Asperges (White Asparagus a la Flammande) [Recipe] White asparagus cooked until tender with a chunky sauce made with hard-boiled eggs, butter, lemon juice, and parsley. Baked Belgian Endive with ham & cheese [Recipe] Barely bitter endive, wrapped with ham and topped with grated Gruyère. If you’re looking for a quick, yet impressive side dish, this will do the trick! Stoofvlees (Flemish Stew) [Recipe] Stew meat is slow cooked in beer, beef stock and a mixture of mustard, thyme, vinegar, garlic, onion, paprika and a few other goodies. The longer stoofvlees cooks, the better the flavor. Pommes Frites (French Fries) [Recipe] Belgians love this popular street (and restaurant) food with mayonnaise, steak, or Stoofvlees. Homemade fries are also wonderful plain, with a dusting of coarse ground sea salt. Waffles from Liege [Recipe] …
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In general, Belgian food is a balancing act between the rustic and the exotic. Belgians love most any kind of meat, not limited to chicken, beef, ham, and veal, but including specialties like pate, goose, duck, boar, partridge, and any kind of sausage. Escargots, or snails are also popular, as are mussels, trout, perch, turbot, shrimp, and eel. Even with such an extensive list, many Belgians claim steak and French Fries their most beloved dish. Still others enjoy Stoofvlees (meat stew) with the French fries, or Waterzooi, a soup made with fish or chicken and vegetables Anyone in a noshing mood during happy hour will be happy to learn that Belgians are known for making hundreds of cheeses and beers. I wish I had the time to try them all. Oh, to dream. My stomach just smiled.
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I cannot lie. Sure, I’ve tried. But I learned early on that lying is much more humiliating than the truth. No matter how bad the truth seems to be. Of course, not being able to lie has its distinct disadvantages. Like having to admit embarrassing things, like how I got stood up this week. No, not by my husband (he knows better than to do that – love the sweet man). Remember the lightening bolt of good fortune I had a few days ago? When I ran into a real, live Belorussian (at Dillard’s), the week I was cooking Belorussian? And I invited her to come show me her country’s cooking traditions? And she said yes, she’d be “happy to”? Yeah. That’s who stood me up. I wish I could tell you something much cooler. That she turned out to be a spy and was sent back to the motherland. How, on her way, she managed to send me a telegram (delivered by white doves) apologizing for missing our dinner date. Included with the telegram, of course, were …
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Makes about 1 1/2 quarts Strawberry Kisiel is easy to make and very tasty. The sweet dessert remains light and refreshing. Unless, of course, you serve it over a bowl of vanilla ice cream… which I totally recommend. Ingredients: 1 lb fresh strawberries (or other seasonal berries) 4 cups water 4 Tbsp cornstarch sugar to taste (between 1/2 and 1 cup is about right) Method: 1. Puree strawberries with sugar in a blender or food processor. Pour into a pot and heat over medium. 2. Meanwhile, add a little water to the cornstarch and combine, making a slurry. 3. Pour cornstarch slurry into the strawberry mixture and heat up, stirring frequently. When the mixture thickens into a pudding-like consistency, begin to pour in the water, a little at a time. Do not add more water until the previous addition is mixed in evenly or you’ll get lumps. Continue until all of the water is added. Check for sweetness one more time. Add extra sugar if desired. 4. Heat the mixture until a few bubbles pop …
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Makes 1 large loaf, or 2 small My husband called this “the best rye bread I ever ate.” A nice, dense crumb, with a mild rye flavor. The sugar and honey make this loaf wonderfully addictive. Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups warm water 3 tablespoons honey 1 Tbsp sugar 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast 1 3/4 cups rye flour 2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour Optional: caraway seeds (for top of loaf) Method: 1. Place dry ingredients into bread machine. Then wet. (unless your manufacturer recommendations are different) 2. Set on dough cycle. After bread dough is kneaded, check consistency – dough should be smooth and a bit wet. Not shaggy (although it will be shaggy during the first part of kneading) 3. Let rise in bread machine for about 1 1/2 hours. 4. Form into a ball, roll in caraway seeds let rise on a baker’s peel or baking sheet for about 30-45 minutes. To make it easier to remove from peel or baking sheet, …
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Serves 6 This soup is popular all over eastern Europe, specifically in the Ukraine. This version hails from Belarus where they add big chunks of potatoes. The longer it cooks, the happier this Borshch tastes. Ingredients: 1 large onion, chopped 1-2 large russet potatoes, as desired 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 beets, diced 2 carrots, sliced 2 turnips, diced 1/2 a green cabbage, sliced thinly 6 oz can of tomato paste 1 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp vinegar salt and pepper 32 oz beef stock water as needed sour cream, for garnish (optional, leave out for vegan) Method: 1. In a large pot, cook onion in vegetable oil until soft and slightly golden. Add the rest of the ingredients, except sour cream. Add water as needed to “cover” all the veggies. NOTE: I added the beets after the cabbage had some time to cook down, making room in the pot. 3. Bring to a low simmer and cook for at least an hour. I simmered mine for a couple of hours and the flavor was wonderful. Here it …
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