Rode bietjes stamppot - Dutch specialty

Rode bietjes stamppot (stamppot is a traditional dish where potatoes are mixed with one or more vegetables) is a tasty alternative to having the typical kale or andive in your stamppot. Rode bietjes are red beets as you can see from the photo. They do turn your potatoes to a red color but, believe me, it is delicious and simple to make.

Red beet stamppot
about 700 grams potatoes (approx 1-1/2lb)
500 grams cooked red beets (approx 1lb)
1 leek
thyme
salt and pepper
Dutch smoked sausage or preferred meat

Peel and cook the potatoes until soft. Add a pad of butter and mash them with a hand masher. Add a splash of milk being sure to keep the potatoes quite stiff. You do not want to make a creamy mash for stamppot.

Meanwhile, dice the cooked beets and slice the leek. Cook these together in a pan with a pad of butter, thyme and salt and pepper. This does not need to be on the heat for long as you just want to heat the beets and wilt the leeks.

Mix the vegetables into your potato mash and heat through. Serve with a Dutch smoke sausage or any meat of your choice. A traditional Dutch winter meal.....

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Belgian stoemp

I love trying new recipes but also trying specialties from various countries. I had some carrots and leeks and wanted to do something different with them so I tried out the Belgium version of our Dutch stamppot which is called stoemp. It was so easy to make since it is all thrown in one pot.

I also needed something that would taste good with the Beef Wellington I bought at our butcher. He makes them up when the weather starts to turn cold. They are so delicious and all you have to do is pop them in the oven. He makes his version with a very spicy meatloaf type filling instead of a piece of beef. It is something we look forward to as autumn starts.

Belgian stoemp for two
3 potatoes, peeled and largely diced
2 carrots, chopped in very small chunks
1 leek, sliced
50ml milk
50gr butter
salt and pepper
nutmeg

Peel and boil potatoes in salted water. When the potatoes only need about 5 minutes more, add the carrots and leeks to the water. (The carrots should not be so soft that they mash up which is why you add them later.) When the potatoes are ready, drain the water. Place the milk and butter in a small dish and warm up in a microwave. Now add the mixture to the potatoes, carrots and leeks and mash with a hand masher. Add salt. pepper and nutmeg to taste.

As you can see, we love pepper here so I added a good deal of freshly ground pepper over the stoemp before I served it.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Forgotten vegetable...black kale or Tuscan cabbage

Each year at the end of summer, the black kale is harvested at an organic farm near Cranberry Cottage. We buy it once a year for a special treat of a forgotten vegetable. It is a type of kale with a delicious strong taste. I prepare it in a similar way as my regular stamppot with kale with a few changes...

Dutch stamppot with black kale
1 bunch of black kale leaves
about 12 small/medium potatoes
vegetable bouillon tablet
salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional: Dutch rookworst (smoked sausage)

Peel potatoes and place in a deep pan. Salt the potatoes and add a bouillon tablet covering the potatoes with hot water. Cut the stem from the middle of the black kale and slice up the leaves. Place on top of the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes.
Drain water and using a hand held potato masher, stamp your potatoes to a mash with the kale. Add a little knob of butter. I find I often do not need to add milk but do so if your mash is too dry. Serve with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper so you can omit adding any additional salt.

While the potatoes/kale are cooking, cook a Dutch smoked sausage or prepare any meat you wish to accompany your stamppot. This would even be tasty with simply bacon fried up and mixed in before serving.

To me, this has become a tradition for summer's end. It has the taste of those last summer days...

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Forgotten vegetables...Hamburg root parsley

I love trying out forgotten vegetable sorts. We bought Hamburg root parsley (wortelpeterselie) in Germany and I decided to use it in a Dutch stamppot. This vegetable looks like a white carrot but is more in the region of a cross between a radish and a parsnip for taste. A unique taste that was well worth trying out and we will be buying these more regularly when in Germany.

My Country root parsley Stamppot
5 or 6 root parsley, peeled and cut up in chunks
3 potatoes, peeled and cut up in chunks
1 onion, peeled and sliced very roughly (don't make this too small as you want to taste the onion)
branch of rosemary and three of thyme
1 tablespoon herb cream cheese
half red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, peeled and chopped roughly
Dutch rookworst (smoked sausage) - you could also use salami

Cook the root parsley, potatoes and onion in a pan with rosemary and thyme. Use just enough salted water to cover and boil about 15 minutes until the potato and root parsley are tender. Discard the thyme stems and chop up the rosemary leaves.

In the meantime, cook the red pepper, onion and rookworst in a pan until the pepper is a little tender.

Stamp the potato mixture until they are roughly stamped. This is a country style meal and it should be left a little chunky. Now add the cream cheese and stir in well along with some freshly ground pepper to taste. Last, stir in the red pepper mixture and serve.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Strawberry buttermilk

In Holland, buttermilk is very popular. It is something many drink with their lunchtime sandwiches. I normally do not drink it but when it is turned into strawberry buttermilk, it is simply delicious. You are able to buy 0% fat buttermilk here so see if you can buy something low fat to give yourself a wonderful and simple summertime treat.

Clean and puree a bowl of strawberries. This is not rocket science and I simply make it without measuring. I make this in a one liter (one quart) jug so ended up with about 300 ml (1 to 1-1/4 cup) strawberry puree.

Now simply pour in the buttermilk to fill your jug and mix well. Chill well and enjoy a very healthy treat!

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch specialty foods - witlof or Belgian endive

This is a year round favorite in our house. We love any meal where a vegetable takes center stage.

This is Belgian endive or, as we call it here in Holland, witlof. This is a delicious vegetable that can be used in a salad or cooked. Eaten raw is not everyone's favorite as endive is bitter to the taste but, once cooked, it is a mild and tasty vegetable.

To prepare the witlof for cooking, all you have to do is cut off the end and remove the core with your paring knife which does taste bitter if eaten. You can see the core very well on the photo and simply try to score around it to remove. Boil the witlof in a pan full of water to cover. I boil them anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes depending on how large it is. It will go a little glassy when cooked.

Sprinkle some breadcrumbs in the bottom of a baking dish. Witlof continues to release moisture even after being drained and this help soak it up while baking.

Drain your witlof well and wrap each piece in a piece of ham. I like using parmaham but you can use any kind you like. Chop 2 or 3 spring onions and sprinkle over the ham wrapped witlof. Now sprinkle a layer of cheese again using any kind you like. I use Gouda cheese.

Place in an 350F/180C oven for about 25 minutes. Serve hot with noodles or boiled potatoes.

Note: An alternative is to fry some chopped bacon and sprinkle this over the witlof instead of wrapping in ham. If you have never tried this vegetable, I would give it a try. It is a tasty and healthy meal that tastes good in any season. If you still like to eat more meat then serve this as a side dish.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch specialty foods - Spinach with egg and bacon

One of the things I learned as being an old fashioned Dutch dish when I immigrated here many years ago is cooking fresh spinach. It is in season at the moment so we are enjoying it more regularly since it is more affordable. On top of it being delicious, it is also so good for you as it is rich in iron.

Spinach with egg and bacon
bag of fresh spinach (I use a 450g bag for two people - about 1lb.)
2 hard boiled eggs
4 potatoes, peeled and boiled
125g or 1/4 lb thick bacon, diced
3 to 4 spring onions, chopped
grated cheese (I use aged Gouda)
salt, pepper and nutmeg

Place the diced bacon in a frying pan. Fry using the fat of the bacon itself. Add the spring onion. Add spinach by the handfull allowing it to wilt each time before adding more. When the spinach is cooked, mix in salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to taste. Serve with grated cheese over the spinach and a sliced boiled egg and boiled potatoes.

Bon appetit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch specialty foods - Prei prol

I love food from various cultures. Here in Holland, the good and hearty foods are a comfort but also warming in the damp, cold climate we have here. Recently, while watching a show where Dutch farmer's wives were cooking local dishes, I came across this recipe for the first time. This is my version of a dish from the regions of Zeeland and Brabant.

"Stamppot" is a combination of potatoes with vegetable and sometimes meat. It is all mashed together in one pan. The pan is then placed on the dinner table for everyone to dish up their plates. This is a Dutch tradition in just about every family. Most families have their own recipes for various stamppots. I know my American family thought it was a strange idea at first but they love it.

"Prei prol" or Leek stamppot


1 leek, washed well and sliced
2 spring onions, sliced
5 or 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
bacon, cut in block or strips...I just used literally a handful of bacon lardons
2 eggs, hard boiled
butter
milk
vinegar
salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes in water until soft. Boil the eggs. While potatoes and eggs are boiling, cook the bacon. Add the sliced leek and two of the sliced spring onions until glassy and tender. Turn off the heat and set the frying pan aside.
Drain the potatoes and add a little pad of butter. Using a potato masher, stamp your potatoes adding a little milk. The mash should be be robust and lumpy as stamppot is not a puree. Now add a teaspoon full of vinegar and stir in the leeks, spring onions and bacon.
Peel the eggs and chop them up but not too fine. Lightly mix the egg through the stamppot being careful not to break the eggs up too much. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves two.

This can be eaten as a meal in itself or serve with a piece of meat or sausage to choice. I served it with a patty of ground steak with English brown sauce. I sauteed two whole spring onions to serve on top.

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi