Please help remove some ignorance, re: the Netherlands

[ah2bqat]

My DSS is actually enjoying his 9th grade Culinary Arts class.  No suprise, I've been having him cook dinner for the family once or twice a week since he was 11, and he graduated from ordering pizza that same first year.  Now, that's what Dad 'cooks' on his night.  Thankfully, Dad has other skills.  

DSS has chosen the Netherlands as the origin for his CA project for the semester break.  He needs to design a well balanced meal, most likely dinner, that would be typical for that country.  Frankly, I'm clueless.  I'm good for some Polish/Austrian type dishes, but don't think those would really count.  I don't even know where to start, so I thought I'd start with you guys.

Website, cookbook or famous chefs suggestions would be very handy; but if anyone has some favorite family recipes from the region, that would be even better.  

Thanks in advance!

[oldmancoyote]

Oh G*d. Can he change the country? Germany, Belgium, the North Sea, whatever surrounds it - but Dutch cooking is on the bad side of 'orrible.

[ah2bqat]

Too late!    School is out for break.  I'm afraid we're contemplating fish based dishes like herring or sardine whatever.  Somehow I don't think that Caesar salad or anchovie pizza would count, fish not withstanding.

I'm afraid he was thinking of Dutch chocolate and Alice B Toklas style brownies.     And we just ain't going down that road, or my name isn't the Nevil StepMonster.   

[GIAGirl]

http://www.cooks.com...59174-232197,00.html

I would just make something in a dutch oven and let it go. 

[GIAGirl]

http://www.cooks.com...58184-231207,00.html

[GIAGirl]

http://www.cooks.com...51180-245204,00.html

[oldmancoyote]

[snip]
I would just make something in a dutch oven and let it go.  

..out of the window, making sure no-one is passing underneath.

http://dutchfood.abo...itionalDutchFood.htm
http://recipes.wikia...m/wiki/Dutch_Cuisine
http://home.tiscali....sparhawk/cuisine.htm

nothing good (foodwise) can come out of a country where adults have their midday meal drinking milk. Brilliant painters, explorers, businessmen - but cooks... arrgh. Which is kind of funny, because Belgium, next door, is actually quite nice for eating out. The Dutch are also admirably forthright, about life and the universe in general, and specifically about their cooking. From the official site of the Province of Holland:

The Dutch don’t have a real specific cuisine. Potatoes, vegetables and a piece of meat are popular. Just as easy it is to find a proper Indian, Chinese, Surinam, Turkish, Italian or Mediterranean meal. We simply like everything.

'Nuff said

[GIAGirl]

http://www.fabulousf...48&article=18748

[GIAGirl]

http://www.bigoven.c...krans-christmas-ring

[GIAGirl]

http://www.arcaini.com/Mo/Hutspot.htm

[GIAGirl]

http://www.marthaste...th-chestnut-spaetzle

[GIAGirl]

This looks pretty good!
http://www.recipesou...ups/boerenkass1.html

[GIAGirl]

http://www.recipesou...soups;start=0;max=25

[shiba]

my old neighbor was dutch and used to make battered deep fried apples dusted with icing sugar.  Yummy!  
I didn't think apple floppen was the right name but apparantly it is the english translation.

http://content.yudu....?skipFlashCheck=true

oh, and please stay away from the herring, rollmops as my german g-ma calls them.  She eats them on dark pumpernickle.  Never quite got a taste for them myself.

Here is the Wiki link. http://en.wikipedia....g/wiki/Dutch_cuisine  
They use a lot of cheese like gouda and edam.  I would subtitute rookwurst for another sausage like weisswurst (more german that dutch) but it tastes good.

Not really "dutch" but my g-ma used to make pork chops and saurkraut.  Brown the porkchop then put them on top of saurkraut to finish in the oven.

[clgwli]

The first thing that came to my mind was a Kroketten http://almostbourdai...utch-croquettes.html

I really don't know much else about the food there.

[Mikla]

Oh G*d. Can he change the country? Germany, Belgium, the North Sea, whatever surrounds it - but Dutch cooking is on the bad side of 'orrible.

I'd like to know why the teacher let him pick such a culinary-challenged country.  Doesn't seem quite fair, although I'm sure he'll figure out something . . .  good luck!

Mikla

[annie1]

We have a wonderful CDIer who is a Brit living in the Netherlands.  Maybe she would have an idea...  I'll see if I can page her. 

[Trinkette]

My best friend is from Holland (unfortunately, she's traveling now so I can't tap her for help). She used to serve the most wonderful baby Gouda cheese (from Holland) and homemade bread (um, even better with a great beer).

Another good friend from Holland is a wonderful chef who has taken many cooking classes, however, she usually studies and cooks superb Indian dishes!

Here are two suggestions, the first is for Dutch Breakfast Cakes (they make good snacks as well); the second is for Dutch Pannenkoeken:

Eierkoeken (Eggcakes)
5 extra large eggs
1 cup sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar and vanilla. In second bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture and mix thoroughly (mixture will be heavy and stiff). Using a gravy ladle, spoon mixture onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving room for melting around each dollup of dough. Bake in 400 degree farenheight oven 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with butter and sugar or jam.

Pannenkoeken (Dutch Pancake)
1 cup milk (the recipe I was given also says 1/2 cup  milk, I'd go with 1 full cup, I think)
3 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flour
2 T baking soda
2-3 T butter
dash of salt

Mix milk, eggs and salt. Bit by bit, add the flour and the baking powder and mix well. Let it rest for 20 or 30 minutes. Heat a little bit of butter in a skillet. Pour with a soup spoon (very big spoon) the liquid into the skillet, bake this on a moderate fire till the lower part is brown and the upper part is dry. Turn the pannenkoeken and bake the other side till it is golden brown. Make 6-8 pannenkoeken out of this liquid. Place a plate on a pan with boiling water, place the pannenkoeken on the plate (so they remain warm) and cover with another plate. Other options: sprinkle ham and cheese, bacon or apple slices before serving.

[ah2bqat]

This is wonderful, guys!

GG, OMC, Shiba, Squigs, and Trink, thanks for all the websites and recipies!

Annie, I'd appreciate the quick heads-up to her.  The more input the merrier!  I'm going to forward this thread to him so he can start looking at the suggestions tomorrow, but I'll be checking back regularly.

Frankly, Mikla, I think it serves him right for not doing any research on the country before popping off.  Thankfully, we don't have to make it and take it to school.  But I'm sure there's more to it than meal planning, too.  

And Shiba, I, too, do pork and saurkraut in a dutch oven.  Add caraway seeds and sour apple slices to your recipe to mimic mine, turn it into spare ribs instead of chops, and there's our traditional family new year's day dinner.  Seems more Austrian than Polish to me, but what do I know?  well, actually I know the DSS really HATES that dish.

[saqsay1]

well, since amsterdam is in the netherlands........ how about pot brownies? or is that just an american thing? 

okay, I know that wasn't much help, but I couldn't resist.

[DiamondsAreForever]

 

[clgwli]

well, since amsterdam is in the netherlands........ how about pot brownies? or is that just an american thing? 

okay, I know that wasn't much help, but I couldn't resist.

Just make sure you have a snack for after when they get the munchies

[diamondjunkie]

Well heellllllllooooo CDI!  How's life over here these days?!  Okay, so Annie did indeed page me - sorry for the delay in getting back to you.  Yes, I've lived out in Holland for almost 8 years but the really lovely bit is that my BF has lived here since 1992 and has spent quite some time immersing himself in the Dutch culture.......oh and he's also a fitness expert so he knows a thing or two about a 'balanced meal'! 

How about famous Dutch pea soup for starters.....

Pea soup
Erwtensoep

500 grams split peas
500 grams smoked pork (hocks or bacon)
4 medium potatoes
2 leeks
1 onion
1 celeriac (celery root)
chopped parsley
chopped celery leaves
4 cloves
bay leaf
thyme
salt &pepper
1 ‘rookworst,’ Farmer’s, ring or coil sausage
 

Boil 1¼ liter water and put in the pork. Stick the cloves into the peeled onion and add with the bay leaf to the soup. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Add 1¼ liter water and the peas, sprinkle in some thyme and salt and pepper. Simmer for an hour.

Peel and cube the potatoes, clean and thinly slice the leeks. Peel the celeriac and cut into cubes. Add to the soup.

When the peas are tender, take out the onion, bay leaf and cloves. Take out the meat and remove any bones or skin. Drain but keep the stock. Put the peas and vegetables through a sieve or mash them in a mixer. Slowly add the stock while stirring and simmer for 20 minutes, add the meat and the sausage and simmer for another 20 minutes until the sausage is done. Add some finely chopped parsley and celery leaves to the soup 5 minutes before it is done.


PS  I tend to agree that the Dutch aren't exactly well known for their culinary skills.....

[diamondjunkie]

The Dutch eat a lot of pork - they like the fat content and, well, it's cheap and the Dutch are kinda tight with their pennies!

Pork tenderloin fricassee
Stoofpot van varkenshaas

2 tbsp olive oil
100 grams / 4 oz. smoked pork belly, diced
2 red onions in half rings
2 cloves garlic, chopped
50 grams / 2 oz sun dried tomatoes in thin slices
500 grams / 1 lb 2.oz pork tenderloin
salt & pepper
1 tbs flour
½ chicken stock cube
1 dl / ½ cup sherry
1 dl / ½ cup (whipping) cream
100 grams / 4 oz black pitted olives, halved
2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped


Heat the oil in a large skillet or heavy wok and sautee the ‘bacon’ for about three minutes until the meat is crunchy. Add the onion slices, the chopped garlic and the sliced sun dried tomatoes and sautee for another five minutes.

Cut the tenderloin in 1½ cm/ ½” thick slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and coat them with flour. Add to the pan and fry for 4 minutes.

Dissolve the stock cube in 1 dl / ½ cup hot water and pour into the pan. Add the sherry and cream, olives and sage and stir well until the stew starts to settle and the sauce thickens. Turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes.

Serve with broad egg noodles (tagliatelle) or oven roasted quartered small potatoes and green beans or a salad of your choice.

[diamondjunkie]

Cauliflower and Edam cheese
Edammer bloemkool

1 cauliflower
3 eggs
2 tbsp condensed milk
30 grams flour
1 cup milk
salt, pepper
paprika powder
200 grams grated aged (Edam) cheese


Cut the cauliflower into its individual florets and wash them. Boil the florets for 10 minutes in one cup of lightly-salted water. Drain. 


Beat the eggs with the condensed milk and half of the grated cheese. Add the flour and pepper and paprika to taste.


Put the florets in a greased oven dish. Pour the egg-and-cheese mix over it and sprinkle the remainder of the grated cheese on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 200ºC/395ºF for about 35 minutes. Serve with pan-fried sliced potatoes.