Belgian Recipes

4 large belgian endives, bottoms trimmed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 (4-pound) chicken, quartered
1/3 cup flour spread on a plate and seasoned with salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup dark ale or beer; preferably belgian

Split the endives down the middle, lengthwise. Carefully cut out the hard white core in the center. Avoid cutting through to the bottom of the endives or they will fall apart. Toss the endives with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and marinate them while you brown the chicken.

In a heavy 5-quart casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil. While the oil is heating, dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess. Begin by adding the dark leg parts to the casserole and sauté, turning on occasion for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden. Remove the pieces to a separate bowl and brown the remaining breast parts in the same way.

Discard the oil in the casserole, but keep the drippings. Add the butter and melt it over medium heat. When the butter is golden brown, add the endives and sprinkle the sugar over the halves. Sauté over medium-high heat, turning on occasion, for about 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and glistening. Add any remaining lemon juice the endives have marinated in, along with the minced onion and sauté, stirring, for another 3 to 4 minutes or until softened.

Set the browned chicken leg parts over the endives, including any juices the chicken has given off in the bowl and add the water and beer. In the saucepan, bring the liquid to a simmer and cook, over very low heat for 20 minutes, turning the legs once. Add the breast parts, pressing the chicken into the endives as much as possible, cover and continue to simmer gently for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Remove the chicken and endives from the pot to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm as you finish the sauce. Boil the liquid down until 1 cup remains; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with endives and sauce spooned over the top.

  

5 oz flour
3,5 oz butter at room temperature
a pinch of salt
0,5 oz sugar
1 dl milk

7,5 dl milk
2,5 oz sugar
2 packets vanilla sugar
4,5 oz rice
2 eggs

DOUGH:
Sieve the flour. Make a hole in the flour and put the softened butter in it. Add a pinch of salt and 0,5 oz sugar. Knead into a dough and slowly add 10 dl milk, keep kneading. Cover the dough with a cloth. Rest in the refrigerator for one hour.

RICE MIXTURE:
Mix the rest of the milk (7,5 dl) with 2,5 oz sugar, 2 packets vanilla sugar and the rice. Warm this mixture on low heat until the rice is done. Leave to cool for a while and mix with the eggs – use a mixer.

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin – it should fit a cake tin of about 9,5 inches diameter. Grease the cake tin and put in the dough. Divide the rice pudding over it.

Place everything in a preheated oven (180°C) for 25 – 35 minutes, until the pie is golden brown. Let the rice pie cool before serving.

  

4 cups (1 L) milk
1 cup (250 ml) long-grain rice
1/4 cup (60 ml) sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
A pinch of saffron threads
Brown sugar for garnish

Combine the milk, rice, and sugar in a heavy pot and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Add the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean and simmer covered – without stirring – over very low heat for 30 minutes.

Stir in the saffron and cook 1 minute, stirring to distribute the color of the saffron.

Discard the cinnamon and vanilla and cool to room temperature. Serve garnished with a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Serves 4 to 6.

  

500 gram flour
100 gram raisins
25 gram preserved ginger, chopped
1 apple, peeled, cleaned and chopped
1 tbsp sugar
rind from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp yeast
150 gram beer
icing sugar

Mix all the ingredients together and stir in 350 gram water. Allow the batter to rise for one hour.

Use two tablespoons or an ice-scoop spoon to make balls out of the batter and fry 7 minutes at 160 degrees C°. Turn them halfway if necessary. Serve with icing sugar.

  

600 gram cod fillet
1 onion, chopped
1 lemon, sliced
handful parsley, chopped
1 cup / 2,5 dl white wine
50 gram butter, in cubes
4 tbsp bread crumbs

Put the onions on the bottom of a greased oven dish. Put the cod on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the wine over the cod. Bake this in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Pour the fluid in a pan and reduce on high heat to half. Turn off the heat and add the butter, whisking all the time, piece by piece. Finally, add the bread crumbs and pour this sauce over the fish. Put the lemon on top and sprinkle with parsley.

  

450g / 1lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed
480ml / 16fl.oz. dark beer
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter

Place the sprouts in a medium saucepan and pour in enough beer to cover.
Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender, adding more beer if necessary.
Drain well then return to the pan, season with salt and add the butter.
Stir over a low heat until the butter has melted and coated the sprouts. Serve immediately.

  

4 1/2 lb mussels, scrubbed, beards removed
1/2 large carrot
1/2 large turnip
2 large pickling onions (or 1/2 small onion), sliced finely
1 1/2 oz butter
5/8 cup beer
3  heaped tbsps chopped parsley
freshly milled black pepper
salt

Belgium is one of the greatest beer-drinking countries in the world. This tiny nation produces some 130 beers. The Belgians are also intrepid mussel eaters, and their boats haul in an export mussel crop second to none. To combine these two Belgian passions, what better recipe than this one, which cooks the mussels in root vegetables and beer?

Cut the peeled carrot and turnip into neat 5 mm cubes. In a large saucepan or wide pan with a lid, heat the butter and saute the carrot and turnip without browning until well greased and shiny, then add the onion and turn a few seconds. Add the beer, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until the root vegetables are softened and the beer is reduced to nothing and has slightly caramelised on the base of the pan. Now add the scrubbed mussels, pepper them, cover, raise the heat again and steam the mussels until they open, shaking the pot or turning the top mussels to the bottom at least once.

As soon as the mussels open, throw in the parsley, stir two or three times and serve immediately in wide soup bowls. Add a ladle of vegetables and juice to the base of the bowl. Pepper as with moules marinieres, do not expect everybody to eat all the soup.

Serves 6

  

1/2 cup shortening; part butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg; well beaten
2 cups flour; sifted
1 1/2 cups carrots; grated
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp orange juice
1/4 tsp orange rind; (optional)
1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar, blend in carrots. Add juice and egg and blend. Sift flour, baking powder and salt, add to above. Drop by teaspoons on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 F for 10-12 min. Frost while warm with a thin icing made with powdered sugar and orange juice.

Makes 6 dozen.

  

3 lb/1,5 kg chuck or bottom round
1/3 lb/120 g salt pork
5 large onions, sliced
4 tablespoons butter
1 pint /5 dl Gueuze
1 cup / 2.5 dl beef stock
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
parsley

Render half of salt pork. Cut beef into 2 inch/ 5 cm chunks and brown in pork fat.
Saute onions in butter until transparent and lightly colored.
Combine in a 4 quart casserole. Pour liquid from meat into a measuring cup.
Remove the grease, then add enough beef stock to make one cup/2,5 dl.
Render the balance of the salt pork and add flour to make a roux.
Add stock and drippings and whisk and bring to a boil.
Add beer and bring to a boil again.
When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the garlic, vinegar, sugar, thyme, and bay leaf.
Pour it over the meat and onion mixture and add salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then transfer it to a heavy covered casserole and bake it for two hours at 325°F/160°C.
Before serving, sprinkle heavily with chopped parsley.
Serve with plain boiled potatoes.

  

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cup milk
1 quart buttermilk
2  egg yolks,beaten
1  brown sugar to taste

Mix flour with 1 cup of the milk to a smooth paste. Bring remaining milk to boil. Stir in flour mixture. Cook stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Gradually stir in buttermilk. Bring to boil, remove from heat.

Place egg yolks in soup tureen. Gradually stir hot soup into the egg yolks. Serve hot with brown sugar on the side. Makes about 2 quarts.