500 g – 1,1 lb bacon – in 1 chunk
thyme
bay leaf
4 big carrots, cut in slices
1 bunch of green celery, chopped
2 leeks, in rings
3 turnips, cut in slices
1 small green cabbage, chopped
pepper

Put the bacon in a pan. Add 6 cups of water, pepper, salt (not too much), thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, turn the fire low and let simmer for 1 hour.

Add the vegetables, bring again to a boil, turn the fire low gain and let simmer for 2 hours.

Take the bacon out of the pan and cut it in slices, or cubes. Put it in a soup tureen. Add the hot soup, season with pepper and salt and serve immediately.

Remarks: 4 servings.

Source: my collection

4 trouts
100 g – 3,5 oz butter
3 shallots
100 g – 3,5 oz. mushrooms
2 tb flour
Juice of one lemon
1 tb chopped parsley
0.75 l – 3 cups red wine
Salt, pepper

(You will need a casserole big enough to hold the fish side by side and deep enough to take the liquid, and which can be used on top of the stove.)

Melt the butter and saute the finely chopped shallots until they just begin to soften. Add the sliced mushrooms. Brown gently and add the flour. Mix well, and when the flour has soaked up the butter, add the wine. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Clean and wipe the trout dry. Add to the wine, with salt and pepper, and cook very, very gently so that the liquid is just simmering for 15 minutes.

Place the trout on a warmed serving dish and reduce the sauce to thicken slightly. Check the seasoning. Away from the heat, add the lemon juice and stir in a walnut-sized piece of butter.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with boiled potatoes.

Remarks: 4 servings.

Source: A Taste of the Belgian Provinces, Enid Gordon and Midge Shirley (published by The Tuesday Group, rue Frans Merjay, 1060 Brussels).

10% Crème de Cerises
10% Eau de Vie
80% Alexander Rodenbach beer

First pour the Crème de Cerises and the Eau de Vie together into a long-drink glass or a Rodenbach cocktail glass.

Then pour in the Alexander Rodenbach beer to create an attractive, decorative head.

Serve cool.

Remarks: 1 serving.

Source: The Rodenbach Brewery