4 thick pork chops (about 2 inches thick)
50 g – 1,75 oz. butter
4 large tart apples
2 tb lemon juice
4 crushed juniper berries
Salt and pepper
Sprigs of rosemary
5 sprigs of parsley
30 g – 1 oz. butter (to pour over)

Trim excess fat from the chops, season with salt and pepper and brown very gently on both sides in 50 g – 1,75 oz. butter for 10-15 minutes.

Put the browned, half-cooked chops in a shallow casserole, sprinkle them with the lemon juice, add the parsley, juniper berries, and rosemary, and season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the peeled and sliced apples over the chops and pour the melted butter over them.

Cover and cook in a medium to hot oven for 30-35 minutes or until the chops are cooked.

Serve directly from the casserole.

Makes 4 servings.

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

1 kg / 2 lb leeks
1 ts olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 eggs
1 tb mayonnaise
1 ts French mustard
A few capers

Trim off the green parts of the leeks, chop up the white part and wash thoroughly, then drain well and pat dry. In a saucepan heat 2 tb. olive oil and stew the chopped leeks gently for about 8-10 minutes or until cooked.
Meanwhile, hard-boil the eggs. Put the leeks in a shallow dish, dress them with the lemon juice, salt and pepper, and allow to cool.

Shell the eggs and mash them with a fork, adding the mayonnaise and mustard. Mix in the capers. Spread the egg mixture onto the leeks and chill for at least 2 hours.

Makes 4 servings.

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

FOR THE PASTRY:
125 g – 4,4 oz. plain flour
120 g – 4,2 oz. butter
1 egg
Salt
Water
FOR THE FILLING:
3 cooking apples
1 can chestnuts “au naturel”
200 g – 7 oz. lean pork meat, minced
2 eggs
25 g – 0,9 oz. butter
1 dl – 3.3 fl. oz. port or madeira
Salt, pepper

First make the pastry: sieve the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Put in the butter cut in small pieces, the egg and a good pinch of salt. Work quickly together with the fingertips, then add just enough water to make the dough moist. Shape the dough into a ball, put it on a floured board and flatten it with the heel of your hand. Then shape it into a ball once more and repeat the process. Finally, shape it again, wrap it in greaseproof paper and put it in a cool place for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to a moderately hot temperature. Peel and core the apples and slice them thinly; drain the canned chestnuts and chop them up roughly. In a bowl, mix thoroughly but delicately the minced pork, the apples, the chestnuts, the port, and one egg. Season with salt and plenty of fresh-ground black pepper.

Break the second egg into a small bowl and beat it lightly with a fork. Butter the pie dish. Roll out two-thirds of the dough into a round shape about 5 mm thick and slightly larger in diameter than the pie dish, and line the dish with it, pricking the bottom with a fork. Spread the filling into this. Roll out the remaining dough in a round shape with the same diameter as the pie dish and cover the pie with it, pinching the pastry edges together. With a pastry brush dipped in the beaten egg, paint the whole surface of the pie and make a couple of long incisions in it to let the air in. Cook the tourte in a moderately hot oven for 45 minutes and serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.

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

1 kg – 2,2 lb pumpkin
500 g – 1,1 lb potatoes
1 l – 4 cups water
1/2 l – 2 cups milk
Bouquet garni (sprig thyme, bay leaf, 2 cloves garlic, parsley stalk)
50 g – 1,75 oz vermicelli
30 g – 1 oz butter
salt
Fresh-ground pepper

Peel and cut into small cubes the pumpkin and potatoes. Place them in a large saucepan and cover with the water. The water should just cover the pumpkin and potatoes, so add or subtract from the liter suggested.

Add the bouquet garni and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour. Add the milk and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Liquidize.

Add the cooked vermicelli and simmer for a further 2 minutes to heat the vermicelli through.

Just before serving, stir in 30 g of butter cut into small pieces, and check seasoning; add a few twists of freshly ground pepper.

Makes 4 servings.

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

1 l – 4 cups sweet brown ale (Stout)
1/2 l – 2 cups milk
2 egg yolks
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 ts powdered ginger
1 tb cornflour
3 tb cold water
Salt
Rind of 1 lemon

Simmer the beer with the lemon rind, cinnamon and ginger for 10 minutes. Mix the cornflour and cold water together to a smooth paste. Add a few spoonfuls of the hot beer and then add the cornflour mixture to the beer in the saucepan. Cook the soup gently for a further 10 minutes.

Mix the egg yolks and milk together and, away from the heat, add to the soup in the saucepan. Heat through thoroughly without boiling and serve with slices of fried bread.

Makes 4 servings.

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