Belgian Recipes

2 kg – 4,4 lb mussels
1 onion
1 dl – 3,3 fl. oz. dry white wine
parsley
1 dl – 3,3 fl. oz. cream
celery leaves
30 g – 1 oz. butter

Clean the mussels. Melt the butter in a pan. Chop the onion and fry it in the butter. Add the wine and some celery leaves and pepper. Add the mussels and cook them on high heat until they open. Remove the mussels and throw the empty shells away. Put the mussels in a dish and keep warm.
Pour the cream in the pan and add the chopped parsley. Boil for a few moments until slightly thickened. Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve at once with French loaves.

4 servings.

Source: my collection

  

1 lb chicory (Belgian endive)
2 leeks – white part only
1/4 c butter
2 small potatoes – peeled, diced
2 1/2 c milk
Salt
pepper, white
2 egg yolks
1/3 c half and half
2 tb chives – chopped fine

Remove and discard core from each chicory head – cut remainder into 1/4 inch slices. Cut leeks in 1/4 inch pieces. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add sliced chicory and leeks – saute 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes and milk. Season to taste with salt, white pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer 45 minutes – until potatoes are tender.

In a small bowl, baat egg yolks with half and half. Stir in 1/4 cup hot milk mixture. Stir egg-yolk mixture into remain milk mixture. Stirring constantly, cook until slightly thickened. Pour into a tureen – or serve in individual bowls. Garnish with chives. Serve immediately.

A variation is to add 1/4 pound ham, cooked and julienned before heating and serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: my collection

  

100 g / 3,5 oz. butter
2 lemons, 1 peeled and cut into wedges, 1 pressed
bay leaves
10 leaves tarragon
12 very small onions (or 1 big one, cut into fine strips)
1 sheet gelatine, soaked 5 minutes in cold water
1 bottle of beer
pepper and salt
1 kg / 2,2 lb cleaned freshwater fish (perch, trout, pike…)

Cut the fish into pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Put the butter in a big frying pan. Fry the fish for 10 minutes on a low fire. Take the fish out of the pan.

Pour the beer into the frying pan with the juice of 1 lemon. Leave it on a low fire.

Melt the gelatine or make a fish gelatine following the instructions on the package.

Put a first layer of fish in a earthenware tureen. Garnish with 2 or 3 lemon wedges, a few bay leaves, a few tarragon leaves and 2 or 3 small onions (or some onion strips).

Add a little bit of beer and then some gelatine to cover the fish.

Continue with layers fish, lemon, bay leaves, tarragon and onions, beer and gelatine. The last layer should be a layer of gelatine, garnished with lemon wedges, tarragon and bay leaves.

Put the tureen in a cool place (not in the refrigerator) and keep it there for at least 3 days before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Elisabeth Lange – Belgische Kookkunst ABC. My translation.

  

the white parts of 2 leeks
1/2 celeriac
3 carrots
3 red cabbage leaves
200 gr – 7 oz. yoghurt
400 gr – 14 oz. cooked and peeled grey North Sea shrimps (or other small shrimps)
1 lemon
pepper and salt
nutmeg

Clean the vegetables. Cut them into small strips.
Flavour the yoghurt with pepper and salt, nutmeg and the juice of 1 lemon. Pour some yoghurt on each plate, put 1 or 2 tablespoons shrimps on the yoghurt and finish with vegetable strips.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Kris VANHOUTTE – My translation

  

1 6-pound stewing hen or capon (or 2 3-pound fryers), cut into serving pieces, with giblets
1/4 cup butter, softened
5 leeks, cut in big chunks
5 celery stalks, cut in big chunks
2 carrots, cut in big chunks
2 onions, peeled and stuck with 2 cloves each
Bouquet garni of 6 sprigs parsley; 1/2 teaspoon thyme; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 10 peppercorns; and 1 bay leaf (wrap these in tin foil and pierce all over with a fork)
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
juice of 1 lemon
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup heavy cream
Garnish:
1 lemon, sliced into 8 paperthin slices
2 Tablespoons minced parsley

Preparation:
Rub the chicken pieces with butter, then broil, 4-5 inches away from the heat, for 20 minutes, turning often. When lightly browned, put in a kettle with the giblets, and all the rest of the ingredients except for the lemon juice, egg yolks and cream. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or more (less for fryers), until the chicken is tender.

Remove chicken and giblets from the broth and cool.

Strain the broth and skim off the fat. (If you’re not serving immediately, you could put the broth in the freezer to make the skimming easier.) Return broth to kettle and stir in the lemon juice.

When ready to serve, cut the chicken in big chunks and mince the giblets. Throw out the bones and skin. Bring the broth to a simmer, then scrape in the chicken and giblets and return to kettle. Heat through, covered, for 5 minutes.

When ready to serve, beat the eggs and cream together, then beat a cup of the simmering broth into the egg cream and whisk the whole mixture back into the kettle. Simmer at very low heat (lest it curdle!) for 2-3 minutes. Ladle into deep soup plates then float a thin lemon slice, sprinkled with parsley, in each one.

Best served with boiled potatoes as a main course.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: my Fidonet collection

  

1 rabbit 1500 g – 3 lb
2 big onions, coarsly chopped
500 g – 1 lb sour cherries
1/2 bottle – or more – Belgian cherry beer (Kriek)
1 generous tablespoon lard
1 generous tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons eau de vie (Jenever, Geni?vre)
nutmeg
salt and pepper

Cut the rabbit into serving pieces and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the lard in a casserole and fry the onions until golden. Add the rabbit and brown it at all sides. Sprinkle the flour over the rabbit. Mix well and pour the beer over it – the meat should be covered. Add the brown sugar and a pinch of nutmeg. Cover the casserole and let the rabbit simmer for 1 hour.

In the meantime, remove the stones from the cherries and add them to the rabbit 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Season to taste and add the eau de vie. Serve with baked potatoes.

Makes 4 servings.
Source: my collection

  

1 young goose
3 cloves garlic
salt
150 g – 5 1/4 oz. goose fat
50 g – 1 3/4 oz. flour
2 dl – 6,6 fl. oz. milk
4 egg yolks
1 dl – 3,3 fl. oz. cream

Poach the goose in water with a pinch of salt and the cloves of garlic.

Remove the poached goose from the pan (keep the poaching liquid, and remove the garlic cloves, you will need them later), cut into pieces and put them in a baking dish.

Melt 100 g – 3,5 oz. goose fat and pour it over the pieces of goose. Put the baking dish into the oven until the goose is brown.

Melt the remaining goos fat and add the flour. Mix well. Continue stirring, while you add 1/2 liter – 2 cups of the poaching liquid. Finish by adding the milk.

Put the sauce on a low fire and let it reduce for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the fire and add the egg yolks.

Pulverize the cooked garlic cloves and add them, with the cream, to the sauce. Add salt to taste

Pour the sauce over the goose and serve.

Serves 4.
Source: my collection

  

4 pork chops, about 1 inch thick
75 g – 2,6 oz. butter
1 big onion, chopped
a piece of carrot, chopped
8 juniper berries
1/2 teaspoon basil
pepper and salt
8 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped ham
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
lemon juice
2 dl – 6.6 fl. oz. white wine
1 dl chicken stock
a crockpot

Mince the juniper berries, mix with the basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Rub into the pork chops.
Heat some butter and brown the chops very carefully on both sides. Make sure that the herb mixture stays on the meat. Transfer the chops to a crockpot.

Colour the onion and carrot in the same butter, add the wine and reduce to half. Add stock and pour everything over the meat.

Fry breadcrumbs in the remaining butter and mix with ham, parsley and some lemon juice. Put this mixture on top of the meat. Cover crockpot, put in a cold oven, set temperature at 400 °F and bake for 1 hour.

Remove chops. Pour remaining liquid in a small pan and reduce to 1/2 cup over high heat. Put the chops back into the crockpot and pour the sauce over them.

Makes 4 servings.
Source: my collection

  

1/2 lb – 250 g lean ground pork
1/2 lb – 250 g lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
16 oz – 500 g frozen bread dough; thawed

In a mixing bowl, stir together the pork, beef, salt, onion powder and pepper; divide into 12 portions. Form each portion into a sausage shaped, 3-inch long piece. Divide the bread dough into 12 equal portions. Flatten each portion into a 4 x 3-inch rectangle. Place a portion of meat lengthwise on each piece of dough. Fold in the sides of the dough; roll up. Moisten and pinch the seams closed. Arrange the dough-wrapped meat, seam side down, in a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes until the doubled.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the meat is done inside. Serve warm.

To reheat baked, chilled worstenbroodjes, cover loosely with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through. Or place on a microwave-safe plate and heat on medium power for 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 minutes for 1 piece.

Makes 4 servings.
Source: my collection

  

150 g – 5,25 oz. goat cheese
4 slices smoked ham (from the Ardennes)
butter
1/2 crinkly lettuce
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 large, solid pear
2 tablespoons sugar
2 slices bread
2 tablespoons chives
salt and pepper

Divide the cheese into 4 parts and roll each part into a slice of smoked ham. Put some butter on the cheese rolls, then put them 5-8 minutes into a preheated oven of 355° F.

Meanwhile, wash the lettuce, tear it apart and mix with the wine vinegar. Add pepper and salt to taste and arrange on 4 platters.

Peel the pear and cut into 16 parts. Bake in butter, pour sugar over it and let colour for a while.

Remove the crusts from the bread and cut into 1/2 x 1/2 inch squares. Bake in butter until golden, then put on the salad. Put the cheese rolls in the middle of each plate and decorate with 4 pieces of pear. Sprinkle with chives and serve with a glass of white wine.

Makes 4 servings.
Source: Kreatieve Keuken