Dutch Yummies

   So, I know I promised a post about something historical and Savanny, but I got busy with things. Things that distract me from writing, things like work, a sick kitty and......the WORLD CUP.
   I do get ridiculously excited for the World Cup, and tend to go into a minor funk when it is over. The emotions involved watching the games can be a bit overwhelming, and I do dislike watching teams get eliminated. The looks on their faces when it is over is sobering. It's like, "Yay! That team won!", then, "oh, but look how sad that other team is". Because it's another four years before they have another chance. So it's kind of a big deal.
    Watching the fans from around the world is part of the fun. They get INTO it. To be part of such a huge international event must be an absolute hoot. So in honor of this World Cup, I will write about things that are....international. Namely food, since I do love to chow. Don't judge me ;)

   I think today it will be about Dutch yummies, ja. While it isn't haute cuisine from France, a lot of it sounds awfully delicious. Things like bitterbollen. Chopped beef, broth, herbs and spices breaded and fried. So fried meatballs, which are typically served with mustard. Sounds good to me. I think and awesome accompaniment to these fried balls of goodness would be some Patat
, which is basically fries or chips served with mayonnaise. Now, I eat my fries with mayo, so I have absolutely no problem with this at all. But wait! There is more than one kind of Patat! Pataje Oorlog is fries with a peanut sate sauce, mayo and onions. Patat Speciaal is fries with curry ketchup, mayo and onions. WHAT??? Sounds like a thing of absolute beauty to me. But I think the real winner would have to Frikandel Speciaal, which is a glorious combination Pata Speciaal ON Frikandel sausage. I am drooling over here.
    If you want to lighten things up a bit, you could make a Stamppot. Basically mashed potatoes with kale or carrots or any veggies

and traditionally served with rockworst, which is a smoked sausage. Hey, at least it isn't fried.
    The Dutch are a seafaring nation, so of course there will be seafood. Hollandse Niewe Haring is a traditional dish, and it is herring that is only caught between May and July. The freshly caught herring is gutted on board; the pancreas is left in the fish, and those enzymes do the preserving. Since the pancreatic enzymes are used, less salt is used in the preservation. So if you are on a low sodium diet, this perfect for you. So it's raw herring that is served with onions and sometimes bread. If you have ever had a raw oyster, and this sounds gross to you, then you should be slapped. That is all I will say.
   Now I cannot get raw herring, but I can get pickled herring and you KNOW I will be eating my weight in that on Saturday. I will definitely be trying out some recipes from here http://www.holland.com/us/tourism/interests/food-drinks/dutch-recipes.htm  Ga Nederlands!!!








      Smakelijk!
         Babette






































































































                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Yummus

I love, love, love hummus and tsazik. I thought I would be nice, ( don't get used to it ), and share my recipes for these two with you. Of course you could use canned garbanzo beans; but that would be cheating, and no one would be as impressed. You hummus afficionados will probably notice that I don't have tahini in my recipe. If you are lucky enough to live somewhere that has a grocery that HAS tahini, (unlike me ), then by all means add a bit. As a matter of fact, add whatever you like, this is just a nice little base for you to start with.
 
  Hummus
1 head garlic
1lb bag dried garbanzo beans
olive oil

 Make the beans: Rinse and sort the garbanzos and then soak in cold water for at least 2 hours. Drain, then add about 3 cups of water, 1 large vegetable bouillion cube, and 2 peeled cloves of garlic. Simmer sloooowwwwly for about 2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Remove from heat when done.
 While you are making the beans, roast the garlic. Cut the top off of a head of garlic, ( what can I say, I love garlic ), drizzle liberally with olive oil, wrap in foil, and pop in a 400 degree oven for about 35 minutes.
 When all the good stuff is done, you put it all together. Depending on the consistency you prefer, you can use either a food processor, or a potato masher. I used a potato masher because I got tired of looking for the food processor. However you do it, start with the drained beans. Add the juice of half a lemon, and the roasted garlic. For Pete's sake, just squeeze out the yummy roasted garlic; do not throw the whole head in! As you process/mash add the simmering liquid a tiny bit at a time, until you get it to the right consistency. Add just a drizzle of olive oil and....voila! Hummus! I drizzle mine with olive oil just before I serve it.

 Tsaziki
1 whole seedless cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped, ( pulverized )
16 oz plain Greek yogurt
juice of half a lemon
big bunch of dill, chopped
1 sprig mint, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

This is another one where you could process, but I like my tsaziki with a little texture. Mix it all together, cover tightly and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. ( A couple of hours to refrigerate, a couple of hours to make the beans.....interesting....). The flavours definitely need to come together.

So, throw a little hummus a plate with a dollop of tsaziki, add a chunk of feta cheese and some olives and serve with pita bread. It doesn't get any better than this. At least today. Savourez!!!

A Perfect Sammy

One of my favorites! Whole wheat pita with smoked salmon cream cheese, greens, thinly sliced tomato and onion, and Danish bleu cheese. It has to be Danish, it needs to be creamy. Yum!

Pizza cravings

Bacchus loooves pizza

  I have been craving good, East coast pizza for the longest time. I had tried the Chicago-style pizza when I was out there; it was ok, but nothing compares to a good, East Coast thin-crust pizza. Those supposed "thin" crusts from Chicago are a farce. When we were kids we would spend our summers with our grandparents in Neptune, NJ, ( exit 7A, thank you ); the pizza was outstanding. Our Aunt Lois would always take us to Carmen's,http://www.peteandeldas.com/ The crust was so thin you had to fold up a slice to eat it. It's because of New Jersey pizza that I became a pizza snob at a very, very young age.
  After being away from the East coast for ages, I was ready for some real pizza. Not this deep-dish, hoofhoff that pretends to be real pizza. I want a pie that was hand-tossed by a guy named Vinnie with a New Joisey accent. I dig that. But, being in Southern Maryland, there are no guys named Vinnie, and no real pizza. So sad. For a time I was seriously contemplating driving up to Jersey to get my fix.
  So, I was extremely excited when I found out that our next sister restaurant in the area was to be...a pizza place!!! Laaaaa!http://www.fiorellapizzeria.com/ Now this is what I'm talking about. This is pizza like you'd get in Rome, super thin, a little crispy, and yum. But I'm not picky. And of course it's made in an oven that was imported from Italy. Molto bella. I'm not sure if there's a guy named Vinnie there, but that's something I can do without if I absolutely have to. *sigh*. It's not your average pizza joint, it is a little frou-frou, but it's ok to treat yourself, and it's a hell of a lot closer than New Jersey. Or Rome. ; )