Leo Starrenburg

Does anyone know the English word for andijvie ? I have a feeling it's not very well known in the USA, the andive or endive I came up with on the internet is what we (In The Netherlands) call Brussels Lof. cheers, Leo.

Udder and chin, or in Dutch: "uierboord en kopvlees". Personally I don't find anything wrong with it, as the beast has been slaughterd why not use every bit of it instead of throwing it away ? Yes , the frikandellen as I showed in the picture are horrendous but the basic ingredients are ok in my view. The udder/uierboord was cooked on it's own and served on a sandwich this century, used to be poor mans' food but has turned into a delicasie in the last decade. Chin/kopvlees is used to make 'zure zult' and 'balkenbrij' and is really good meat, cheek of calf 'kalfswang' is served in Michelin star restaurants. But at least there you can see what you are eating, the pinkish pulp is something different. I've seen the production lines in various factories and I do admit that I had recollections of a SienceFiction movie where everything was recycled. I place my trust in the controlling agencies cheers, Leo

Hi Klary, April, captainsdinner is known to me as 'Groningse rijsttafel', it's a dish served aboard merchant- and navy ships for ages. The dried beans could be stored for a long time and the side dishes evolved to make the beans a bit more attractive (Try eating the same dish for a month in a row). I wonder if anyone reading this has ever eaten 'Labskous', another famous dish served on ships. Zeekaken or seabiscuits and the big bowls to soak them in were on sale in Scheveningen at least until 1975: soggy seabiscuits and pan-fried fresh Mackerel followed by a wee tod of jenever cheers, Leo. PS: Loved -and could almost smell- the butter braised chicken Klary ! It was indeed a Sunday treat and around Christmas time my Dad would 'arrange' a rabbit, it was cooked in the same way. Please try it, you may find it even better than chicken. Thanks for putting us back on track to good old fashioned cooking !

Frikandellen aren't exactly made from minced sirloin steak I'll grant you that, the recipe of a local factory is: 45% chickenmeat 20% porkmeat 5% horsemeat 15% water 10% breadcrumbs 5% (?)meatstock Meat beeing a bit of a disnomer because the meat ingredients arrive as a somewhat pinkish coloured pulp. Fat is about 20% in the end product. The fat is usually a bit more because most frikandellen are served 'speciaal': Speciaal means a lengthwise slit made before deepfrying which is filled with a nephew of mayo: frietsaus, currysaus and chopped onions. A side of fries, again with frietsaus, completes a meal that is the Dutch equivalent of a burger and fries. The word frikandel is derived from frikadel but stands on it's own nowadays. The frikadel without the n is still available in The Netherlands, but you have to go to an Indonisian toko or restaurant to get one. Totally different and imho much better tasting. cheers, Leo.

Hi Klary, thank you for all the wonderful dishes ! Good to read that you take requests, I am born and bred in Leiden and still live in the Netherlands but your old style high quality cooking makes me long for the meals my Mom cooked when I was a toddler (around the '50ies). Things I remember to be our staple food: Dried fish (stokvis/baccalou?) with boiled potatoes and small boiled onions. The only thing added was a bit of left-over gravy (Dutch gravy: just the fat left over from cooking meat). The fish was full of taste but had a distinct smell. Used to be poor man's food but is very expensive nowadays. Horsemeat! Leiden had a couple of butchers selling nothing but horsemeat and horsemeat sausage. Cheap and nourishing but the taste of a good horsemeat sausage is awesome imho. And of course Leiden means hutspot, every 3rd of October we celebrate Leidens liberation from the Spaniards and the traditional meal is hutspot: potatoes, carrots, unions and meat (klapstuk). That's later in the day, in the morning herrings and white bread are given away free, just as in 1574. Your recipe for the draadjesvlees was spot on, the best way to cook it was on a petroleum burner (peterolie stel), it the slowness that makes it melt in your mouth. Draadjesvlees and home made twice-fried fries with yoghurt, jam and beschuit for desert hmm.. Looking forward to new goodies Klary, I can just about boil an egg but I love to eat good honest food ! cheers, Leo.