Dutch Cooking (2005-2006)

[spaghetttti]

Klary, this is a most amazing thread; as you can see, you have inspired many of us across the globe!

This morning was my bitterballen making session. Made with smoked and ground beef, I added tiny shreds of mozzarella cheese, so that first bite gets a lovely string of surprise.

Once again, thank you so much for taking the time to share and show us the food from your part of the world.

[Chufi]

Oh my.

Yetty! they are perfect!! With a lovely crunchy crust and the golden glow of mustard in the background...

And what a great idea to put some smoked meat in.

In my initial post, when I made them, I said they turned out a little bit blander than I had wanted. Adding some highly flavored meat (smoked, or roasted, instead of just the boiled meat I used) will balance that.

After all, these were born as a way to use up leftovers, so pretty much anything goes!

Thanks for posting this beautiful picture.

[Kevin72]

What are some other traditional Dutch dishes for the Holidays? Anything normally served on New Years' Eve/Day?

[Chufi]

Oliebollen

coming up in about 1 hour....

[CaliPoutine]

Oliebollen 

coming up in about 1 hour....

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Omg, I totally know what that is. There are a lot of Dutch people in Goderich, ON and my Robin grew up eating these. Since this thread started I would say " have you tried so and so" and she would say, No, but I've had Oliebollen. And I would say " she hasnt made that yet".

We're excited to see them!!

[Chufi]

" she hasnt made that yet". 

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she did today!

New Years Eve (which, by the way, is called Oudejaarsavond – Old Years Eve – in the Netherlands), is not complete without the oliebol: a sweet fritter fried in oil, liberaly dusted with icing sugar. Even people who don’t actually like them or think they are too fatty, usually end up consuming a couple – either in the middle of the night when the hunger pangs start after party-ing for hours, or the next morning for breakfast. Because of their yeasty, not overly sweet flavor, they go surprisingly well with a glass of champagne – or 2.

Thet Dutch are passionate about these oliebollen. Every year a newspaper conducts the “oliebollentest”, where oliebollen from about 100 different bakers across the country are subjected to some very serious testing. The winning bakery can ofcourse expect hundreds of customers on the 31st!

click here for a pic of the test!

Oliebollen have been a traditional Dutch sweet for centuries. Around 1650, they are mentioned for the first time in a cookery book, although at that time, they were still flat, and shallow-fried instead of deep-fried, and called “oliekoeken”(oilcookies). The transition to the round oliebol seems to have been gradual and probably had a lot to do with the financial position of the cook making them: how much oil could you afford?

When I was young my mother used to have a frying session on the 31st, in the basement of my grandparent’s farmhouse. She made hundreds, and I can still remember how exciting that day was for me. The large pan in which the dough was rising, mysteriously growing, the smell of the cooking fat and my mother turning out heaps and heaps of the golden crispy fritters.

When she stopped making them because she felt it was too much work, and I started buying them instead, I found out how different the ones you can buy were from the homemade ones. Then I tasted ones that were homemade by friends and they still did not have the taste of my childhood. It wasn’t until I learned from my mom that she fried them in a mixture of oil, lard and butter, that I realized that that was the key to supercrunchy, flavorful oliebollen.

So it was my intention to make my batch exactly as my mother did years ago, and as my grandmother had done for decades before my mom took over. In the end though I chickened out on putting the butter in the frying-oil. It somehow seemed impossible to deep-fry in butter, and since I have never been able to succesfully clarify butter, I decided that this was not a day for experimenting. So oil and lard it was.

Ingredients for the oliebollen (makes about 50):

1 kilo flour

200 grams soft white sugar, or substitute castor sugar

125 grams butter, melted

500 ml. warm milk (I misread the recipe whuch said 1 liter of milk. Mine turned out fine, but next time I will use more milk. I expect that will make them even lighter).

2 sachets yeast

2 eggs

filling:

100 grams currants, soaked in warm water until soft

100 grams raisins, soaked in warm water until soft

1 large sour apple, in small pieces

100 grams candied citron

You can ofcourse vary the filling ingredients. Many people put in some lemon rind. A little bit of cinnamon is also often added, or some gingersyrup. In my opinion you can leave out everything except the currants – they are essential.

Oil, or oil and lard, for frying. I used 250 grams lard and 2 liters of sunflower oil.

Mix all ingredients for the dough together. You should have a stiff dough that is hard to stir, but too soft to knead. Mix in the filling ingredients. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until nicely risen. Punch down the dough and leave to rise again.

Before starting to fry, punch it down a little again.

Heat your fat to 180-190 degrees C. Use an icecreamscoop or 2 spoons to shape small balls of dough and slip them into the hot oil. Oliebollen you buy are perfectly round, mine look a bit irregular but I actually like the extra crunchy exterior that produces. So spend as much time as you like on making the perfectly round oliebol!

If your fat is the right temp, the lump of dough should sink to the bottom of the pan and then immediately come up again. Fry until the underside is nicely browned. Again, commercially available ones look different than mine: much paler in color. Fry a couple first, allow them to cool, open them up to see if the inside is cooked, and experiment so you can get the texture and done-ness you like.

Turn them over only once to prevent them from becoming loaded with oil.

Drain on kitchenpaper. The crust should be dry and crunchy, the inside light and airy and fluffy.

Serve dusted with plenty of icing sugar, mixed with a little cinnamon if you like.

When I posted my recipe for boterkoek on this thread back in october, I could not have imagined that within a couple of months, people from Indonesia to Australia to the US would be inspired to cook Dutch food.

So, a very warm thank you to everybody who has contributed to this thread by reading it, posting replies and comments, and ofcourse an extra special thank you to everyone who cooked the recipes and posted their pictures and feedback.

From my Dutch kitchen, I offer you all an oliebol and wish you a very happy New Year! Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!!

Edited December 31, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[Cadbury]

It's 12:50am on 1/1/2006 and I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and thank Klary and all who contributed for such a great thread, full of fabulous food. Have a great year.

Edited December 31, 2005 by Cadbury (log)

[bleachboy]

Just spectacular, Chufi! Thanks for the report and all the wonderful photos!

[Megan Blocker]

Klary, those look amazing!

[Susan in FL]

We had some of those when we were in Denmark/Europe last year for the holidays.

To Klary and to everyone, wherever you are, thank you for all contributions to this thread and all eGullet, and Happy 2006!

From Susan in FL, visiting San Diego, California, USA to see in the new year.....

[Swisskaese]

Happy New Year Klary!

Those Olliebollen are lovely.

[Grub]

Happy New Year -- and thanks for a great recipe. Well, thanks for two great recipes: Draadjesvlees & Hutspot.

I went a little nuts on the sauce on this plate, but it was all gobbled down, with several helpings... Great recipe.

The draadjesvlees took 3 hours to cook, which wasn't nearly enough time to learn how to spell it. What does that word mean? Every time I checked on the dish, I looked at the name and tried to memorize it, but I still can't make it stick in my mind.

One thing I'll say though, this dish is definitely one of the biggest payoffs I've ever cooked, as far as effort vs. results goes. Cut the meat into large chunks, season with salt and pepper, brown and nearly cover with water, add two bayleaves and two cloves and leave to simmer for three hours -- nuts. Anyone I mentioned this dish to were apprehensive that it only used a couple of bayleaves and cloves -- as were I. But as I sampled the liquid, I could see what was going on. Brilliant. It's obviously a "rustic" kinda dish -- but it's actually kinda subtle in flavor at the same time. Very cool.

There's an odd, slight sweetness to the flavor. It combines brilliantly with the onion-potato-parsnip-carrot (& salt, pepper and butter) of the hutspot.

One problem area is that when I cut up the meat, I left some pieces thicker than others, and they ended up drying out somewhat, since they weren't completely covered by the water (and I kept it covered the whole time, and turned the pieces several times). So next time (and there'll definitely be plenty of next times with this one) I'll make sure to cut the pieces to the same thickness, and also to cover them completely with water. I might also remove the meat at the end and set it aside (covered) in the oven, while increasing the heat, to reduce the liquid -- or even to add a roux to thicken it. I reserved the liquid this time, in ice trays, so I can use it for sauces in the future.

The hutspot came out very differently from the last time I tried it -- the carrots and onions didn't cook through as much, so the mash didn't turn as orange. The turnips and potatoes became mushy, so I'm kinda wondering about cooking them in stages the next time, but I'm not sure -- the slightly different textures were kinda nice.

Thank you.

[Chufi]

The draadjesvlees took 3 hours to cook, which wasn't nearly enough time to learn how to spell it. What does that word mean? Every time I checked on the dish, I looked at the name and tried to memorize it, but I still can't make it stick in my mind.

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That looks so good Grub!

draadjes means 'little threads', and vlees means meat. It refers to the fact that the meat falls apart into shreds when cooked, because it's so tender.

I had dinner at my mom's on Friday, we ate the butter braised beef with potatoes, green beans and apple compote, and talked about this dish. She told me that she always cooks it without the cloves and bayleaves! and it was still unbelievably good. So I guess even an incredibly simple dish, can be simplified..

I might also remove the meat at the end and set it aside (covered) in the oven, while increasing the heat, to reduce the liquid -- or even to add a roux to thicken it. I reserved the liquid this time, in ice trays, so I can use it for sauces in the future.

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Dutch gravy is always very thin, so yours looks just right. But ofcourse, you can thicken it if you like. It is a really good idea to freeze it in small portions. I sometimes add a bit of it when making another stew that will benefit from the buttery flavor. I also use some when making onion confit.

The hutspot came out very differently from the last time I tried it -- the carrots and onions didn't cook through as much, so the mash didn't turn as orange. The turnips and potatoes became mushy, so I'm kinda wondering about cooking them in stages the next time, but I'm not sure -- the slightly different textures were kinda nice.

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I have some hutspot thawing on my counter right now, and I am going to use it to make hutspot pancakes later! That was your idea right

[devlin]

I keep coming back to this thread, and I love every minute of it. Klary, you and your food are gorgeous! Thanks so much for the inspiration. And a fabulous new year to you and yours.

[ddueck]

This is the first year that we have not made New Years Cookies (our anglicization of Oliebolen). I am from Russian Mennonite background but the tradition is the same as we started out in Holland. There is a german name for them, but I can't pronounce it and I certainly can't spell it!

My wife is overdue with our fourth child and I am not committing to making anything that is not completed in a very short time. We have had a few false starts, but nothing so far. We have agreeed to make new years cookies as soon as the baby comes. These pictures make the waiting harder than it should be!

[Grub]

That looks so good Grub!

draadjes means 'little threads', and vlees means meat. It refers to the fact that the meat falls apart into shreds when cooked, because it's so tender.

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Thankie!

Aaah, I see! Draad is similar to the Scandinavian Tråd/Traad, then. I got confused by the series of letters, "djesvle" cause it seems to make up the word "devil" or something like that.

Now, I realized that I've got this old, but excellent encyclopedia of cooking, and I decided to look up Dutch cooking, and came across something called Hâché. It is a little more complex than Draadjesvlees, but it does use both bayleaves and cloves -- in addition to onions, flour, vinegar and Worchestershire sauce. That sounds like a promising set of ingredients to me.

Heh, I particularly like the fact that nearly every dish described in the vegetables section for Dutch cooking includes meat. In modern books, the vegetables section tends to be purely vegetables only, as if some kinda tribute to vegitarianism -- but not here. Meat, ham, bacon, sausages everywhere. Lovely stuff. This should make for some great eats in the wintertime!

[Chufi]

Now, I realized that I've got this old, but excellent encyclopedia of cooking, and I decided to look up Dutch cooking, and came across something called Hâché. It is a little more complex than Draadjesvlees, but it does use both bayleaves and cloves -- in addition to onions, flour, vinegar and Worchestershire sauce. That sounds like a promising set of ingredients to me.

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I'm planning to make hachee somewhere in January, but if you end up making it before I do, please post about it here! btw my recipes don't have Worcestershiresauce, that seems to be a slight anglicization... ofcourse that doesn't mean that it won't be a tasty addition

Edited January 2, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Cadbury]

Klary, how many grams is in each sachet of yeast? I buy yeast in bulk so I 'm not sure.

Thanks.

[Chufi]

Klary, how many grams is in each sachet of yeast?  I buy yeast in bulk so I 'm not sure.

Thanks.

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the yeast I buy here, is 7 grams per packet (sachet).

It says on the packet that each sachet is for 500 grams of flour, however I have recipes that call for a much higher yeast/flour ratio, but the two sachets worked fine for my kilo of flour for the oliebollen.

But for instance, the smoked eel rolls have 7 grams yeast for 250 grams flour.. confusing...

[Chufi]

This is the first year that we have not made New Years Cookies (our anglicization of Oliebolen). I am from Russian Mennonite background but the tradition is the same as we started out in Holland. There is a german name for them, but I can't pronounce it and I certainly can't spell it!

My wife is overdue with our fourth child and I am not committing to making anything that is not completed in a very short time. We have had a few false starts, but nothing so far. We have agreeed to make new years cookies as soon as the baby comes. These pictures make the waiting harder than it should be!

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I would love to see those cookies ddueck! But I understand that right now cooking is not the first thing on your mind good luck to you and your wife!

[Jensen]

Thank you very much, Klary, for sharing your food (culture) with us. I tried your Draadjesvlees for dinner tonight but I must confess to a couple of changes. Before trimming, my piece of beef weighed in at just over two pounds. So, I used three bay leaves and three cloves.

I also wanted to thicken the gravy ever so slightly so removed the meat from the pan and kept it in a hot oven for a few minutes (maybe 15?). It didn't change the texture of the meat at all but I think it added to the colour in a positive way.

The gravy was also separated to remove most of the butter.

I hope these modifications didn't mess things up too much. If they did, they were delicious liberties!

On the plate, served with mashed potatoes (which were made with some of the gravy-butter!) and steamed chard:

And a close-up of the "threads":

[sanrensho]

Kenji,

It's really easy. I usually fry up some smoked bacon lardons. (the amount is really up to you - depending on how much you like bacon  )

When they are nice and crisp, I remove them from the pan (leaving the fat behind). In the baconfat I fry a couple of onions, sliced into rings.

When the onions are almost ready (nicely browned and crisp), heat up the capucijner peas. (heat them up in their liquid, don't let it come to the boil). Drain them, add the bacon, and warm through over low heat. Add a little pepper, you probably don't need salt because of the bacon.

You could mix in the onions, but I like to serve them seperately together with all the trimmings (mustards, pickles, etc.) (see picture)

Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

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Klary,

Thanks for the instructions on the capucijner peas with bacon and onion. We had it as a side dish. No pickles in the house to speak of, so I had mine with a bit of dijon mustard mixed in, the kids had theirs plain. However, I can really see how the peas would go well with sweet pickles and what looks to be a sweet mustard (?) in your photo.

I'm pleased to report that my 4-year old asked for more peas at breakfast the next day. I will be making this dish again.

-Kenji

[Badiane]

This is the first year that we have not made New Years Cookies (our anglicization of Oliebolen). I am from Russian Mennonite background but the tradition is the same as we started out in Holland. There is a german name for them, but I can't pronounce it and I certainly can't spell it!

My wife is overdue with our fourth child and I am not committing to making anything that is not completed in a very short time. We have had a few false starts, but nothing so far. We have agreeed to make new years cookies as soon as the baby comes. These pictures make the waiting harder than it should be!

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I have a Russian Mennonite background as well...we call them Portzelky...I'm sure that's not the authentic spelling, but that's what's in the Mennonite Treasury cookbook.

Congratulations on the coming baby...we will have to have a chat sometime...my brother is a mennonite minister living in New Westminster...we can play the mennonite game and see how many people we have in common!

[saskanuck]

Happy New Year, chufi! The picture of you holding the oliebollen is just lovely.

It's sad to say, but I've never eaten oliebollen. We've never been at my MIL's house for New Year's often, and I think the one time that we were, she said that she doesn't bother anymore.

I'm a little afraid of cooking things in deep fat, but one of these years I'm going to suck it up and make some. My husband would be very happy, I'm sure. and so would I and our boys.

You have done so much to change my attitude towards Dutch food. Before this thread, I thought it was all awful stuff the way my MIL cooks. I'm so very glad to see that I was wrong.

I hope 2006 treats you very well.

[jhirshon]

Hi all - thought I'd contribute a recipe of my own to this amazing thread!

cheers, JH

___________________________

Roomborstplaat (Cocoa-Flavored Brown Sugar Candy)

Source: World Wide Recipes, 9-27-98

Yield: makes about 1- 1/2 lbs (650 g)

2 oz. (60 g) shelled hazelnuts (filberts) or walnuts (JH note - I prefer filberts)

3 Tbs (45 ml) butter, softened

1/2 cup (125 ml) light cream

1+1/2 cups (375 ml) superfine powdered sugar

1 cup (250 ml) dark brown sugar

2 Tbs (30 ml) unsweetened cocoa, preferably imported Dutch cocoa

Drop the nuts into enough boiling water to cover and boil for 2 minutes. Drain into a sieve and, while they're still hot, rub the nuts vigorously between two dish towels to remove as much of the skins as possible. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 5 minutes, or until lightly brown and aromatic. Chop the nuts coarsely and set aside.

Spread 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the butter evenly over the sides and bottom of false-bottom or spring form cake pan 8- inches (20 cm) in diameter and at least 2- inches (5 cm) deep. Heat the remaining butter and the cream in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat until the butter is melted and small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa, and brown sugar, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until all the ingredients are completely dissolved, then raise the heat a little and cook undisturbed for 15 minutes until it reaches a temperature of 300F (150C) on a candy thermometer.

Note: If you don't have a candy thermometer, drop a tiny bit of the mixture in a cup of cold water. The sugar should be at the hard crack stage, and should immediately form hard, brittle threads.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chopped nuts. Pour the mixture into the buttered cake pan, smoothing it evenly with a spatula. Set aside at room temperature for about one hour, until the candy is firm, then remove from the pan. Traditionally, this (Dutch) candy is never cut, but broken into irregularly shaped pieces before eating.