Going Dutch

[Ellie84]

The Dutch kitchen is a simple but hearty kitchen with lots of fresh ingredients and oriental spices. A lot of foods are slow-cooked and need to simmer for hours. Imagine the smells in your house when a pot of beef stew is on. Yum! The oriental spices were introduced to our kitchen in the 1600s when the spice trade with Indonesia was started. When Indonesia became independent in 1945 a lot of people moved to the Netherlands, adding even more of their exciting exotic kitchen to our plain farmers' fare. Nowadays Indonesian dishes are so popular that they're fully integrated into the Dutch kitchen. A delicious bridge between east and west

Popular ingredients in the Dutch kitchen are:

Fresh vegetables - Cabbages, beans, root vegetables, leeks and onions are often used. In summer leaf vegetables and soft vegetables like tomatoes and zucchini are popular.

Fruits - apples and pears are very popular, even in warm dishes

Dairy - everything you can imagine and more: cheeses, milk, butter and our national pride: vla. This is a very thin custard available in all possible flavours: strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, caramel and still a lot more.

Potatoes - ah yes, even artists have captured the Dutch love for these in their paintings

Beef - beef is eaten in various forms, but mincemeat and beef stews are very popular

Pork - especially winter meals are often based on pork, such as the:

Rookworst - smoked sausage, taste is comparable to bacon

Fish: eaten a lot, especially in the sea-bordering provinces. Even after the construction of the Afsluitdijk only 2 out of 12 provinces don't border on the sea or the large IJsselmeer which used to be a sea.

Oriental spices: absolute must in the Dutch kitchen, to bring a little flavour to it all. The Dutch kitchen would be very boring without them. Most popular: pepper, nutmeg, ginger, coriander, cumin and cloves.

[Ellie84]

Erwtensoep, traditional Dutch pea soup with smoked sausage and pork chops. A delicious and very nutricious meal-replacing soup for our wet and cold winters. It's so thick a spoon should be able to stay upright in it.

Here's a pic of what it looks like: http://3.bp.blogspot.../erwtensoep.webp

True, it looks like it has been eaten already, but the taste is great

Recipe:

500 g of split peas

400 g of pork chops, preferably still on the bones

4 gluten-free stock cubes, beef or vegetable flavour

1 bay leaf

freshly ground black pepper

3 onions

1 large carrot (300 g)

1 small celeriac (400 g)

1 large leek

5 sprigs of leaf celery, finely chopped

1 rookworst (smoked sausage) or 400 g of large frankenfurters (won't taste the same, try to get a rookworst if you can)

Tools: large kettle with lid, wooden spoon and slotted spoon

Preparation:

Erwtensoep is best when prepared a day in advance so the flavours can settle. Cook the soup, let it cool and store it in the fridge for a day.

Wash the split peas in a sieve and put them in a large kettle. Add the pork chops (still on the bones) and add 2 liters of water. Bring to the boil. Use a slotted spoon to remove the foam that floats to the top.

Add stock cubes, chopped celery leaves, bay leaf and pepper and gently cook for 30 minutes with the lid on. Occasionally stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking.

In the meantime, cut the vegetables. The carrot and celeriac are best chopped up into small cubes. Slice the leek and the onion finely. Take the pork chops our of the soup and cut the meat from the bone. Cut the meat into small cubes and the rookworst into slices. Add the vegetables and the meat to the soup and let simmer for 15 minutes.

As said above, the soup is best prepared a day in advance.

Eet smakelijk! (Pronounced as: ate smah-kuh-luck).

[Ellie84]

Spice mixes

Traditional spice mixes used in several dishes, always handy to have in storage.

Meatball spice mix:

30 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of:

Powdered coriander seed

White pepper

Ginger powder

1 teaspoon of:

Mace (the nutmeg kind )

Powdered cardamom

Powdered chillies

Marjoram

Hachee spice mix:

30 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of each:

Powdered coriander seed

White pepper

Paprika powder

Ginger powder

Mace (the nutmeg kind )

Powdered cloves

Powdered allspice

Powdered cardamom

Powdered chillies

Marjoram

Traditional cake and cookies spices:

Equal portions of:

Cinnamon

Powdered coriander seed

Nutmeg

Powdered cloves

Powdered ginger

Powdered cardamom

Finely sliced orange peels

[Di2011]

Oh Ellie you are delightful! I have an Australian version of association with Indonesian food and have so missed it being gluten-free.

Please keep posting!

Even if I or others don't respond please know that we are reading/listening

[Di2011]

I think the SouthEast Asian cuisine is the most gluten-free friendly ingredients of any. Lots of fresh non-grain ingredients and the most tastiest.

[navigator]

Look forward to more posts and dutch cooking recipes! I always love having new recipes.

[Ellie84]

Beet casserole

Serves 4 or 2 hungry students

300 grams of low fat beef mincemeat

Hachee spicemix (see post above)

1 onion, chopped

1 apple, peeled and chopped into small cubes

400 grams of cooked beets, unsweetened and unsalted, cut into thin slices

600 grams of cooked potatoes, mashed with butter and milk OR the easy way: 4 portions of potato mash

grated Gouda cheese, preferably mature cheese

Tools: oven, large oven dish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius (356 F).

Bake the mincemeat in its own fat in a frying pan until it's crumbly. Add onion when meat is browned, bring to flavour with hachee spicemix. Put the meat and onion mix in the oven dish and flatten the layer. Put a layer of cooked beets on top of it and sprinkle the apple cubes upon it. Flatten the layer. Cover it with a layer of potato mash and equally divide the grated cheese on top. Put in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

[Ellie84]

Babi Ketjap

Crunchy pork in a sweet sauce with a hint of salt.

This recipe requires Kecap manis, a sweet Indonesian soy sauce. Some brands are gluten free, always check the label.

There's also sambal, a paste of chillies available in several flavours. Try to pick up a mild flavour like Ulek if you're not accustomed to spicy food.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

500 grams of diced pork

3 tablespoons kecap manis

3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar

1 clove of garlic, chopped finely

3 onions, chopped

1 teaspoon of sambal

Cooking oil with a neutral flavour, such as sunflower seed oil

Bake the chopped onions and garlic in a frying pan in a little oil, turn heat low when they're starting to brown.

In another pan, heat a generous amount of oil and bake the pork in small quantities until it's brown and crispy. Add pork to the onions. When all pork has been baked, add the kecap, sambal and brown sugar to the onion-pork mixture. Bake for 15 minutes until the pork is coated in a sticky layer of sweet soy sauce.

Serve with white rice and green beans.

[Ellie84]

Kruidnoten

Kruidnoten (Kröit-noh-tun). Dutch favourites for the childrens' holiday of Sinterklaas on december the 5th. Sinterklaas usually arrives by steamboat in the middle of november, welcomed by hundreds of little children. His assistants, the Pieten, will throw sweets and kruidnoten into the crowd. In the weeks before december the 5th, you will find childrens' shoes near the hearth. This is because Sinterklaas will ride his horse across the rooftops and his nimble assistants will slide down the chimneys filling those shoes with presents and sweets.

The peak of the event is at december the 5th, when it's Pakjesavond or "present evening". Sometimes the old man himself will show up and you get to sit on his lap while he checks your name in his big book. Have you been naughty or nice? What a suspense... In fact the suspense is so high that most Dutchies have at least one photograph of them bawling on Sinterklaas' lap. Luckily all kids have always been nice and they get rewarded with sweets, presents and cookies like kruidnoten and speculaas.

I can still remember a special evening: we had finished dinner and my mom was doing the washing up. My little sister and I were playing in the living room. It was a dark and windy night, my parents were quite concerned: will the Sint make it today? Then there was a loud knocking at the window and the front door flew open. We saw a flash of a sooty face and colourful clothing and a hail of sweets and cookies flew through the living room. We shouted enthousiastically and dove for them. When we were done gathering the sweets we found a large jute bag at the front door filled with presents. We unwrapped them one by one, shouting "Dank u Sinterklaasje" after each.

Even the little celiacs are not forgotten: last week we were at a gluten-free convention and the Pieten had arrived. They had brought special gluten-free kruidnoten for the little kids to make up for all the kruidnoten they couldn't eat in the weeks before. The smiles on their little faces were priceless. See: Sinterklaas really knows everything!

Kruidnoten

Here's what they look like: http://www.de-chef.nl/foto/1036863854.webp

Recipe (from Dutch celiac forum Open Original Shared Link in Dutch)

100 gr buckwheat flour and 100 gr rice flour

OR

200 gr of gluten-free all-purpose flour

100 gr butter

125 gr dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 tablespoon traditional cookie spices (see recipe above for the mixture of traditional cake and cookie spices)

8 gr of vanilla sugar, if it's hard to come by use this recipe: Open Original Shared Link

Tools: oven, baking paper

Make a dough of all the ingredients. Place the dough in a bowl in the refrigerator and let it settle for an hour. Take baking tray out of the oven and cover it with baking paper. Preheat oven to 175 degrees centigrade (347 F). Make tiny balls of flour, by tiny I mean tiny. They should be about 1 cm in diameter (0.4 inch). Put them on the baking paper and bake the kruidnoten for 15 minutes. Let them cool down after baking. They should be a bit hard and crumbly.

[Di2011]

Oh my I have missed my Indonesian foods. Do you cook Rendang? We have a great brand here Ayam who seem to have a good/reliable gluten free range so I am going to get a bit adventurous. Yummo

There are a few products (gluten I've presumed, but look yummy) on our Aussie supermarket shelves that look like your Kruidnoten. Not sure what they are called though so will check next time I'm at the store.

[Ellie84]

Oh my I have missed my Indonesian foods. Do you cook Rendang? We have a great brand here Ayam who seem to have a good/reliable gluten free range so I am going to get a bit adventurous. Yummo

I've never cooked Rendang before, it's a beef stew, right? I'll try and find a good recipe

[Di2011]

Rendang has loads of fresh spices and slow ((very slow and long)) cooked beef (although Indonesians would originally and often still now use kerbau - buffalo). Indonesian versions tend to be pretty hot/spicy.

Some of our Aussie supermarkets have Rendang spice mix but not sure if Gluten Free - I haven't been brave enough yet with having to restrict my diet.

You really have inspired me to get back to some basics to add flavour. Thanks Ellie

[Di2011]

Open Original Shared Link

This one looks pretty good. You could replace the caramel soy sauce with maple syrup/brown sugar/golden syrup (or equivalent) and some salt (or alternative salty ingredient).

Open Original Shared Link - also seems okay

If you can find a good pre-made gluten-free mix you should try it.

We have a brand here called Ayam: Open Original Shared Link

They seem to be commited to the gluten free testing etc and couple of other Aussies on this forum have said they use the Gluten free products without issue.

How much would I love a bowl of rendang and a tub of those Dutch fries and mayo right now.

[Ellie84]

Kerststol

Christmas bread with dried fruits, nuts and a center of almond paste. Delicious with a good butter or you can spread the almond paste across the slice. Here's a pic: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestand:Kerststol_met_amandelspijs.webp

And here's the recipe (from Dutch celiac forum)

Dried fruits:

50 gr raisins

50 gr currents

Shot glass of rum or orange liquor (optional, alcohol bakes out during baking)

Stuffing:

300 gr almond paste

1 egg

Dough:

450 to 500 grams of gluten-free all purpose flour

35 gr of baking powder

500 gr of creamy quark (without flavourings or sugar)

5 tablespoons of dark brown sugar

8 gr vanilla sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

5 eggs

½ teaspoon cardamompowder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

3-4 tablespoons of succade (candied fruit peels, optional)

3-4 tablespoons of chopped almonds or hazelnuts (optional)

On top of the bread:

3-4 tablespoons of almond shavings (optional)

Tools:

Large bread baking form, greased or covered with baking paper or teflon inlay

Preparation:

Put the dried fruits in a bowl with the liquor and let them absorb the fluid.

In another bowl put the almond paste and an egg. Mix them together until you have a creamy mixture and make a roll out of it. The roll should be an inch shorter than your baking form.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (356 F).

Mix all the ingredients for the dough. Drain the dried fruits and add them to the mixture. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Put one of them in the bread form. Put the almond paste roll on it, leaving half an inch on each side free. Put the remaining dough in and flatten the top. Put almond shavings on top (optional).

Bake for 60-75 minutes in preheated oven. If the top of the bread becomes too dark, put tin foil on top of it.

[Marilyn R]

Your recipe sounds absolutely fabulous! Thank you for posting.

We don't have quark in the states, but I read on Wikipedia (not always a good source) that you can substitute cottage cheese mixed with sour cream. Do you think that would work? If so, what ratio would you use?

By the way, all of my grandparents came from the Netherlands and I am loving your posts so much.

[Ellie84]

Your recipe sounds absolutely fabulous! Thank you for posting.

We don't have quark in the states, but I read on Wikipedia (not always a good source) that you can substitute cottage cheese mixed with sour cream. Do you think that would work? If so, what ratio would you use?

By the way, all of my grandparents came from the Netherlands and I am loving your posts so much.

Thank you I'm just proud of my heritage and I'd like to show people how to cook tasty things from scratch. The Dutch kitchen is full of simple and cheap ingredients.

Nice to hear that your grandparents came from here. You've got a heritage to be proud of Have you ever visited the Netherlands? If you plan to do so, give me a sign.

Quark is similar to cottage cheese, although cottage cheese contains rennet to curdle it. I'm not sure how this will taste after baking, but I doubt it will be suitable for sweet baking. If you don't have access to quark try to buy a thick creamy yoghurt. If there's only thin yoghurt available you can drain it to make "hangop", another Dutch traditional dish. Hangop is made by literally hanging up the yoghurt. Take a finely woven clean teacloth and make it wet. Hang it over a bowl and pour the yoghurt in, leave it to hang overnight in a cold space (cellar/storage room). This will drain fluid out of the yoghurt and make it thicker, more like quark.

[Ellie84]

Hachee

Hachee (ha-shay) is a dish from stewed beef, traditionally accompanied by cooked potatoes and cooked red cabbage or applesauce. The hachee is used to bring flavour to potatoes, much like gravy would. Only this gravy contains beef so soft it nearly falls apart in your mouth. Open Original Shared Link

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 kg of beef

4 large onions, coarsely chopped

20 gr of hachee spice mix, see recipe above

butter to bake in

Tools: large kettle with thick sides and lid

Recipe:

Cut the beef into cubes, mix it in a bowl with the spicemix and let it settle for a short while. Heat butter in the kettle and bake the beef in it until it is brown on all sides. Turn the fire low, slowly add 100 mL of very hot water. Cold water will "scare" the meat and makes it tough. Put a lid on the kettle and leave the hachee to simmer gently for 1,5 hours on the smallest burner of your stove. After that, add the onions and let simmer for half and hour. Enjoy!

[Ellie84]

Kletskoppen

Kletskoppen or "chatterboxes" are one of the noisiest cookies to eat. A guaranteed success with the kids These are gluten-free and egg-free.

This page contains a picture of baked kletskoppen: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestand:Kletskoppen.webp

And this is how you make them:

Ingredients for 50 cookies:

- 50 g blanched almonds or hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

- 125 g dark brown sugar

-

[Ellie84]

Oliebollen

The new year will arrive soon, and with that the tradition of New Year's Eve. People in the low countries will start to bake oliebollen again. Oliebollen are traditional flour dumplings, usually filled with raisins. These are deep-fried and eaten with powdered sugar.

This tradition comes from the pre-christian age in which Germanic tribes ruled the north and east of the Netherlands. (The rest of the country, everything underneath the rivers Rhine and Meuse was taken by Romans.) The Germanic tribes had a nature-based religion involving many gods, spirits and non-human creatures. In the darkest days of winter wicked things happened. The goddess Perchta would fly through the skies with evil spirits. To appease these spirits, food was offered, much of which contained deep-fried dough. It was said Perchta would try to cut open the bellies of all she came across, but because of the fat in the oliebollen, her sword would slide off the body of whoever ate them.

So please be safe and remember to eat your oliebollen guys! This is how you make them:

Recipe from Dutch Coeliac forum.

You may want to bake these oliebollen outside, because you'll have to deep-fry them. The fryer will be on for a long time.

Ingredients for a lot of oliebollen (30-40)

1 kg all purpose gluten-free flour

2 eggs

22 gr dried yeast

2 tablespoons fiberhusk

1 lt lukewarm milk

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 lt carbonated water

200 gr raisins and 200 gr currents (put them in hot water before use and let them soak for a while)

Powdered sugar for serving

Tools:

Deep fryer

Oil for frying, sunflower seed oil is used most often. (Don't use fat as it will solidify on the oliebollen when they cool. It will give a greasy layer on them and this is not tasty at all...)

Clean bucket or very large bowl

Large ice cream scoop (needs to look like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kitchen-Scooper-Large.webp)

Clean teacloth

Large wooden spoon for mixing

Recipe:

Put half of the milk into a large mixing bowl or clean bucket. Add the flour in small portions and mix well. Also add the fiberhusk and the yeast. When all is equally mixed, add the rest of the milk, the salt and the carbonated water. Mix well again. Drain the raisin/current mix and add them to the dough. Mix again. Cover the bowl or bucket with a teacloth and put it in a warm place, let the dough rise for an hour.

After this hour heat up the oil in the fryer to 180 C (350 F). Dip the ice cream scoop in a large glass of water and scoop a ball of dough into the fryer. Dip the scoop in the water again to prevent sticking and scoop more balls of dough into the fryer. Don't put too many balls in simultaneously, because they might stick. The oliebollen will turn themselves while baking, this is a fun sight. Bake the oliebollen for 5 to 8 minutes depending on their size, taste one to check if it has been cooked well. It should be soft but not sticky on the inside.

Bake the rest of the oliebollen. Serve them covered in powdered sugar. Happy new year!