Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Exploring Belgium

Last week, I was away on business again, and found myself having to research Belgian food.  I've been fortunate in my life to explore Belgium as a teenager and two things stick in my memory bank on Belgian food: beer and waffles.

Unfortunately, this challenge isn't calling for either, or at least something I didn't call for.  I also was trying to be mindful of the new year's challenge for the boyfriend and I to shed some pounds.  Belgian food is uniquely different in that it is heavily influenced by the French, hence the debate between France and Belgium as to who "discovered" fries.  Honestly, it was the Belgians!  So if you remember the argument in the last decade that we abandon French fries because they were French, obviously it was bogus!  Freedom fries, seriously?!  In any event, Belgians take the reigns as top fry.  Also, Belgian food is influenced by the Germans.  Germans influence the Belgians by the amount of food they serve: A LOT.

So with the gourmet of French food and the quantity of German in mind, my quest to find the happy medium began.

Part of my quest this year was to also make sure I kept to fresh foods made finding a reasonable Belgian dish that much harder.

Introducing Celery Root and Potato Puree from Estel's Kitchen--Live 2 Eat!

Ingredients:

  • 1 celery root--peeled and cubed
  • 3 medium Idaho or russet baking potatoes--peeled and cubed
  • 1 c of milk
  • 1 Tbs of salt
  • 3 or 4 Tbs unsalted butter--at room temperature
  • 3 Tbs heavy cream or additional milk
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Procedures
  1. In a large saucepan, combine celery root, potatoes, 1 cup of milk, 1 Tablespoon of salt, and enough cold water to cover the vegetable
  2. Cover partially and cook over medium heat until the potatoes and celery root are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain
  3. Press the celery root and potato through a food mill or potato ricer into a large mixing bowl.  Use a wooden spoon to beat in the butter and cream
  4. Beat until the mixture is very light and fluffy.  Season generously with salt, pepper and nutmeg
  5. The puree can be kept warm in 150°F oven for up to 2 hours
I paired this side dish with a roasted chicken from Thomas Keller (owner of the French Laundry) and sauteed carrots.  All and all, it has been a great jumping off point dish. When I bought the chicken, I didn't realize there were bagged gibbets included!  As a result, I am going to attempt the other dish I was thinking of prior to the Celery Root and Potato Puree; Chicken Liver Mousse.

Next week, we will explore the year 1908 with the Inglenook Cook Book.

Correction: Apparently the dish from last week is not the New Wiggle Shrimp.  It was misnamed and is actually, New Shrimp Wiggle.

1 comment:

  1. Excellent post! I had a hard time looking for some helpful Belgium Travel Tips as I recently got my Visa for Belgium. That is when one of my colleagues shared this blog. The insightful tips and tourist attractions that you shared in your blog have helped me to prepare my travel itinerary in the best way possible. Now, all that remains is for me to visit Belgium and experience the best that the charming country has to offer.

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