Typical Dutch food and snacks. (Volume 1)

In this series I'm going to take you on a culinary journey through the Dutch kitchen. Some dishes can also be found in other countries but their origin is Dutch. I will cover one food recipe and one snack in each episode. 

HUTSPOT.

Hutspot is a lovely genuine Dutch stew of carrots, onions and potatoes. If you're looking for a dish that is tasty but also very healthy, than hutspot is definitely recommended. The sweet taste of the carrots makes dish is also very popular with children. Hutspot is often served during the cold winter days

INGREDIENTS (4 PEOPLE)

1 kg of potatoes
1 kg of carrots
500 gr onion
2 smoked sausages
200 gr diced bacon
100 gr butter
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Peel the potatoes, grate the carrots and clean the onion and cut everything into approximately equal pieces. Put them all together in a pan, together with the smoked sausages, with already boiling water and let the potatoes and vegetables simmer for about 20-30 minutes. 

Fry the bacon until it is crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and keep the cooking juices warm so you can use it as gravy when the dish is done. 

Drain the vegetables and take the sausages out and put them on a plate, add the butter into the vegetables and grind it finely. After grinding put salt and pepper on to your own taste. ( I prefer a strong pepper taste) Now you slice the sausages and put the Hutspot on a plate, decorate with the sausage and drizzle the gravy over the hutspot. 

Extra information: I cook the smoked sausages with the vegetables in one pan to get a bit of the Smokey taste in my dish but you can also cook them as said on the package of the sausage in a different pan. 

Things you can add to the side: Pickles, pearl onions.

Complimenting wine: *Valpolicella Valpantena -  Corte Figareto 

                    *Saint Amour, Domaine des Duc.

APPELFLAPPEN.

Appelflappen or in English, apple turnovers, is the name for a type of pastry. The apple turnover is made of puff pastry, is triangular in shape and filled with a mixture of diced apple and cinnamon, possibly with marzipan grapes and / or raisins. During or immediately after baking, you can sprinkle sugar on apple turnover.

Recipe for 10 appelflappen

Time: 15 min + 20 min in the oven..

Ingredients:

2 apples ( Sweet)
10 puff pastry (thawed)
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp sugar + extra sugar
A hand full of raisins if you want to add something extra.
little bit if milk or 1 egg

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees or 392 Fahrenheit. 

Peel the apples and cut into small cubes. Put them in a bowl and season them with the cinnamon, sugar and put in the raisins. Mix them well together.

Put one or two spoons of the apple mixture on a slice of puff pastry, in the middle and fold it into a triangle. Push the pastry closed using a fork to get a nice decoration after baking and it makes sure it will not leak. 

Brush some milk or beaten egg on top and cover it with some sugar. Bake them for 15 min + 20 min in the oven..Keep your eyes on them and take them out when you find them brown enough.
Use HEAT, don't be scared to bake at a high temperature, puff pastry needs it!!!

Take them out and let them cool at least a bit before you take a bite! You can eat them warm or cold. 

Serving tips: You can serve them warm with a ball of vanilla ice and some whipped cream as desert. 

If you try to make one of the recipes shared please let us all know the outcome!