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	16. Belgium “Belgium, a country in Western Europe, is known for medieval towns, Renaissance architecture and as headquarters of the European Union and NATO. The country has distinctive regions including Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north, French-speaking Wallonia to the south and a German-speaking community to the east. The bilingual capital, Brussels, has ornate guildhalls at Grand-Place and elegant art-nouveau buildings.” ―Google The dishes we made: Belgian Chicken Waterzooi (stew), Belgian-Style Frites, Carbonnade A La Flamande (Steak and Ale Stew) and Tartiflette. Belgian Chicken Waterzooi (or replace with fish/Shellfish) VERY, VERY Good! A traditional Flemish dish from Ghent, Belgium, it may be prepared for everyday dinners with chicken, and as a splurge, with shellfish. However, a long time ago fish was the chosen protein. 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 tsp olive oil 2 lbs Chicken breasts, chopped OR White Fish (like Haddock, Cod, …) 3 large shallots, minced 3 large leeks, sliced 1 large bulb fennel, julienned 2 stalks celery, sliced 2 carrots, julienned 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 4 cups chicken stock 1 cup Belgian-style tripel or Belgian-style golden strong ale 2 bay leaves 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, minced Sauté chicken in stew pot. Let chicken brown 3 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Add shallots and cook 3 minutes. Add sliced leeks and fennel and cook 3 minutes or until leeks turn soft. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, stock, beer, bay leaves, thyme, and cream, bringing mixture to a simmer. Cover and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Do not bring to a boil, just a light simmer, or cream will curdle. Remove bay leaves before serving. Ladle Waterzooi into warm bowls and garnish with parsley. Belgian-Style Frites VERY, VERY Good! 3 to 4 cups vegetable oil for frying 2 pounds Idaho or russet baking potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, rinsed and dried salt to taste Pour enough oil into a deep fryer to reach at least halfway up the sides of the pan but not more than three-quarters of the way up. Heat the oil to 325°F. Cut the potatoes into sticks 1/2 inch wide and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Dry all the pieces thoroughly in a clean dish towel. This will keep the oil from splattering. Divide the potato sticks into batches of no more than 1 cup each. Do not fry more than one batch at a time. When the oil has reached the desired temperature, fry the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes per batch. They should be lightly colored but not browned. If your fryer has a basket, simply lift it out the remove the fried potatoes. Otherwise, use a long-handled skimmer to lift out the potatoes. Be sure to bring the temperature of the oil back to 325°F in between batches. At this point the fries can rest for several hours at room temperature until you are almost ready to serve them. Heat the oil to 325°F. Fry the potatoes in 1-cup batches until they are nicely browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on fresh paper towels or brown paper bags and place in a warmed serving bowl lined with more paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve. Never cover the potatoes to keep them hot as they will immediately turn soft and limp. If you are inclined to perfectionism, leave some potatoes to fry halfway through the meal so you can serve them crisp and piping hot. Carbonnade Flamande (Beef and Beer Stew) VERY, VERY, VERY Good! Chuck Roast, trimmed and cut into stew cubes 2 (11.2oz) bottles of Flemish Sour Ale * 4 slices of bacon, diced 3 medium onions, sliced 3 cloves of garlic 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups beef broth 2 bay leaves 4 springs of fresh thyme 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard 1 Cup chopped parsley plus more to garnish Salt and pepper to taste Marinate the beef with the beer, the garlic, the bay leaves and a pinch of salt for at least two hours, or overnight. Drain the beef and reserve the marinade. Pat dry the beef with paper towels. In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil until piping hot. Fry the beef in batches, until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the beef cubes and reserve. In the same dutch oven, fry the bacon until golden and crisp. Reserve with the beef. Add the onions, a pinch of salt and fry in the bacon grease, until caramelized (around 10 minutes). Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes until the flour is cooked and the onions are coated. Add the beef broth and scrape the bits stuck in the bottom. Add the reserved marinade, the beef, the bacon and the thyme. Cook for 1.5 hours. Add the brown sugar, the parsley, some fresh pepper and the mustard. Cook for 30 minutes. Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top and serve with fries. * Cherry beer/ dark table beer/ Westmalle dubbel (dark) Tartiflette (Susie) VERY, VERY, VERY Good! This dish is recreated from one we got from a street vendor in Ghent a few years back. 2 1/2 lb Potatoes, peeled 1/2 lb Pancetta, cut in small dice 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 3/4 cup dry White Wine Salt Pepper 1 lb Reblochon-style Cheese, sliced or Raclette Dried Parsley Milk or Cream Pre-cook potatoes by boiling until soft, dice, set aside. In the sauté pan, cook the pancetta over high heat until browned. Drain, leaving 1 tablespoon of fat in the skillet and add the onion. Cook over moderately high heat for about 5 minutes until golden brown then add wine and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes, cheese, parsley and some milk or cream to add a bit of liquid to the dish and make smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot. * Substitutes for reblochon: gruyère, taleggio, fontina, raclette cheese or perhaps a ripe camembert or munster (every soft and easily melting cheese will do). In Portugal, amanteigado cheese will be great but the best substitute for reblochon is certainly queijo da Serra.

16. Belgium
“Belgium, a country in Western Europe, is known for medieval towns, Renaissance architecture and as headquarters of the European Union and NATO. The country has distinctive regions including Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north, French-speaking Wallonia to the south and a German-speaking community to the east. The bilingual capital, Brussels, has ornate guildhalls at Grand-Place and elegant art-nouveau buildings.” ―Google

The dishes we made:
Belgian Chicken Waterzooi (stew), Belgian-Style Frites, Carbonnade A La Flamande (Steak and Ale Stew) and Tartiflette.

Belgian Chicken Waterzooi (or replace with fish/Shellfish) VERY, VERY Good!
A traditional Flemish dish from Ghent, Belgium, it may be prepared for everyday dinners with chicken, and as a splurge, with shellfish. However, a long time ago fish was the chosen protein.

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp olive oil
2 lbs Chicken breasts, chopped OR White Fish (like Haddock, Cod, …)
3 large shallots, minced
3 large leeks, sliced
1 large bulb fennel, julienned
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 carrots, julienned
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup Belgian-style tripel or Belgian-style golden strong ale
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, minced

Sauté chicken in stew pot.
Let chicken brown 3 minutes, then reduce heat to low.
Add shallots and cook 3 minutes.
Add sliced leeks and fennel and cook 3 minutes or until leeks turn soft.
Add carrots, celery, potatoes, stock, beer, bay leaves, thyme, and cream, bringing mixture to a simmer.
Cover and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
Do not bring to a boil, just a light simmer, or cream will curdle.
Remove bay leaves before serving.
Ladle Waterzooi into warm bowls and garnish with parsley.

Belgian-Style Frites VERY, VERY Good!
3 to 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
2 pounds Idaho or russet baking potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, rinsed and dried
salt to taste

Pour enough oil into a deep fryer to reach at least halfway up the sides of the pan but not more than three-quarters of the way up. Heat the oil to 325°F.
Cut the potatoes into sticks 1/2 inch wide and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long.
Dry all the pieces thoroughly in a clean dish towel.
This will keep the oil from splattering. Divide the potato sticks into batches of no more than 1 cup each.
Do not fry more than one batch at a time.
When the oil has reached the desired temperature, fry the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes per batch.
They should be lightly colored but not browned.
If your fryer has a basket, simply lift it out the remove the fried potatoes.
Otherwise, use a long-handled skimmer to lift out the potatoes.
Be sure to bring the temperature of the oil back to 325°F in between batches.
At this point the fries can rest for several hours at room temperature until you are almost ready to serve them.
Heat the oil to 325°F.
Fry the potatoes in 1-cup batches until they are nicely browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes.
Drain on fresh paper towels or brown paper bags and place in a warmed serving bowl lined with more paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve.
Never cover the potatoes to keep them hot as they will immediately turn soft and limp.
If you are inclined to perfectionism, leave some potatoes to fry halfway through the meal so you can serve them crisp and piping hot.

Carbonnade Flamande (Beef and Beer Stew) VERY, VERY, VERY Good!
Chuck Roast, trimmed and cut into stew cubes
2 (11.2oz) bottles of Flemish Sour Ale *
4 slices of bacon, diced
3 medium onions, sliced
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
4 springs of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 Cup chopped parsley plus more to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Marinate the beef with the beer, the garlic, the bay leaves and a pinch of salt for at least two hours, or overnight.
Drain the beef and reserve the marinade. Pat dry the beef with paper towels.
In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil until piping hot. Fry the beef in batches, until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the beef cubes and reserve.
In the same dutch oven, fry the bacon until golden and crisp. Reserve with the beef.
Add the onions, a pinch of salt and fry in the bacon grease, until caramelized (around 10 minutes).
Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes until the flour is cooked and the onions are coated.
Add the beef broth and scrape the bits stuck in the bottom. Add the reserved marinade, the beef, the bacon and the thyme.
Cook for 1.5 hours.
Add the brown sugar, the parsley, some fresh pepper and the mustard. Cook for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top and serve with fries.
* Cherry beer/ dark table beer/ Westmalle dubbel (dark)

Tartiflette (Susie) VERY, VERY, VERY Good!
This dish is recreated from one we got from a street vendor in Ghent a few years back.

2 1/2 lb Potatoes, peeled
1/2 lb Pancetta, cut in small dice
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry White Wine
Salt
Pepper
1 lb Reblochon-style Cheese, sliced or Raclette
Dried Parsley
Milk or Cream

Pre-cook potatoes by boiling until soft, dice, set aside.
In the sauté pan, cook the pancetta over high heat until browned.
Drain, leaving 1 tablespoon of fat in the skillet and add the onion.
Cook over moderately high heat for about 5 minutes until golden brown then add wine and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the potatoes, cheese, parsley and some milk or cream to add a bit of liquid to the dish and make smooth and creamy.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve hot.

* Substitutes for reblochon: gruyère, taleggio, fontina, raclette cheese or perhaps a ripe camembert or munster (every soft and easily melting cheese will do). In Portugal, amanteigado cheese will be great but the best substitute for reblochon is certainly queijo da Serra.

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