Boerenkool Stamppot (mashed potatoes with kale and smoked sausage)

the isn't so much a recipe as notes for next time, it came out delicious but we didn't measure anything LOL

the traditional method is to put cut-up potatoes and then kale in a large pot, and place rookworst (smoked sausage) on top.  then the whole pot is cooked at length all together.  We decided to keep the potatoes and kale separate since we weren't sure how it would go over with the kids (or grownups :)

the kale (a large bunch) was washed and finely shredded
1/2 lb of bacon was crisped in one pan while a chopped onion was browned in butter in a large skillet.  once the onion was nicely brown, I added the kale and crumbled bacon.
I covered the skillet and let it cook for a few minutes at medium heat, then turned it off for a while

we got small gold potatoes which we cooked whole with skins until soft but not mushy.  after they were done they were mashed with butter, milk, and mayonnaise, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

when the potatoes were done we turned the kale skillet back on, placing the smoke sausage on top and replacing the lid.  after a few minutes the sausage was heated (was pre-cooked) and the kale mixture ready.

to serve, take a scoop of mashed potatoes and add a scoop of kale mixture and stir together with pieces of sausage.  delicious!  (lekker :)

(this particular picture shows more bacon and onion than kale itself - this was all that was left for poor Jeff to eat ;)

Chocolade Vla

Chocolade Vla

2 1/2 cups milk
3 T corn starch
3 T sugar
2 egg yolks
2 oz dark chocolate

gently heat milk in heavy sauce pan over low-medium heat, stirring frequently.

melt chocolate in microwave: add tbsp of warm milk and heat for 1:30 at 50%.  stir until smooth (melting for another 0:30 at 50% if necessary), add more warm milk and stir until smooth again.

mix cornstarch, sugar, and egg yolks until smooth paste

before milk starts boiling, turn off heat under milk.
slowly add hot milk, a tablespoon at a time, to egg mixture, stirring continuously
(this keeps the eggs from being cooked by the milk if the temp change is too rapid)

once you've roughly doubled the volume of the egg mixture, it should be warm enough

add the chocolate mixture to the pan of milk, stir thoroughly until looks like chocolate milk.
pour the egg mixture into the pan of milk.  warm until almost boiling, stirring constantly
this will only take a few minutes, stop when the custard has thickened noticeably.
pour custard into container and cover with plastic wrap.
cool for several hours or overnight for best taste!

chocolade vla and vanille vla

traditionally two flavors are poured into a bowl simultaneously, so the vanilla would be on one side and the chocolate on the other.  enjoy!

recipe: Vla!

my husband has only been to Holland once, in 1999, but he still drools at the thought of vla, which is extremely difficult to find here.  This version is finally about right, though I haven't had it since 1999 either, so our memory of it may not be that reliable :)

Vanilla Vla (Dutch custard, sold in carton in refrigerated section of grocery store in all flavors)

2 1/2 cups milk
3 T corn starch
3 T sugar
2 egg yolks
1 T alcohol-free vanilla extract (regular kind may be fine too, but original recipe called for so much that you could actually taste the alcohol, ick!)

gently heat milk in heavy sauce pan over low-medium heat, stirring frequently.

mix cornstarch, sugar, and egg yolks until smooth paste.  add vanilla extract and stir
before milk starts boiling, turn off heat under milk.
slowly add hot milk, a tablespoon at a time, to egg mixture, stirring continuously
(this keeps the eggs from being cooked by the milk if the temp change is too rapid)

once you've roughly doubled the volume of the egg mixture, it should be warm enough
pour the egg mixture into the pan of milk.  warm until almost boiling, stirring constantly
this will only take a few minutes, stop when the custard has thickened noticeably.
pour custard into container and cover with plastic wrap.
cool for several hours or overnight for best taste!


traditionally this is served for desert with fruit or chocolate sprinkles (fruchtenhagel, hagelslag), mixed half-and-half with plain yogurt, or with a drizzle of fruit syrup (rozenbottel, black currant)

6 medium and 24 mini pannekoeken later...

Each year, the local elementary school has a Multicultural Festival, and my oldest asks me to make pannekoeken for the class.  I've just finished making 6 medium-sized and 24 mini-sized spek (bacon) pannekoeken.  Here's the recipe I used:

his adaptation came out pretty close to how I remember them, though I think I'd like them even better if some of the white flour were replaced with a heartier flour.  This time I made mini pancakes (totally against the spirit of pannekoeken, which are supposed to be plate sized, but much more practical for sharing at school) but I'll write the recipe for conventional size.

Pannekoeken (pawn uh kooh kuh)

1 lb bacon, cut into small pieces

3 cups all purpose flour

4 1/2 t baking powder

1 1/2 t salt

5 cups milk

2 eggs

6 T butter (salted), melted

Fry bacon in pan until browned but not too crisp.  Empty into small bowl (with grease)

In large bowl, sift together dry ingredients.

Add 3 cups milk and eggs, stir until smooth.

Add 2 cups milk and melted butter, stir until even.  batter will be quite thin

Heat non-stick frying pan.  Scatter a spoonful of bacon pieces and some bacon grease into skillet.

Add small amount of batter and swirl around pan to reach to edges

Cook until top stops looking shiny, flip and cook briefly on the other side.  Pannekoeken should be light brown (darker than breakfast pancakes).

Remove to hot plate and cover with damp paper towel or let people eat as they are ready!

Serve with stroop drizzled over top.  You can roll up and cut into slices or just cut into bite-size pieces.

Stroop (syrup served with pancakes in Holland is different than what is sold here)

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

3 T dark brown sugar

1 T molasses

Put all in a pyrex and heat in microwave for a minute to dissolve sugar.  Stir thoroughly.  It will become quite thick and sticky once cooled.  Because it's all sugar, leftovers should keep for a long time in fridge or freezer.