Rode Kool Stamppot

Red cabbage, that wonderful red-almost-purple vegetable bowling ball, belongs (together with white cabbage, Savoy cabbage, and pointed head cabbage) to a variety called "sluitkool", or head cabbages. Head cabbage is a general collective name for those cabbages whose leaves are so densely packed that they more or less form a 'head'. Other types like bladkool, leaf cabbage, would be kale, boerenkool, farmer's cabbage.

In the Netherlands, cultivation traditionally takes place in North Holland. This reflects back in the names of vintage or heirloom varieties: Langedijker Allervroegtste, Langedijker Herfst, and Langedijker Bewaar. This is also where 60% of the Dutch red cabbage acreage is located, but cultivation also takes place in South Holland, Limburg, and North Brabant. 

The variety of cabbages in the Netherlands is high, and one can find several types sold at greengrocers or vegetable stores at the same time. The top ten most popular cabbage varieties are: 

• Witte kool (white/green cabbage)
• Rode kool (red cabbage)
• Boerenkool (farmer's cabbage = kale)
• Spruitjes (Brussels sprouts)
• Bloemkool (cauliflower)
• Savooiekool (Savoy cabbage)
• Spitskool (pointed head cabbage)
• Chinese kool (Chinese cabbage, Napa cabbage)
• Paksoi
• Broccoli

Of the head cabbages, the two types that are most easily found are the white (often called green) and the red. Both can be used raw by shredding it for salads, fermented as in zuurkool (sauerkraut) or kimchi, and in a variety of hot dishes. White/green cabbage is very flavorful as creamed cabbage, and red is great stewed with apples or pears, and a little splash of vinegar to maintain the color. 

Cabbages are also great for making a stamppot, that ultimate Dutch comfort food: mashed potatoes (or cauliflower if you're going low-carb) and vegetables. The combination of slightly salty, fluffy potatoes and the various flavors that the vegetables contribute, make each stamppot delicious. Is it pretty food? No, but it's at the heart of many as our typical, traditional winter food, like a warm embrace. 

Rodekoolstamppot pairs well with beef stews, rabbit, or pork, like slavinken. Don't feel like cooking the cabbage? There are several commercial varieties of red cabbage with apple out there which will make this dish even quicker to prepare! 

Rodekoolstamppot

2 lbs red cabbage

1 small apple

4 bay leaves

3 whole cloves

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 lbs potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

Peel the outer, tough leaves off the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half, then each half in half again. This will give you an easy opportunity to cut out the core which is tough and bitter. Slice each quarter into thin strips. Rinse the cabbage and add to a pan with a heavy bottom. 

Add enough water to cover the cabbage about halfway, and set it on the stove. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, cover and bring to a slow boil. Stir in the vinegar, add the sugar, stir and cover again. Turn down the heat to a simmer. Let it slowly braise on the back of the stove, for a good half hour.

In the meantime, peel, core and quarter your apple. Stick the three cloves in the largest piece of apple before adding them to the pan, and slowly simmer until the apple is soft. Remove the cabbage and apple from the pan until you only have the braising liquid left. Fish out the bay leaves and the cinnamon stick, and pick the cloves off the apple. 

Make a slurry with the cornstarch (one tablespoon of water to one tablespoon cornstarch). Bring the cooking liquid back up to a boil, and stir in the slurry. At first it will color the liquid pink but as the cornstarch absorbs the water, it will clear up. Continue to stir until the sauce has thickened.  Add the cabbage and apple mix back into the pan, stir a couple of times to mix the sauce with the vegetables and turn off the heat. Taste, adjust with salt and pepper. If you like it sweeter or tangier, add a bit more sugar or vinegar. 

Set the red cabbage aside to cool. Peel the potatoes, quarter them and boil them until they're cooked. Drain the potatoes, but reserve 1/4 cup (60 ml) cooking water. Turn the heat to low, and put the pan back on the stove. Add the red cabbage to the potatoes (maybe drain first if you have a lot of liquid). Mash the potatoes together with the red cabbage. If the stamppot is too dry, stir in a tablespoon of cooking liquid at a time. End with folding in the two tablespoons of butter. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. 

Serve hot.  

Bloemkoolgratin

We're still in the clutches of winter, and the need for comfort food is high. I am starting to get the garden ready, doing an initial and careful cleanup from last season's growth, careful not to bother any sleeping bees, bugs, or other beneficial critters. After spending a couple of hours outside (there is always something to do!) I long to come inside where it's warm and cozy. There is something special about that tingle in your hands and cheeks, when the skin is adjusting to different temperatures! 

One of the dishes that often appears on the table during this time is vegetable gratins, like today's dish. Sometimes they're made from scratch, but most often they are made with the potatoes, meat, and vegetables that were left over from the day before. Being wasteful with food is not in our DNA, and making new dishes out of, if you will, leftovers, is practically an unclaimed national sport!  

Boiled, braised, or steamed vegetables are arranged in an oven dish, sometimes over slices of boiled potato, sometimes with browned ground beef or no meat at all, and covered with a coat of breadcrumbs and butter. If the food is already heated up, like today's, it only takes about a ten to fifteen minutes to get the gratin crispy and golden, just time enough to set the table. If everything is cold, it may take up to 30 minutes. In that case you may want to cover the gratin for the last ten minutes so that it doesn't burn. 

Bloemkoolgratin

2 lbs (1 kg) cauliflower, rinsed and broken into florets

5 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

For the sauce

4 tablespoons (50 grams) butter

1/3 cup (50 grams) flour*

2 cups (500 ml) milk or cooking liquid

1 cup (113 grams) cheese**, shredded

Salt, white pepper, nutmeg

For the gratin

1/2 cup breadcrumbs or Panko. 

4 tablespoons (55 grams) butter, divided

Bring the water to a boil, salt, and add the cauliflower. Boil at medium heat for about fifteen minutes, then check to see if the texture is to your liking: the longer you cook it, the softer it gets. 

When it's the right texture, drain the cauliflower, but save the water, and measure out two cups (500 ml). (Don't discard the rest of the cooking water if you are planning on making soup with the leftovers). Put the empty cooking pot back on the stove, and in it, melt the butter (do not brown) for the sauce. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour until the two have come together as a paste, and slowly add the two cups of milk or cooking liquid, while stirring. Keep stirring until the lumps are gone and the sauce has thickened and is hot. Fold in half of the cheese. Bring up to taste with salt and pepper and if desired, a pinch of nutmeg. 

Add the cauliflower back into the pot with the sauce, stir once or twice so that the vegetable is covered with the sauce. 

Heat the oven to 375F/190C. Butter a baking dish (8 x 11 inches/20 x 28 cm) with a little bit of the butter for the gratin, and pour in the hot cauliflower. Give the baking dish one or two shakes so that the contents distribute evenly over the dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the rest of the cheese, and sprinkle it over the cauliflower. Cut the rest of the butter in small pats or strips and place them strategically on the breadcrumbs. Set the baking dish on the middle rack of the hot oven, and bake for ten to twelve minutes, or until the butter has melted and the breadcrumbs are golden. If you want, you can finish the dish under the broiler during the last minute or so - the melted butter will brown the breadcrumbs nicely - but do not walk away as it will burn quickly. 

Serve with boiled potatoes and gehaktballen, meatballs, or braadworst, bratwurst. A side of appelmoes, applesauce, is also tasty. This dish lends itself perfectly for a typical Dutch practice: prakken. :-)

*If you would rather not use flour, use cornstarch to make a slurry and bind the sauce.

** Use a sharp cheese, like mature cheddar, Gouda or pepperjack cheese. 

Speculaaskruiden

Speculaaskruiden, speculaas spice mix, are a traditional Dutch spice mix used to make our famous speculaas cookies, a traditional treat during the year with a cup of coffee or tea, or as a bread topping (don't judge! LOL). Speculaaskruiden are also widely used during the winter months, especially around Sinterklaas celebrations and the holiday season for other types of bakes. 

Its warm and aromatic blend reflects centuries of Dutch culinary tradition and trade history. The origins of speculaaskruiden are a product of the spice trade that flourished in the Netherlands during the Golden Age (17th century). Dutch merchants through the Dutch East India Company (VOC), brought spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger from Asia. These exotic spices became integral to Dutch baking, particularly for festive treats as they are fairly expensive, either on their own, or combined in a speculaaskruidenmix.  

Speculaaskruiden are a blend of warming spices, with recipes varying slightly depending on personal preferences. The basic composition includes: cinnamon (the dominant flavor), cloves, nutmeg, mace, ginger, and sometimes cardamom and/or white pepper. Cinnamon constitutes the largest portion, giving the mix its characteristic sweet warmth. Some will use anise or coriander. 

While speculaaskruiden are best known for their role in speculaas bakes, such as gevulde speculaas, and speculaascake, it is versatile enough to also be used in other dishes and treats. Try a pinch of it in your coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, in oatmeal, in pancakes, or mixed in with butter for a sweet, buttery spread on your breakfast toast. You can also add a pinch to beef stews, meat pies, or roasted vegetables, such as butternut squash. 

Here’s a simple recipe for making your own speculaaskruiden blend at home. The proportions can be adjusted to suit your taste, but this version offers a balanced, traditional flavor. Having said that, everybody has a different preference. You may want to make a small quantity first (maybe 1 Tbsp cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon cloves, nutmeg, mace, and ginger, and 1/8 tsp cardamom and white pepper), and use it in a cookie recipe to see if you like the taste. It's easier to adjust and get exactly the taste you want. 

Can't be bothered or don't have the time? Amazon also sells speculaaskruiden, but we haven't tested them to see if the flavor gets close. When in a pinch, you could also use pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice. Read the ingredients list on each and adjust accordingly.

Homemade Speculaaskruiden Recipe

4 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground cloves
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground mace
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground white pepper (optional, for a mild kick)

Measure out all the spices into a small mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly to combine, ensuring there are no clumps. Store the blend in an airtight jar or container in a cool, dry place. It will keep its potency for up to 6 months.

Photo by Wouter Supardi Salari on Unsplash

Appelepap

Every now and then, I get down these rabbit trails that lead me to new and amazing discoveries. Today was one of those days, and I found not one, but two gems! Lately, I've been scouring books and magazines for additional apple recipes. My trees really put out a great crop this year, and I hate seeing food to go waste. 

While I was browsing the online inventory of the DBNL, the Digital Library for Dutch Literature, I ended up stumbling across a book called "Karel Knal en de wonderschoenen" from 1943, written by C.H. Geudeker and Herman Looman, and delicously illustrated by Uschi.  I got lost a little bit in the story about this young man, Carl, who wants to become an athlete while donning an interesting choice of footwear. In the story, he tells his coach that he wants to participate in every single race, to which his coach responds: "Je hebt bovendien nog nooit een 100 meter gelopen en een race over 10 kilometer evenmin. Ik kan je verzekeren, dat het geen van beide appelepap is!" ("Moreover, you have never run a 100 meters nor a 10 kilometer race. I can assure you that neither of them is apple porridge!")

Hold on a second! Appelepap? Apple porridge? What is this appelepap? I did some more digging, so let me tell you. Appelepap is/are two things: one, it's an expression used to describe something that is easy to do. Secondly, and far more interesting for all of us, it's an old-fashioned traditional Dutch dish, specifically from the province of Gelderland, eaten either as a hearty breakfast, or a dessert. Who knew? It appears to have been, or may still be, particularly popular in rural areas, where simple, hearty dishes were commonly made from ingredients readily available, like apples and dairy.

This particular version is made with apples, buttermilk, and a pinch of cinnamon, which creates a tasty combination of sweet and (slightly) sour - delicious! There are other versions that use milk (or you could use a nut milk), a handful of raisins, and flavored with a dusting of ground anise. I tried several combinations and, although a fan of anise, I liked the apple-buttermilk-cinnamon one the best. If you don't like or can eat apples, try it with pears (perepap) or cherries (kersepap). If you don't have buttermilk, make your own with one cup of regular milk and a tablespoon of vinegar: just stir and let it sit for five minutes until it starts to coagulate. And if you don't have fresh apples, just use canned apple sauce - it's all good! 

Appelepap

2 medium size apples (about 400 grams), peeled and cored

4 cups (1 liter) buttermilk

3/4 cup (100 gram) flour

1 Tablespoon sugar/honey/sugar substitute (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dice the apples, set two tablespoons of chopped apple aside, and add the rest to a saucepan with a little water. Bring up to a boil and cook into a chunky applesauce. In the meantime, mix the flour and the buttermilk together until there are no lumps. Stir in the buttermilk mixture with the warm applesauce in the pan and continue to stir, bringing it to a simmer. Don't let the buttermilk boil as it will curdle, so just keep stirring on low to medium heat for a good five minutes, or until the flour has thickened the porridge. When it's hot, take it off the stove and divide the porridge over four bowls. Split the remaining chopped apple over the porridge, and dust a little cinnamon over each bowl. Eat warm or cold. 

Drie-in-de-pan (met appel en rozijnen)

Drie-in-de-pan, three-in-the-pan, is a traditional Dutch dessert dish but to my shame I have to admit that I don't remember ever eating it. At first glance, they just looked like small pancakes, so in my overly practical mind I figured if I was making pancakes, I might as well make the big, cartwheel ones, and not mess around with making three little ones. Am I alone in this? 

Last night, looking through my cookbooks for apple recipes, I came across them again, tucked in between pannekoeken en wentelteefjes. It wasn't necessarily the recipe itself that drew me in, but a handwritten comment scribbled in the sideline by a former owner that said: "platte oliebol". Wait, what? Flat oliebol? Now you have my attention! I looked at the recipe again, and realized that the commenter was right: the batter had all the ingredients for oliebollen: flour, yeast, milk, and eggs. Well, fair enough, so do many other foods - so I decided to find out. 

Of course, I can't just follow instructions so I added chopped apple, raisins, and cinnamon to the recipe, but I think I'm sold. Although they are not as fluffy as oliebollen are on the inside, they are also much less greasy, which I guess is a good thing. 

These pancakes are thicker and heartier than regular Dutch pancakes and have a crispy exterior with a soft, fluffy inside. Drie-in-de-pan, so called because you make three at a time in the same pan, can be enjoyed as a sweet treat, usually served with powdered sugar, syrup, or even jam, but it can also be made with savory fillings (think ham and cheese, or bacon and cheese, or roasted vegetables, for example) for a hearty lunch or brunch. 

Now...don't get hung up on the number 3. If your pan is bigger and you can fit five, go for it. Call it Vijf-in-de-pan! Don't like apples and/or raisins? Try bananas instead, or just leave the fruit out altogether. There's no judgment here, just adjust the recipe to your liking. And if you don't eat them all, they freeze well and can be heated in the toaster. 

For portioning out the batter, I use an ice cream scoop about 2.5 inches (about 6 cm-ish) across that holds approx. 80 ml or 1/3 cup. I don't peel the apple because I like the red skin to shine through, but feel free to peel if you prefer. 

Makes approx. 8-9 little pancakes.

Drie-in-de-pan

1 3/4 cup (250 grams) flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp (5 grams) active dry yeast

1 cup (250 ml) milk, warm 

Pinch of cinnamon

1 Tablespoon sugar, optional

2 eggs

1/2 cup (50 grams) raisins

1 medium (5 oz/150 grams) apple

Butter for frying

Powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Mix the flour, salt, yeast, milk, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add sugar if using. Stir in the eggs and the raisins. Core the apple and chop into small pieces, and stir it into the batter, then cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes so that the yeast can do its work. 

Heat the butter in the pan and scoop the batter in equal amounts into the pan. Fry one side for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until it's golden brown, then flip over with a spatula and fry the other side. Keep them warm on a side plate under a towel or pan lid while you fry the others. 

Dust with powdered sugar just before serving (optional), and eat warm. These are also great topped with jam.