NETHERLAND’S
DUTCH APPLE PIE
Recipes for Dutch apple pie go back to the Middle Ages. An early Dutch language cookbook from 1514, "A notable little cookery book", documents a recipe for Appeltaerten (modern Dutch Appeltaarten 'apple pies'). This early recipe was simple, requiring only a standard pie crust, slices of especially soft apples with their skin and seeds removed, and den selven deeghe daer die taerte af ghemaect es (more of the same dough) on top.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3⁄4 cup butter or 3/4 cup margarine, melted
1⁄2 cup quick-cooking oats
2⁄3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1⁄4 cups water
3 cups tart apples, peeled and sliced (I use Granny Smith)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine flour, brown sugar, butter/margarine and oats; set aside 1 cup for the topping.
Press remaining crumb mixture into an ungreased 9 inch pie plate; set aside.
For the pie filling: combine sugar, cornstarch and water in a saucepan until smooth, bring to a boil.
Cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in apples and vanilla.
Pour filling mixture into crust and top with the 1 cup crumb mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
DUTCH
PEA SOUP
This old family recipe makes a thick, hearty pea soup, and that's how it should be. In fact, the Dutch believe that erwtensoep (also known as snert) should be so thick that you can stand a spoon upright in it. Made with split peas, plenty of vegetables, and pork, this delicious Dutch pea soup is traditionally served on New Year's Day in the Netherlands but is also enjoyed throughout the fall and winter months.
Ingredients:
7 1/2 cups / 1.75 liters water
1 1/2 cups / 300 grams peas (dried green split)
3 1/2 ounces / 100 grams pork belly (Dutch speklapjes or thick-cut bacon)
1 pork chop
1 bouillon cube (vegetable, pork or chicken)
2 ribs celery
2 to 3 carrots (peeled and sliced)
1 large potato (peeled and cubed)
1 small onion (chopped)
1 small leek (sliced)
1 cup celeriac (cubed)
1 pound sausage (chopped rookworst smoked sausage or smoked soft metwurst or frankfurter/wiener sausages)
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: handful chopped celery leaf
Instructions:
Gather the ingredients.
In a large soup pot, bring water, split peas, pork belly or bacon, pork chop, and bouillon cube to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam that rises to the top.
Remove the pork chop, debone, and thinly slice the meat. Set aside.
Add the celery, carrots, potato, onion, leek, and celeriac to the soup. Return to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook, uncovered, for another 30 minutes, adding a little extra water if the ingredients start to stick to the bottom of the pot.
Add the smoked sausage for the last 15 minutes of cooking time. When the vegetables are tender, remove the bacon and smoked sausage, slice thinly, and set aside.
If you prefer a smooth consistency, purée the soup with a stick blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meat back to the soup, setting some slices of rookworst aside.
Serve in heated bowls or soup plates, garnished with slices of rookworst and chopped celery leaf.
Enjoy!