From Ruth Van Waerebeek’s “Everybody Eats Well in Belgian Cookbook.” She uses it as the stuffing in her Christmas Turkey recipe, which I use on Thanksgiving. The stuffing takes a fair amount of prep (and those porcini mushrooms can be hard to find and expensive; I’ve started skipping them), but people absolutely love it. It’s got a rich, complex taste completely different from the traditional bread-and-herb stuffing. (I looked it up: Forcemeat comes from the French “farce,” to stuff. The forcemeat stuffing is more like a meatloaf.) This recipe is enough for a 12 to 14 pound turkey.
A simple and light vegetable soup, great for lunch or as an appetizer. The fennel is complemented nicely with tomatoes, potatoes and a bit of garlic; even people who are usually not very fond of the anise-like taste of fennel might enjoy this soup. This recipe comes from a classic Belgian cookbook and I make it pretty often.
From Ruth Van Waerebeeks’s “Everybody Eats Well In Belgium Cookbook.” Traditional Belgium shrimp croquettes are made with North Sea shrimp, called brown shrimp — small, and very flavorful, and not readily available in the United States. Ruth writes: “For a while I thought I could never duplicate [the traditional Belgian croquette in the U.S.] …. But with a little experimentation I achieved quite good results. Do avoid frozen peeled shrimp, for they have very little flavor and search out the freshest shrimp you can find.” The dish must be refrigerated at least overnight to allow yourself enough preparation time. (And DO read the directions through to prepare yourself for the time involved!)
From Ruth Van Waerebeeks’s “Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook,” from her “Cooking With Beer” chapter. Fairly easy to make, and delicious.
Make and share this Green Beans, Flemish Style recipe from Food.com.
