Dutch cuisine is not known for its finesse, but more for hearty dishes like stamppot, potatoes and vegetables mashed together. One of the classic winter dishes is zuurkoolstamppot met rookworst, sauerkraut mashed with potatoes and served with smoked pork sausage. … Continue reading Sauerkraut and Potato Mash with Smoked Pork Sausage (Zuurkoolstamppot met rookworst)
Pheasant is a tricky bird to prepare, because it very easily becomes tough and dry. Sous-vide comes to the rescue, because only perfect temperature control can assure you to get it tender without drying it out. If you’ve read my … Continue reading Pheasant Sous-Vide (Breast, Leg Confit And Its Own Jus)
Geese have become somewhat of a plague in the area were we live. There are so many of them that they ruin the fields and therefore their numbers need to be ‘managed’. As a result, local wild goose is now … Continue reading Goose Breast Sous-Vide with Sauerkraut and Pear
Ham hocks (pork shanks) are an inexpensive cut of meat. They can be turned into something delicious by first hot smoking them and then cooking them sous-vide. This is a technique I’ve used before on ham of lamb and brisket, and I wanted to try it on a ham hock. It was absolutely delicious. A light smoky flavor, tender and juicy. Many recipes call for brining the ham hock first, but there does not seem to be a reason to do this for this preparation. The sous-vide cooking allows the smoky flavors to penetrate all the way to the core of the meat and will turn the meat completely tender without drying it out. Continue reading “Smoked Ham Hock Sous-Vide”
Eating hot dogs is not something that really fits with my reputation. It is true that I do not generally eat hot dogs. In winter I do however like to make my own gourmet version and that goes like this: I bake my own wholewheat buns, I procure artisan prize-winning smoked pork sausage (rookworst) from the butcher I frequent, and I serve it with sauerkraut and home-made ketchup. Home-made mustard and home-made sauerkraut would also be nice, but those are bridges I haven’t crossed just yet. And who knows, perhaps I’ll even smoke my own pork sausage one day? In any case, my “hot dog” tastes a lot better than one from a street vendor. Continue reading “Hot dog à la Stefan”
Hare loin (“hazenrugfilet” in Dutch) is the most prized part of a hare: it is very tender but lean red meat with a lot of flavor. Hare has a ‘gamey’ taste, which is not appreciated by everyone. Hare loin is often served with sweet garnishes or sauces such as port and figs, but it also works great with sauerkraut. You can hunt, skin, and butcher your own hare, or you can just get it from the butcher. This preparation is quite easy if you already have the hare loins and hare stock. I used steamed chestnuts as they are sold … Continue reading Hare Loin with Sauerkraut and Chestnuts
Mackerel is healthy to eat because of the omega-3 fatty acids it contains. After discovering by accident that sauerkraut and smoked mackerel go really well together, I decided to try making a mackerel & sauerkraut quiche. And guess what? It was really good, so I’ve been making it more often since. Apart from the baking time it doesn’t take much time to make it at all, as little as 5 minutes if you use a store-bought pie crust for the quiche. I’ve found that it’s not easy to make a better pie crust yourself than what you can buy in the … Continue reading Mackerel & Sauerkraut Quiche
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 