My partner Carole and I are avid foodies who love sharing all things to do with food. Our love of sharing recipes and food experience brought us together on the BBC Food boards which no longer exist due to cuts in the BBC budget. We have since got together and now want to share our recipes and experiences with you.

We are always looking for new recipes and food experiences from around the globe and you can also join us in our quest with like-minded foodies at http://www.carta.co.uk where you will find a friendly community who love to talk about everything food related.

Sunday 20 January 2013

Curly Kale with Smoked Sausage.

(Dutch Boerenkool met Worst).

When living in Holland I would eat this simple peasants winter dish during the colder months. It is a real winter warmer and can certainly be classed as comfort food.

Ingredients:
Potatoes               1kg for 4 people     
Curly Kale            500 gms
Bacon lardons      150 gms
Smoked sausage  (I used Mattesons smoked pork sausage)
Gravy

Start by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into even sized pieces ready for boiling, cut the stalks out of the kale leaves and then chop into pieces. Boil the potatoes and kale in salted water until cooked, you can either put them both in the same pan or cook them separately. I prefer to cook them separately to keep the potatoes nice and white. Fry the bacon lardons in a dry pan until crisp and golden, then drain onto a piece of kitchen paper.

 








When the kale is almost cooked place the smoked sausage on top to heat it through, the smoked sausage is already cooked but does need heating up for this recipe.
When the sausage is hot drain the potatoes and mash them together with a little butter to taste. Drain the kale and add to the potatoes mashing again to get the potatoes and kale through each other.
Serve the mash on a warm plate and place slices of smoked sausage on top, then sprinkle with the bacon lardons. You could arrange the slices of sausage across the mash if you wanted to, but there is no real way to make this dish look pretty. It is after all a peasants meal, but very tasty nevertheless. Pour gravy onto the plate, and there you have it.....Dutch Boerenkool met Worst.
The Dutch often make an indentation in the middle of the mash and pour the gravy into it.





3 comments:

  1. I shall be making this recipe soon, Steve, because I have started going to Sittard in the Netherlands each year with my man friend, so it will be interesting to try! Do you make your own gravy, or use a more instant one?
    Regards to Carole.
    Renée

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  2. Hi Renee,

    I make my own gravy, however in The Netherlands they usually make the recipe using a packet jus, so instant gravy will work just as well.
    To make the recipe even more authentic just call in to any Hema supermarket in Sittard or surrounding area and buy their fresh smoked sausage (Rookworst) as there is a subtle difference between that one and the Mattesons one available in the UK.

    Best regards,

    Steve & Carole.

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  3. Hi Steve & Carole,
    Hopefully we will be in Sittard in the summer. Yes, I know where Hema is and will look out for the Rookworst. Yes, I can well imagine that it will be different to the Mattesons and do wish that we could buy a better quality one here.
    I noticed that the coffee in The Netherlands was much nicer and I think that it has something to do with what they add to a cup of coffee to make it creamier. Can you help with this? I do buy freshly roasted Monsoon Malabar beans in the UK and did bring some beans back from the specialist tea and coffee shop in Sittard.

    Best wishes,
    Renee

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