"Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest."
~ Henry Van Dyke

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Dutch version of comfort food

We stayed in the city this weekend as Jos has a couple of kidney stones and we want to be home in case he has too many problems. It is cool and was pouring rain this afternoon here so comfort food is in order. In Holland, one of the winter favorites is "stamppot". This is made in various ways but I had promised Judy, a blogging friend, I would show how I make it with kale.

Peel potatoes and place in a large pan (I use a Dutch oven for those back in the US). Fill the pan half full with cut up potatoes (approximately 11 to 13 potatoes) and sprinkle with salt.

Top off the pan with chopped kale. Be sure you really fill the pan to overflowing as the kale is going to reduce as it steams. I always freeze my chopped kale which gives it a better taste and it can be placed direct from the freezer into the pan.

Place enough water in the pan to just cover the potatoes.

Cover and boil until the potatoes are soft. Your kale will steam on top of the potatoes.

In the meantime, I cooked a Dutch smoked sausage. This is in a vacuum package and is simply cooked in hot but not boiling water. You can use any sausage you like to go along with your "stamppot". Some people add chopped bacon to their "stamppot" too.

My own secret ingredient is adding herb cream cheese instead of butter as I mash the potatoes. Add a little milk as needed but the potatoes should be more sturdy than regular creamy mashed potatoes would be. This is done with an old fashioned hand masher. The dutch word for mashing potatoes in "stampen" which is where the word for this dish derives from.

I also made onion gravy but you can eat this without gravy also. Add salt and pepper to taste. This is a dish that warms you inside on a cold day.

I have a number of comfort foods that I enjoy making from time to time. This year, I am going to share some of my favorites throughout the winter season. Do you have a favorite comfort food?

Comfort? Did I say comfort? Jos loves goat's feet. No I do not mean literally a goat's foot but this cookie you see below. They are called "bokkenpootjes" which means goat's feet. I even found a recipe for these here online. My quilting friend Joke (pronounced Yo-ka) and her husband Gerard stopped by this week and brought giant "bokkenpootjes" for him as a surprise. I placed them beside a slice of bread to show you how large they were. They were absolutely delicious and we thank Joke and Gerard very much for their thoughtfulness!

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

18 comments:

Judy said...

Hi and thank you so much for posting this. I am definitely making some. Last week it was 25 and snowing so it would have tasted good. This weekend it is sunny and 75 so I think I'll wait until another snowy day. I love the idea of freezing the kale. I am so in love with it!

No I haven't posted or blogged in weeks. I am seriously thinking of quitting. I visited blogs long before I started mine and enjoyed it so much I thought I'd enjoy having my own which I do and have so much. It just takes so much time and I don't feel like I do a very good job keeping up. So we'll see.

Thank you again so much for posting the recipe for me. I'll definitely keep in touch with you and I'll let you know how mine turns out.

Have a great weekend...Hugs,

Celestial Charms said...

Thank you so much for showing us how to make stampot. I can't wait to try the recipe. The cookies I will be trying to make when I start baking for the holidays. Thanks for the link for that one. I just love when bloggers share their favorite foods!
Maureen

Fluitenkruid said...

Hé wat leuk, je bent aardig ver-Nederlandst als je boerenkool stamppot kan maken. Hoe gaat het nou met Jos, is de steen al weer losgekomen en kan het behandeld worden?
Fijne zondag, wij eten vandaag stamppot rauwe andijvie yummie!

Letty said...

Hi Heidi, yesterday we also ate stamppot (with andijvie) with rookworst! Mmmm very nice winter food ;-)

Elizabethd said...

I have a Dutch friend here, so must ask her about stampot.
When I read goats feet I shuddered a little...then read what it really was!

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

Best wishes to Jos, with those kidney stones!

Comfort food here, is long cooking. On top of the stove, or in a Crock Pot, or in the oven. And part of the delight, is the aroma which fills the house, while cooking.

Same, the world over, I think. :-)

^_^

Tammy said...

OUCH! I hope Jos feels better soon.
Stampot is my father's favorite dish...he likes to have a pork chop with his sometimes instead of the sausage.
Bokkenpootjes are yummy! I love the Dutch cookies...seems to me they are not as sweet as the ones here in the US, but still have wonderful flavor.
My Dad always has boiled potatoes with his dinner and the leftover potatoes are eaten cold in a bowl with buttermilk poured over them after dinner...not sure if that is Dutch or just something my father's family did.
Thanks for sharing Heidi, you brought back some good memories once again.
Hugs Heidi and feel better wishes too!

Tammy said...

OUCH! I hope Jos feels better soon.
Stampot is my father's favorite dish...he likes to have a pork chop with his sometimes instead of the sausage.
Bokkenpootjes are yummy! I love the Dutch cookies...seems to me they are not as sweet as the ones here in the US, but still have wonderful flavor.
My Dad always has boiled potatoes with his dinner and the leftover potatoes are eaten cold in a bowl with buttermilk poured over them after dinner...not sure if that is Dutch or just something my father's family did.
Thanks for sharing Heidi, you brought back some good memories once again.
Hugs Heidi and feel better wishes too!

Carolien said...

Please wish Jos all the best with his kidney problems, I hope he will be helped soon if necessary!

Have a nice week & hugs, Carolien

Saskia said...

Love 'stamppotten'. Only know because i don't eat potatoes I use cabbage and sauerkraut in a different dish. I taste good, but boy, would I love a real stamppot..
I did good with my schoolwork this weekend. 3 Papers are done!!
So after this week, I have time to do something else to besides schoolwork.
Hope Jos will be oke soon, ask Gerard about the stones, he had them too.
Saskia

Nancy said...

I was enjoying Bing singing Moonlight Becomes You while reading this.
Well, I can certainly say, your stampot is great. I have had it many times and it is comfort food and super yummy.
I can tell you all, Heidi is a great cook.
Those cookies look really big, I have had them, but not that big.
Love you and you both need to get healthy. Geessssssssss.

Hugs and Kisses, Mom

DonnaTN said...

Oh dear, I had a kidney stone more than 20 years ago, but I still remember the pain! Poor Jos! I am a Southern girl and comfort food for me is pinto beans, stewed tomatoes and cornbread.

Amy Marie said...

Looks good, except for the meat! I'm not a meat fan. Love the carbs! Hope you are well big cousin!

Andylynne said...

wow that sounds good. And such a simple recipe too. Plus a nice presentation on the plate. Warm food, to warm the soul. Isn't that what cookings all about in the winter. The "goats feet" look intersting and they do look like goats feet :)

Sandy V said...

Hi - I really like your blog and that's a great looking recipe. Your stampot looks very similar to the British favourite comfort food called bubble and squeak, made with leftover (or freshly boiled and mashed) potatoes and cabbage, brussels sprouts or even kale. The mashed potato and chopped greens are mixed together and then fried as a cake and eaten with bacon, sausage or fried eggs. Or any combination of the three.

faerieeva said...

Oh now I am craving all kinds of things I can not eat. Thank you very much!!

Brigitte said...

This was my father's favourite dish in winter. He grew lots and lots of kale in his garden and after the first frosts in late autumn he started bringing it home and my mom made this dish regularly. My dad also knew a butcher who made the kind of sausages he used to have with it in his home region. My dad was born and grew up in the North of Germany, not too far from the Dutch border.

*Ulrike* said...

Ouch, I hope Jos is much better now as kidney stones do hurt as I know. The stamppot looks like something that my hubby would love, so I think I'll make some. It does sound like good comfort food. My favorite comfort food that I crave when I have been sick is fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, and spinach! Almost sounds the same doesn't it?!
Ulrike