And it's true! Everybody really DOES eat well in Belgium! I spent a blissful week in Gert and Elies' home in Meldert, Belgium, stuffing my face with pastries, rich hearty meals, waffles, to-die-for beers and delicious coffee. From that time, I vowed that I would learn the culinary ways of the Belgians.
Since my resources are limited in my little Japanese apartment, I'm yet to try a lot of the recipes. But one recipe I was able to follow (adapted, mind you) is the one for "Hearty Vegetable Soup", which has apparently been keeping the common Belgian man warm through centuries of frosty winters.
So here is what you need to eat vegie soup like a Belgian (serves four):
3 rashers of bacon, thinly sliced
an onion, finely diced
about 3 small potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
one small sweet potato, peeled and cut into small-ish chunks
one stalk of celery, diced
one carrot, diced
a hefty handful of beans, trimmed and sliced diagonally
about 6 cups (or thereabouts) of chicken stock
fresh parsely and good bread, to serve
First thing's first: get yourself a large non-stick pot. Fry up the bacon in this, in a little olive oil, for a few minutes. Then, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and lightly coloured. Then, add all the other vegies and the stock and season with black pepper and a little salt (but don't go nuts with the salt - the stock is usually salty enough). Simmer until the vegies are tender - about 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful! Mashed potatoes in your vegie soup is not cool! So don't overcook.
Sprinkle with plenty of fresh parsely just before serving, and don't even think about NOT serving this with the best crusty bread you can get your hands on.
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