Crispy Black Pudding Wontons

Thanks to Jimmy at that fine Motörhead blog Moving Like A Parelellogram for this recipe.

Ingredients...

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

450 g /1 lb. black pudding skinned and chopped

1 bunch spring onions, about 8 trimmed and finely chopped

140 g / 5 oz chicken breast boned and skinned

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

25 g / 1 oz butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

150 ml /1/4 pt whipping cream

A little freshly grated nutmeg

A few leaves fresh basil chopped

1 x 350 g/ 12 oz packet won-ton skins

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Method...

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger. When they have softened, add the black pudding and cook for about a minute. Add the spring onions and remove the pan from the heat so that they remain crunchy.
Put it to one side to cool.

Take the chicken breast and blend it in a food processor with a teaspoon of salt. Add the butter and blend again. Now add an egg and continue to blend while you pour in the cream. Stop the motor from time to time and scrape the inside of the bowl with a rubber spatula so that everything is evenly combined.

Stir the chicken mousse into the black pudding mixture and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Finally, add the basil.

4. Lay out 6 -9 won ton skins on a clean work surface and place a spoonful of the black pudding mixture in the centre of each. Beat the remaining egg and use it to brush the edges of the won-ton skins. Fold each in half to form a triangle and press the edges firmly together. Repeat until all the mixture has been used.

Heat a deep pan of oil to 180 oc / 350 F. Fry about 6 won-tons at a time until they are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
Drain and turn them out on to kitchen paper.

Serve hot.

It's enough to make Snaggletooth drool...

La Fleur en Papier Dore (31 of 80)

After the house of puppets I felt an uncontrolable urge to sample the Lambic delights of La Fleur en Papier Dore. Almost as though my limbs were pulled by hidden strings. I also had a sense of déjà vous, a fact born out by the barkeeps walking over and saying "I know you. Last time you were in here you were wearing a Motorhead teashirt.". Memories of playing cards here came flooding back, Sylvain with some extra ones tucked up his sleave. The ace of spades, the ace of spades....

The beer this time was Oud Beersel. Flat, slightly sour and a perfect accompaniment to the blood sausage roll sitting on my plate.

The Gold Plated Flower was originally part of a 19th century nunnery. I can hear the penguins now, berating the drunken cavorting that now ensues within.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Poechenellekelder Master Of Puppets (56 of 80)

Sitting opposite the Manequin Pis, Poechenellekelder is a fine place to enjoy a Sunday afternoon beer while watching the tourists flock around the wee pisser. In this case the beer is the reccomended Jambe-de-Bois tripple from the Brasserie de la Seine brewery. Nice.

Brasseurs de la Grande-Place (17 of 80)

Grande Place has it's fair share of bars that do food, but what distinguishes Brasseurs de la Grande-Place is that it is only one of three working breweries in the city. Taking Around Brussels In 80 Beers reccomendation of Brasseurs Tripple, I sat down to enjoy some slightly over salted Carbonnades. The tripple was refreshing and had slight citrus overtones. All in all a nice, refreshing beer in a bar reminiscent of Nottingham's Fellows Morton And Clayton Brewhouse, all gleaming pipes and woodwork. A worthy stoppoff if you're in the city centre.

Keith Floyd

Time to raise a glass, if you will, to Keith Floyd, who died yesterday.

His TV style has been imitated but rarely, if ever, bettered. Very casual and with the trade mark glass of wine always to hand, he made cooking look easy. His infectious enthusiasm certainly played its part in growing my own interest in cooking and, no doubt, that of many others.

A Trip To The Circus (12 of 80)

With the possibility of being called in a distinct possibility, I decided to fortify myself with some food and drink first.

And so it was on to the circus, Le Bier Circus that is. Not a trapeezi in site, but a lot of high flying beers. On entering I was greeted by two other voyagers holding a copy of Around Brussels In 80 Beers. They'd spent the day exploring the outlying bars and were on their way in to the center to finish off.

A bottle of Cantillon Cuvee du 89 lambic washed down chicken supreme a la raspberry beer. The call came in, my remaining meal was bolted down and I departed into the evening.

I'll be back.

The Postman Calls (59 of 80)

Les Postiers is situated near the main Post Office and means, the postmen. The wood paneling and mirrors give it a nice 30's feel. Another useful aspect of its proximity is the rank of bus stops directly opposite, including the ubiquitous 66. Most handy.

Taking a leaf out of Elizabeth David's book, I kept it simple with an omelette and a glass of beer. The beer in question was the recommended Tripel Karmeliet and damn fine it was too.



The observant amongst you, will have noticed the girl in my beer in the above photo. "Waiter there's a girl in my beer", I cried. "Not so loud sir" came the response. "they'll all want one.".

Postiers, stamps my card. For beer, cheap food and friendly service, it can't be licked. If you're in the neighborhood go there post haste.


View Larger Map

In The Belly Of The Raven (26 of 80)

Saturday afternoon in Brussels, with a newly aquired copy of Around Brussels in 80 Beers in hand, I made my way to #26, Corbeau, The Raven.

An excellent ham and cheese omellette washed down with a superb Queue De Charrue bruin beer, in a wood panelled bar oozing class in spades. Queue de Charrune is aged in oak and has a complex taste, redolant of fruit with subtle liqourice overtones. Tart, yet sweet at the same time, it's well worth checking out.

Good food and good beer, a winning combination and a great start to the guide.



View Larger Map

Footnote: A return visit to the bar later in the evening was equally as ggod. Of special note, the coconut beer, Mongozo, and the excellent roquefort sauce that accompanied the damned fine steak that constituted tonights dinner.

Here Comes The Soleil (66 of 80)

A hop, skip and a jump from
Nüetnigenough and past the Classic Rock Bar, is the church Notre Dame de Bon Secours. Lying oposite it's hallowed walls sits a temple to the god of beer, Au Soleil. Taking the advice of the holy book, Around Brussels in 80 Beers, I gave the XX a go. Hoppy, smooth and tasty, like an IPA on steroids. Nice bar, nice beer.

I got my kicks, in bar 66.


View Larger Map

Nüetnigenough (52 of 80)

Lazin' on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the heart of Brussels, I decided to give Nüetnigenough a try. Johnny Cash playing in the background, walls adorned with art nouveau and wood panelling that wouldn't look out of place in a church, well it is Sunday. Let us pray.





My prayers were answered in the form of a superb Bons Bravo. Voeux Lambic and a steaming plate of Chicken Kashmir (cue Jimmy Page on guitar...). Oh the things I have to do to check out bars for Truckers ...

I finished with a Mellon sorbet, an 11 out of 10 Spinal Tap of a dessert layering sorbet and omellon and marrying them to a wee pot of fruit conserve, and a draught Chimay Bleu, a rarity on draught. My Sunday afternoon was complete.

The strains of Johnny Cash faid like a distant dream as I leave happy and contented into the late afternoon sun.

Nüetnigenough means perfectionist and on the strength of the food and drink sampled today is as much a mission statement as a name for the place. Bravo.

When the man comes around to this little beauty of a bar he won't be disappointed.


View Larger Map

Note that this post was made courtesy of the free wi-fi service available to customers.

Finger Lickin' Good

Like the protaganist in a Dan Brown novel, finance manager and KFC fanatic Ron Douglas has cracked the code. Not the Da Vinci code, nooo far more important than that, the KFC code. Yessiree bob the Colonels secret list of herbs and spices is a secret no more. Employing techniques from the James Bond school of culinary journalism, our intrepid financier managed to wheedle out the dirty dozen components of finger lickin' goodliness.

So here they are folks, before the colonel has them erased from Mr Douglas's blog, and sends a hit squad to erase him from the pages of history

• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons Accent

Do you expect me to talk, Sanders? The Colonel: No Mr. Douglas, I want you to fry.

Best Bars In Brussels

View Larger Map

Continuing the Belgian theme here's a list of some of the best bars in Brussels.

Archiduc
Belga Queen
Chelsea
De Ultime Hallucinatie
Greenwich
Havana
Java
Kafka
Khnopff
Kolya
L'Ultime Atome
Le Roi des Belges
Mappa Mundo
PP Café
Radio Bar
Skievelat
The Fuse
Zebra Bar
La Becasse
Bizon
Monk
Walvis
Het Spinnekopke
La Fleur à papier doré
Le Stoemelings
Le Corbeau
Au Bon Vieux Temps
Chez Moeder Lambic
Cirio
Miladiou
Le Cerceuil
Le Bier Circus
Peochenellekelder
Toone
La Porte Noire
La Morte Subite
Estaminet Toone
La Brocante
A l'Imaige Nostre-Dame
Poechenellekelder
Le Corbeau
In't Spinnekopke
Au Bon Vieux Temps
A la Becasse

Thanks to Keri for providing the original list.

Note that this post is a work in progress and will be refined and added to as time goes by.

Flemish-style beef stew with beer

Working in Brussels for so long, I though it was about time I tried cooking a bit of the local cuisine. And what better place to start than with Flemish-style beef stew with beer.

A visit to Amazon and a copy of The Food and Cooking of Belgium by Suzanne Vandyck later and it was off to the kitchen, bottles of Belgian Brown Beer in hand.

Ingredients

• 500g / 1/4 lb of Braising Steak cubed
  
• Plain Flour
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• 1 Large Onion Diced
  
• 2 Garlic Cloves pealed and chopped. Whack them with the flat of your hand or a knife blade (careful) prior to pealing.
  
• 1 or 2 330 ml/11 1/2 fl oz bottles of Dark Belgian Beer such as Chimay (I used Chimay Bruin), plus a few more bottles for drinking.
  
• A bouquet garni lashed together of 3 sprigs of thyme, 6 of parsley and 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 or 3 slices of rustic bread
• 2 tbsp (ish) of Dijon Mustard
• A fistful of fresh parsley chopped
• Salt and Freshly Ground black pepper

Preparation

• First add a couple of pinches of salt (if possible Maldon Sea Salt) and 6 or so turns of a pepper mill to a food bag containing a couple of tablespoons of flour.

• Add the meat in batches to the flour, shaking the bag, in a closed state to coat. Shake off any excess flour and put to one side. If you run out of seasoned flour before the end, hey it's not the end of the world as we know it, add some more.
  

• Heat a good knob of butter and add a tbsp or two of olive oil to a large flame proof caserole dish, preferably cast iron, over a medium to high heat.
  

• When sizzling add the meat and brown in batches. As with the flour, add a tad more oil if it runs out. Put the browned meat to one side on a plate.
  

• Add the onion and cook on a low heat for about 6 to 8 minutes till soft, then add the garlic and give it another 3 minutes. In this time stir, shake and otherwise agitate your veggies to stop them burning.

• Return your browned meat to the pan and combine with the onions.

• Add enough beer to just cover the meat. If like me you used one and a half bottles, hurrah, celebrate by drinking the remainder.

• Bring the mixture to just below boiling point, then add the herbs vinegar and sugar. The sourness of the vinegar should be offset by the sweetness of the sugar. Have a taste, as with Thai cooking, if too sour add more sugar, if too sweet, add more vinegar. If just right, fantastic!

• Cover and cook over the lowest heat your hob can muster, stirring every now and then. If your herbs went in loose, try to keep the together, it makes removal easier.
  

• After an hour and a half, or when the meat is tender, remove the herbs (hey I did warn you).
  

• Slice your bread, if unsliced, carving off enough to cover the surface of your stew in a single layer. Spread with a generous amount of the Dijon mustard and lay mustard side down on the surface of the stew. Spoon over some of the liquid, cover the pot and leave to cook for a further 20-30 minutes.

• The bread should by now have absorbed some of the juices and dissolved to thicken the stew. If needs be help the dissolving along with the aid of a spatula.

• Taste and if needs be add some more salt and pepper to taste.

• Serve with fries, mashed potato or breads, sprinkling the chopped parsley over the stew for garnish.

• For drinks to serve with it, I'd reccomend more of the beer you used in it's cooking.
  

• If you've got them, also serve with Belgian pickles, or a suitably rustic local equivalent.
  

This stew was wonderful and thoroughly recommended. If you do it some time, make the effort to get a good quality Belgium Brown beer to use in it. It makes all the difference. It also warrants a damn fine piece of braising steak, in my case I paid a visit to Edinburgh farmers market to get some quality coo.

I'd also strongly recommend that you get yourself a copy of The Food and Cooking of Belgium. This is a marvelous cookery book, doing full justice to what has to be one of the most underrated cuisines on Earth. Beautifully illustrated it delves into the history, culture and traditions of Belgian food, before launching into 60 mouth watering recipes. The author, Suzanne Vandyck, was born in Belgium and runs a cookery school, Worldchefs, specialising in world cooking. Check out their website at www.worldchefs.net, there a few recipes there for you to try (after giving the beef stew a go that is).

Stay tuned for my next foray into the wonderful world of Belgian cooking. Coming to a table near me soon.

Eet Smakelijk!