What do your meals look like (show me pictures)....

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  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    acpgee wrote: »
    @mjbnj0001
    If googling for recipes potato pave is also known as potato terrine. There is a lot of variation. ...

    Thanks! I've heard "terrine" before. Never had the dish, I think, by either name. But seems like worth a shot.
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    SafariGalNYC wrote: »
    A bit of a hodgepodge for dinner

    🍸 rosemary kombucha
    🍽️ red leaf salad, grilled Portuguese sardines, 🐟 pickled red cabbage and broccoli.

    A little humorous personal history inspired by "hodgepodge." Just noticed the word.

    I traveled to the Netherlands several times for business. On my first trip, around 1996, the in-country divisional host took us to a variety of great dining experiences - Indonesian ricetaffle, French, fine Italian, etc. After a few days of this, I asked, "what about Dutch cuisine?" He looked at that night's menu, at a classic Continental restaurant, and pointed to an item. "Here, try this." Hotspotch (don't remember the exact spelling). What came was a tureen of cooked-to-death bland stewed assorted veg, with a piece of blood sausage perched on top. "That is Dutch cooking," he said. I replied, "I see why your explorers went around the world looking for spice." "Hotspotch" is the origin of the word "hodgepodge."
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,626 Member
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    @mjbnj0001
    I lived in Amsterdam for 20 years and am still married to a Dutch guy.
    The horrible dish you described is actually spelled "hutspot". Classically it is boiled carrot, boiled onion (super yuck) stirred into mashed potato. It orignated from the siege of Leiden during the 80 years war, when the Spanish retreated hastily and the Dutch found boiled carrot, onion and potato left behind in the abandoned encampment being prepared for the soldiers. So one might consider hutspot to actually be a Spanish dish. It's traditionally served with "rookworst" or boiled smoked sausage similar to a hotdog.
    Stampot is a similar Dutch dish where greens such as boiled kale or sauerkraut are mixed into mashed potato. I used to derogatorily call it "stompot" which translates literally to "stupid pot".
    That said, there are a few things that the Dutch eat that really good. Salt herring (not pickled) is something I used to call "working man's sushi". Smoked eel is pretty great but eel is getting close to being endangered. The bar snack "bitterballen" is a deep fried croquet made from congealed beef stew, so once you bite through the breadcrumb coating they squirt hot liquid. And like a lot of other Germanic or Scandinavian countries where the savoury cooking is poor, they are actually very good at doing sweet baked goods.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,626 Member
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    A simple dinner of lamb and vegetable skewers with dipping sauces of Peruvian aji verde and red anticucho sauce. Side of potato pave made from the leftover potato cake from Tuesday night.
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  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    acpgee wrote: »
    @mjbnj0001
    I lived in Amsterdam for 20 years and am still married to a Dutch guy.
    The horrible dish you described is actually spelled "hutspot". Classically it is boiled carrot, boiled onion (super yuck) stirred into mashed potato. It orignated from the siege of Leiden during the 80 years war, when the Spanish retreated hastily and the Dutch found boiled carrot, onion and potato left behind in the abandoned encampment being prepared for the soldiers. So one might consider hutspot to actually be a Spanish dish. It's traditionally served with "rookworst" or boiled smoked sausage similar to a hotdog.
    Stampot is a similar Dutch dish where greens such as boiled kale or sauerkraut are mixed into mashed potato. I used to derogatorily call it "stompot" which translates literally to "stupid pot".
    That said, there are a few things that the Dutch eat that really good. Salt herring (not pickled) is something I used to call "working man's sushi". Smoked eel is pretty great but eel is getting close to being endangered. The bar snack "bitterballen" is a deep fried croquet made from congealed beef stew, so once you bite through the breadcrumb coating they squirt hot liquid. And like a lot of other Germanic or Scandinavian countries where the savoury cooking is poor, they are actually very good at doing sweet baked goods.

    Yeah, that sounds like the stuff all right, LOL.

    I went 3 times, working for two different firms - twice to Amsterdam and once staying nearer a client in the town of Amersfoort. I liked the people and the country. Have thought about touring there on a canalboat/bike (my wife has more ambitions for the bigger river tourboats elsewhere in Europe). The only two restaurants I actually remember well for details (all were good even the "hutspot" one, but this is 30 yrs ago) was an Indonesian on or near Rembrantplatz, where I was introduced to ricetaffle (spelling?), and I believe, "the Waag," for a large group affair. All others were elegant smaller places that we were escorted to by the incountry folks.

    If you assemble my postings here, you can infer I am on a path to improve my health through dietary means for longevity's sake, and being retired, I have the time to indulge in some cooking from scratch to avoid highly-processed stuff (mostly), more plant-based, less meat, etc. Of all foodstuffs, cheese is my main downfall, and there was a cheese shop in Amersfoort that was close to heaven on earth for me.

    I'll have to try salt herring. I have a little New Year's Day ritual for pickled herring in memory of my grandfather.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,626 Member
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    @mjbnj0001
    Your employers had good taste in Amsterdam restaurants. I wonder if the Indonesian was Temple Doeloe on Utrechtestraat, the road leading south from the Rembrandtplein. That's was an iconic upmarket Indonesian (white linen table clothes, waistcoated serving staff), now closed, where we used to take foreign visitors for rijsttafel. The Phillip Starck designed restaurant in the Waag still exists. We used to live around the corner. The building name translate to "The Weigh" as that is where they kept the large scales for calculating shipping costs for goods leaving the harbour. Rembrandt's painting "The Anatomy Lesson" was made on the top floor which used to be an operating theatre.

    So brined Dutch "maatjes herring" has been hard for me to find outside of the Netherlands. I can get it by mail order only at extortionate prices. I have found Polish salt herring sold in the UK. Not similar enough in texture to eat on a sandwich but close enough for a dutch herring salad (beets, apple, onion, gherkins, black pepper dressed in mayo thinned down with the liquor from the pickles). My favourite dutch cheese is "oude geitenkaas" known in English speaking countries as aged goat gouda. It is the same shape as gouda, but a much paler colour. I see it sometimes in supermarkets in London, and hear that Whole Foods in the US sometimes stocks it. Another favourite dutch supermarket staple was "fillet Americain" a raw beef tartare enriched with mayo for spreading on crackers. I have no idea how it got it's unlikey name. The hubby misses "rookvlees" a thinly sliced smoked beef deli meat similar to Italian Braesola.

    I haven't cooked much Indonesian outside of Bep Vuyk's tomato lalab recipe (https://pisangsusu.com/442-lalab-with-tomato/) and beef rendang using sous vide where I buy the curry paste from a packet. I should probably make gado gado again, as the hubby loves the peanut sauce that accompanies that salad.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,626 Member
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    @mjbnj0001
    One last thought. I am guessing you ate hutspot at "D' Vijff Vlieten" an iconic continental restaurant in central Amsterdam that also serves some dutch food.
  • Sherbog
    Sherbog Posts: 1,072 Member
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    Leftover cabbage so I made what was called cabbage pancake. So so good. mlazxhcxwwr1.jpeg3hvxr7y1gbci.jpeg

  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    acpgee wrote: »
    @mjbnj0001
    One last thought. I am guessing you ate hutspot at "D' Vijff Vlieten" an iconic continental restaurant in central Amsterdam that also serves some dutch food.

    I couldn't possibly remember the name. The street it was on had a small rise which was distinct as far as I remember (or maybe that's a memory trick, as I am typing this, I am remembering climbing some outside stairs to get into it as opposed to the really flat entries most other building had).

    I worked for two different firms for my 3 trips. One was a Big 4, one was a computer manufacturer who has since "eclipsed" (pun intended). Seems like an age ago now.

    Best regards.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,626 Member
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    mjbnj0001 wrote: »

    I couldn't possibly remember the name. The street it was on had a small rise which was distinct as far as I remember (or maybe that's a memory trick, as I am typing this, I am remembering climbing some outside stairs to get into it as opposed to the really flat entries most other building had).

    I worked for two different firms for my 3 trips. One was a Big 4, one was a computer manufacturer who has since "eclipsed" (pun intended). Seems like an age ago now.

    Best regards.

    Could this be it? It is the only Amsterdam restaurant I know of that is both posh and serves dutch food.
    https://www.cool-cities.com/dvijff-vlieghen-6431/
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,626 Member
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    Our Friday night dinner out, our ritual that the hubby thinks makes the weekend feel longer. We went to a new Sicilian in the neighbourhood.
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  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,090 Member
    edited March 23
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    acpgee wrote: »
    mjbnj0001 wrote: »

    I couldn't possibly remember the name. The street it was on had a small rise which was distinct as far as I remember (or maybe that's a memory trick, as I am typing this, I am remembering climbing some outside stairs to get into it as opposed to the really flat entries most other building had).

    I worked for two different firms for my 3 trips. One was a Big 4, one was a computer manufacturer who has since "eclipsed" (pun intended). Seems like an age ago now.

    Best regards.

    Could this be it? It is the only Amsterdam restaurant I know of that is both posh and serves dutch food.
    https://www.cool-cities.com/dvijff-vlieghen-6431/

    Looks vaguely familiar ... as I said, it's been almost 30 years, and a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, LOL. One thing this conversation has clarified ... I think I may be superimposing the memory of the fine Italian restaurant's exterior we went to, which was on a little rise with steps and a tiny lawn (as my memory tells me) on the "hutspot" place which might be this. Or not. Or I can be conjuring memories like some do when inquired about events long past. At 70yo, I can easily be accused of that, LOL. Unfortunately, we downsized into a retirement home last year, and in doing so, I purged all my old daytimers. I could've answered the question in a moment of searching.

    Since you're in London, I won't start talking about my dining experiences there ...
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    mjbnj0001 wrote: »
    Since you're in London, I won't start talking about my dining experiences there ...

    @acpgee

    upon re-reading, this sounded ominus. wasn't. I just can't remember the names of most of the London eateries I went too as well, LOL. Except one.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,626 Member
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    Met up with a girlfriend for dim sum in Chinatown and some shopping.
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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,626 Member
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    @mjbnj0001
    Of course I am curious about what London restaurant you remember after 30 years.
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    acpgee wrote: »
    @mjbnj0001
    Of course I am curious about what London restaurant you remember after 30 years.

    Well, ok. 3 trips, 2 for a Big 4, 1 with a now-gone computer manufacturer (same pattern as Netherlands).

    1st trip, stayed in Lambeth, had a heads-down working week with the locals, who all went home at night leaving me to explore with a list of suggestions, which I actually liked doing. For lunches they were all grab-food addicts of the prete-a-manger nearby. Got a lot of walking around town in and learned the underground a bit. End of week, the PIC and other principals dropped in and we had an elegant Indian in a modern restaurant in Regent Street (the curved street, or is that Oxford?). Upstairs, very 1990s modern with Indian furnishings, very classy. Name forgotten. My solo evening meals were all pretty standard stuff, some pub, some restaurant, mix of cuisines. I did try a Beef Wellington to compare against my grandmother's holiday version. "When in London ...," after all, LOL.

    The one name I remember, since it's easy, was 2nd trip, a weeklong program conference where we all booked into the Christopher Wren House in Windsor, sort of captives to the place, but a nice venue. Good all around. Made an evening escape to a local pub built in 1400s where I finally learned the proper secrets of scotch as tutored by my team. Being from the States, they were convinced I had a deficient education on the topic. It's funny, I don't remember the hotel meals of the week as much as the overall setting.

    3rd trip I managed to bring my family as it was spring school break. Company booked me into a hotel in Kensington, and I upgraded to a room for us all. Meals were nondescript but interesting, in several geo areas where i'd meet them, as I had gotten them oriented to the underground on the 1st day, Sunday - everything from a pizza shop near where we were seeing "Lion King" later that night, chip shops, Italian, Indian, etc. - food, other than for just eating, wasn't their top priority, as the kids were about 15 and 12 at the time. It was more important for my younger to try and run into the wall at King's Cross to see if she were a muggle, LOL, than get a posh dinner. I worked Mon-Fri noon, while they took in the town during the workdays, and I joined for the evening activities. Friday afternoon was my pick, and as the firm's office was in the monument district, I selected British Museum for the afternoon (yes, I am a nerd), with something nonmemorable for dinner. Saturday we went to Greenwich (did I mention we're sailors, celestial navigators and otherwise maritime nerds) and got obligatory family photos of one foot in each hemisphere at the Prime Meridian. Dinner was ordinary out there. Sunday it was airplane food.

    I know I missed the best of London dining (or at least "better"), but I had thought there'd be another trip. There wasn't.

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