Napping in Belgium: Sunday Dinner Series #4

I have two degrees, a B.A. in Psychology and a PhD in Belgian Studies. I earned my B.A. the traditional way, four years of courses, capped off with a 100-page senior thesis. My PhD, however, is a different story. During summers in college I was an intern for Vanberg & DeWulf, the premiere Belgian beer importing company in the US. My job responsibilities were the typical unglamorous intern tasks, I sealed envelopes, organized food events, filed press clippings and did essentially anything else they asked of me. I didn't mind though, my time working for Wendy and Don was an unparalleled learning experience, akin to having a private tourguide to the cuisine and culture of Belgium.


In the two summers, and several school vacations, I worked at V&DeW I learned all about the fantastic world of mussels and frites, real waffles, Axel Vervoordt, artisanal cheeses and chocolates, Tin-Tin, and, of course, Belgian-style home cooking. In fact, my first day of work Wendy handed me a copy of Ruth's book, Everybody Eats Well in Belgium, and my parent's and I cooked from it, exclusively, for two months straight. The whole experience was a little strange for me at first, having listened to everyone wax poetic about France and it's culinary treasures I couldn't figure out what was wrong with Belgium. I mean, why had I never heard much about this country? Did it want to be ignored? It turns out that the country of Belgium is just very small which is why people seem to have an easier job dismissing it then, say, Italy or Spain. But, I can attest, Belgium is packed with cultural treasures and talented people, it deserves it's share of the spotlight.


There are many delectable Belgian recipes and anecdotes I plan to share with you over time (Beer battered onion rings! Beef Carbonnade! Artisanal Beers!), but today I am going to start with one of my family's favorites, Coq a la Biere. This recipe is Belgium's answer to France's popular dish Coq au vin, and is perfect to make for a Sunday dinner. The preparation takes time, but is simple and doesn't require any complicated techniques. One of the biggest ways I save time is to have my butcher ("you have to know your butcher!"), cut the chicken into eight pieces since I hate doing it at home. Once I begin the process of making the dish it simply becomes a matter of slowly adding the ingredients, deglazing the pan, and then letting everything simmer away in dark beer with a fragrant bouquet garni. After almost an hour of simmering the chicken becomes moist and tender, and the beer transforms into a delicious nutty flavored sauce. The finishing touch of the meal is to add a quick dash of cream to the beer sauce, which I serve spooned over the chicken alongside a big green salad. Most of the time the leftovers from this meal will feed my family for at least two or three days, though sometimes I snag the drumsticks during the day and take them to the park for a picnic.


For my next round of Belgian stories I will definitely go into more detail about Belgium's beer culture and, of course, share more recipes. I also can't wait to explore the fascinating experiment by the city of Ghent to go vegetarian once a week in an attempt to lose weight and save the planet. But, until then, I encourage you to research this fantastic country yourself and maybe even plan a trip. There is so much to love about it that Arthur Frommer himself wrote a book called "A Masterpiece called Belgium," which, I think, says it all. Genieten!

Naptime's Coq a la Biere
adapted from The Beer Companion by Michael Jackson (the food expert, not the singer!)
3 T. olive oil
1/4 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 lb. pearl onions, frozen
1 chicken cut into eight pieces
1/3 c. white wine
1 T. flour
1 1/3 c. dark beer (I recommend Witkap Dubbele, Moinette or St. Amand)
Bouquet Garni* (I use fresh rosemary, fresh thyme and a bay leaf)
1/3 c. heavy cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
*To make a bouquet garni tie together 4 inch stalks of any herb you choose with kitchen twine. Then, drop it into your soup or stock to add delicious flavoring. Don't panic, the herbs will loosen up and float into the sauce, this is normal.

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large dutch oven. Saute the onions until they begin to brown, the remove them with a slotted spoon and reserve for later.
2. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and brown each piece. Once they are all browned add the wine and deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up all the brown bits.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Return the onions to the pan, add the beer, bouquet garni, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cover for 40-45 minutes until chicken is tender.
5. Discard bouquet garni, skim excess fat and stir in the heavy cream. Bring back to a boil for 3 minutes, add more salt & pepper to taste.
6. Serve the chicken and spoon sauce over each piece.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: This recipe is the perfect meal for big family dinner. It is easy to make and yields large quantities of moist, tender chicken. Feel free to adjust the seasonings if you like, almost any kind of herb works well. I have also heard that people like to serve it with chopped parsley scattered over the top.
Naptime Stopwatch: The preparation of the chicken takes about 15 minutes and the simmering about another 45. The whole dinner is complete in about an hour and a half, but time is saved because you don't have to cook at all the next evening!
Naptime Reviews: My husband and I love this dish. My daughter likes the tender chicken but made it abundantly clear to us that she does not like the onions!

Napping on Easter: Sunday Dinner Series #3

My family holidays can be divided into two categories: 1) holidays I will always remember, or 2) holidays I can't wait to forget. Of course, I can only place a holiday experience into the appropriate category after it is over, since it is only on rare occasions that I can anticipate what the holiday will be like before it takes place. Usually it is upon the first sign of good news - a college acceptance letter, a pregnancy announcement, a new family pet - that I am able to breathe a sigh of relief and put a notch in the "holiday to remember" column. Or, sometimes holidays head straight downhill from the moment they begin, like when I got the flu on Christmas Eve, or my grandmother broke her hip on Thanksgiving morning. This is when I chalk up the occasion to be a total loss and vow to start suppressing the memories as soon as possible. However, despite the fact that sometimes I really do want to forget a holiday, I always come back for more. After all, holidays occur yearly, thus, each new year is a chance for redemption.


Easter 2008 was a holiday to forget. My daughter, who was so young she could barely sit up, came down with her first, teeny tiny cold. Little did I know that a tiny cold meant I would lose entire nights worth of sleep, bringing on such strong sleep deprivation that I actually considered buying my first ever six-pack of Red Bull. All in all the holiday wasn't much fun and passed quickly in a blur of saline nose drops, humidifiers and dirty burp clothes. I think I took one photo and put the camera away for the remainder of Easter Sunday, not wanting to document the unfortunate scene taking place in our household. Yet, despite this terrible memory, I was excited for Easter this year. My daughter is a whole year older and beginning to appreciate holiday celebrations, especially when there are presents and sweets involved. This year's Easter began with a fun family morning, watching her open her plastic eggs to find graham cracker bunnies tucked inside, followed by the consumption of far too many sweet treats before lunchtime. Then, when she finally went down for her afternoon nap, it was my turn to have some holiday fun.


For me, of course, holiday fun means cooking up a storm in the kitchen. For the past few weeks I have spent several hours pouring over cookbooks, perusing the offerings at the local gourmet stores, and writing new recipes to serve my family for Easter dinner. After several iterations over the course of two weeks I finally settled on the menu:

Greek Lamb with Mint Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Walnut Oil
Herb Roasted Potatoes
Warm Rolls with Butter
Easter Chocolate Cake with Sweet Vanilla Whipped Cream

We centered our Easter menu around the main course, lamb. For some reason my family has always eaten lamb for Easter, I remember even my grandmother serving it to us, with a big dollop of mint jelly on the side. This year, while I was creating a new recipe, I was inspired by the flavors of Greece. Maybe it was because I had recently eaten out at a local Greek restaurant with friends, the taste was on my tongue and I wanted more. After consulting several cookbooks my husband and I settled on a basic, yet flavorful preparation involving several Greek influences. We began by marinating the lamb in red wine, always the best meat tenderizer, and a mixture of Greek herbs. After letting it marinate for several hours we removed the lamb, covered it in a mixture of bread crumbs, more Greek herbs and fresh thyme. Then we roasted the meat for about twenty minutes, and let it rest for about five minutes before serving. When we bit into it we were delighted with the delicious, juicy cut of meat, which was tender to the bite and bursting with flavor. To accompany the meat we whipped up a smooth mint yogurt sauce which was easily made by combining a few basic ingredients. The dip was cool and minty with a slight lemon aftertaste, perfect for dipping the lamb. I also think it would be wonderful for dipping vegetables, breads and even other cuts of meat.


The strong flavor and crisp texture of green beans were the perfect accompaniment to the dark, flavorful lamb. When making green beans I feel that it is helpful if they are jazzed up a bit, preferably by throwing in an unexpected ingredient, so I am always searching for ideas of what to add. For this particular preparation I was inspired by a recipe in one of my all-time favorite books, Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser. I loved the idea of adding a warm nutty flavor to the green beans through the addition of walnuts and walnut oil. The recipe did not disappoint, as we ate my husband and I agreed that the dish yielded excellent flavor along with a satisfying crunch. The dessert that followed our meal was a showstopper, which is why I plan to devote an entire post to it on Thursday, sorry for the wait. Until then I will leave you with the following two recipes, surefire winners in our book. I will definitely be making these for future holiday meals, and, as long as these are on our table, I am sure they will become holidays to remember, as well.


Naptime Easter Lamb with Mint Yogurt Dipping Sauce
6 lamb chops
Red Wine
Greek herb mixture (found at most grocery stores)
1 T. bread crumbs
3 t. fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 t. Kosher salt
1 t. fresh black pepper
Olive Oil
Serve 2 people, prepare more lamb chops if you would like to serve more people

Sauce:
1 cup plain, full fat, yogurt
1/2 c. fresh mint, finely chopped
1 T. fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
2 cloves garlic
Kosher salt to taste

1. Place lamb chops in a glass bowl or rectangular dish. Pour in red wine until the meat is just covered. Add 2 T. of Greek herbs to the mixture, swirl them around so the herbs and wine are fully incorporated. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl mix fresh thyme, bread crumbs, salt and black pepper. Add a splash of olive oil to form a paste. Do not add too much olive oil.
3. Preheat the oven to 400.
4. Remove lamb from red wine, place it on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Rub with bread crumb mixture.
5. Place lamb in the oven roast for 20-22 minutes.
6. For the Sauce: Put yogurt, lemon juice and garlic into a food processor. Puree until smooth. Slowly add mint, while pulsing the food processor, and a dash of salt to taste.

Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Walnut Oil
adapted from Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser
1 lb. green beans (or haricot vert)
1 c. walnuts, freshly toasted and coarsley chopped
4 t. walnut oil, or good olive oil
1 t. sea salt
1 t. black pepper

1. Cook green beans in boiling water until just tender. Test with a fork, when the fork pierces through the bean, but the bean is still firm, it is finished. Drain green beans and dunk them immediately in a bath of ice water to stop the cooking.
2. In a separate bowl combine toasted, chopped walnuts, walnut oil, salt and black pepper. Mix so that the walnuts are coated completely in the oil mixture.
3. Add the green beans to the oil and nuts, mix until fully incorporated and the oil coats the beans.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: These are both excellent, timeless recipes that would be delicious and welcome at any holiday table. Additionally, both dishes are "flexible" in terms of the ingredients, feel free to add or omit seasonings to your taste. For example, some people prefer lime juice instead of lemon in their yogurt dipping sauce, or, if you have fresh rosemary available add it to the bread crumb mixture for the lamb. The point is to have fun and enjoy making it.
Naptime Stopwatch: This is a part of the Sunday Dinner series because it takes a little longer than naptime to make them. However, a lot of the prep work can be done during naptime, saving you time later in the day. I recommend putting the lamb in the marinade during naptime, also, use this time to trim the green beans so they can just be tossed in the pot when you are ready to prepare them.
Naptime Reviews: The lamb was too tough for my daughter, but she enjoyed dipped her green beans into the yogurt sauce. She ate the green beans like they were french fries, enjoying the crunch and flavor of the walnuts.

Napping with Ribs: Sunday Dinner Series #1

Please, someone call the weatherman and ask him to do something about the temperature, perhaps bring it up to at least 60 degrees, with sun, by the weekend? Pretty please? Once again, last weekend we were forced to spend the majority of time indoors, corralling an extremely active toddler, due to the brutal cold outside. Those who have had to do this will agree with me, keeping a toddler happy indoors for long periods ain't easy. It is on weekends like these I realize I have actually memorized the theme song to The Backyardigans and could sing it, backwards and forwards, in my sleep. The only upside I can find in this weather is that, during my daughter's naptime on Sunday, I enjoy the chance to roll up my sleeves and cook a large, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal. These meals usually take a little longer to make, but they are heavy, delicious, and purposely made in large portions so that the leftovers can be eaten for the first part of the week. Cooking a big meal on Sunday is a common strategy in many households. It is generally more convenient to cook when there is someone else around to help with the kids, and starting off the week with a fridge full of leftovers is hugely convenient come Monday evening at six o'clock. I am going to explain to you how I approach Sunday cooking in my first entry for the Sunday Dinner Series. Like my other series, Emergency Meals, I will write ongoing entries with ideas for Sunday dinners, I hope you find it helpful for your weekend cooking.

On this particular cold and drizzly Sunday I decided to make a large pot of short ribs, the epitome of cold weather food. My father gave me this recipe a few years ago after he made them for us while we were visiting my parents. As a quick aside, I should note that I grew up in a household where both of my parent's are exceptional cooks. First of all, my father is a retired surgeon and I am pretty sure has better knife skills then any professional chef on television. Secondly, like any good scientist, he is very precise when he is following a recipe for the first time. Only after he has finished and tasted the final result of his first attempt will he sit down and give it an in-depth analysis. Then he will make notes for changes to try the next time he cooks the dish, often only making one change per attempt so as to test each "variable" (i.e. ingredient) independently. I often tease him that he approaches cooking like he did medical research. He concedes that this is true, but is quick to point out that, as a result, our whole family loves his recipes.


Luckily for me my father had already fully vetted this recipe before passing it on, so all I had to do was follow his instructions to a "T". I read the recipe thoroughly before I began and then followed each step very carefully, trying to replicate his exacting standards. The preparation of the meal was actually quite simple. There was lots of chopping vegetables, browning meat and adding liquids to a dutch oven. It took time, but as long as I kept an eye on everything it was hard to mess up. My favorite part came after I had put the pot in the oven and gorgeous smells of herbs and broth wafted through the apartment for most of the afternoon. Once the sauce was thickened and the short ribs complete I prepared a simple green salad and spooned the broth and meat over fresh egg noodles. The result was delicious. The sauce was a perfectly balanced blend of red wine, beef and vegetables. It tasted like a french minestrone, the olives lending a delicious salty touch to counteract the sweetness of the carrots. The ribs were so tender that the meat shredded at the touch of the fork tines and simply melted away in my mouth with each bite. In fact, it was so tender that our daughter, who only has four teeth, excitedly ate several fistfuls of meat and noodles with no trouble whatsoever.


Like all good Sunday dinners I am pleased to note that the leftovers were extremely easy to keep and we were able to eat them for dinner on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday I simply reheated the whole dutch oven in the stove and served the meal again, this time with mashed potatoes. Then, on Tuesday, we shredded the remaining meat and ate it on fresh slices of baguette with a side of cheese and a salad. In times like these I think it is also worth noting the smart economics of this meal. Short ribs are a relatively inexpensive cut of meat compared to, say, a tenderloin, and when prepared properly they can last you for at least three (!) dinners. So, thanks Dad, for sharing the recipe. And thank you also for all those winter weekends you had to keep me entertained indoors, I now have a whole new level of appreciation for your patience.


Dad's Short Ribs Pronvencale for Sunday Dinner - adapted from Bon Appetit, January 2002
Olive Oil
4 lbs. meaty beef short ribs (but I've used up to 6 lbs. with this recipe if you need to serve lots of people)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
8 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 T. dried Herbes de Provence
2 c. red wine
3 c. beef broth (I use bouillon cubes)

1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes, with juices
1/2 c. water, if needed
16 oz. baby carrots
1/2 c. Nicois olives, pitted

1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven. Sprinkle the ribs with Kosher salt and pepper, add ribs to the pot and brown well, turning often. About 8 minutes per batch. When complete, transfer ribs to a large bowl.
3. Add 2 T. olive oil to the pot, add onion, chopped carrot and celery and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
4. Add garlic, flour and herbes de Provence, stir for 1 minutes. Add wine and 2 c. of broth. Bring to boil over high heat and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
5. Add tomatoes with juices. Return ribs with accumulated juices to the pot, and, if needed, add enough water to the pot to just cover the ribs.
6. Cover pot tightly and transfer to oven. Bake until ribs are very tender, about 2 hours 20 minutes. You'll see how tender they are when the bones fall out of the meat.
7. When this is complete add remaining 1 c. broth, baby carrots and olives to the pot. Continue cooking for 15 minutes, until carrots are very tender.
8. Remove from oven. If you want to, remove the ribs and carrots, and boil the sauce a little longer on the stove to thicken it slightly. Season it all with salt and pepper.
9. Pour sauce over freshly cooked egg noodles, add ribs to each plate and serve.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: A Sunday dinner that will last for three nights is well worth the effort. This is a tried and true recipe that you could even serve at a dinner party if you wanted to.
Naptime Stopwatch: This recipe takes about 2 1/2 hours or more to prepare. It is not hard, but it takes a lot of chopping, browning and stirring. I watched it very carefully while it was in the oven, not wanting the meat to come uncovered at any point. Set aside a lot of time on the weekend to make this and you will be glad you did.
Naptime Reviews: To find a meat dish that both a husband and toddler will eat is no small feat. Our daughter at the meat and noodles by the fistful and my husband, well, he could have eaten the entire thing by himself!