Enjoy cooking Dutch food? Then you are in for a real adventure with the first part of our daring Dutch recipes to try at home!
Stamppot, hutspot and erwtensoep… They may all be delicious but cooking the same dish every day can get pretty boring. If you’re looking to spice up your knowledge of Dutch cuisine, your inner chef will surely enjoy these daring Dutch recipes.
Some of these recipes belong to the olden days and some of them are still eaten in every part of the Netherlands today. If you’re for a challenge, then continue reading.
1. Filet Américain
Filet Américain is a Dutch raw beef spread that Dutchies often eat on bread for lunch or as a light snack. You can eat this delicacy on its own or combine it with some raw onions and/or boiled egg. Be warned though, no matter how tasty it is, young, elderly, or pregnant women are not advised to indulge in this dish.
The recipe for Filet Américain
- Half a kilo Sirloin steak
- 1 tablespoon of capers
- 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- A couple of dill pickles, medium-sized
- Half a red onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- Salt and black pepper to taste
First, start by rubbing the steak on both sides with the Worcestershire sauce and let it sit for a short while. Then cut it into small pieces and place it in a food processor with the capers, pickles, diced onion, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. If you wish, you can add other spices such as paprika, garlic powder, chilli powder, or some mustard.
Grind everything till it’s a thick smooth paste and refrigerate for an hour or two before eating. Finally, you are ready to smear this goodness everywhere you see fit.
2. Bakleverworst
You must have heard of pâté, which is cooked spreadable meat and a tasty treat for many people around the world. Being innovative and restless by nature, Dutch have decided to take good ol’ pate to a whole new level: frying it before eating. Get ready to truly make use of your creativity in the kitchen.
The recipe for Bakleverworst
- Pork liver (around 1 kg)
- Shoulder meat (preferably pork, around 1 kg)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cube of vegetable stock
- 250 grams of flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
Start by cutting all the meat into small pieces and then let them simmer in the vegetable stock for about half an hour. With the food processor, grind the meat and add the onion, flour, and spices before grinding for another minute or two.
Divide the meat mixture you have into two chunks and by using a plastic film, wrap them into a shape of a sausage. Set aside.
In a pot, bring some water to a boil and throw the wrapped sausages to cook for about an hour. Don’t forget to make sure that your plastic film is waterproof and wrapped around the meat mixture nicely and tightly. After boiling, let the sausages cool off before putting them in the fridge or freezer overnight.
The next day, unwrap the meat mixture and cover it with flour before frying in a pan. Eat it sliced, on a piece of buttered bread. Eet smakkelijk!
3. Bierpap
Okay, it starts with the word bier, so it must be something alcoholic, right? Correct! But there’s a catch. Bierpap (literally translated to beer porridge) is a comforting, belly-warming drink usually enjoyed before bedtime. It has dark beer, it has milk and it’s warm! What could be better?
The recipe for Bierpap
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- Sugar to taste
- A small bottle of preferred dark beer
Pour milk into a pan and bring to a boil. Mix in the flour and stir until it’s dissolved and the milk starts to thicken. Add the sugar and then turn the stove off. Now simply add half a bottle (or more if you wish) of the dark beer and enjoy. We recommend serving this warming drink in mugs.
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Have you tried any of these recipes? How do you like them? Tell us in the comments below!
Feature Image: Hannah Busing/Unsplash
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in November 2017, and was fully updated in March 2021 for your reading pleasure.
Filet Americain is actually Belgian (Flemish)