Traditional Flemish Waterzooi Food

WATERZOOI

Steps:

• In a heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter over low to medium heat.
• Sauté leeks, potatoes, celery, carrots and onion for 3 minutes. Set aside.
• In a Dutch oven, place the chicken legs and bouquet garni and pour the broth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce the heat, cover and continue cooking over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the reserved vegetables.
• Cover and continue cooking for 15 minutes over low heat.
• Remove the bouquet garni.

WATERZOOI

Steps:

• Add butter and olive oil to a large Dutch oven or 12 qt pot and heat over medium until the butter is completely melted and starts to foam. Add the minced shallots and sauté for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the sliced leeks and fennel, season with some salt and pepper and sauté for another 5 minutes or enough time to slightly wilt the leeks. Add the carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, and sauté for another 4 minutes. Then add the potatoes, fish stock, cooking beer, and cream; bringing the mixture to a simmer for about 8 minutes.
• Take your fish of choice, removing any skin and bones (saving for fish stock) and cut it into 1 ½ inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper and add to the pot with the mussels, turning down the heat to a low and cook for about 8 - 10 minutes, all the vegetables should be tender, the mussels opened and fish just cooked.
• Note: Do not bring to a boil, just a light simmer or small bubbles around the edge of the pot. This will help prevent the fish from overcooking and becoming tough. Ladle Waterzooi into warm bowls and garnish with chervil or parsley.

TRADITIONAL FLEMISH WATERZOOI RECIPE

Steps:

• Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked.
• Heat the butter in a frying pan.
• Add the celery, carrot, and onion and cook the vegetables for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are soft and glazed.
• Now add the leeks and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add the stock to the vegetable mixture and allow it to infuse for 3 minutes.
• Gently poach the fish fillets in the broth for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the mussels after 1 minute.
• Remove the seafood from the pan once the mussels have opened and set aside. Strain the stock into a saucepan.
• Set the vegetables aside to use later.
• Whisk the egg yolk with the cream in a bowl.
• Put the stock back on the heat and, once it reaches boiling point, add the cream and egg mixture to thicken the stock and create a sauce.
• Now mix well with a whisk and make sure the sauce does not come to the boil again.
• Add the peeled shrimp and half the chives and stir.
• Place the fish pieces in a serving bowl along with the vegetables and potatoes.
• Pour the sauce over it.
• Garnish with the remaining chives. Tip: Most mussels sold in the Netherlands today have already been cleaned and debearded. If your mussels haven't been cleaned, simply use a knife or wire brush to scrape off any barnacles on the shells. Debeard the mussels by pulling off any strands. Place the mussels in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cool water. Discard any that have broken shells. Tap the open mussels on a hard surface and if they do not close within a few moments, throw them out too. About the book: Werken met Vis by Dutch sustainable seafood champion Bart van Olphen offers guidance in choosing, cleaning, preparing and cooking a wide range of sustainable (European) seafood varieties with traditional recipes from the Netherlands, Belgium, and beyond. Title: Werken met Vis By: Bart van Olphen Photography: Daniel Patriasz Design & Illustrations: Tijs Koelemeijer Language: Dutch only Publisher: Carrera Publisher's Site Price: €34,90 ISBN: 9789048816217

WATERZOOI VAN VIS - FLEMMISH FISH STEW

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a pan and use to fry the onion and garlic for 1 minute. Crumble in the saffron then add the wine and fish stock.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, add the seafood then cover and allow to steam for about 4 or 5 minutes, or until the mussels just begin to open.
• Add the vegetables, cover once more, and cook for a further 3 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels, add the ftarrogon, chervil and parsley, season to taste then transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

WATERZOOI (VATERZOY)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium -high heat and quickly brown the chicken pieces. Remove and set aside.
• In the same pot, saute the leeks, onion, celery and salt until the vegetables are tender crisp. Return the chicken to the pot and add the water, bouillon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
• In a small bowl or cup, combine the flour and lemon juice; pour into the pot and stir.
• Beat the cream and the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of the hot liquid; stir into pot. Heat through, but do not allow to boil as the cream will curdle. Sprinkle in the parsley before serving.