Cindystar: Boerenkool met worst - Potato, cabbage and sausage

la ricetta in italiano qui

I've begun a long virtual journey across Europe with The Culinary ABC of the European Community and we are visiting the Netherlands in these days. Should you like to participate you can find all infos and rules here, it's pretty funny and very useful, always a nice chance to learn about different kitchens and traditions.

I don't know very much about Holland, never been there, so I tried a very popular dish, that can vary according to the different ingredients.

Boerenkool or boerenkoolstamppot is a traditional Dutch dish made with mashed potatoes and vegetables (only one or several vegetables together, in this case boerenkool is a kind of cabbage, literally cabbage of the farmer). In stamppot traditional vegetables include sauerkraut, endive, kale, or carrot and onion (the latter combination is known as hutspot). It is usually served with smoked sausage or stew. Can be prepared in a single pot. Potatoes, onions and vegetables are peeled and placed into the pot with the sausage. Add water and bring to a boil. When vegetables are done and drained, add a little milk, butter, salt and mash all together. This dish is usually served with apple sauce, pickled onions and gherkins.

Not much appreciated in my family, just because they are not very fond of cabbage, though rumblings and criticism came only when the pot was completely empty :-) ... and to tell you the truth, not missed too some obvious sarcasm for the presentation of the dish ... but that was definetely my fault, I should have placed the sausage in a more photogenic way, cut in pieces or whatever :-).

The ceramic little windmill in the picture has 48 years, it's a souvenir of my parents visit to the Royal Delft during their stay in the Netherlands.

Serving 4:

some green broccoli

half cabbage

one kilo potatoes

one Leek

sausages or smoked frankfurters

a knob of butter

extra virgin olive oil

one glass warm milk

salt & pepper

- Blanche green broccoli in lightly salted water until quite tender. Drain and keep aside.
- Eliminate the most coriaceous leaves from cabbage and slice it into thin strips.
- Sautée finely sliced leek in a dash of oil, add the cabbage, stir well, add one or two glasses of water or vegetable broth and let simmer, covered with lid, until done. If necessary remove the lid to dry any remaining cooking liquid.
- Meanwhile, boil potatoes in a little water (peeled and cut into chunks) until tender.
- Mash potatoes, toss with butter and milk, add cabbage and broccoli and stir well. Add salt and pepper if necessary.
- Bake the sausage in the oven or in a pan (or you could place sausages on top of cabbage and cook all together) and serve it hot with mashed vegetables.
- You can also add fried bacon slices, at your pleasure.