Two Belgians

Here is a post about a recent visit again to local restaurant De Twee Belgen (The Two Belgians). We went there last Ascension Day. No lengthy stories about what we ate there, just pictures and short descriptions.

Amuse bouche was a small cup of tomatosoup with a cheese twister.

Every time I eat here, I just have to have the shrimp croquettes as a starter. I'm sure they have other items on the menu, but come one, who'd order something else when you can have shrimp croquettes? Especially when they're the best in town.

Okay, maybe N's lactose intolerance made her choose oxtail stock with ravioli, stuffed with duck foie gras. Apparently, very good. Not as good as shrimp croquettes of course.

Since the asparagus season was in full bloom, we both ordered the special of asparagus, served with a poached egg and fabulous ham of a special kind of pork I've already forgotten. Served on the side were the infamous Flemish fries (whole different league altogether than french fries), though a bit on the salty side. And apparently some salad.

Service was swift since we had mentioned we were on a tight schedule because we wanted to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox, so we were amply in time at the cinema. Afterwards we had a drink at a bar and after that we even went to the fair, where I won N a stuffed bee, we had cotton candy and sugar coated nuts and I even lost some bucks on a dexterity game where you had to try to win a prize by making a stick push through some tight holes (sorry, I can't think of a better explanation). All in all, it was a great day!

Asparagus

The Dutch pride themselves on their white asparagus. All over the world people seem to enjoy the green type (or sometimes even the purple type), but in Holland there’s an entire cultus-like tradition surrounding the white asparagus. Somewhere in May or June, the asparagus is ready to be harvested.

The harvesting is a meticulously timed process. The asparagus gets its white colour from growing underground. As soon as it will shoot out from the ground, it will start to go green, thus losing its delicate flavour. Harvesting the asparagus has to be done just before this shooting out. That’s usually a matter of hours. A lot of seasonal workers, commonly from Poland, are involved in getting all the asparagus out in time.

Because of its delicate flavour and the fact that the white asparagus will only be available for 2-3 months (the asparagus season), the Dutch have nicknamed it the Queen of Vegetables. Traditionally, it is served with cooked ham, boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs and hollandaise sauce (how appropriate). Whenever the season comes around, N prepares this seasonal meal a few times. Or, should I say, it’s one of those few times per year I let her cook :). She makes an excellent hollandaise. Usually, we save some of the asparagus stem parts for soup.

When you’re in Holland during the asparagus season, be sure to sample some! Most restaurants will serve special seasonal menus involving asparagus.