My chat with Boris got me thinking about my own visit to Belgium. 

I spent a week in Ghent with my lifelong friend and travel buddy, Lisa. We had been overseas for not even two weeks, unaware of the new adventures and life changes that, over the years, would come from our jaunt around Europe. We took a train from Amsterdam; watched the countryside, drew little pictures  of our adventures, ate some hastily purchased bitterballen. 

Then, we were in Belgium. We were set to meet our Couchsurfing host at the train station, so we chatted with a sausage vendor, who sang us an aria from his favourite opera. 

Our host was a wry young woman with blonde dreadlocks and bright, colourful clothing. We spent many happy evenings with her.  On our first night, we accompanied her to a local taverne, where her friends held an underground "pay what you can" dinner party. We dropped some euros into a jar next to an enormous pot of stew, and sat at a big, crowded table.  We clinked glasses of beer, and tucked into deep bowls of lentil soup as wisps of smoke and the snippets of Flemish floated around us. 
We chatted with many people that night, and though we'd just eaten, we of course we began asking about food. Lisa and I had spent a good portion of our train journey discussing how excited we were to try frieten, which are Belgian style chips, served hot in a paper cone. When we asked our new friends about where to get the best ones, they all agreed on one thing; no matter where we go, we must get speciaalsaus. It was, of course, the first thing we did when we were on our own in the city the next day.

So, what is speciaalsaus? It's a combination of mayonnaise, ketchup, and curry, with a bit of chopped onion. It's easy to make and absolutely delicious on chips. I'm sure this would also be good with sausages, burgers, or pretty much anything fried.
In my interview with Boris, he says he prefers his fries late at night, with "just salt", but  the mention of Belgian frieten evoked such fond memories. The other day, it was really slow in the restaurant where I cook, so I made myself some fries and decided to try and make some sauce.
One taste, and I was transported right back to Ghent, sitting in a little shop with my best friend, giggling over our travels, wondering what was ahead, and dipping hot frites into speciaalsaus.

Belgian Speciaalsaus

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 1/2 tbsp ketchup

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 of an onion, diced

Combine ingredients.  Enjoy.

I know this isn't much of a recipe, but hopefully it will be of good use to you. 

Lisa. Ghent. Adventure awaits.

"I can cook curry! Curry rice...and I can make very easy cake... Noodles, noodle soup..."

Ming

Curry rice

This sweet and spicy "curry rice" is from Japan, but has become popular in Taiwan as well. I used a recipe from a blog called Taiwanxifu, with only a few changes made. It was a different way of preparing curry than I'd made before; by making a tomato and curry based roux and thickening it with chicken stock.

This is such a delicious dish, and it goes a long way!

1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 large clove garlic, chopped
4-5 cups chicken stock
4 tbsp flour
2 tbsp Japanese curry powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and in chunks

3 small potatoes, in cubes

1 lb chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 red apple, peeled and grated

1 tbsp soy sauce (or sweet soy)

Rice, to serve

1. In a large, heavy bottomed pan, heat a knob of butter with a good splash of oil. Add the ginger and garlic and cook briefly, until aromatic.  Meanwhile, bring a pot of your  chicken stock to boil.

2. Add flour and cook for a bit, stirring frequently. Once it's gotten a bit of colour, add curry and tomato paste. Heat through.

3. Add a small amount of hot stock and stir to incorporate. Ladle by ladle, add hot stock to the pot, stirring constantly. 

4. Add remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for about a half hour, stirring occasionally.

5. Serve with rice.

"Then there are the things I rarely ever say no to: spicy pasta; fresh seafood; moules marinières; fresh bread and olives; French black pudding and apple; roast lamb with garlic and rosemary; grilled goat’s cheese salad." 

Joanne Harris

Food styling and photographs by Annalise Muller

 When I travel long-term, I try to spend a bit of time helpx-ing wherever I go. It allows me to spend time in the countryside, learn new skills, and meet amazing people. 

While in France a few years back, I spent a couple of weeks in the Pyrenees, helping an English couple renovate an old bergerie into a bed and breakfast. They were such a cool couple, and my time with them was so enjoyable and educational! If you are thinking of a trip to France in the future, I recommend staying at their B&B. I can only imagine how lovely the final product is, and they are truly magnificent hosts.

The bergerie was located just outside of a tiny village called Galey.

I tried black pudding on the bergerie, served crumbled and hot with apples and cabbages fresh from their garden. It was perfect. I was hooked. 

When I saw black pudding mentioned with apples again, I knew one thing I'd be cooking this week. I also included rhubarb, because it's tangy and cuts through the richness of the pudding, but also because it's finally spring and I freaked out when I saw it at the market.

Black pudding with apples, rhubarb, and spiced cabbage

1/2 a red cabbage, chopped or shredded

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 cup red wine

1 tsp lemon juice

2 eating apples, peeled and thickly sliced
1 stalk rhubarb, sliced

1 tsp sugar

8 oz boudin, or black pudding, sliced

1. In a large pan, heat some oil or butter. Add cabbage and cook for a couple of minutes.

2. Add wine and spices. Stir and cook until liquid has evaporated. Stir through lemon juice, and remove from heat.

3. In another, medium pan, heat a large knob of butter with a bit of oil. Add apples, rhubarb and sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent any burning, until apples are soft but not mushy.

4. Meanwhile, heat a fair amount of oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Cook the black pudding on both sides, in batches if you need. Transfer to a lined plate to drain.

5. Serve all three together, perhaps with a bit of bread.

"Right now, I'm craving spicy chickpea curry...."

Food styling and photography: Annalise Muller

I was excited to try this dish out, because I have relatively little experience with cooking curries. I've made some kormas and laksas from shop-bought pastes, that's really it. 

 Upon a bit of research on chickpea curries, I came up with chana masala, a tomato based dry curry (meaning most of the liquid has evaporated, not that it's dry like a cracker). 

This dish did involve a trip to my favourite Indian market, where I bought amchoor (dried, powdered green mango) powder for the dish. It adds a sour, bright flavour to the dish. If you can't find it, use more citrus instead!

I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe for chana masala, which was adapted from one of Madhur Jaffrey's recipes.  I made a few  slight changes, but nothing major. 

I am always wary of giving measurements of chile peppers, since people buy all sorts of them. I used a green Jwala chili, which is common in Indian cooking and quite hot. I only used half. You may want more. 
I would recommend serving this with yoghurt or a raita of some sort. 

Chana Masala

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 onions, chopped finely
1 large clove garlic, chopped finely
1 thumb sized knob of ginger, grated
1/2 hot chile pepper, chopped (can less or more to your taste)
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tbsp amchoor powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas
The juice of half a lemon or lime.


1.  In a large, heavy bottomed pan, heat a bit of oil. Add onions, garlic, ginger and chile pepper and cook for about five minutes, until fragrant.
2. Add all the dry spices, lower the heat as not to burn, and stir to incorporate with the onion mixture. Sautee over low heat for a couple of minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, water and chickpeas. Stir to incorporate. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until most liquid has evaporated.
4. Stir through citrus juice and season with salt.
5. Serve hot with rice or a fluffy flatbread such as naan.

Bissli Schnitzel, Hummus, and Tahina

I have three recipes for you today, all of which were mentioned in my chat with Boaz. Israeli staples; tahina sauce and hummus are both quick to make and require many of the same ingredients, so they are easy to make side by side.

Schnitzel is not usually breaded with Bissli, but I bought some BBQ twirls while buying tahini. If you do see it, pick up a bag and try this out.

This really is one of world's best meals. I truly believe that. 

Turkey or chicken schnitzel is street food in Israel. It's nestled into fluffy pita alongside pickles, cabbage, and grand dollops of hummus and tahini. It's pretty ubiquitous around the country; it was a frequent (and popular!) lunch on kibbutz, and sold frozen in every grocery store.  Here, with a bit of challah, hummus, tahina and lemon, it becomes a Friday night shabbat meal.

I love shabbat, especially on Friday evenings. It was so special on kibbutz.   The long dining hall tables were draped in tablecloths and adorned with little bowls of stewed olives, eggplant salads, bottles of red wine and challah. A special dinner; often roast chicken or beef, alongside salads, tahina, hummus, and a soup. It was my favourite part of the week; somehow even better than the relaxing day off that followed. 

Happy Friday! Enjoy these three recipes! And a big thank you to Annalise for styling and photographing the food! 

 Stay tuned for Sunday, when I'll be posting an interview with Chocolat author Joanne Harris!

Hummus

Want creamy, Israeli-style hummus? Three words: peel the beans. It is a bit more time-consuming, but the texture is worth it.

You can of course used tinned chickpeas, but if you cook them yourself, be sure to use the cooking water in the hummus!

2 cups cooked chickpeas, with skins slipped off

3 tbsp raw tahini

1 large clove garlic

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup water

Olive oil, paprika and sesame seeds, to serve

Combine ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. If it is too thick, add a bit more water. Season to taste. 

Serve with a good drizzle of olive oil and spices.

Tahina

This creamy, nutty condiment is served at just about every meal in Israel. I have it thick here, to serve as a dip, but if you add more water you can use it as a sauce or dressing.

1/2 raw tahini

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 large clove garlic, chopped as finely as possible

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup cold water

1 tbsp olive oil, optional

Combine tahini, parsley, garlic and some salt. Add lemon juice and stir- the mixture will tighten up and become grainy. Add water to desired consistency. Stir through olive oil, if using. Season to taste and serve. 

Bissli Schnitzel

If you don't want to include Bissli, just add omit and add a bit more breadcrumbs and a bit of smoked paprika. For a kosher meal, use water in the eggwash. Otherwise, use milk.

1 lb turkey cutlets, sliced or pounded thin

1 cup plain breadcrumbs (I used panko)

1/2 cup crushed BBQ  Bissli

4 tsp sesame seeds

2 tsp black sesame seeds

1/2 tsp cumin

1 egg

1/4 cup water or milk

Oil

Lemon, to serve.

1. Combine breadcrumbs, Bissli, sesame seeds, cumin, and some salt and pepper. Place on a wide plate or shallow bowl.

2. Combine egg and liquid in another bowl.

3. Dip a piece of turkey in the eggwash and coat in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat with all cutlets.

4. Heat a good amount of oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan.  Line a plate with a towel or paper.

5. In batches, fry the breaded cutlets until golden brown on each side. Transfer to lined plate.

6. Serve with lemon, and anything else you want.

Enjoy!

Xoirino prasoselino

This is the first dish that Athina mentioned to my in our interview. It has northern Greek origins, and is often eaten for Christmas.  It's simple and hearty; pork (I used shoulder) braised with celery, leeks, and white wine, and finished with a hearty avgolemono, the creamy egg-lemon mixture found throughout Greece in the winter. 
I included red, green, and yellow bell peppers because we had a bit of a surplus on hand.  It is not traditional. It was nice, though. 

For the pork stew:

2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into chunks
1 cup white wine
4 cups broth
The peel of one lemon
6 celery stalks, cut on the bias
2 leeks, cut on the bias
1 each red and yellow pepper, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For avgolemono:

2 eggs
The juice of two lemons
1 cup cooking liquid

1. In a large pot, heat a bit of oil and brown pork batches. 
2. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, and then return pork to the pot. Add broth and a bit of the lemon peel. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 45 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in another pot, sweat the vegetables with the remaining lemon peel. Remove from heat and set aside until pork is ready.
4. After 45 minutes have passed, add your veg to the pork. Add oregano and cinnamon, as well as salt and pepper.
5. Simmer, uncovered, for another 45 minutes, adding more broth or water if it gets a bit dry. 
6. In a medium bowl, thoroughly beat two eggs. Whisk in lemon juice. 
7. Whisking constantly, stream about a cup of the pork's cooking liquid into the egg-lemon mixture. 
8. Remove stew from heat. Add egg-lemon mixture to the pot, shaking to incorporate.

A drizzly Melbourne morning.

Your tram was fifteen minutes late, filled with gossipy schoolgirls and their swinging ponytails.  The café is filling up, the takeaway window crowded with faces.

Coffee up!

Coffee up!

I said, coffee up!

Your barista is moodily pouring out an endless clatter of coffees. He’s been wearing the same faded shirt, that black one with the ninja, for three days. He barely acknowledges you, just wordlessly hands you the first of many flat whites. You swirl your teaspoon through it and take a little taste before tying on your apron. You try and assess the dining room, but before your eyes can scan beyond the oddly piratelike looking man at table two, you hear that thick Israeli accent cry out;

Coffee up!

He hits the bell and looks at you. Two flat whites and a skinny latte for table sixteen. You place them on little saucers, along with a scattering of Tiny Teddy biscuits and a teaspoon and carry them to a round table by the big window. 

You pour two cool glasses of water for your newest arrival, a mother and daughter. They're regulars here, and always get the same latte orders; one soy and one extra hot. Sometimes the daughter comes alone, and when she does, she gets a strawberry muffin. You saw her once, at the Prahran markets, but you couldn't place how you recognised her until hours later, while watching The Voice, it just came to you. Funny how that happens, isn't-

Ding!

Food up!

Poached eggs on Turkish bread with Vegemite, eggs royale, eggs florentine, table nine.

You run the plates over to the table. A middle aged woman and a younger couple. Vegemite toast for the man, eggs Florentine for the young lady, and-

What is this? I didn’t order this.

Apparently, that new backpacker waiter completely misunderstood the woman’s order. She wants Spanish eggs, not eggs royale- not entirely sure how the bloke mixed the two up. You take a deep breath, preparing yourself for the task of telling the chef. She’s intimidating; a lanky, angular ex-surfer with a steely glare.

Table nine wanted Spanish eggs, not eggs royale. I’m sorry.

Swearing under her breath, your chef fills a little clay dish with a piquant chorizo laden tomato sauce. Her teary-eyed sous chef looks up from his pile of shallots and winks at you.

Using a wooden spoon, she makes two wells in the sauce, and drops in two eggs. She sprinkles over some salt and then throws the whole thing under the grill.  You bring a big spoon to the table and whisk away the offending eggs royale, bringing them to where you have been sporadically sipping your coffee. 

As the morning passes, you quietly pick at the lady’s castoff eggs royale, which are good- the café does a nice lemony hollandaise that goes beautifully with the fatty, smoky salmon. It’s nice, but you wish it had been the Spanish eggs that were gifted upon you this morning. Those Spanish eggs are just so robust and flavourful, especially with toasted Turkish bread on the side.

Later that night, you are inspired to try your own version for dinner. Perhaps it looks something like this:

Melbourne café eggs

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup chorizo, cut into lardons

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small red pepper, chopped

1 tsp sherry

1 1/2 cup water

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp sugar

1/8 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

4 eggs

1.     In a shallow, heavy bottomed pan, heat a bit of oil and add garlic and onions. Cook until translucent and fragrant.

2.     Add chorizo and render out a bit of fat. Add tomatoes and peppers and sautee.

3.     Add the sherry and give it a good stir.

4.     Add water and tomato paste, stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to boil. 

5.     Meanwhile, combine oil with cumin, paprika and cayenne. Season with a bit of salt.

6.     Reduce the heat of the tomato mixture and stir through the seasoned oil. Reduce heat to low.

7.     Gently crack four eggs into the sauce. It helps to use a spoon to create little wells for each egg. Season eggs with salt and pepper. 

8.     Cover pan and cook on very low heat for 5 minutes, or until egg whites are just set.

Serve with bread.

What vegetables do you like?

 "I like most vegetables. I don’t like cauliflower or sprouts. Not overly keen on cabbage.  I like it well fried and shredded and cooked in red wine- that’s good cabbage. Mushrooms, I love mushrooms. Haven’t had one in ages."

Anna, Cheshire, England

Marinated mushrooms

This attractive, Provençal-inspired dish is the perfect picnic food. Throw everything into a mason jar in the morning and pay it no mind until you pop it into your beach bag or picnic basket. This is fantastic served with a crusty baguette to dip into the fragrant leftover oil.

1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms, brushed clean

1 1/2 cup olive oil

The peel of half a lemon
1 teaspoon white wine

2 sprigs thyme

1 large stem of basil

1 sprig marjoram

1/8th teaspoon dried lavender

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. Bring a small pan of water to boil. Add mushrooms, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove, pat dry, and let cool.
2.Line a sterilised jar with the fresh herbs. 

3. Pack the jar with mushrooms, garlic, and lemon peel.

4. Stir together olive oil, wine, lavender and salt. Pour over mushrooms and seal jar.

5. Let sit for at least two hours, turning occasionally. 

What do you eat for breakfast?

“Toasted muesli, Greek yoghurt, honey and milk and sliced fruit.”

Tom, Queensland, Australia

Tropical toasted museli

Driving around Queensland, I was delighted to find farmstands everywhere. Ripe, fragrant tropical fruits were abundant; mangoes, papaya, bananas, pineapples, not to mention fruits I'd never encountered before, such as sapote and lucuma. I even met a pair of hitchhikers who had spent the previous six months climbing palms and selling coconuts to tourists at the Daintree National Park.

Muesli, originally a Swiss invention, has taken on a life of it's own in Australia. It is immensely popular with fruit and yoghurt, and is also sometimes sold at bakeries, pressed into a "slice." Here, we infuse it with the sunny flavours of Queensland. I imagine this would be especially delicious with yoghurt and passionfruit pulp!

2 cups plain oats

1/2 cup banana chips, broken up

1/4 cup dried papaya, cut into bite sized pieces

1/4 cup dried pineapple, cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

2/3 cup dry roasted macadamias, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup pineapple juice

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons honey

A large pinch of salt

1.   Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).

2.   Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3.   On a baking sheet, spread the mixture so it makes one even layer.

4.   Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Allow the museli to cool, and then transfer to a nice jar or container.