And The Winners Are...

I am so excited to announce the winners names ! I would like to be a millionaire like Oprah and scream: "I give you a fridge !" or  "I give you all a car !". Yeaaaaah ! Hahahaha !!!!

Well, I give you books and pagemarkers then.

And the winners are...
My little girl picked the first piece of paper:

This was the second:

Ju Ben Keid and Amanda from Travels with Persephone blog: congrats !!!! Please send me a comment asap so that everyone can see you guys have read this post. Then please send another comment to me (I will not publish it) with your name and an address to where I can send the book + bookmarker. In the case you do not react within the next two days then I will draw other name (s) and send the book (s) to someone else.

You didn't get anything ? Not to worry ! There will be more coming soon... I will be publishing more 100% Dutch recipes as well . Super easy and yummy ones ! On the right side of this blog page I also added a link to a recently discovered blog: Typical Dutch Recipes from Wendy. Enjoy ! (www.tdsrecipes.blogspot.com)

It is Giveaway Time !

On February 13th Greetings From Holland will be completing 2 years ! My sincere "thank you" to all followers and those bringing their "two cents" !

With my blog I have met virtually and/or personally many bubbling personalities and discovered many interesting blogs made by creative, enthusiastic, critic, passionate and very opinionated people around the world. I have done a lot of research and learned even more interesting things about the Dutch culture and myself...

In order to celebrate the two years of G.F.H. I will be giving away two books. The title is "Dutch Cooking Today" and has easy-to-prepare, modern interpretation of traditional Dutch recipes. Thus no granny food - although one can label Dutch food as "comfy food". The book is in ENGLISH. I have gotten one as a present many years ago and prepared so far many yummy recipes. So I bought two units and decided to give them as presents this month.

Above, zebras. It is a starter made of rye bread and a mixture paste consisting of cream cheese, dill and salm. No frying, no cooking - and you can prepare it with a certain advance in time. If you do not like to use salm you can use a white fish of cooked chicken instead - it is goingto look even whiter and become more "zebra-ish" !

Above: chicken and salm soup. Very low fat, very surprising ! Please explore my blog clicking on the labels "restaurants", "recipes", "food"  on the right side of this page if you are not familiar with Dutch foods/meals/delicacies/street food.

Above: pear stewed in red wine, cloves and cinnamon. I prefer curd with prunes - also found in the book !

"Poffertjes": tiny pancakes. Found in all Dutch supermarkets and also during fairs and quermesses around the country, during the whole year. Serve them topped with butter and sugar. Notice the recipe has three paragraphs. I told you: the Dutch recipes are simple AND the Dutch cuisine is so much more than just mashed dishes and pea soup ! The brilliant thing about this book concept is that there are NO Indonesian foods (it is a very strong ethnic cuisine in Holland), NO Belgian foods (which is very lovely cuisine from a neighbouring country and uses liqueurs and beers) or from other countries  at all - and these days Italian and French have lots of influence on Dutch cooking styles. The book is all about pure ingredients and honest flavors in a 1-2-3 step.

Book contents: classic basic sauces, breakfast/brunch/lunch, cakes with tea or coffee, appetizers and snacks, soups, one-pan dishes, main courses, vegetables and side dishes, desserts. All recipes come with a photo. There are also art photos in the book with Dutch themes / landscapes / sceneries.

And the lucky winners get also one plastified bookmarker with magnets, so that you can place it on your chosen recipe page. You can also write some notes inside the bookmarker.  Everyone, living in any part on planet Earth can participate on it. Here are the simple rules to participate in this draw, step-by-step:

1) Become a follower of Greetings from Holland right now if you are not one;

2) Place a quick comment in English (on this post only) up to 16th February, not forgetting to mention your name, city and country. Example:
Hi there Anita ! I just discovered your blog, and I already love it !  I also would love to win one of the books. I am really interested in preparing some Dutch food. My fingers are crossed ! Good luck with your blog. Nigella, London, UK;

3) You can also write about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Orkut page or Tweeter. After that you can come here and publish the link (do not forget to mention your name, city and country). Like that you can participate as many times as you wish !

4) When I publish on the lucky winners' names on the 16th February they have two days to react, placing a thank you comment. In case one or both winners do not react then I will make another draw. The presents will be sent via mail as soon as I get the winners addresses.

This is so exciting ! Good luck to all participants !

La Tulipe (The Tulip) [De Tulp]

When my husband turned 40, one of the presents he got was this book in a deluxe edition: Leven Als Gort in Frankrijk, by Ilja Gort. It could be translated to: living like a god in France. This is an expression the Dutch use a lot, "leven als God in Frankfrijk", meaning to enjoy an excellent life / enjoying life to the maximum with sun, rest and good food.

I firstly ignored the book and put it aside for a while. I had already read several good books of American (Magic Provence by Yvone Lenart), Dutch (Wonen op Vakantie, by Esther Verhoef ) and English (all books from Peter Mayle) authors about their lives in la douce France. So I had had enough of that theme. But this year during our vacation in France I decided to read "Leven... " until the end. My husband and mother-in-law had recommend it and I decided to give it a go.

Ilja Gort is a maestro and a componist, author of many world famous jingles (for Nescafe, Heineken and others). He has made some fortune with his adverstisement tunes and decided to buy a castle in France in order to start making the world's best wine. This while at the same time running his studios in Maartensdijk, Holland. After some frustrations the third castle he visits becomes the one: the XIII century Chateau de la Garde, nearby Saint Emilion, in the Bordeaux region.

I liked the book. Okaaaaay... It IS indeed a huge ad of Gort's talents, luck and wines. But the story behind wine making is delicious. We have a Dutch person who barely speaks French beginning from zero, with no previous experience - though he had read a huge library about wines. Gort and his then wife Turf search for the perfect castle in the Bordeaux area, have lots of difficulties in finding personnel to work in the wineyards, and learn how to interact with the French culture and way of doing things. The Gorts really had a hands on approach. An example: his 6 year old son (now in his twenties and following management studies in London) painted the tulip featured on the label. However, what impresses me the most is Gort's drive. He is a very successful wine farmer, a very successful componist, and a very successful author.

La Tulipe - rose'. I decided to give it a go while enjoying a meal salad - and I just loved it. It is made from Merlot and Cabernet grapes and considered the best French rose' from the Bordeaux region, got high grades from Robert Parker and keeps winning several prizes year after year.
In Holland you can purchase La Tulipe de la Garde at Albert Heijn.
The first images on this post were snagged from: http://www.tulipe.nl/
For a nice youtube video go here.

Update: my husband has celebrated his birthday recently and got from a friend two bottles of La Tulipe and a bonus: Het Merlot Mysterie, by Ilja Gort. I have already started reading it and asked my husband whether I could highlight with a yellow pen some words by page. "Of course you can " - he replied. He is such a discomplicated guy !  Probably he will be reading the book only next year during his next vacations...

Nostalgia for the Invader

Brazil was "discovered" by the Portuguese in 1500. The colonization lasted 322 years. In 1630 the Dutch invaded Brazil. They wanted to develop sugar cane plantages on the Northen coast. In 1647, the Dutch reach Itaparica. After many conflicts and heavy attacks from the Portuguese, the Dutch West India Company had to rush to Recife and therefore abandoned many of its members behind. The contact between foreigners and locals led to many consequences. For Capiroba, a local mestizo, for example, the taste for canibalism.
_________
Viva o Povo Brasileiro: romance (in Dutch the title is: Brazilie, Brazilie)
by Joao Ubaldo Ribeiro, 1984, 673 pages.
One of my favorite books ever, this is an extraordinary fiction that covers over three centuries of Brazilian history. Along the years, I keep re-reading some passages and having a good time. You find here a Brazil that is mythological, terrifying, confusing, vibrant, corrupt. So familiar to all - and at the same time so far away and misterious.

Above: Nassau Bridge, Recife, Brazil. photo by wikipedia.

My second cultural tip is the documentary Doce Brasil Holandes, from Monica Schmiedt.
Two historians, Brazilian Kalina Vanderlei and German Sabrina van de Ley, investigate the "Golden Age" of a Dutch Recife. Johannes Mauritius van Nassau stablished Mauritia or Maurisstad, actual Recife, in the XVII century. He plannified the city according to Dutch architectural standards, stablished an astronomical abservatorium, allowed the construction of a synagogue and ordered the construction of the largest bridge in the New World. Soon, Mauritisstad became one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. But Mauritius van Nassau was an invader: he was interested, above all, in making Holland the main distributor of Brazilian sugar in Europe. So why do the actual locals of Recife still consider him to be a humanist and the "best mayor ever" ?
Doce Brasil Holandes
17th September 2010 at 20:30
Tropentheater, Linnaeusstraat 2, Amsterdam.


(If you are having problems to watch this video, here is a trick:
double click on it and you will go to the Youtube page.)

Pies, Pies, Pies [Taarten]

Everytime I go to department store De Bijenkorf I admire their pies. They inspire me for my own pie presentations. Something baroque such as the fruit pie above (it looks like an old Dutch painting doesn't it) ? Or do you prefer the elegant and minimalist below ?

I always photograph food (and especially sweets) when I go abroad. I have amazing photos from Istanbul to Stockholm, from Antwerpen to Valencia. But this blog is about Dutch things. I always found these pies from de Bijenkorf haute couture. And... no, I do not have a sweet tooth. I just think making pies and decorating them veeery exciting !

The sumptuous and round shape pies above and below are called "boule" (ball). They can be made of mousse or bavarois.

If you wish to start baking amazing, I mean really fantastic Dutch pies (sweet and harty) I highly recommend you the following little book: Taart, zoet & hartig (Inmerc bv., Wormer ISBN 90 6611 258 1). There are also several international recipes. I have made some and the result was always perfect. Btw.. I love also other books of this collection such as "Tapas" and "Koken op z'n Belgisch" - excellent.



In this book you also find wine suggestions and nutritional information. You even discover how to make the famous "boules". I think cooking is an interesting way of discovering other cultural habits and socializing with the natives - why not ? Let's bake !

Expats & Books: Angela Rhodes

I am starting today a new series: expat bloggers are going to tell us about their favourite books. Aussie Angela Rhodes from blog Amsterdamned tells us her preferences.

What is your favourite genre?

Fiction and some popular science.

An important book in your life is....

Paulo Coelho's ‘The Alchemist’. It is about a young boy named Santiago who sets out to live his dream instead of settling down into mundane everyday life like so many of us do. The book is written simply in the style of a fable, it is full of fantasy, symbolism and adventure similar to what we find in fairy tales but the message is beautiful. I know some people who have read the book and hated it, mostly because they missed the point - to live your dream. They missed this because as atheists they were too caught up in the references to destiny and took the metaphors literally. I find this a little sad, because I as an atheist myself found the message inspiring regardless of its fairy tale qualities.

What are you reading at the moment ?

At the moment I am reading 'The Beijing Coma' by Ma Jian. I've only just started on it, so I can't really comment on it just yet.The last book I read was 'The New York Trilogy' by Paul Auster. On the surface The New York Trilogy is three detective stories, however the theme is just a base for a much deeper exploration into the nature of identity and the multiple selves we encompass, which is a theme Auster is well known for.Paul Auster is one of the most eloquent writers I have come across. And I would definitely recommend The New York Trilogy. Having said that though, I have heard you either love Auster or you hate him - his novels are often dark and leave you a little chilled, because of this he is not for everyone.

Rio For Partiers

One great guide about Rio: "Rio for Partiers, Visual Travel Guide to Rio de Janeiro", by Cristiano Nogueira, Sol Cat Publishing. It is basically divided into three main parts: Daytime Activities (Relaxing/Sport/Cultural/Pricey/Rainy Day), NightTime Activites and a Food Guide. It has many, many fotos, illustrations and maps and the text is very informative and humourous.

In the end of the book you also find how to do business in Brazil, great destination close to Rio and z "Brazil at a Glance" chapter with tips of cities to visit. Fantastic !

Check for updates: www.rioforpartiers.com

How To Be a CaRIOca

In my another life, when I used to live in Brazil, I thought I knew everything about my (then) country. I used to think people had a western lifestyle (my husband says it is not), that we had the last technology available (hahaha!) and sunny-all-the-time weather was boring. Yes, I was an innocent girl. I was also permanently irritaded with some Brazilian habits and cultural traces.
When my husband - then a Dutch flirt I had met in Amsterdam - arrived in Brazil in July 1998 he had by then studied this whole book I had sent to him by mail:
How to be a CaRIOca - The Alternativa Guide for the Tourist in Rio, from Prsicilla Ann Goslin and illustrations by Carlos Carneiro.
He gave me as a present The UnDutchables (brilliant book) announcing that he was humiliated by what the authors had said about the Dutch and that I should be proud about what was in How to Be a CaRIOca . Well, I confess I felt myself actually a bit ridicularized by the book - but not humiliated.

Every trip I have made to Brazil I have spotted this book at bookstores at ariport. It is a permanent success. Sometimes I do read it again and again just for a laugh. It is full of jokes and has at the end of the book a true or false test "Your Carioca I.Q." to check your level of cariocaness . The last chapter has tips about what to do in case you want to stay (forever ?) in Rio.
____________________________________
Bellow, an excerpt:

"... IF you should decide to indulge in a feijoada, be sure that you have the rest of your day free. Since the aftermath of eating a feijoada may be very dangerous, the following post-feijoada precautionary measures should be observed:
* Do not wear tight pants.
* Do not go out to play soccer.
*Do not operate heavy machinery.
*Do not have sex, wild or otherwise.

Acceptable options of things to do after eating a feijoada are:
* Lie in a hammock on the veranda or under a tree with your eyes closed, listening to the chirping of the birds.
* Extend yourself on a soft, comfortabel sofa while listening to a Milton Nascimento tape with the air-conditioner at full blast. " (page 66 - Lesson 9: Eating Out in Rio)
_____________________________________________

"Book written by gringa which teaches tourists how to pass as Cariocas leads the pack of new books... Aimed primarily at gringos who want to avoid humiliating experiences... the most perfect translation of carioques." O DIA

" A sociological treatment about Rio de Janeiro has just been published... No maps, no tourist routes. Instead, a commentary about the most incoherent city in the Mily Way galaxy ... A best seller..." O GLOBO

"How to be a Carioca... is much a compendium of tongue-in-cheek observations about her adopted hometown as it is a handbook for the newcomer." TIME magazine

Nesse post eu indico o livro "How To Be a CaRIOca" para quem quer uma obra muito bem humorada sobre a vida na cidade mais incoerente da Via Lactea. Eu dou molinho aqui pra voces traduzindo tudo pro portuga... mas tentem ler o post acima em inglês ! Quanto mais exposição a língua, mais tomamos familiaridade com ela. Força na peruca e boa sorte !

Claufoutis Au Chocolat [Kersen Chocoladeclafoutis]

Sinterklaas (translation: my mother-in-law) really knows about my tastes - literally ! Last year I got from "him" this little book above, which has become very popular in Holland: "500 Recipes with Chocolate: delicious recipes for simple and sofisticated desserts with chocolate as main ingredient." I use it a lot since then, very handy ! Now, I am not crazy about chocolate - I prefer cheese - but I do love culinary art books and I do like cooking for others. That said I will share with you a very easy and classic recipe- the French Clafoutis - but with a twist: chocolate (of course !).

Papai Noel (aham, leia-se "minha sogra") realmente sabe dos desejos e preferências das pessoas. Ano passado eu ganhei "dele" esse livrinho: 500 Receitas com Chocolate, receitas deliciosas para sobremesas simples e /ou grandiosas com chocolate. Uso sempre ! Eu não sou louca por chocolate (tenho loucura sim por diferentes queijos) mas eu adoooro livros de arte de culinária e adoooro fazer sobremesas para as pessoas. Dito isso - e eu adoro clarificar as coisas - vou mostrar pra vocês aqui uma receitinha francesa clássica chamada clafoutis mas com uma variação: chocolate (óbvio). A receita é bem facinha !

You will need:

50g butter

3 spoons of flour

2 spoons cacao powder

3 large eggs, beaten

60g very fine crystal sugar

4 1/2 dl milk

1 spoon of rum (of your choice)

700g dark cherries, washed and without stones

(note: 1 spoon = 15 ml)

50g de manteiga

3 colheres (sopa) de far. de trigo

2 colheres (sopa) de cacau em pó de ótima qualidade

3 ovos grandes, batidos (de preferência bio)

60g de açúcar cristal

4 1/2 dl (=450ml) de leite

1 colher (sopa) de rum a escolha (ou outro licor)

700g de cereja sem caroço

(1 colher de sopa = 15 ml)

Preheat the oven at 220C /gas mark 5.

Spread generously some butter in the bottom and sides of an ovenproof dish.

Sieve the flour and the cacao in a bowl. Pour the eggs and the sugar and mix them well. Warm up the milk in a pan until it is tepid (and not boiling hot). Add the milk and the rum to the mix in the bowl and mix well again.

Spread the cherries in the bottom of the ovenproofdish and pour slowly the cream. Spread some pieces of butter on the top of the dessert and insert the dish in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes until it is firm. Take it out of the oven, spread some sugar on top and serve immediately.

You can also have this dish cold, but straight out of the oven is better. Serves 6-8 persons.

Pré-aqueça o forno a 220C
Unte generosamente o fundo e a lateral da forma que irá ao forno com parte da manteiga. Peneire o trigo e o cacau juntos numa tigela. Acrescente os ovos ligeiramente batidos e o açúcar. Mexa. Aqueca um pouco o leite até ficar morno. Acrescente o leite e o rum mexendo bem a massa até tudo ficar bem misturado.
Espalhe as cerejas no fundo da forma untada e despeje a massa por cima. Coloque pedacinhos de manteiga por cima da massa e leve ao forno por 25 a 30 minutos até ficar firme. Retire do forno, polvilhe com açúcar e sirva imediatamente. Você pode servir o clafoutis frio, mas quentinho saído do forno é bem melhor ! Serve 6 a 8 pessoas.

It became just like the photo from the book and veeery delicious. If you like to order it:
500 Chocolate Delights, by Lauren Floodgate
ISBN 978 90 5920 905 3
Price around 10euros in The Netherlands


O clafoutis ficou bem macio, com a consistência entre a de um bolo e de um pudim. Ficou tão bom, mas tão bom, que não sobrou nadica de nada. Mais esperta que a maioria das ursas tratei logo de fazer uma foto antes que o pessoal raspasse tudo ! Recomendo essa sobremesa agora no inverninho brasileiro, principalmente no sul do país onde deve ser mais fácil achar cerejas.

Free Time During Spring Season

I have been updating the list of my favorite blogs with lots of blogs about Holland. They are all very different from each other and suit different tastes. They are (so far):

A Touch of Dutch / Amsterzanne / Andy in Amsterdam / Bad News from The Netherlands / Dutch Blue / Elf in Amsterdam / Pantibar / Sobre Holanda (in Spanish)  / Zo Zuidas (in Dutch). 

This week is May vacation in the Netherlands (up to 5th May). Children are free from school and parents have generally some days "off" approved from work. What to do in your free time ? I have a list of links to sites on the right side of this page. Suggestions of amusement parks: Efteling (near Kaatsheuvel) , Drievliet (The Hague), Juliana Toren (Appeldoorn).

Efteling is one of the most visited children's amusement park in Europe. It is a lovely fairy tale amusement park for kids. Drievliet has lots of bold attractions for a bit older children, 5-6 years and older. If you are looking for more "mellow" attractions I then suggest Juliana Toren. It is heavily packed with attractions for very young children. And something that pleases parents and children is the Dolfinarium in Aarderwijk. Amazing !! I strongly recommend it.

If you manage the Dutch language in a medium level I suggest a lovely book to read this spring/summer: Wonen op Vakantie - Een Leven in Frankrijk (Antos) written by best seller author Esther Verhoef. I was introduced to her work by my mother in-law who is a person who always knows the last news in travel literature. The author is a known contributor to Dutch feminine magazines such as Libelle. Her book is a collection of columns, easy French recipes and survival tips based in her own experiences when moving into France. Absolutely deeelicious ! The second half of the book is a short story called Nouveau Riche. Verhoef's style is unpretentious and the reading goes very easy. She has written other bestsellers such as Rendez-vous (2006) which filming rights were sold to Endemol Netherlands - and Close-up (2007). Lately, Verhoef  has writen together with her husband Berry under the name "Escober" psychological action thrillers, such as Ongenade. If you wish to know more about this author check the following site: http://www.amboanthos.nl/

Enjoy !

Food Horror

I spotted this book at the BRUNA.
I am a foodie and always interested in the bio-industrie, crazy E-letters on labels, pesticides, and food allergies, for example. This book has some shocking images and surprising facts.
"Everything that you never wanted to know about what really is in your food".

After going through some pages, you will never see food the same way again.

Available at Bruna and other bookstores. Price around 15euros.
A good "cadeau tip" for my birthday (he-he-he!)