Dutch Food Calendar / October
In October the DUTCH FOOD Calendar presents hutspot (mashed potatoes and carrots). The calendar is inspired by the The vision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands, September 2018.
We know, hutspot is not exactly the most photogenic dish on the menu. But bear with us, its historical significance is beyond compare and there is hardly any dish with such a patriotic story attached to it. It all goes back to the night of the 2nd of October, in 1574 in the city of Leiden. It was during the Eighty Years' War, when the Seventeen Provinces of what are today the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg revolted against Philip II of Spain, a war that would last from 1568 till 1648. At the start of that October of 1574, the inhabitants of the city of Leiden were hungry and desperate. In May the city had been sieged by Spanish troops and after two months the city had run out of food, thousands of Leidenaren starved to death.
But the night of 2nd of October, the army of Watergeuzen, “Sea Beggars”, led by prince of Orange Willem the Silent came to the rescue. They broke the dikes, sailed to the city and made the Spanish troops flee for their lives. The flight was so hastily that they left their pots with carrot and parsnip-stew cooking on the stove. As this was the first real food the people of Leiden tasted in a long time, it made such an impression that to this day, they still eat it on the 3 October festival, in celebration of the ‘relief of Leiden’. Of course, as with any tradition, it underwent some significant changes over the years. We now eat it with potato instead of parsnip, although potato only gained popularity in the 19th century. But why would we let historical facts spoil the fun. It just has the flavour of victory over Spain. And especially after our traumatic loss in the world cup final in 2010, we like to taste as much of that as we can.
INGREDIENTS
6 large peeled and quartered potatoes
9 large peeled and diced carrots
4 large peeled and sliced onions
500 g sliced beef roast, 8 black peppercorns
500 ml of water, 1/2 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf, 1 tbsp of flour dissolved in 1/2 cup water
DIRECTIONS
1. Dissolve bouillon in water, add the meat, bay leaf, peppercorns and braise on low heat for 1-2 hours until the meat is tender.
2. Remove the meat, bay leaf, peppercorns and mix the dissolved flour with the remaining juices. Stir and increase the heat until the gravy thickens. Pour it over the meat.
3. Cover the potatoes with water, add salt, carrots and onions. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat and boil 20 min. Remove and set aside the water. Mash it all, add cooking liquid if needed.