Day Twenty Three - Belgium

Hallo! Tonight we visit Belgium, a country that Elizabeth and I got to visit on our European adventure at the end of 2014.  It was a stop over country for us (we spent Christmas in the Netherlands and rang in the New Year in Paris), and we got to spend a couple of nights there.  In the capital city of Brussels, we first had the meal that I prepared for tonight's tour stop.  They were far better in Bruges, the second city we visited in Belgium (pretty much everything was better in Bruges, from the sights to the people to the beer).

The dish that I am talking about is moules frites (mussels and french fries).  We saw it offered everywhere in as we walked the narrow streets of Brussels and the medieval cobblestones of Bruges. It seemed like every cafe offered some variation of the dish.  And, along with the waffles, it was probably the best thing that we had while we were there.


Moules frites

1 pound mussels
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 bunch leeks, chopped
2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 bottle white wine (I used cheap chardonnay here)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter

2 potatoes, chopped into quarters and slices
3 large pinches dill
1/2 cup mayonaisse
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Dash of garlic powder


To start, Elizabeth helped by chopping the celery and carrots.  I minced the garlic, the green onions, and the leeks.

I heated the oil and added the garlic first, then the green onions, then the celery, then the carrots, and finally the leeks.  I added a splash of wine after each addition, and then let it all cook for about 15 minutes.  I added the parsley in at this time as well, and topped it all with the butter.

While those vegetables were cooking, I took the potatoes that Elizabeth had pre-chopped and lightly sprayed them with some olive oil.  I sprinkled them with the dill, and then popped them in the oven at 400 for about 30 minutes. For a sauce, I combined the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and garlic powder and mixed thoroughly and set in the fridge.

Once the vegetables in the pot had cooked down, I cleaned and rinsed the mussels then added them to the pot.

I poured the rest of the bottle of wine in and let it steam for about 5 minutes.  At that point, the mussels had all opened.  I transferred them to a bowl and covered them with the wine/vegetables.

The result...

...was better than any of the mussels we had in Brussels (and pretty close to the dish we had in Bruges). I make mussels often, but I had never tried them this way (usually more tomato based and a lot spicier).  It was a great success, and the vegetables were a nice addition to what I normally do when cooking mussels. The frites and the dipping sauce were great as well, and there were no leftovers this go around.  It all tasted like we were back in Europe, which was my goal from the outset of the evening.

We may not be able to travel as much as we once did (Elliot doesn't contribute to gas money yet...), so this month has been a great way to rekindle our love of exploring new places.  From the comfort of our home last night, we were able to relive an incredible adventure.  We were able to share the memories we had of that trip, and how a little stop over country had shown us many wonderful things. We might not be able to physically get back there any time soon, but we can at least have nights like this that take us back there in spirit.