Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Belgium

Goedenavond, Bonsoir, Guten Abend, this is Belgium calling and when you have 3 official languages you get an extra welcome.

Last year's Chow Down to Eurovision was a great success for Belgium, more artistically than on the score board but they made a sensational beer soup, yes that is a meal of beer!

This year they have gone for an equally comforting dish, with just a gentle nod to my idea of 80's food, where if it was covered in a cheese sauce it was fine dining.

Now the 80's weren't kind to hair or fashion but you can just imagine how great they were for Eurovision!

In 1981 Emly Starr sang Samson in Dublin, I'm not sure but I suspect in the 80's Samson may have lost all his butch manliness with a spiral perm.

Samson came 13th.

 

 

Witlof Gratin
Ingredients

• 8-9 witlof
• Squeeze of lemon
• 40g butter
• 60g plain flour
• 250ml milk
• 250ml chicken stock
• salt and pepper
• 200g  maasdam or Swiss cheese grated
• 8-9 slices of prosciutto
• 100g parmesan grated

Method

• Bring a pot of water to the boil and add squeeze of lemon
• Add the witlof and boil for about 10 minutes
• Drain the witlof upside down in a colander (it is best to do this over night so they aren't too water logged)
• Make the sauce 
• In a medium saucepan melt the butter on high heat
• Add the flour and combine to make a paste
• Cook for flour for about 1 minute
• Slowly add some milk/stock while whisking to avoid lumps
• Reduce the heat and continually stir
• As the sauce thicken add more milk/stock and continue to stir
• Repeat till all milk is used and sauce has thickened
• Add grated maasdam and stir through
• Season with salt and pepper
• Wrap each witlof in a slice of prosciutto and lay in a greased baking dish
• Cover with sauce
• Sprinkle top with parmesan
• Bake in 180°C oven for 30-35 minutes

If so inclined you can arrange them to recreate a scene from Alien with one poking up.

AB was not a fan of the bitterness in the witlof but I love it, that speaks volumes, AB is the nice one around here!

Copenhagen will see Axel Hirsoux perform the hauntingly beautiful ode Mother, which if he makes it through, the final is the day before Mother's Day, well played Sir, well played!

I hope he brings the backing dancer with him as in my world he is singing to the ghost of his mother, Edith Piaf.

Goei chance!



Pimp my potato salad

Sometimes you need simple and light but sometimes you need the full glamour of the "gourmet".

And remember it is always pronounced with a hard T at the end, Gour-MeT, which goes very well with a focaccia better known as a Fok-a-Chia.

I remembered a Potato salad I gave the Pimp-My-Salad treatment too, it’s the same salad as always just with better shoes, I mean ingredients. There is also a hint of the Caesar with the addition of the anchovies. I prefer to serve it warm but have been known to happily tuck into any left overs the next day.

Pimped Potato Salad

Ingredients

•  1kg Potatoes
•  Seasoned flour (salt and pepper added to flour)
•  Olive oil (about 1 cup)
•  6 slices prosciutto in 1cm pieces
•  4 boiled eggs quartered
•  4 spring onions chopped
•  200grams shaved Parmesan
•  Kewpie mayonnaise
•  1/4 cup toasted flaked almonds
•  1 small tin/jar of anchovies

Method

• Roughly chopped the potato into even pieces, just a bit bigger than bite size.
• Toss potatoes in the seasoned flour
• Add to a baking dish with a good amount of olive oil, not drowning but enough to paddle.
• Bake in the oven till crisp and golden on 200 degrees C, about 45mins.When the potatoes are ready drain off the oil, a metal colander will drain them and keep them crispy.
• In a large bowl add the potatoes, prosciutto, eggs, spring onions, parmesan and mix gently to combine.
• Dress with a squeeze of the mayonnaise (you can set the amount)
• Top with anchovies and the toasted almond flakes (that I forgot to buy and are not pictured)