Adding to the many recipes I had been asked to post on the website, this is one of my favorite. It is a recipe from the city of Liège in Belgium. Actually the capital city of the province of Liege at the Northeast of the Belgian country. How was it founded? Charlemagne- Carolus Magnus or Charles the Great – yes, the greatest conquerer of the Middle Ages marched north and united most of Western Europe for the first time since the classical era of the Roman Empire,. He “stopped” at a line traced by “Lille” in France, Brussels in the Flanders, Liege and Aachen in todays’s Germany. He had stopped established the oldest European university in Leuven/Louvain.
This clearly explain the “division” that exists today in Belgium as the “Latins” occupied the territories south of the line and the “Franks” continued to speak “Flemish” North of it… 
Oopps – Yes I am Belgian and I tried to oversimplify History”. Anyway, why is this recipe “Liégeoise” or from the city of Liège”? I have no clue and I would love some feedback. All I can tell is that both my Wallonian side of the family and the Dutch ( Read from Flanders ) side family used to prepare the same dish.
Many a sailor couple asked me to describe it. It can be heavy and greasy. It can be very comforting at 2am amidst a night watch. It can be a great friends reunion’s appetizer. It can be enjoyed warm or cold. Bur really, it is better after having marinated overnight.
The main ingredient are “Princesses” – or in real American language “French Beans”. I guess “The Princess and the Pea” from literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen had no place in culinary prose. These are the ingredients:
- Oignons – chopped ans losing cooked in butter, to become transparents
- French beens – really better if bought fresh and cut off from their filandrous tails…
- Bacon – Lots of it and thick cut if possible: chop 1/4″ wide.
- Patates nouvelles – actually very small potatoes – better in the spring
- Vinegar – The best you can get
This whole recipe can be processed on a galley’s one burner range! It does not need heavy refrigeration because of the vinegar’s acidity.
Chop the onions and cook them in a bit of butter until transparent ( Pan 1) . set on the side.
Cook the bacon SLOWLY to extract the fat- drop hem on paper towel to absorb the fat ( keep the paper towel to start the barbecue ! ) (Pan 1)
Blanch the French beans (Casserole 2) – Set aside
Cook the potatoes – not fully! Pour the water off and add butter ( to the bacon fat if you kept it in a bowl. “Caramelize “them in butter.
Add all the other ingredients
Add good wine vinegar. Put in fridge or serve
Best to eat with a heavy Belgian beer: Kriek Lambiek or Gueuze or Trappist!