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!