Dutch cuisine and spices?! When people think about cooking with spices, they mainly associate it with exotic kitchens, not with a classic northern dish for the cold days as ‘stampot boerenkool’ (kale mash pot). But this gravy is a delicious prove that this is not always the case. It will even make your grandfather happy.
- 2ts Mace (foelie) preferably grind yourself
- ½ts Nutmeg (nootmuskaat) preferably grate yourself
- 1ts Black Pepper – the better the quality the more umami flavour
- 50gr butter
- ½ white onion cut in half moons
- Handful of cherry tomatoes
- ½ vegetable stock cube
Mace (foelie) is a bit forgotten in Dutch kitchens. I believe it is very worthy of a revival! It’s very rich in umami flavours and can be a contribution to any dish, especially vegetable ones.
Melt the butter in a baking pan, when it begins to sizzle add the cut unions. Bake for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes. Bake them both on medium fire until they become slightly brown and are caramelized (8-10 min). Add the spices stir for around 1 minute or until you begin to smell the spices. – This is when the heath activated the oils in the spices, letting out the fragrance which will increase their flavour – Add 200 ml of water and the ½ stock cube, let it shimmer for a least 10 min. The longer you let it shimmer the stronger the flavours will be.
Enjoy!
