Culinary showpieces from Zeeland

Recipes: Denny van der Reijnst

Wining and dining at its best: what’s not to love? An attractively decked-out table with candles in the middle, a glass of wine in one hand and delicious aromas wafting in from the kitchen ... Could it be the smell of fresh mussels and Zeeland’s best meat that’s filling my nostrils?

Zeeland has a cornucopia of delectable fresh local produce which can be prepared to create culinary masterpieces right there in your kitchen. If you’d like to surprise your family and friends with a five-star meal, this blog provides recipes for starters, main dishes and sweets, which are jam-packed with Zeeland’s best ingredients. They are easy to make yourself. And when you’re ready to serve, don’t forget to take a photo of your chef d’oeuvre!

Zeeland mussel soup with Zeeland bacon

Ingredients for 4 persons:

1 kilogram of fresh Zeeland mussels

• Half a leek
• 1 winter carrot
• Half a red paprika
• 100 grams of Zeeland bacon
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion
• 200 millilitres of cooking cream
• A splash of olive oil
• 2 cubes of fish stock
• 8 stalks of chives
• Half a litre of water

Preparation

1. Begin by rinsing the mussels thoroughly under the tap, so that any sand or dirt is removed. Remove shells that are broken.
   
   
2. Peel and slice the onion finely. Then press the garlic and cut finely. With a splash of olive oil, fry the onion and garlic in a large pan until soft. Add the mussels and curry powder. Cover the pan and steam for approx. 5 mins on a medium heat. Continue until the shells begin to open. By steaming the mussels, the flavours will be absorbed properly to the right taste!
   
   
3. In the meantime, dice the carrot finely. Halve the red paprika and remove the seeds. Dice the paprika finely too. Cut the bacon into lardons. Cut the leek into rings.
   
   
4. When the mussel shells have opened, remove them from the pan, remembering not to throw the juice away! We will use this later to add extra flavour to the mussel soup.
   
   
5. Peel the mussels and throw away the shells (or save them for later for a craft project with the kids!)
   
   
6. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the carrot, leek and paprika. The bacon will be fried separately (more on this later). Heat the juice left from the mussels.
   
   
7. When the carrot becomes translucent and the other vegetables have fried properly (approx. 5 minutes), add the cooking cream and 1 cube of fish stock. Then add this mixture to the mussel juices.
   
   
8. Puree a quarter of the mussels with the aid of a (hand) blender and add this mixture to the mussel soup. Boil the water and add the other fish stock cube. Stir briefly and then add this to the rest.
   
   
9. Once you have done this, mix all of it with a (hand) blender. Then add the bacon, thereby giving the soup some bite! Allow the mussel soup to simmer on a low heat. While doing this, chop the chives into fine rings.
   
   
10. Now heat the remaining mussels in a pan on a low heat and put into a bowl. Pour the mussel soup over this and garnish with chives. Voila! You have made yourself a delicious Zeeland mussel soup!

Accompany with a glass (or two) of Pinot Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc. These are dry and fruitier wines which go perfectly with a mussel soup.

Steak of venison with field mushrooms, Savoy cabbage and a sauce of ‘Zondebok’ from the Zeeland brewery of Vermeersen

Tip: this Zeeland dish goes well with fried potatoes. If you choose to use potatoes, fry these after step 4 so that they are ready to serve at the same time as the venison steak.

Ingredients for 4 persons:

• 4 venison steaks of approx. 180 grams each
• 500 grams of field mushrooms
• Half a Savoy cabbage
• 1 bottle of ‘Zondebok’ beer from the Zeeland brewery of Vermeersen
• Half a cube of beef stock
• 2 teaspoons of flour
• 50 grams of butter
• A splash of sunflower oil
• Pepper and salt

Get cooking!

1. Begin by brushing clean the field mushrooms and then slicing them thinly.
   
   
2. Open the bottle of beer and pour this into a saucepan. Put the pan on a medium heat and allow to reduce in volume. The sauce will become thicker as the fluid vapourises. Continue until it becomes viscous.
   
   
3. Next, wash the Savoy cabbage and cut in half. Cut this half into quarters and remove the core. Press the leaves flat and cut into shreds. Take the core and cut this likewise into shreds. Do this until you have cut the whole of the cabbage into fine shreds.
   
   
4. Having done this, heat a frying pan and add a knob of butter to a splash of sunflower oil. This is done to stop the butter from burning. Add the field mushrooms to this. When the field mushrooms are half-done, after 3 minutes or so, add the Savoy cabbage. Allow to steam slowly on a medium heat, remembering to stir from time to time! Add pepper and salt to taste.
   
   
5. Next, heat a frying pan and add a generous knob of butter together with a generous dash of sunflower oil. Fry the venison steak in this oil on a medium heat. Flavour the steak by sprinkling pepper and salt on both sides. Turn the steak onto the other side every 2 minutes so that it becomes nice and tender! Fry the steak on both sides for 2 x 2 minutes, ensuring that it is nicely browned.
   
   
6. When cooked, remove the steaks from the pan and put them on a plate. I always cover with aluminium foil so that the juices stay in and the steak remains nice and tender.
   
   
7. Next, add some flour to the cooking juices from the steak. Once again, put this on a medium heat and allow the flour to cook for approx. 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the reduced beer to this mix.
   
   
8. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and add the cube of beef stock to taste and add any water to get the right thickness.
   
   
9. Now the feast can begin! Place the steamed cabbage along with the field mushrooms on the plate and then add the venison steak. Take the reduced beer sauce and pour next to the cabbage. Well done! You’ve managed to create your very own Zeeland masterpiece!

 
Good to know: the sauce should not be poured onto to the steak, as this will make it more well done.


Wine tip: drink with a French wine from the Bordeaux region, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. These full and robust red wines are a great combination with large game meats, such as venison.

Enjoy the cooking and bon appetit!

PS. After serving, do not forget to take photos of your Zeeland masterpieces. Post them to social media using the hashtag #zeeuwsekeuken

The best photos will be showcased at Zeeland Live + Work!