BELGIUM: Toast Kannibaal and Liège Salad

This dish was devoured by my family, perhaps apropos for the name, which translates to cannibal toast. But, my family loves steak tartare. If eating raw meat makes you squeamish, these flavors would pair equally well with cooked meat. The key to making any tartare recipe is to buy good quality steaks, typically filet mignon, and chop it yourself.

Toast Kannibaal

2/3 lb filet mignon steak

4 slices county white bread

1 tablespoon butter

a few handfuls of watercress or arugula

2 tablespoons whole milk yogurt

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 anchovies

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Few dashes Tabasco hot sauce

Few dashers Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons drained capers

5 cornichon pickles

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the whole steak, in it's wrapping, into the freezer.

2. To make a dressing for the toasts, place the yogurt, egg yolk, mustard, anchovies, vinegar, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce in a small blender. Purée until fully combined. Adjust for seasoning and set aside.

3. Finely chop the capers, pickles, and parsley together. Place into a small bowl.

4. Remove steak from the freezer (ideally it is on there for 10-20 minutes), and dice finely. Add to bowl with the caper mixture. Mix together and adjust for seasoning. Note: The mixture is drier than typical steak tartare, as it is topped with the dressing.

5. Broil or toast the bread until it is lightly browned on both sides. Spread with a thin layer of butter. Next layer 1/4 of the meat mixture. Top with a small handful of watercress or arugula and drizzle with the dressing.

   
   

Liège Salad

1 lb baby potatoes

½ lb haricot verts or string beans

4 slices thick cut bacon

1 large shallot

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

1. Wash the potatoes, cut them in half, and add them to a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, toss in a teaspoon or two of salt, and place the saucepan on the stove on high heat. When water boils, reduce the heat to medium and cook the potatoes another 5-10 minutes, until potatoes a cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon to a medium size bowl, saving the water to cook the haricot verts or string beans.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, dice the bacon and add to a large skillet over medium heat. While bacon is cooking, chop the shallot into small dice. When the bacon is cooked through, move with a slotted spoon to the medium bowl with the potatoes, leaving the grease in the skillet. Add the chopped shallot to the same skillet and turn heat to medium-low. Stir often to lightly brown the shallots. If shallot starts to stick to the skillet, add a few tablespoons of water. When shallots are browned, add them to the bowl with the potatoes and bacon.

3. Wash the haricot verts or string beans. If using the latter, trim the ends. Cut the beans into thirds. Add them to the water in which you cooked the potatoes. Fill a large bowl with a mixture of cold water and ice cubes to shock the cooked beans. Once beans are cooked to your liking, remove them with a slotted spoon and place into the ice water.

4. Remove the blanched beans with a slotted spoon and add them to the bowl with the other ingredients. Top with vinegar, salt, and pepper, and toss to combine. Serve hot or room temperature.

   
   

#steak #steaktartare #tartare #chocolate #belgium

FUN FACTS:

• Belgium has over 650 varieties of beer and 408 breweries.

• Both the Smurfs and Tintin were conceived by Belgian artists.

• Zaventem, the Brussels airport, holds the world record for chocolate sales. On average, 3.5 pounds of chocolate are sold there every minute.