For many, Christmas is the time of year to spend time with family and friends. This often includes good food. But cooking for so many people can be quite a challenge. Andréa Janssen, author of the Brabant Cookbook, advises to put something typically Brabant on the table this year – how could it be otherwise? Think of a cold dish, stews with a local liqueur or the sweet Brabant brother. “That makes the holidays even more fun.”
In her cooking studio in Macharen, Andréa (49) is already trying out plenty of recipes for the holidays. This year she wants to inspire Brabanders to serve regional dishes. “It used to be very normal to serve dishes from your own region,” she says. But nowadays we more often see worldly dishes or the well-known gourmet set. “As a result, the typical Brabant recipes are being forgotten. That’s a shame, because those recipes are part of our heritage.”
As a cooking blogger, Andréa shares recipes and cooking videos every week, and she recently published a cookbook full of Brabant dishes. “The cookbook is not specific to the holidays, but it contains plenty of inspiration,” she says while cooking. For example, balkenbrij, Brabant cattle cakes or beans with bacon and onion. “Eating those dishes during the holidays takes you back to your Brabant home with your family roots.”
“I remember this dish from my childhood.”
Many Brabant traditional main dishes have the same basis, they are mainly one-pan and stew dishes. “That’s because Brabant used to be a poor province. There are therefore many dishes in the cookbook that are fairly easy to make.” This makes the recipes ideal for Christmas, because cooking for a larger group can be quite challenging. “And the advantage is that you can make many of the dishes in advance.” An example of this is stumpel bean soup, a meal soup with potatoes and string beans.
“Soup used to be often eaten in our province, because it is cheap and perfect for using up leftovers,” says the cooking blogger as she steeps the broth. Other soups, such as Friday soup or eel soup, largely made from vegetables from the vegetable garden that Brabanders used to have, are just as popular.
Also ideal is the cold dish for about 10 to 12 people, a family recipe from Andréa. “I remember this dish from my childhood. All ingredients were already cooked the week before Christmas or other parties. The day before the party, the meat grinder was placed on the table, a large Tupperware bowl came from the basement and the cold dish was made,” she says. “Then we could decorate it with stuffed eggs, asparagus-ham rolls and other goodies.”
“You can replace the Christmas stollen with this bread.”
Those who prefer not to cook extensively for dinner can also indulge in Brabant delicacies during Christmas breakfast or brunch. Think of homemade gingerbread, egg cakes or a Brabant brother. The brother is a sweet bread filled with almond paste, raisins and gingerbread spices.
“You could replace the traditional Christmas stollen with this bread. It’s even tastier too,” says Andréa, laughing. Of course, the Brabant sausage rolls should not be missed. “They are also on my table, because that is tradition.”
With a little creativity and a dose of Brabant pride, the Christmas table can be filled this holiday season with dishes that are not only tasty, but also tell a piece of regional history. “It’s a great way to bring an extra bit of Brabant cosiness into your home.”