Olliebollen

Olliebollen are the Dutch doughnuts that are traditionally served on New Year's Eve.

1 tbl. dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
3/4 cup dried currants
3/4 cup raisins
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 quart vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting


Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir the yeast mixture and egg into the flour and mix into a smooth batter. Stir in the currants, raisins and apple. Cover the bowl, and leave the batter in a warm place to rise until double in size. This will take about 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer, or heavy deep pan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Use 2 metal spoons to shape scoops of dough into balls, and drop them carefully into the hot oil. Fry the balls until golden brown, about 8 minutes. The doughnuts should be soft and not greasy. If the oil is not hot enough, the outside will be tough and the insides greasy.

Drain finished doughnuts on paper towels and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve them piled on a dish with more confectioners' sugar dusted over them. Eat them hot if possible.

This recipe is based on the one published at allrecipes.com.

Cowboy Barbecue Sauce

There might have been a time when it seemed odd to talk about barbecue and grilling in the winter. Those days have passed, and hard core grillers do it year 'round.

This is the best sauce to brush on meat and/or to serve as an accompaniment to barbecued meats.

2 tbl. bacon fat or vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup tomato catsup
1 cup bottled chili sauce (looks like catsup)
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup lemon juice
2 tbl. Worcestershire sauce
Hot red pepper sauce to taste

Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add everything but the hot sauce and simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking, until slightly thickened, about 45 minutes. Add hot sauce to taste.

Cool, cover, refrigerate. Use within 5 days.

Cookie’s Dry Rub

Use about 2 tbl. of this rub on a 6 lb. boneless rib roast or a brisket that you plan to smoke.

2 tbl. sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tbl. garlic salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Boilermaker Sauce

This recipe is quoted from the July 1995 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine. It's a grilling/basting sauce that has been used in our house ever since it was published.

A boilermaker is a classic one-two drink consisting of a shot of whiskey followed by a beer chaser. Those ingredients also come together in this all-American barbecue sauce. Use it on ribs, pork chops, chicken, even burgers (brush it on during the last ten minutes of grilling). If making ribs, brush them often during the first part of cooking with a mixture of one part cider vinegar to ten parts water and a pinch of dried crushed red pepper; that will keep them moist. This recipe makes enough for three pounds of meat or poultry and can be doubled easily.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 12-ounce bottle chili sauce
3/4 cup beer
1/4 cup unsulfured (light) molasses
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat. Add chili sauce, beer, molasses, vinegar, bourbon and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer until reduced to 2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Stir in hot pepper sauce. (can be made up to 1 month ahead. Cover; chill.)

Grandma Elva’s Teriyaki Sauce

Marinade meat in this sauce for several hours or overnight before grilling.

For beef marinade:
½ cup dry red wine
½ cup soy sauce
2 tbl. brown sugar
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ tsp. ginger

For chicken or pork chops:
Substitute pineapple juice for the wine and increase the brown sugar slightly.

After this has been used for marinating the meat, heat it up and reduce it somewhat and serve it as a sauce with the meal.

Hot Cider

6 oz. apple cider
1 ½ oz. Tuaca liqueur

Pour cider into a mug, warm in the microwave, add Tuaca. Top with whipping cream sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Serve with a cinnamon stick. I believe this is also known as Hot Apple Pie.

Holiday Luncheon Salad

Fresh spinach leaves
Cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
Dried cranberries
Cherry tomatoes
Sugared almonds
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Optional: Mandarin orange slices

Arrange all on salad plates and drizzle with Orange Vinaigrette (olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, orange juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika).

Sugared Almonds

These are nice for snacking. They also appear in tomorrow's Holiday Luncheon Salad.

2 tbl. butter
¾ cup almonds
3 tbl. sugar

Melt the butter in a pan and add the almonds. Stir constantly over medium heat for a couple of minutes, then add the sugar. Continue stirring constantly over low heat for about 15 minutes, until the sugar turns a nice caramel color. Spread the nuts out on a sheet of waxed paper to cool. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Dutch Christmas Cooking

Here are some links to a few Dutch Christmas recipes, to represent the Dutch side of the family.

Dutch Christmas Log (Banketstaaf)--Flaky pastry log with a center of almond paste

Dutch Christmas Spice Cake (Speculatus)

Dutch Peppernut Cookies (Pepernoten)

Dutch Spice Cookies (Speculaas Koekjes)

Dutch Letter Cookies (Spritz)