Cozy tips for a Dutch Winter

As it gets darker earlier the candles are lit up, the ‘sloffen’, slippers, are put on and the hot chocolate is on the stove it is time to get cozy for the Dutch winter. The transition period from warm Summers to pouring Autumn and cold Winter may be new for you, so in this newsletter we have listed some activities to do on a cozy Dutch Winter day and to get in the holiday spirits.

Dutch Wishes

Practice your Dutch by writing a Happy Holiday card and decorating it. ‘Fijne feestdagen en een gelukkig en gezond nieuw jaar’ is the typical way to wish someone happy holidays and a healthy and happy new year. Of course, there are many other ways to write a warm message so feel free to experiment with new Dutch phrases. Apart from sending the cards to your loved ones, you can also make the days of elderly who feel extra lonely during the holiday season a little bit warmer. There is a national address you can send your card to- where volunteers will send the cards to lonely Dutch elderly. Help elderly people feel loved during the holiday season whilst also practicing your Dutch! 

Send your card to the following address before December 15th:
Het Nationaal Ouderenfonds, Postbus 115, 3800 AC Amersfoort

Dutch Winter Food

An essential for a Dutch Winter is stamppot. Stamppot is a traditional dish made from a combination of potatoes mashed with one or several vegetables, typically served with smoked sausage or bacon. It is the perfect filling comfort meal to have after a Winter hike. It has been around since the 17th century when it became a staple during the cold season and stayed as a Winter dish for hundreds of years. In this period potatoes were heavily in abundance, and many hungry farmers could be filled up quickly and cheaply with stamppot. There are many variations of the dish- the most popular being ‘boerenkoolstamppot’ (kale stamppot), ‘zuurkoolstamppot’ (sauerkraut stamppot) and ‘hutspot’ (onion and carrot stamppot). There are stamppot brown restaurants all over the country, but if you want to give it a go yourself we have a recipe of a modern vegetarian version of stamppot for you.

Recipe vegetarian stamppot for 2 people 

Ingredients:

• 500 g potatoes
• 900 g broccoli
• Spring onion
• 200 g goat cheese natural 45+
• 80 g pecan nuts
• 1 tbsp dragon
• 130 g sundried tomatoes
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Peel the potatoes and boil the potatoes in a large pan for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Drain the potatoes and keep one cup of cooking liquid apart. 
2. Cut the broccoli into small pieces and boil for 5 minutes until crunchy but soft. 
3. Chop the spring onion into rings and crumble the goat cheese. 
4. Heat a frying pan without oil or butter and roast the pecan nuts on middle high fire for 3 minutes. Then let the nuts cool and chop them into small pieces. 
5. Mix half a cup of cooking liquid, potatoes and broccoli in one pan and mash it to a puree. 
6. Add half of the goat cheese, the nuts and add the sundried tomatoes to the puree and mix together.
7. Add the dragon, salt and pepper to your own taste and serve with the remaining goat cheese!

Cozying up

When you become sick and tired of the cold and wet Dutch weather, make use of these tips to cozy up in your home. As the holiday season approaches, enjoy a typical Dutch Winter day with a mug of hot chocolate or warm glühwein.

Written by Femke Hettinga