Flemish Beef Stew: Recreating The Magic Of Bruges....

Sitting here on a blustery Monday morning, with a mountain of work piled high by my computer, I can’t help but think back to the wonderful time my friend Jessica and I had in Bruges.

We wandered the ancient streets taking in the sites and sampled many fantastic Belgian beers along the way. Some of our favourites included Straffe Hendrik and Brugse Zot from The Half Moon or ‘De Halve Maan’ brewery.

Our first night we went to a wonderful little restaurant, ‘De Vlaamsche Pot’ , where we sat out in the courtyard. We wanted to try something different and the Flemish stew caught our eye. It was simply delicious. A rich hearty beef stew served with apple sauce and a generous (almost TOO generous) portion of frites. After all our exploring we were famished and it really hit the spot.

I am going to try to make it and have found this site which gives a very good and easy to follow recipe. Trying new dishes and sampling local cuisine is something I really enjoy, and when I get home I always like to see if I can recreate some of the magical dishes I had while on holiday. Having a Belgian beer or two will certainly help me get into the right frame of mind when making this stew!

Flemish Beef Stew with Frites

Brugse Zot at the Half Moon Brewery

Bruges Canal

Good Friends, Sunshine And Olive Tapenade....

As we get older it can become difficult to maintain friendships. There always seems to be something getting in the way of us reaching for the phone or writing a card or letter. Social networking sites don’t really help matters either. Sure we can ‘see’ what our friends have been up to, and keep tabs on their profile but it isn’t the same. It isn’t meaningful communication.

I met my best friend Jessica when we were 16 and had just finished an exam. We walked home together and talked about all sorts of things. A few days later she surprised me by giving me a call and inviting me to a David Bowie concert. It was the beginning of an extremely special and wonderful friendship that has lasted for the better part of 23 years.

Over the past 5 years however it felt like we were starting to drift apart. We both live on different continents and it was becoming increasing difficult to find the time to visit one another. Family commitments and work pressures also played their role, but somehow we managed to keep our friendship going.

I was absolutely overjoyed when I got a message from Jess saying that she was coming over to the UK to visit. It had been far too long! We had a wonderful time together and it really felt like no time had passed at all between us. The weather was on our side and we went for long walks in the country, explored farmers markets, visited some of Kent’s most exciting attractions (sadly we didn’t make it to Tea Pot Island in Maidstone – that has been saved for the next visit!) and hung out in the garden drinking wine and eating good food. We also had a short break in Bruges which gave us the opportunity to explore a wonderful city together. The food was excellent and I can’t say enough about the beer – delicious!

One of the first nights she was here, Jess prepared a wonderful little appetizer for us to eat in the garden. I had never had Tapenade before and I can’t believe how easy it is to make. This is definitely something to enjoy with good friends and good wine. Don’t forget to make a toast to the beauty of true friendship.

Jess’s Friendship and Sunshine Tapenade

Ingredients:

1 x 250 gram container of pitted Kalamata olives (you can use any kind of olives – just make sure they are pitted before you put them in the blender!).

1 clove of garlic.

Drizzle of Olive oil (mixture should be slightly moist and easy to spread).

Pinch of sea salt.

Black pepper to taste.

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a blender and mix well.

Spread on baguette slices and gently warm in the oven.

Serve with red wine in the garden and enjoy with good friends!

Jess’s Friendship and Sunshine Tapenade