Little Lost Cook

150. The Netherlands (Drenthe): Veentrapperschotel

Posted on May 24, 2022 Updated on May 24, 2022

Drenthe is a province in the East of the Netherlands right next to the border with Germany. Drenthe has been inhabited by people ever since the neolithic period. The evidence of the presence of this early community that inhabited this land are the Hunnebedden. Hunnebedden are dolmens that were used as tombs for important members of the tribe. The giant boulders were pushed from Scandinavia to the north of the Netherlands during the second last ice age. Try that for a workout! We still have 54 hunnenbedden in the Netherlands, 52 of which are placed in Drenthe.

Things you didn’t know about Drenthe:

• Drenthe is the province with the least amount of inhabitants of the Netherlands. All inhabitants live in tiny villages since big cities are nowhere to be found in the province
• The TT in Assen is the biggest event of the year, it’s a motorrace
• The worldfamous painter Vincent van Gogh lived in Drenthe for a while in a little village called New Amsterdam. It is rumoured that Van Gogh paid the rent with paintings, but that the landlord could not appreciate them and therefore used them as firewood

The landscape of Drenthe is made of among other things extensive peat areas. In the past, this peat was used for all kinds of purposes and had to be removed from the ground. A backbreaking job that required a lot of strength and a hearty meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 onions
• 1 tbsp of butter
• 250 gr baconcubes
• 200 gr komijnenkaas (this is something typically dutch, if you can’t find it you can user cuminseeds and regular cheese.
• Thyme
• 1 can of white beans
• 1 can of kidney beans
• 700 gr cooked baby potatoes
• 2 tbsp of applesyrup

Method:

1. Peel and slice the onions into half rings. Heat the the butter until bubbly
2. Add the onions and bacon and fry for about 5 minutes until nice and golden.
3. Finely grate the cumin cheese, add the kidney beans (including liquid) white beans (including liquid), the baby potatoes, cheese, thyme and applesyrup to the pan.
4. Bring up to a boil for about six minutes, until the cheese had melted.
5. Bring to taste with salt and pepper.