{"id":147,"date":"2010-10-07T01:08:40","date_gmt":"2010-10-07T01:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marigold17.wordpress.com\/?p=111"},"modified":"2010-10-15T15:43:58","modified_gmt":"2010-10-15T15:43:58","slug":"belgium-beer-10veggies-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/?p=147","title":{"rendered":"Belgium: Beer 10\/veggies 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Belgium must be heaven for beer drinkers but\u00a0 I am not one.\u00a0 The country produces beers with twelve percent alcohol content;\u00a0 beers with seven percent and beers with five or less; beers dosed with chocolate(another Belgian fave), or cherries or black currants; light beers that are pale gold and beers so dark they’re almost black. Beers are made in abbeys, by Trappist monks and for all I know by elves.\u00a0 Most beers are produced in bottles–cans are only for export and bars don’t have a lot of varieties on tap, even at the “100 Beer” bar near my hotel. Reading the beer menu there is dizzy-making\u00a0 as each beer is described by type and alcohol content.\u00a0 Each beer is served in a particular glass and some are fairly elaborate.<\/p>\n

On the food side of the ledger, it was odd to find no\u00a0 Brussels sprouts.\u00a0 They didn’t appear on any menu that came my way.\u00a0 I’d also thought endive would be coming out of my ears but maybe fall is not endive season.\u00a0 Belgians are big meat and fish eaters and veggies get largely a passing nod. A few dishes included carrots and a few peas and asparagus turned up but veggies aren’t big in Belgium. Cheese, however, is. Here’s a shot of many different Belgian cheeses,displayed at a Sunday market.\u00a0 \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Desserts run to ice cream, sorbets, profiteroles and\u00a0 custard. I couldn’t condone the calorie outlay on these, especially as Belgian chocolate is readily available.\u00a0 Shops sell chocolates in fancy boxes decorated with kittens, puppies, wooden shoes (which aren’t Belgian in the slightest)\u00a0 and Belgian maps or by the\u00a0 kilo. To buy by weight, you select the type you want\u00a0 from a variety like the ones in this picture.\u00a0 After buying some in a shop, friends clued me into picking up a hefty hunk at a great price at\u00a0 the nearest supermarket where I acquired several bars–all in my favorite dark.\u00a0 Some lucky people might get presents if I can keep my hands off long enough!<\/p>\n

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Here’s a recipe for waterzoii\u00a0 a Belgian national dish, from Rachel Ray. This version is the classic made with chicken; I also ate it made with\u00a0 a firm-fleshed white fish and\u00a0 a lot less cream than Rachel’s\u00a0 version. Basically, waterzooii is a chicken stew, perfect for cooling fall temperatures.<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/h2>\n