Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

This past weekend we headed to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, specifically, Luxembourg City. The weather was in the low 80's, bright and sunny - a lovely weekend.  The country is probably a third of the size of Belgium, with influences from all of its border countries.  We found Luxembourg City to be beautiful and best discovered on foot with a walking map in hand.  Luxembourg City was essentially a reinforced fort/castle and is strategically located at the top of an escarpment, with views all around. I guess it's like building a city on a plateau, then enclosing it in with magnificent walls. Modern day Luxembourg City has the remains of these walls, but gorgeous views of bridges that connect different parts of the city together. I found this to be the most enjoyable part of the city.

From the train station, the city center is a 20 minute walk, and is easily reachable by bus.  I have come to rely on Tourist Offices to answer the most practical questions and set you up with as many maps and guides as needed. While I had done some researching (where to eat, drink the best beer, and see the best things) and we had a travel book with us, we found that our plans totally changed. At the Tourist Office we picked up a City promenade map which featured walks (between 1 and 4 hours) all through the city.  The map we were given featured all the major sites and allowed us to walk on the ramparts of the city. It took us towards the city center, then down through the winding Petrusse Valley (which is a lovely green part of the city, with trails, views of the bridges from below, and random stairs to various "overlook" points).  From  there we came out into the lower Grund area.  If you can imagine a castle, with moats and drawbridges, we were basically where the moats would be. The Alzette River flows through here and you can meander back up towards The Bock (castle and casemates) to stunning views. There are plenty of places to stop for a drink or snack.

That evening, we explored the old town, but found the areas along the walks to be much more enjoyable. In the old town, the restaurants have large open terraces and overpriced menus. This city was easily explored on foot, reachable by train, and has moderately priced hotels.  Their are trains that run hourly from Brussels Midi to Luxembourg - they take 3 hours one-way.

On our 2-day trek, we booked a train from Lux City to Grevenmacher (first through Wasserbillig, then bus to Grevenmacher), a city along the Moselle region of Luxembourg.  In a tour guide magazine, this area had vineyards along the Moselle (with options to walk or bike through the vineyards) and visit some of the area vineyards. We asked for the Kelsbaach trails at the Tourist Office, and came away with several walking guides. Before heading off on our walk, we stopped through the Caves Bernard-Massard, and signed up for a tasting and tour (and later a visit to the winery's butterfly exhibit).  At around 4 pm, we headed off on our walk, but came back pretty soon because we had to still catch the bus, then train, then another train back to Brussels.  Three days would have been just perfect.

3 travel tips:
1.  We have also learned that on Sundays - you should expect most of the things you want to see or do to be closed. Keep Sundays for exploring major cities, where most things are still open.
2.  At most major train stations, there is always a grocery store outlet nearby where you can purchase foods at reasonable prices (fruits, breads, ready-prepared foods, cheeses, beverages etc)
3. Tourist offices are always helpful.

Mango Amaretto Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup sushi rice (or other short grain rice), soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

1 and 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup sugar (you can add more if you want it sweeter)

pinch salt

1 cup coconut milk (plus extra water if needed)

2 T amaretto

1 ripe mango, cut up in 1" cubes
Brown sugar (garnish)

Directions:

1. Place soaked rice along with 1 and 1/2 cups water in a medium pot and cook over high heat.  Stir the rice frequently (every 2-3 minutes for the first 10 minutes).  Cook another 5 minutes, then turn heat to low. 
2. Stir in the sugar, salt and coconut milk. If the mixture is too dry add in a little extra coconut milk or water. Stir to combine and let cook another 10 minutes. Taste to adjust sweetness. 
3. Serve the rice pudding in bowls with mango chunks on top. Use a cup measure or a custard cup for a nice mold.

Kitchen Sink Sushi

I haven't eaten sushi since moving here (fail! lame!), and had to work quickly to fix that. This seems like a mixture of all my favorite Asian foods and is sure to offend serious sushi lovers. Oh well. Enjoy!

tofu satay sushi, originally uploaded by slammgrass.

Five-spice pan-fried butternut squash & tofu satay 

Rolls:

California-Philly-we miss USA roll: sesame seeds, cream cheese, cucumbers, avocado

Half-outside roll: sesame seeds for the outside, tofu satay and avocado inside.

The boring roll: cucumber, sesame seeds

Belgian Container Garden

The seedlings have done well enough to actually be called plants! Woooo!

Patio cherry reds

Patio eggplants

patio cherry reds

Beer Bagels

These delicious bagels are from Cooking Light magazine. 

I used a mixture of sesame seeds, garlic powder, dried onions, salt, and fennel seeds for the topping.  Brown beer (I used Leffe Brown Ale) is used to act like malt syrup; some beer is mixed into the sponge, and the rest of it goes into the boil water.  These come out crispy, soft, and chewy. 

Apple Pie and Bike Rides

Karl and I biked to Brussels this past weekend using the Knooppunt bike-number-trail system.  It took us almost 3 hours (a train ride from Leuven to Brussels is all of 20 minutes).  We have made several past attempts, each of them getting us about an hour outside of Leuven before we gave up and headed back.


Biking around Belgium is the best way to see the country-side and go through areas we would probably never visit.  It is truly one of the best things about living here. The bike trails take you off the beaten path, and you usually go through neighborhoods, farms, and lesser traveled roads.  We also had the luxury of having apple and cherry trees along the ride and so we picked up a lot of apples (the tree was hanging off the property onto "public" property, fyi). On the other side of the apple tree was a chicken coop and a mass of overgrown stinging nettle (which is true to its name). The bike ride offered us some rare glimpses of Brussels as we came through the parks in Tervuren, passed the beautiful arch in Jubelpark, the EU Commission, and finally made it towards Brussels Central Station.  Parking our bikes here, we bought train tickets for the return trip and then acted like true Brusseleirs: we got some beers and sat at a terrace.


The filling for the pie comes from Bill Neal's Biscuits, Spoonbread and Sweet Potato Pie cookbook (with minor additions), and the pastry dough comes from tweaking a samosa recipe. The pastry dough is light and crisp, and comes together easily. The yogurt and oil make rolling the dough simple, while the pastry flour gives a light crisp crust.  The apples are not cooked, but instead mixed with the spices and flour. Instead of fried pie - this is baked, but I think it turns out better than fried.  If you buy store apples, peel them, if you buy locally grown owns with no waxy coating, leave the skins on.  If you are going to share your pies, you might as well rope some help in. Get someone to make the dough. It is a huge timesaver.  

apples are looking a little bruised, so ready for pie filling!

pies are ready to go in the oven, crimped, slashed and dressed. 

Yield: 8 pies
Pastry dough:
2 cups pastry flour
2 T sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup yogurt


You'll need extra flour for rolling, and a rolling pin and fork. 
Directions: 

1. Mix pastry dough, sugar, salt and spices together. 
2. Stir in yogurt and oil, knead 5 minutes
3. Set aside to rest about 30 minutes. 
4. When ready, roll dough into a log about 12 inches long. Cut in half, then cut each half in half, until you have 8 pieces. 
5. Roll pieces into balls and set aside.
6. When ready, dip each ball into flour, flatten lightly with hand, and roll out on lightly floured surface. Roll out into a 6 inch or 7 inch circle.  Directions continue below the pie filling. 

Apple Pie Filling:

3 1/2 - 4 cups apple slices, peeled and sliced thin (use a tart apple, or a variety of tart apples)

juice of 1/2 of a lemon

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

pinch salt

1 t cinnamon

1/8 t nutmeg

2 T amaretto

Egg wash:

1 egg white

1 T milk or water

3 T sugar 

Directions:

1. Place apple slices in a large mixing bowl and squeeze lemon juice over slices, mix to combine.
2. Sift together sugar, flour, spices and salt. Sift over apples, and mix to combine. 
3. Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Start rolling out the dough. When the first circle is ready, stir in amaretto to the apple mixture, and stir to combine.  Prep egg wash by combining 1 egg white with 1 T milk, set aside. 
4. Assemble pies by place 2 T of filling on the lower half of the circle. Fold over and seal edges together with the tines of a fork. Place on a greased baking sheet. When the baking sheet is full of pies, slash the tops of the pies to allow steam to escape. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. 
5. Bake at 400 F for 25-35 minutes, or until pies are golden. 

Green Yellow Tempeh Thai Curry

Simmering the tempeh in water removes the bitterness and allows the tempeh to pick up more flavor.  Get the rice cooking first as the stir-fry comes together quickly.

Green-Yellow Curry

1 cup water

1 block tempeh, cut into 1" cubes

2 T of oil for tempeh

1 cup basmati rice

2 1/2 cups water

1 T of oil for stir fry

1 T Thai green curry paste

1 T soy sauce

1 can coconut milk

juice of 1/2 lime

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1/2 eggplant, cut into 2" strips

1/2 zucchini, quartered

1 red onion, sliced

Directions:

1. Heat 1 cup water in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Once hot, simmer tempeh for 8-10 minutes.  
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the curry paste, lime juice, soy sauce and turmeric with the coconut milk. Set aside. 
3. Drain tempeh and set aside to cool.  In the same medium sauce pan, combine rice and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Stir the rice occasionally while it is boiling. When most of the water has evaporated, cover the rice, turn down to low and let sit.  
4. Heat 2 T of oil over medium heat in a wide skillet. Once hot, saute tempeh over medium heat until golden, turning every few minutes. 
5. Once golden, remove from pan, set aside, and add 1 T oil and heat over medium.
6. Add in onions and saute for 3 minutes. 
7. Add in eggplant and zucchini and saute for 3 more minutes. 
8. Add in coconut milk mixture and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Add in tempeh and stir to combine. 

Ridiculously Easy Tomatoes and Lazy Rice

In my opinion, there are few tastes that are divine as baked tomatoes. Get the tomatoes baking first, and while they are baking, prep the rice (see ridiculously easy and lazy).  Serve tomatoes over the rice.

Ridiculously Easy Tomatoes:
1-2 T olive oil
4-5 medium Roma tomatoes, ripe, cut into 1" rounds (any tomato will do)
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup, parsley, chopped
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 T thyme
feta cheese, sliced into long rectangles (you decide how much)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. First, pre-heat oven to 400 F. 
2. Drizzle 1-2 T olive oil on the bottom of a medium roasting pan.
3. Next place tomato rounds on top, followed by salt and pepper, then herbs. 
4. Next top with chickpeas and place strips of feta cheese on top.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until feta is golden on top. 

Lazy Rice:

1 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced (1/2 of a medium bell pepper or 1 small one)

1 cup red onion, diced (about 1 small red onion)

1 cup basmati rice

1 vegetable bouillon cube

3-4 cups water

1/2 cup feta cheese, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Directions:

1. In a wide skillet, heat up olive oil over medium heat. Once hot add in garlic and onion. Saute for 3 minutes.  Add in bell pepper, and continue to saute over medium heat 3 more minutes.
2. Add rice to pan and stir around to coat well. 
3. Pour in 3 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  If the water evaporates and the rice looks half done (the grains are still white/opaque in the middle) add in the last cup. 
4. Once most of the water has evaporated, stir in the feta cheese and lemon juice, and mix together quickly. Avoid over-mixing. The rice is done when the rice kernels are curved upwards like little "c's"