Souvenirs from Java / Bali, Indonesia

I guess the perfect holiday is to relax and explore the beautiful country you are visiting. Finding a balance is very important to the success of a holiday. Our latest holiday, while being very enjoyable, left us with the feeling of needing a holiday to recover! OK jetlag was a major factor, crossing 7 time zones really has a negative effect on one's body, and the fact that we had two stops also took its toll.
We took a round trip starting in Jakarta, Java ending in Sanur, Bali. We have seen and experienced many things- with increasingly widened eyes. Travel is certainly a teacher- our knowledge and awareness considerably expands with each new holiday destination. A review will follow.
We usually favour round trips, ending with a couple of relaxation days on the beach but this time it was not enough. It was a case of planes, trains, buses, a ferry and a motorbike! I hardly had time to sunbathe let alone visit the local supermarket!
In a quick dash I raced around a supermarket and grabbed just a couple of cooking souvenirs:

I love fresh vanilla and since Indonesia is the second largest producer I couldn't resist buying a packet. It looks pretty impressive, the pods are long and they certainly feel good, now I only have to sample the quality and from what I've been told, it is of particularly high standard.
I coudn't resist palm sugar / gula melaka, after seeing it being collected from the trees. This will be explained in the review. It seems darker in colour than the Thai palm sugar. It certainly tastes heavenly. Shame I couldn't bring more but I knew I was pushing the weight limit (next time I am going to reduce the clothes I take by half! Who needs four bikini's? Three cardigans, four pairs of shoes…)
Luckily I had already purchased kemiri nuts (candlenuts) from the local market. These nuts have a high oil content, they are used mostly ground as a thickening and stabilising agent in curries and taste/ look similar to the macadamia nut.


They are mildly toxic however, if eaten raw. Various parts, bark/leaves/oil have been used in traditional medicine in most of the areas where it is native. To name two: The oil produced had many beauty properties, ie hair conditioner. It can also be used a laxative.
The candlenut, due to its high oil content, was used as a measure of time. Each nut burns for 15minutes. I tried it!


While coffee is available is numerous types and enticing packaging we did not appreciate the Indonesian coffee and left it on the supermarket shelf!
Oh yes, a bottle of Pepsi Blue jumped into the trolley, just for novelty value. Apparently, it was an enormous flop in the US (2002-2004) and I am not surprised at all- it tastes awful!
Also some delicious Cassave crisps- well everyone likes to snack- even I do!


Although I was overall rather disappointed in the Indonesian cuisine/ restaurants, I was inspired by one or two dishes. Thailand/ Greece remains jointly at nr 1/2.
Everyone must be familiar with Sambal and know its potency, but Sambal does not need to be overly hot. One of my best holiday meals was a dish served with two different types of Sambal. One was moderately hot, the other mild.
Today I tried to reproduce it by what I tasted. It was pretty damn good. Look it as being a kind of Asian pesto. You could of course use this same paste as a basic to cook with in a chicken/ shrimp dish.



Lemongrass Sambal- Asian Pesto:
approx 6 kemiri / candlenuts
3 rawit peppers (1 green, 2 red) with or without seeds
1 lemongrass*, finely chopped (fresh) or pureed
1 small piece fresh galangal*
1 small piece fresh ginger*
1/4 tsp salt
small piece palm sugar
lime juice
olive oil
Of course you could add shallot, trassi/shrimp paste, garlic….whatever you fancy.

Gently dry roast the candle nuts for a few minutes.
Finely chop the inner part of the lemongrass discarding the dry outer leaves. Finely chop the galangal, ginger and peppers.
Grind the toasted nuts in the mortar and pestle, add the galangal, ginger, peppers, salt and sugar and continue to blend, allowing all the juices to come out of the peppers.
Add a tbsp limejuice and olive oil. Add more olive oil until the required texture has been reached. Taste and add more lime/ salt/ sugar to personal taste.
I served mine on the side with noodles but it is equally delicious for dipping.


* Of course you can buy jars of galangal and lemongrass and that works fine but I prefer to use 'fresh', or frozen in my case. I buy sticks of lemongrass, galangal and ginger from the Toko. It can successfully be stored in the freezer until use. (You can actually buy lemongrass in the freezer section at the Toko) lemongrass need no special instructions just pop it in the freezer and take out as required. As for the galangal and ginger, I remove the skin and chop in varying sized pieces and store in a plastic bag/ container. It can be removed and directly chopped while still frozen, and used immediately.

Starter: Marinated salmon tartar with avocado and lettuce

This starter is one of the 'world-class recipes' taken from the cookery book ‘Topkoks voor Thuiskoks No 3.' 'Top cooks for Home cooks 3'
The cookery book contains fifty two favourite recipes provided by fifty two national and international chefs. Each contributor was asked to donate a recipe suitable for the home cook.
It is however not just a cookbook; TNT Post partnered with WTP* (World Food programme) to realise this book and all proceeds go to WFP towards providing nourishing meals for schoolchildren. The raised money of each copy sold will enable 40 children to receive a nutritious meal at school in Malawi.
At 9,95euro, it makes an ideal gift. This is the third edition; the fourth is now available. I understand availability in the English language is very limited.

It is a beautifully illustrated cookbook with a selection of starter, main courses and desserts- to provide inspiration every week, for a whole year!
The "topkoks' / 'Top Chefs' include: Ferran Adrià- restaurant El Bulli, Spain, Herman den Blijker-tv chef- Herrie in de keuken, The Netherlands, Filip Claeys- Restaurant De Jonkman, Belgium, Ramon Beuk- TV chef 'Born2cook' The Netherlands, Sergio Herman- Restaurant Oud Sluis, The Netherlands.

I actually made this dish at a 'Drive and Cooking' event organised by Lexus. It was a perfect afternoon out- a combination of test driving Lexus Hybrid cars and cooking. The workshop took place at de Kookerij in Noordwijkerhout. The cars were impressive- and fast! The cooking part was also very well organised, the location beautiful- modern and well equipped. Part of the enjoyment was eating the food we prepared.
We didn't buy the car but ended up as proud owners of the cookbook!

de Kookerij in Noordwijkerhout


My Christmas dinner this year wasn't exactly traditional. I opted for the salmon tartar as starter.
The recipe we put together differed slightly to the one in the book, as does the tartar we made at the workshop, but it was quite delicious. The salmon needs to be very fresh since it is served raw. You could of course substitute with smoked salmon.


Marinated salmon tartar with avocado and lettuce- donated by Steffen Henssler, Restaurant ONO, Germany
Ingredients- 4 person
150gr salmon filet, cubed in small
1/2 ripe avocado, chopped finely
1 spring onion
2 el coriander, finely chopped
2 tsp chili sauce
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
a dash of lime juice
1/2 iceberg lettuce
2 lemons, squeezed
2 oranges, squeezed
100g cream
100g crème fraiche
4 tbsp sugar

1 Mix the salmon with the avocado, spring onion and the coriander. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chili sauce, the olive oil and the lime juice and mix carefully.
2 Wash the lettuce, dry in a salad spinner and cut in bite size pieces. Mix the lemon and orange juice together. Add the cream and Crème fraiche. Season with salt and sugar.
Pour over the lettuce, toss and serve with the salmon tartar.


Of course I had to tweak. I reduced the sugar in the dressing- the quantity is also very generous, you could easily half the dressing ingredients. If you follow the instructions, you will make a kind of lettuce 'coleslaw'. I used mixed salad leaves, drizzled the dressing and left the jug on the table so everyone could help themselves. At the workshop we served the tartar with reconstituted sun dried tomato that were incredible!
I also have two non-fish eaters here, so it was necessary to improvise; I made two smoked chicken tartars with roughly the same ingredients, but used red onion instead of spring onion and added chopped tomatoes.

Smoked chicken tartar

It was Christmas so I had promised not to spend an awful lot of time shooting photo's! It was also quite chaotic in the kitchen, so the tartar is probably not as pretty as it could be, but it tasted good!
Salmon Tartar was not just on our Christmas menu, fellow Blogger Claudia had her own version.

* The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children. (source: wikipedia)

Another recipe here.

Zaatah, a tasty dip made with sesame seeds and Samak:

A couple of week ago a friend told me she had made one of my recipes- and she laughed, saying "well I thought it was a recipe but when I got started it was a bit of this..., approx so much of that..., sugar to taste...!" Yes, that sounds about right.
I regard recipes purely as indications- you must use your instincts to guide you to fill in the blanks.
Take tea (or coffee) for example- something so simple but how many different ways can you serve it?
With milk and sugar, black no sugar, black one sugar, black two sugars, with milk no sugar, with milk one sugar, with milk two sugars, with milk and one sweetener........
It is a question of personal preference. However, one thing is sure- everyone knows exactly how they like their tea! (milk, no sugar thank you)
As I have said before: I don't often measure ingredients but work to 'feel', a pinch of this and a handful of that. Often salt and pepper is added to taste: I firmly believe that this should apply to many other ingredients. Everyone’s taste buds are different and can tolerate and/ or desire a lesser or higher degree of spiciness or sweetness. While I am guilty of spicing things up, I often reduce the amount of sugar. (OK baking is an exact science and a cake recipe a scientific formula that one should adhere to for good results.)
I dare you- the next time you plan to follow a recipe, be flexible, and think: how could I improve this to suit my own taste buds. Proceed with ‘feel’, make a substitution or two or add less sugar. These days we call it 'tweaking'. Everyone should be doing it- without any feelings of guilt! Actually tweaking is handy, you not only match your personal taste but also your pantry!
It is all very much a matter of taste.
This of course can apply to many aspects of everyday life, take the latest fashion- you surely wouldn't wear something just because it's the ‘in thing ‘, would you? You would first try it on and see if it is 'you'. You would then pick out the colour that is kind to your complexion. You learn to choose the kind of clothes to flatter you own figure.
A television must be adjusted to your personal preference, brightness, colour, sharpness, contrast- who wants to watch someone looking like a lobster? Some people do...you would be surprised!

You do have to know where to start, an idea or some ingredients. You may get inspiration from cookbooks, internet, magazines or from just starting to cook.
This is one of the reasons I started writing a blog. I have made up so many dishes in my time but because previously, I never made written notes I had difficulty reproducing my 'masterpieces!'
If a finished dish is amazing, it is a shame to have to work on a trial and error basis to recreate the same dish because I no longer could remember what I had used!
Sometimes not sharing a recipe is a grave crime! I therefore started taking notes- and because my little bundle of notes is mostly illegible, (a scrambled mix of Dutch and English) I decided to begin a blog.

I hope to inspire others with my enthusiasm.
It looks like I have results- instead of opening a bottle of mulled wine my friend made it herself to her own taste, and by all accounts it was pretty damn good. recipe

A good place to start is by making your own dressings or dips.
This is a dip I came across and I think it is pretty good.
For quite a while now, I have had a packet of Sumac / Sumak/ Sumach / Sumaq in my spice cupboard- haha the world becomes a smaller place as my herb and spice collection expand!

Sumak? I didn't quite know what to do with it. I bought it purely out of curiosity. Looking at the packet, I could see it originated in Turkey. The colour is red but not spicy hot as one usually associates with red colouring. The taste was very unusual, acidic, tart like lemon. Although the best before date was not yet exceeded I decide to do some research.
It is a Middle Eastern spice, derived from red berries, hence the colour, from the shrub Rhus Coriaria. The small-ripened fruits are dried and ground to make Sumak.
It is used as a condiment and can be sprinkled over many dishes, basically anything you might squeeze lemon juice over. Salads, rice, chicken, fish, kebab.

I ended up making my own Zaatah, which includes Sumak as an ingredient. It is a blend of seasoning that can be bought 'mixed' or you can make it yourself.. Zaatar comprises of herbs (Thyme/ marjoram or oregano), sesame seeds, salt, pepper and sumak.
It can be sprinkled over foods, or made into a dip with yohurt or olive oil. Or served the traditional way; simply dip your pita (or any flatbread) in olive oil and then in the Zaatah mix.

Zaatah blended with a little olive oil


Zaatah like Sumak has many spelling variations include: Zather, Zatar, Zahtar Za'atar, Zartar Zaartar to name just a few!
But I certainly plan to try the Egyptian variant called Dukka/ Du'a / Dukkah.
I don’t recall having Dukka in Egypt!
Dukka is primarily made with corriander and also contains roasted sesame seeds, a variety of nuts (pistachio, almond, cashew, walnuts, hazelnut, Macadamia or Brazil nuts) a little ground chilli, salt, pepper and Sumak. Other variations may include cumin, cinnamon, sunflower/pumpkin seeds, fennel or even coconut. I can't wait to try lots of flavour combinations!

I have made Zaatah a couple of times. I adore it.
The first time I kept the sesame seeds whole but the second time I bashed them around in the mortar and pestle, which improved the flavour.

I also added some Tahin / Tahini (sesame paste).
You can also vary by using part (1/2) black sesame seeds as I did. They are available at the oriental supermarket.

To this particular dip I added tahini and black sesame seeds.



Zaatah Dip
sesame seeds
oregano or thyme, dried (or a mix)
sumak
pinch salt and pepper
olive oil

Dry roast in a pan (or toast) the sesame seeds, roughly bash them in a mortar and pestle (or pulse in a grinder)
Start off with equal amounts of sesame seeds/ herbs/ and sumak, add a pinch of salt and a little black pepper.
Taste and adjust until you get the taste you like!
Enjoy!

What to do with a tin of unsweetened chestnut puree:

After a little break- and don't think for one moment I haven't been eating- in fact I have been eating, drinking, as well as being my normal jolly self during the festive period. It's important to keep smiling- no matter what life dishes out. And to keep cooking. I cook when I am happy, I cook when I am sad. It relaxes me if I am stressed. It is the stability in my life.
I hope to get back on track with one or two postings in the next few days. I have lots of notes, photo's and now just need to find the time. Coming up: salmon tartare, Panforte (Italian cake), truffle risotto, cheats Christmas pudding. But for now Chestnut soup.
For a whole year (since Christmas 2009 to be exact) I have had a tin can of chestnut puree with no plans to use it. OK the date did not expire for some time to come but who wants to be left sitting on the shelf! Anyway how long should you have a product taking up precious space in an already overfull kitchen cupboard?
When I have leftovers I often opt for soup This occasion it was no different.

I made this soup in the week coming up to Christmas. The Chestnut puree was the Clement Faugier kind- the unsweetened one. The snow was on the ground and the scene was set.
It is a festive soup with an earthy wholesome taste.
I was inspired by the Chestnut and goats cheese soup I ate in a restaurant in Amsterdam last year and I wanted to replicate it. It will be no surprise to hear I ended up going my own way. It is quite unusual, but none the less quite delicious.
Here is what I came up with:
Chestnut soup with goats cheese:
1 tin pureed chestnut ( 439gr)
oil for frying
2 onions, chopped
2 potatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 sticks celery (you can also use the green tops)
100ml evaporated milk (I used ‘koffie melk’)
approx 11 chestnut mushrooms
5cm piece galangal, finely chopped (or tinned)
5cm piece ginger, finely chopped (or use ground)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander, ground
chicken stock cube
knob of butter
120gr goats cheese & crispy bacon
2 cans water (volume of the tin can)
Serves 4-6


Heat the oil and fry the onion and celery. Add the ground spices, the roots, garlic, potato and mushrooms. When it starts sticking add a little of the water. Cook until tender.
Add the chestnut puree and remaining water, stock cube, and evaporated milk and bring up to the boil. Mash or puree as desired. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Add a large knob of butter.
Because the chestnut is quite solid it does remain together which results in the occasional mouthful of chestnut taste which certainly adds to ones enjoyment, bringing out the flavour.
Serve with goats cheese and crispy bacon.

Cider and cheese soup / Mulled cider

This is another double blog- perhaps it reflects my personality quite well- easily side-tracked?
I also had to laugh at this blog, there I was feeling a bit overindulged- and came up with a boozy, creamy soup and some mulled cider- is it the Nigella in me?! Well the two recipes do share a common denominator- CIDER.

If you didn't realise already I love good food and drink- but believe me too much of a good think can be bad. In fact it can be very bad leaving one very worse for wear- and we still have Christmas to look forward to! I have been guilty of overindulging, which has resulted in a (temporary) loss of inspiration and appetite.
Yesterday I didn't quite know what I fancied, and decided to eat absolutely nothing but a few Kettle Balsamic vinegar crisps. We don’t have the real salt n vinegar crisps here sob sob. But a person has to eat 'proper' food so after careful consideration I opted for soup- one I made at school to be exact, must be a sure case of hungering for comfort food. Cheese and cider soup.
The only problem was I didn't actually have a recipe. No worries- with Google everything is possible- isn't it?
I had suggested making this soup several times before, only to let hubby put a dampers on it. He just couldn't see it working- we are talking about a man that used to throw a wobbly at seeing pieces of pinapple on a pizza- what does he know! The sweet and savoury thing was absolute taboo- but gradually he is opening up to the idea. And in any case he wasn't here to talk me out of it this time- and if he is hungry he eats (nearly) anything.
But another reason for waiting so long to make this soup was that cider just wasn't available here in Holland. Sob sob. In fact I was quite excited to see in the shops. First Savanna Dry at the Sligro, Dutch food wholesaler. And then a little over a year ago, Jillz and Strongbow Gold on the shelves of my Albert Heijn supermarket. Thank you Heineken.
Strongbow Gold is slightly different to English cider- I can't quite put my finger on it (I do enjoy this kind of research mind). I checked out the labels and it seems that the English Strongbow contains artificial sweeteners while Strongbow Gold does not. English Strongbow is also a little more alcoholic 5.3% vol opposed to the Gold 5% vol.
Jillz is a fruity cider-beer alcoholic beverage that incidentally does not contain 'hops' (that give beer it's bitter taste) It's aim is obviously to tempt the female beer drinkers amongst us.

Back on track. My Google search was not very yielding so I would have to improvise. Hmm what do I remember of my vintage soup- that it contains cider, cheese, onions, potato and milk/ or cream. Did I really make this at school? Alcohol on school premises seems quite unlikely? Maybe my memory is failing me- everyone knows cider is alcoholic, don't they? Well actually NO- one of my best friends didn't realise and had a very good evening 'cider tasting' (but a very bad morning after) I mention no name.
If anyone has a recipe I would be so pleased to hear.
Here is what I came up with.

Cheese and cider soup:

2 onions, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, finely diced
3 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped
oil for frying, olive or arachide (peanut) oil that I generally use these days
300gr vegetables (I used a packet of mixed vegetables- leek, carrot, celery leaf, cauliflower)
2 small celery sticks, finely diced
1 liter cider (I suppose you could use apple juice)
1 small carton 200ml cream (I used UHT)
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper
stock cube (since we are using no liquid stock)
125gr cheddar cheese, grated
large knob of butter
little water

Fry the onions in the oil for a few minutes. Add potato and garlic and cook for several minutes.
Stir in the coriander, cumin, nutmeg. Add the vegetables, stir and add a little water (the potatoes will be sticking slightly.
Braise the vegetables until tender. Add the cider and a stock cube and heat until almost boiling point. DO NOT BOIL- the alcohol will evaporate!
Add cream, salt and pepper and puree if desired ( I usually opt for half as I like a bit of a bite) with an immersion blender.
Add cheese and a knob of butter and stir until melted increasing heat as necessary. Do not boil or this will toughen cheese.
Alternatively you could add cheese in individual soup dish.
I nearly added bread and cheese à la French onion soup style but quickly remembered my hubby detests French onion soup.
BTW he did enjoy his cider and cheese soup!

After last week’s mulled wine, and with cider on my mind (I think I am recovered) I decided to make some mulled cider or hot cider punch- whatever you care to call it.
My friend Breda made this for us at a Halloween gathering a couple of years ago and boy was it good! It warms the cockles of your heart and makes your whole house smell delicious.

This was roughly the recipe- she is, like me a cook that tweaks everything.

Mulled Cider

1 liter cider
sugar brown/ white or honey whatever you prefer, start with 3 - 4 tbsp.
2 Clementine’s, sliced
1 tsp all spice berries
1 piece cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
100ml whisky (or spirit of your choice- rum, brandy)
marmalade, 1 tbsp approx (optional)

You could also use other ingredients like fresh ginger, star anise, even whole peppercorns!

In a large pan add everything except the whisky and heat, stir until the sugar has dissolved. When steam is rising turn it down. DO NOT BOIL.
Turn off heat and allow to 'mull' for a minimum of an hour so all the flavours of the spices can infuse in the liquid.
Reheat just before serving. Add whisky, Serve with a slice of orange.
Cheers!
For anyone living locally, Tucker Box, Leiden offers a wide selection of ciders and other drinks.

A box of groceries

Yes it's that time of year again. Visualise four people crowding around and excitedly packing out a box of groceries. Hamper time has arrived!
Funny how all year round nobody shows interest in doing the weekly shopping- let alone helping to pack it out!
The recession is evident, if the faces around me are anything to go by- everyone is slightly less enthusiastic than normal.
So what goodies does the Albert Heijn Christmas hamper 2010 contain?
Well yes lots of fillers. There are plenty of snacks in stock that's for sure:
Savoury: crisps, savoury nibbles, tapenade (looks more like salsa) and nuts with caramalised red onion.
Sweet: chocolate-hazelnut cookies, meringue, Christmas shaped cookies and sweets, chocolate 'coffee beans'.
Drinks: Fair-trade tea- rooibos and spices, organic coffee (who still uses coffee these days? I thought everyone uses Senseo pads or Nespresso cups)
Amé, an elderberry and lemon soft drink.
Other items: A packet of soup, shower gel, body lotion.
A game similar to Jenga, with mini glasses instead of bricks. (Yes we couldn't resist to have a game)

Where have all the luxury items disappeared to? Mustn't sound ungrateful mind. Setting aside the fact that it is all free- there is a lot of work and effort gone into putting together these items. Someone has had to create an interesting box of groceries on a budget, someone else had to do all the packing.
We certainly enjoyed packing it out and I guess someone will enjoy eating it. Thank you Albert Heijn.
And now time for me to go away, have a good think about coming up with creative ways to get family members as enthusiastic about the weekly shopping…!

Getting into the festive spirit- Mulled Wine.

In The Netherlands the festive season begins when a rather tall gentleman enters the country, his name-
Sinterklaas.
I know I'm a little late - (it's the story of my life) Sinterklaas is traditionally celebrated on 5th December, but none the less let me share with you my Sinterklaas evening and a delve a little into the background as to who/ what Sinterklaas is and exactly why he is so dear in the hearts of the Dutch. I won’t get into the history- google ‘St Nicholas’- it’s an interesting story.
I have been in The Netherlands for some time and Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) and his Zwarte Pieten (helpers) have really won me over. At first I couldn't quite understand it all, why were the Dutch stubbornly insisting on celebrating at the beginning of December while everyone celebrated at the end! I wrongly assumed Sinterklaas and Santa Claus were one and the same! Much to my husband / his family’s annoyance I insisted my Christmas tree was ready on time for Sinterklaas! To this day so does my mother- she always makes sure my Christmas card arrives 'on time'- (despite explaining year after year) the other day she asked me if my tree was up!
Almost immediately I was swept along by the festivities, and I became equally fond of this tall white haired man with a beard, especially when I had children of my own- it is a very children orientated celebration. But adults alike just can't help getting carried away - I too was guilty of enthusiastically waving and shouting at a passing Sinterklaas, and his Pieten! Hubby burst my bubble by saying "Vanessa- he isn't real". On another occasion one of the blackened faced Piets shouted greetings at my husband and I looked wide eyed in awe at him: "WOW you actually know one of the Zwarte Pieten?...."- haha!
We were just talking the other day about what an impact he actually has on everyone, young and old alike, even visitors from abroad are intrigued by him and his black face Peters. Everyone in Holland can sing a Sinterklaas song- even someone suffering with memory loss can often find joy and recognition upon hearing an all so familiar Sinterklaas melody.
I just mentioned foreigners- initially they may raise their eyebrows at the Zwarte Pieten but honestly no harm is meant and no one should be offended. Even the newspaper salesmen at the our local supermarkets like to dress up and sing along.
Sinterklaas is a Saint that arrives in Holland by steam boat from Spain, at the end of November to be welcomed by no-less the mayor, and warmly greeted by scores of children. Each year he arrives at a different port of entry. This year it was Harderwijk.
His presence will be evident in shop displays and in music playing at many locations. In nearly every town and village there will be a welcoming parade though the streets, children waiting along the route, braving all weather conditions, for a glimpse and perhaps a handful of cookies/ sweets. In the days leading up to 5th December (and the celebration of his birthday) he will visit many children, at school, at home, (sports)clubs, in shopping centers but even in the local supermarket. He will bring sweets, cookies and sometimes small presents (low budget). In the evenings just before bedtime, chilren often sing and leave their shoes by fireplaces or more often the backdoor with perhaps a carrot for the white horse of Sinterklaas. In return the next morning, they will find a treat (candy/ toy) in their shoes.
5th December
All this excitement leads up to a really special family celebration held on pakjesavond (parcelevening). Sinterklaas and his helpers have a very busy schedule visiting families across Holland in one evening delivering goods to all the well-behaved children. If the children are lucky they will get a personal visit, if not they will get a loud banging on the window and lo and behold a sack of goodies will appear as if by magic, dropped off on the doorstep to wide eyed, excited, and sometimes frightened children.
As the children get a little older and wiser, things change slightly and gifts come in the form of 'surprises' this is a well thought out 'package' with gift(s) inside and (usually ) a poem, which has relation to the person and the gift. This can be quite hilarious (Sinterklaas knows everything- he has ears and eyes everywhere). It is a way of having a bit of harmless fun with your loved ones.

Just after Sinterklaas arrives in the country the names of all participating persons are drawn out of a hat like a lottery and a budget is set. Everyone is responsible for making one 'surprise' and is the reciever of one 'surprise'.
Dutch Treats
With the Sinterklaas celebration comes a lot of delicious food related sweet goodies:

Pepernoten or kruidnoten are tiny round spiced cookies. Sometimes coated in chocolate.

Taai Taai are soft aniseed flavoured gingerbread.
Speculaas (spiced cookie). Gevulde Speculaas ( filled speculaas) is a spiced cake filled with almond filling (amandelspijs).

Further there are various treats in the form of letters. Large chocolate letters ( a-z ) are available in white/ plain / milk chocolate or Banketletters, a sweet pastry with almond filling in the shape of a I, M or S.
Also candy plays an important role often mixed with kruidnoten/pepernoten generously handed out by the Zwarte Pieten, as well as mandarin oranges.
Marsepein (marzipan) is widely available in all shapes/ colurs and forms.

Pakjesavond doesn't actually center around a traditional meal although gourmet has become quite popular making it a little more special.
As far as drinks are concerned hot chocolatemilk is popular for the children and mulled wine for the adults.
It is a tradition at our house to celebrate with cheese fondue. This is an ideal meal, very social, easy to prepare and little cleaning up work afterwards paving the way ready for an evening of entertainment as well as present opening. The 'surprises' are opened one for one, first the 'tongue in cheek' poem is read aloud, and then the package is opened to reveal the gift(s). The exchange of regular presents is equally commonplace. The presents are not generally extravagant but this does not in any way detract from the occasion. On the contrary my husband has been shocked to see the way Christmas presents are opened in England. In just minutes flat parcels are ripped open with increasing frenzy, the contents, carelessly tossed aside without a glance. He was also astonished to find out that a visit to Santa Claus (if he could be found) was relatively expensive. Actually he was quite disillusioned with 'Christmas'.
Once I understood the essence of Sinterklaas I couldn't help but want to participate. In the beginning, not being able to rhyme in Dutch, I actually wrote poems to my husband and children in English! My family also love Sinterklaas, and from the moment we each know who our 'culprit' is there is a positive air of excitement. In utmost secrecy everyone is busy with making their ‘surprises’. We have had some pretty spectacular 'surprises'- each year it is a challenge to come up with new ideas and creations. The standard of poems is exceptional- obviously everyone is equally enthusiastic.
We actually celebrated Sinterklaas on the 6th this year- and broke the rule. On the morning of 6th Dec Sinterklaas retreats back to Spain and all signs are erased only to be replaced by everything Christmas related including de kerstman (Santa Claus).
Here is a summary of the fun we had:


The 'bottom' had to have been the topper of the evening. It doesn't really need explaining but the present (or part of) was hidden inside an edible cake. It was made by a colleague of Martin. Here is the website. The cake didn't just look fantastic, with its beautiful intricate detail, it tasted absolutely delicious, light and sweet but well balanced with chocolate butter icing.


Mulled wine
You could of course buy a bottle but believe me it's just as easy to make your own- and the smell of freshly made Mulled wine is heavenly. The heady aroma really sets the atmosphere.
Drinking warm spiced wine is like having all the festive spices in one glass. You are free to add all your favourites. I actually also have some mulled wine sachets (like teabags) which are ideal if you like 'clear' wine. Start with 1/4 tsp of your chosen spices. You could wrap your spices in a bit of muslin or use a tea infuser or just strain before serving. I don't mind pieces floating in my mulled wine.

I use a liter bottle of red wine. Doesn't have to be expensive- you will be heating it (so shame to spoil an expensive wine), the spices and sweetness will lift a less good wine- so as long as it is of good colour and full bodied it should be ok.
Recipe for Mulled wine:
1 ltr of red wine
Sugar to taste, a good few tablespoons. Use white or light brown sugar, dark sugar tends to spoil the colour. Honey is also possible.
approx 200ml of water
Orange, lemon or lime, halved, spiked with a few cloves (4-6)
1-2 cinnamon stick
Optional extras: a piece of fresh/ ground ginger, a vanilla pod, star anise, cardomon pods, allspice, nutmeg (pinch) The choice is yours, try not to use everything though.
approx 125ml alcohol of choice- rum, brandy, whiskey.

Heat the wine and water in a large pan with a few tbsp. sugar, the fruit, and spices until the sugar is dissolved and steam is rising. DO NOT BOIL. We don't want the alcohol to evaporate!
Turn off the heat and let it 'sit' for at least 10 minutes preferably longer but up to about 30 minutes.
Remove the fruit and spices. Or leave if you like a pronounced taste.
Give the mulled wine its 'punch' by adding the alcohol of choice and reheat- DO NOT BOIL. Check and adjust the sweetness level and serve steaming hot. Enjoy.