Ger-Nis INTERNATIONAL, LLC

Where in the World: Amsterdam

“Hallo!” you’re warmly greeted by your family and friends swarming you with three kisses on the cheek. You’ve made it to the capital of the Netherlands—Amsterdam. Submerged in a pool of Dutch speakers, you are sure to stay afloat in a city where English is widely spoken and understood, and you feel at home. This welcoming nature of the city’s inhabitants may come as the result it being perceived as the smallest of the big cities. The city is an old one too, having been founded in the year 1250 with the building of a dam that gave it its name and lays at the heart of the city still today. Most people think of Amsterdam as, well, a city full of cannabis cafes and wild times winding through dark, smoky alleyways in the red light district. Hey, prostitution is legal here. Let us break away from this mindset and explore the plentitude of other offerings Amsterdam has available.

The city is certainly a colorful one, full of bodies bustling to and fro, and has been proclaimed as the most watery city in the world, with its canals and harbors filling a full quarter of the city’s surface. It’s not hard to imagine its waterways as being the greatest source of its wealth while embodying the essence of the city. Amsterdam’s Golden Age took place in the 17th century when trade boomed and the city grew four times its size. This was made possible as a result of building the first canals one century prior creating the most efficient and navigable waterways in the world. In the summer, the canals teem thick with sailing traffic, and the city is a favorite docking ground for the private yachts of French and German vacationers. It might come as a surprise that the water in the canals today is at its cleanest in the city’s history.  Visitors have the option of enjoying the canals on a variety of different boats from open-top, volunteer-run liners to cozy vessels. The scenery that awaits you along the waterways ranges from 17th century mansions to eccentric, cozy houseboats. All of the passing images are segmented by the hunchbacked bridges as you pass underneath.

Don’t forget the numbers of people lining the outside of the canals, leisurely eating and drinking coffee amid the fresh air and breeze that sweeps off the water’s surface. People flock to the cafes for a variety of reasons ranging from coffee and a stroopwafel, happy hour drinks, to lunch or dinner. Whatever the objective you are trying to reach on your café mission, a café exists to suit your needs. The spaces along the water provide the ideal setting to enjoy a glass of house wine or local beer as you watch all of the life around you swirl in every direction. The sentiment of organized chaos seeps in as bikes from every direction whiz past you in a flurry of activity meshed with leisure and contentment with life. As day passes into night, café goers are rewarded by the exhilarating, muddled reflections of the buildings, bridges and lights shining towards you from the water. Walking and biking through the city are two additional, fantastic ways to take in the city and simple to do as a result of its compact size.

The city is fully loaded with small shops, but the goods found inside look remarkably different from those found in the other big cities. Kalverstraat is the commercial thoroughfare of the city closed to pedestrian traffic housing many shops vying for your attention. However, what’s better are the myriads of boutiques and specialty-food markets peppered throughout the city’s less traveled paths or the open air markets, such as the city’s oldest (and very inexpensive) open air market, Albert Cuyp, or the floating flower market, Bloemenmarkt, where the stalls literally float on houseboats. The Dutch, even in the dead of winter, build an extra element of beauty with their carefully pinned back front windows exposing thick expanses of fresh, vibrant flowers- a uniquely Dutch practice affirming a love for aesthetic pleasures.

The Dutch have a deep history of colonization in the West Indies, East Indies, Indonesia, and so on. This reality has molded the landscape of the Netherlands, and especially Amsterdam, into a particular cast of multinational inhabitants. The rich, diverse cultural base has given Holland a grandly varied sampling of food best seen in the city of Amsterdam. While traditional Dutch foods have, of course, withstood their roots in these cobblestone streets, dishes like Rijsttafel (Rice table) attest to the rampant fusion abound in the culture. This dish in particular came as a result of Dutch plantation owners love of sampling Indonesian cuisine during their colonization periods and brought what they liked back to the Netherlands. Rijsttafel shares similarities with the concept of Spanish tapas, served in small portions to be shared over the course of two to three hours.

Modern Dutch food has undoubtedly been shaped in other ways, and the use of freshherbs in contemporary Dutch cooking is apparent. At farmers markets, such as the Noordermarkt, for example, you’ll find rows of freshly baked muffins topped with extremely fresh fruits and freshly picked herbs paired with vegetables. Fragrant herbs take up entire stalls through which you can spend hours navigating. Wheels of cheeses, too, a Dutch mainstay, incorporate wild blends of fresh herbs and spices to reach that perfect flavor note. The locals’ love for pancakes is a transparent one with their bounty of pancakes with chestnut cream topped with finely chopped cinnamon basil at the market and other varieties found in nearby cafes. Amsterdam is a meat-heavy city and to ignore that would prove impossible. For lunch, rye bread with herring or cold cuts with an herbed cheese or sauce, say an herbed mustard, is common fare. With dinner as the main meal, eaten early in the evening, be prepared to dine substantially on “pots” of potatoes and vegetables entrenched with a variety of herbs for depth and flavor and perhaps a classically Dutch pea soup. Stews are usually served with pickled spiced with bay leaves, whole cloves, juniper berries, and vinegar; head cheese; and some stewed pears. Modern Amsterdam prizes its use of fresh herbs on all levels of their cooking from their more traditional Dutch dishes to their Moroccan, Indonesian, and other fusions.

However you decide to pass your stay, dive right into the real Amsterdam culture (maybe not the canals, though, as clean as they might be).

Bitterballen & Herbed Mustard

Bitterballen are a staple in old Dutch cooking and have been modernized quite a bit over the years and essentially made a bit healthier.  Originally served alongside a Dutch bitter Gin, hence the name, these snacks are seen throughout the country in many different forms.  These lovely snacks and medium-sized meals are essentially a deep fried meatball.  Typically loaded with fresh herbs and made in various ways, a common version is where the meat and herbs are mixed with mashed potatoes or another starchy vegetable, deep fried, and served with spicy, herbed mustard.  Here is an adapted & healthier version from Ger-Nis.

Bitterballen Ger-Nis Style
Makes about 20 bitterballen

Ingredients

1 medium celery root, peeled, boiled and mashed
1 small carrot, shredded
1 medium red onion, grated or chopped super fine
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped fine
½ cup cooked ground veal
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
¼ cup butter melted
3 eggs, beaten
1-2 cups breadcrumbs, superfine
Oil (for frying)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed celery root, carrots, onion and herbs, mix well.  Add the ground veal and continue to mix well.  Season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Add melted butter and mix well.  Place in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Heat oil in a large frying pan.

To assemble bitterballen, take a spoonful of the celery mash mixture and form into a ball, dip in the beaten egg and roll or cover in the breadcrumbs.  Place in the fryer and fry until balls are floating and they are cooked through about 3 minutes.  Take out of oil and place on a towel so that the excess oil drains off.  Serve warm or hot with the mustard!

Herby Spicy Mustard-Dutch Style
Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

¼ cup black mustard seeds
¼ cup brown mustard seeds
¼ cup yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
¾ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup water

Directions

In a small, non-metallic mixing bowl, cover the mustard seeds with the sugar, tumeric, salt, ½ cup of the vinegar and the water and soak covered overnight. Then, with a mortar and pestle pound the mustard seeds until coarse and broken to desired texture. Add the herbs. Add remaining vinegar and continue to mix and mash until coarse yet smooth. (A blender or coffee grinder works perfectly as well). Place in a covered jar, and refrigerate.

Corriander Tomato Gehaktballen
Makes about 20 meatballs

Meatballs are one of the most popular dishes in Holland, with traditional and fusion type recipes due to the ever changing population.  This version give a fresh new take on meatballs with the bright additive of cilantro!

Ingredients

½ cup bread crumbs
1 cup fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped fine
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ cup yellow onion chopped fine
1 egg, beaten
½  pound ground beef
½ pound ground veal
Olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup tomato sauce
Black pepper, freshly ground
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions

In a large mixing bowl combine breadcrumbs, fresh herbs, and all spices, mix well. Add the Yellow onion, the egg and the ground beef and veal and again gently mix with wooden spoon (hands and fingers work even better) until all ingredients are well mixed. Shape the meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs. In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes; reduce the heat to moderately low if the meatballs begin to brown too quickly. Drain on paper towels. Spoon off any excess fat from the pan and the meatballs back to  the skillet, add the tomato sauce and stir, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan gently with a wooden spoon. Mix well and place heat to very low, simmer on low uncovered for about 2-4 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander (cilantro.)