Luxembourg, by Lauren
by
Somehow Stefan and I always seem to pick the most bone-chilling weekend each year to go on a road trip. We’ve been really lucky this winter, it’s been really mild, hardly ever going below freezing, until last weekend when we planned to go to Luxembourg. Somehow we successfully missed the chaos of the longest traffic jam in Belgium due to the snow, we missed the snowfall in Amsterdam and ice skaters taking to the canals. And we landed in sunny Luxembourg. Cold, yes, but sunny.
And so begins the WWII phase I am in. Bastogne is about 40 miles outside of Luxembourg city in Belgium where the Battle of the Bulge took place in the mountains of the Arden in one of the coldest winters in history. This small Belgian town is home to a bunch of different museums dedicated to the subject. We went to the 101st Airborne Museum located int he former mess halls of the Belgian Army. It’s a small museum with plenty of original relics from the war and life-size realistic dioramas. Then we went to a more interactive sensory museum called I was 20 in 45, which shows the war more from the perspective of the Arden residents who lived through that time. With captivating video and clever scenes that play on all your senses, this museum is a must for any history enthusiast.
We hit Luxembourg city at dusk, just in time for dinner. Luxembourg is a small country sandwiched between Belgium, Netherlands and France, is strangely a foodie haven. With more Michelen starred restaurants per capita than any other country, you can literally throw a stone and hit a star. Being a safe haven from taxes, Luxembourg is a big bankers town, big for businesses, and sleepy on the weekends. 48% of people who live in Luxembourg are expats, and many commute in from the neighboring countries. Even though there wasn’t much going on, traveling to sleepy downs in the dead of winter in the off-season does have some advantages. On a Friday night we walked in, without any reservations into Caves Gourmandes, a lovely little French restaurant hidden beneath a secret staircase in the Ilse of in a cave. Succulent duck and a flavorful seafood bisque poured gently around a mound of crab warmed up our cold souls.
Donned in our thermal underwear and layers of sweaters, overcoats, hats and gloves, we faced the freezing weather on foot. Luxembourg is a very walkable city and we did our own little walking tour before meeting up for the Wenzel Walk. Luxembourg is a very fortified town, with maze-like upper and lower walls, miles of underground casemates, and look-out turrets. I couldn’t imagine any army penetrating this bad boy! As a result there’s fantastic views from every vantage point, overlooking the rivers and hordes of history at every turn. It’s a really great guided walk and our guide even knew 9 languages! It’s crazy. They even have their own language of Luxembourgish, and the whole country is only 84km!
Mosconi is the only Italian two starred Michelen Restaurant outside of Italy, and we dressed up for the evenings pretending to be adults. It was such a lovely understated restaurant built up by a husband and wife team, everything in pure white located in the UNESCO site of the Grund. Having a homey feel with broken up rooms than a restaurant feel, we decided to go balls out and get the 8 course pasta tasting menu. Let me just say. WOW. Every dish was so delicately prepared. The dishes were simple yet flavorful showing extraordinary restraint and true respect for all the ingredients. We had an amouse bouche of a perfect poulet macaroon. followed by a spinach mousse, both exquisitely prepared. And then the pastas started coming. spaghetti with caviar, spaghetti with sardines, spaghetti with calamari, pork dumplings with potatoes and raspberries, ricotta dumplings, parapadalle with lamb ragu, the list goes on. Every single one incredibly delicious. We had to order desert before the meal, and Stefan had a stunning chocolate souffle which I tried the odd sounding tomato stuffed with pears and apples. His was delicious, mine was really good, the tomato was carmelized and was sweet like a desert. After 41/2hrs of constant eating, it goes down as one of the finest dining experiences I’ve ever had. Truly worth every cent (and it wasn’t cheap!).
Apart from the old town of Luxembourg, modern architecture has cropped up in the Kirchberg District. I.M. Pei designed the Museum of Modern Art which incorporates an old fort into the design of a modernist building. The museum is worth a visit, and from there its easy to hook up with the Vauban Circular walk which leads through parts of the fortifications fo the 17,18,19th centuries.
On our last day we went back to the WWII fascination with a visit to the WWII American Veterans Cemetery where George Patton is buried. The pure white rows of crosses created a stark landscape of remembrance against the white snow. So while it can be cold and desolate traveling in the off-season, I quite like it because we had all of Luxembourg practically to ourselves.
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Pork, its the other white meat? Right? Not sure if that statement still rings true, but for some reason I’ve been eating a lot of it lately.
I’m going to blame this on the Slow Cooker. Basically I’m still addicted to the pot and in addition to great soups and stews, this thing makes some of the best fall off the bone meat I’ve had in a long time. So its been really hard to say no even though I’ve been trying to keep my meat consumption to a minimum. But when my friends Chris & PR requested some BBQ Pork Ribs, I had to oblige. I’ve never made ribs in the slow cooker, but given going outside and BBQing in Amsterdam in the middle of January was completely out of the question, this clearly seemed like the next best thing. But it’s not the next best thing. It is THE BEST THING! Holy cow people. This is so freaking’ easy and so delicious! The meat is so tender, and I think baking them before putting them in the cooker is the way to go, crisp them up, throw them in with some BBQ sauce and 8hrs later you have the greatest pork ribs EVVAAAAHHH. Oh and since I’m stuck in Amsterdam without my beloved Corkey’s or Dinosaur BBQ Sauce, I made my own Honey Chipotle BBQ sauce from a recipe from Life’s Ambrosia blog. Something I’ve never done and it was really easy. Just ease off the Chipotle’s because mine turned out super spicy.
Mix that in with the Chinese New Year and it’s been a little pork month disaster. Last weekend was the Asian Food Festival in Nieuwmarkt in Amsterdam and my friend Fong ( the one who taught me how to make dumplings) was making Pork Buns. Oh-My-Gawd! These delicate little bundles of joy made standing in line for 20 minutes in -10 degrees actually worth it. (unlike trying to patiently wait for Korean Tacos which never even came, shame on them for being under-prepared and trying to over deliver, these guys should know better). Not only did Fong make these fluffy buns made to order (all I could think about was the last episode of Top Chef where Greyson made all her chicken sandwiches made to order), but there were three types of these insanely delicious buns – original, crispy, and oven baked pork.
Fong's Original Pork Bun
Crispy Pork Bun
My. So essentially its been a pork fest. If those buns weren’t enough, I had put a whole pork filet in the slow cooker for a pork and noodles soup that evening – following in the Asian Food Festival footsteps. It literally took 10 minutes to throw everything in the pot and walk away. 8hrs later, the pork (of which I used a lean cut to be healthier) was easily shreddable with a fork and the soup was incredibly tasty in a homemade chicken broth with strong chinese flavors and delicious book choy. It’s the perfect comfort soup for a chilly winter evening, which here in Amsterdam has just begun….
Slow Cooker Pork Ribs with Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce adapted from Life’s Ambrosia
Ingredients:
For the Ribs:
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 kilo baby back pork ribs
- 1 onion sliced
Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- In a bowl combine kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, cumin and olive oil in a bowl. Stir to make a paste. Rub mixture all over ribs. Transfer to preheated baking sheet. Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes. Turn and cook for 15 more minutes.
- Place the sliced onion on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- While the meat is cooking combine all of the ingredients for the BBQ sauce in a food processor and process until smooth.
- Transfer ribs to the slow cooker. Pour BBQ sauce over the top. Cover and cook for 8 hours.
- Serve.
Slow Cooker Pork with Noodles adapted from Food Network
Ingredients:
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
- 3 pieces star anise
- Kosher salt
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder – I used pork Fillet to create a healthier meal and it was delicious
- 4heads baby bok choy, roughly chopped
- 3 1/2 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, star anise and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Add the pork, then cover and cook on low 8 hours.
Take the pork out and shred it, meanwhile add the bok choy to the slow cooker; cover and cook about 20 more minutes.
dd the noodles to the slow cooker, making sure they are submerged, add the pork back into the slow cooker, cover and cook 10 more minutes. Divide the pork, bok choy and noodles among bowls, then ladle in some of the broth. Sprinkle with the cilantro.
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