Roosje de Graaff was Project Intern and Assistant at Deveron Projects from November 2020 to March 2021. For February's Food Chain she was be taking us on a  quick culinary trip to her homeland, where the people are tall, where there are more bicycles than people, where there are no hills but a lot of mills: the Netherlands. We were making a couple of the most quintessential Dutch dishes of Boerenkoolstamppot - literally translated as farmers cabbage hodgepodge - and Boterkoek (Butter Cake), a sweet treat often eaten during coffee time.

Before living in Huntly, Roosje lived as an au pair in the US and in Ireland and has studied abroad in England. Alongside showing us how to make Boerenkoolstamppot and Boterkoek, Roosje chatted about how traveling and living abroad works as a remedy for appreciating what is at home, but also how it questions senses of belonging.Shopping list for you to cook along at home: Boterkoek -250g flour
225g unsalted butter
150g caster sugar
Salt
1 egg (or a bit of milk)Optional: 1⁄2 lemon zest and/or seeds of 1⁄2 vanilla pod Boerenkoolstamppot - (you can halve the recipe when with 2 persons)400g kale
1kg potatoes 260g Smoked Pork Sausage (or vegetarian/vegan sausages)Salt, pepper, nutmeg
Pinch of milk and/or 20g butter
Optional: 200gr smoked bacon lardons, gravy, mustard, pickled onions, piccalilli For Roosje's recipe and some fantastic insight into the history and culture behind each of these dishes, have a look here.   About Food Chain
Which rich culinary backgrounds do we have resident in our own community? Come along to our monthly group cookalong to learn someone else's recipes of home. Together we'll learn about each other's cultural backgrounds as we cook.