Discover Benelux | Amsterdam in 2019 | Amsterdam Zuid Highlights
From vegetable to Dutch delicacy TEXT: ARNE ADRIAENSSENS | PHOTOS: ESTHER’S COOKERY
What better way to explore the Netherlands than through its gastronomy. At Esther’s Cookery, chef Esther Erwteman teaches the world what it is like to cook Dutch, by making vegetables the centre of attention. “My aim is not to cook vegetarian, but to cook with vegetables,” says Esther. “Although a wide variety of top-notch produce sprouts from our Dutch soil, few people actually use it to its fullest potential. A tomato is tasty in a salad, of course, but is also great when grilled, dried, fried...” At Esther’s Cookery, she organises cooking workshops with veggies galore. On the menu, you won’t find many exotic ingredients, though. Nearly all she needs comes from Amsterdam and its surroundings. Most vegetables and herbs she uses even come from her own allotment. “The common belief is that you need many exotic products to create a tasty vegetarian dish, but the opposite is true. All my recipes’ protagonists come from Dutch soil.”
With the English workshop Dutch Dishes, Esther’s Cookery teaches you how to master delicious Dutch cuisine. After a sensorial trip to the market, she helps you create a fingerlicking-good menu. “You won’t find a traditional hotchpotch here, though. Instead, we will turn the ingredients of this classic dish (potatoes, carrots and onions) into something completely different.” Furthermore, you will learn how to make stroopwafels and discover how strongly Dutch cuisine is influenced by Indonesian
cooking. “Since we mainly use vegetables and make our own cheese and bread, everything we make is Halal and Kosher, as well. Believe me, life just becomes easier when you eliminate meat from the menu.”
Immerse yourself in a private workshop with your friends or colleagues or opt-in on one of the many open sessions. For the calendar, check: www.estherscookery.nl