One last treat

As I sit here to write this post, preparations to ring out the old year and sing in the New Year are well on their way. Some last-minute shopping still needs to be done, phone calls need to be made to wish friends and family a happy new year, texts need to be sent to those we cannot reach and the TV needs to be cursed as long-time traditions are forgotten. In other words: busy, busy, busy. Too busy to type, too busy to reminisce but I cannot help but think back about the roller-coaster ride that was 2013.

Whoever you are, wherever you are from, whatever your religious beliefs, your cultural background, your sexual orientation or the colour of your skin (no matter whether your write colour or color); the old year will have had it's ups and it's downs. The same will be said this time next year, and the same will have been said this time last year. Although the ups and downs might be different. Even the people you celebrate with or the shoulder you cry on might be different. Life moves on, as do we.

In the low countries many people will have already started the preparations for the traditional New Year's Eve treat: Oliebollen (or Dutch Doughnuts or Dutchies, as they are more commonly known in English). If you have never had the joy of eating this delectable treat, let me wet your appetite; fluffy dough balls with a filling of raisins, sultanas, currents, apple and candied peel, deep-fat fried until dark golden in colour and covered in a dusting of powdered sugar (mixed with some cinnamon or cookie spices).

Like so many other treats, oliebollen go quite a distance back in time: captured by Aelbert Cuyp in 1652. First mentioned in the Dutch dictionary in 1868. History claims that they were first eaten during Yule (celebrated between 26 December and 6 January) by Germanic tribes in The Netherlands. Perchta (a Germanic goddess) would fly through the mid-winter sky with her evil spirits. To appease these spirits, food was offered, much of which contained deep-fried dough. It was said, Perchta would try to cut open the bellies of all she came across, but because of the fat in the oliebollen, her sword would slide off the body of whoever ate them.
If you want to know how much the Dutch like their treat; every year since 1993 a national contest is held to find the best oliebol.

The recipe I am about to share is an old family favourite and has stayed practically the same since before my grandfather's time and is still made by the family (with some adjustments to fit in with preferences in taste). Back at home there were six of us. If nobody came by on New Year's Eve, we'd be eating oliebollen well into January but I have learned that downsizing the recipe is too much of a pain. Besides, when you do downsize you will find that you always have too few balls...

• Note to self: next time, make sure that there is some muscle nearby for the beating of the dough... My poor arms are killing me...
• More note to self: next time, use a bigger bowl (or 2 smaller bowls) or a bucket for the dough...
• Another note to self: get more paper towels...

Oliebollen

or Dutch Doughnuts or Dutchies

Ingredients:
For the dough:

• 1 kilogram plain flour
• 1 litre milk, lukewarm
• 80 gram fresh yeast or 14 gram dried yeast
• 10 gram salt
• 3 eggs
• a couple of tablespoons sugar or honey (optional)

For the Filling:

• Sultanas
• Raisins
• Currents
• Candied peel, cut to the size of raisins
• Cooking apple, cut to the size of raisins and sprinkled with lemon juice

• Note: the fruit is to individual taste and preference; if you don't like something, leave it out.
• Another note: for a good filling make the fruit up to 1 kilogram, for a slightly less-filled ball you can make the fruit up to 500 gram. If you don't like any of the fruit, leave it out altogether but I would advise to use some sugar and cinnamon in the balls. If you leave the doughnuts plain, try filling them with your favourite jam or preserve and freshly whipped cream or bakers custard after they have been deep-fried.

Method:
For the dough:

1. Mix all the ingredients (including spices, if using)
• If you are using fresh yeast: put it in a bowl with some of the warm milk and some sugar or honey
• If you are using dried yeast: mix the yeast into the flour before adding the liquid and salt
2. Once everything is mixed the beating needs to be done. Get some muscle in and let them beat the dough until their arms hurt. Let someone else then beat for another five minutes
• Beating is easiest with a large, professional, whisk as the little ones will not be able to stand up to the task. If you don't have a big balloon whisk, use a wooden, slotted, spoon
• It is advisable to use a bowl (or bucket) that is big enough to hold the ingredients x 2.5 as the beating needs space and the dough needs space to prove
3. Cover the bowl, or bucket, with a cloth and place in a warm (draught-free) space for 45-60 minutes, until doubled in size, or proving out of the bowl
4. Beat the air out of the dough and mix in the fruit
5. Cover the bowl, or bucket, again and leave to prove for another hour

• Note: whilst waiting for the dough to be ready, during the second proving, prepare the following:
• a thick layer of paper towels, or an unfolded newspaper with a couple of sheets of paper towel on top (if you don't like the idea of the newspaper ink)
• a couple of rolls of kitchen paper to replace the towels when they are saturated
• the biggest serving dishes you have, covered with yet more paper towels to soak up any leftover oil
• a sieve or shaker with icing sugar (optionally cinnamon or cookie spices mixed in)

To make the doughnuts:

1. Place a large, heavy-based, pan on the stove and fill about half with a tasteless oil such as sunflower or peanut oil. More traditional would be rapeseed oil but let's not waste money on non-essentials...
• Although you could use a deep-fat fryer with a heating element, I would not recommend to use this. Firstly it will take forever to get through the dough, secondly the balls will often stick to the basket and thirdly the dough might get stuck on the element, burn and leave the deep-fat fryer ready for the skip...
2. Heat the oil until a crust of bread thrown in causes little bubbles to come up around the edges
3. Fry the doughnuts 5-7 at a time, depending on the size of your scoop and the diameter of your pan
   
4. The doughnuts will turn themselves over when the bottom half is cooked through, but I usually help them out a little by turning them over myself
5. Fry the balls until golden brown, preferably slightly darker to make sure that the centre of the balls is fully cooked, but not too long as the fruit at the outside of the balls could burn
6. Remove the balls from the pan, draining most of the oil and placing them on the wad of paper towels
7. After the oil has been drained off the balls, move them onto the service platter
8. Each layer of balls gets a liberal dusting of icing sugar

If you have not used any fruit in the oliebollen, once they have cooled down completely slice them halfway open and fill with your preferred jam/preserve and some whipped cream or a thick-set custard (much like a scone)

That just leaves me the pleasurable job of wishing you

Een gelukkig, welvarend en smakelijk Nieuw Jaar!

or, in English

A very happy, prosperous and delicious New Year: