My schedule as a MEP is often quite busy. But whenever I have the time, I enjoy preparing dishes in the kitchen, especially for family and friends. Sometimes they are elaborate, sometimes less so. Especially during my weeks in Brussels, I rarely get to cook.
Thus, the anticipation is all the greater when I prepare more elaborate dishes at home on the weekends in my home region of Aachen.
I am fascinated by the diversity of people you encounter in Brussels, with residents who hail from countries with their own peculiarities.
In my work as an MEP, it’s very inspiring to be in an atmosphere that brings together people from all over Europe and from different backgrounds and cultures.
If you discuss issues in an objective and relaxed way, and remember not to make things personal, you can enjoy a perfectly nice drink with your political opponent.
When it comes to cooking, I learned a lot from my mum, although I am more traditional. A bit like my clothes, I also love variety and colour in my cooking, and I’m eager to experiment.
For this reason, I’m sharing with you a recipe that represents the mix of different cultures that we experience in Brussels: a Catalan-style wild boar.
I love the combination of a classic German dish like wild boar with a touch of Spanish cuisine in the form of side dishes like rosemary potatoes and aioli.
I hope you enjoy cooking it for your family and friends, and that you will appreciate its flavours, as much as I do. Bon appétit!
Ingredients for the wild boar:
(Serves 4)
1-1.5kg wild boar
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 onion
Bacon to taste
1litre Spanish dry red wine
2 whole garlic bulbs
5-6 small shallots
Butter
Sugar
Ingredients for the rosemary potatoes:
10-12 medium-sized potatoes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Coarse sea salt
2 fresh sprigs of rosemary
Ingredients for the aioli:
5 whole garlic cloves
250ml of olive oil
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon of mustard
A dash of lemon or vinegar
Salt and pepper
Preparation
For the wild boar:
Cut the meat into largish chunks and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dice the onion and bacon. Fry the meat in hot olive oil in an ovenproof pot until browned.
Add the onion and bacon and fry for a few more minutes. Deglaze with Spanish dry red wine.
Peel the garlic bulbs and add the cloves to the meat. Cover the pot with a lid and cook in the oven at 180C for 1.5 to 2 hours. Make sure there’s always enough liquid in the pot, adding more red wine if necessary.
For the rosemary potatoes:
Thoroughly wash the potatoes and cut them in half. Grease a baking tray with olive oil and place the potatoes on the tray with the cut side down.
Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and place the rosemary sprigs on top of the potatoes. Bake in the oven at 200C for approximately 30 minutes.
For the aioli:
Put all the ingredients in a tall, narrow measuring jug that can fit a hand blender. Place the blender at the very bottom of the container and only then switch it on.
Be sure not to move the stick until mayonnaise has formed at the bottom. Begin to whip up and down in slow movements until the entire mixture is firm.