Autumn in Belgium
The light shifts first. One morning in the city i live in, the sun no longer bounces off the stones of the square the way it did in August; it slides, low and warm, into the streets. The market tells the same story: berries fading, pumpkins and wild mushrooms creeping in, a butcher quietly hanging wild duck at the back. This is the Belgium I’ve grown to love over the past twenty-five years — layered, generous, never just one cuisine.
As a Dutch chef who crossed the border with more curiosity than plan, autumn here taught me how to slow down. In the Netherlands I cooked like I drove: direct, no detours, practical. In Belgium I learned to pause. I learned to let game simmer in beer for hours, to buy wild mushrooms from a forager instead of a packet, to ask the cheesemonger which raw-milk cheese is hidden under the counter.
I still feel that shift every year. Standing at my kitchen window in Tongeren, watching chestnut leaves fall, I plan a dish that bridges the seasons: the last of the late-summer tomatoes slow-roasted with thyme, folded through a ragout of wild mushrooms and a splash of oude gueuze. Served over a slab of toasted sourdough and finished with a handful of chopped parsley — a plate that smells like the forest but still tastes of sunshine.
This isn’t a recipe in the strict sense; it’s an invitation. Go to your market, see what’s there. Let the end of summer and the start of autumn share a plate. That’s the joy of cooking here: not following rules, but listening to the seasons, the people, the land.
Late-Summer Tomato & Wild Mushroom Ragout on Sourdough
Serves 4 as a generous starter or light lunch
Equipment
-
Oven preheated to 180 °C / 350 °F
-
Large shallow roasting tray lined with baking paper
-
Large sauté pan (28 cm / 11 in)
-
Wooden spoon
-
Chef’s knife and board
-
Kitchen tongs
-
Toaster or grill pan for the bread
Ingredients
-
500 g / 1 lb 2 oz ripe tomatoes (about 6 medium), halved lengthwise
-
400 g / 14 oz mixed wild mushrooms (chanterelles, girolles, oyster), cleaned and roughly chopped
-
2 garlic cloves (around 10 g / 0.35 oz total), thinly sliced
-
4 sprigs fresh thyme
-
150 ml / ⅔ cup oude gueuze or another dry, complex beer
-
30 ml / 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
-
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
-
4 slices sourdough bread, each 2.5 cm / 1 in thick (total 240 g / 8½ oz)
-
15 g / ½ oz fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped just before serving
Method
Step 1 — Roast the tomatoes (30 minutes)
Place the halved tomatoes cut side up on the prepared tray. Drizzle with 15 ml / 1 tbsp olive oil. Strip the leaves from two thyme sprigs and scatter over the tomatoes; tuck the remaining sprigs in between. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Slide the tray into the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes. You’re looking for collapsed edges, caramelised spots and a deep ruby colour. The skins should wrinkle but not burn, and the juices should just begin to thicken — that’s when the flavour is at its sweetest.
Step 2 — Sauté the mushrooms (8 minutes)
While the tomatoes roast, heat the remaining 15 ml / 1 tbsp olive oil in the sauté pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the sliced garlic; cook 30 seconds until it releases a sweet, nutty aroma — that’s what “fragrant” means here. Tip in the chopped mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they release their liquid and then re-absorb it, turning golden with crisp edges.
Step 3 — Deglaze and combine (4 minutes)
Pour the beer into the hot pan to deglaze. It will foam and hiss. Use the wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom — they’re pure flavour. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until the liquid reduces by about one third and smells malty and bright.
Remove the tomatoes from the oven and gently fold them, with their juices, into the mushroom mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Step 4 — Toast and serve (5 minutes)
Toast the sourdough slices until golden and crisp. Place one slice on each warm plate. Spoon the ragout generously over the bread, drizzle with a thread of olive oil and scatter with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately while the bread is still crisp and the ragout is hot.
Chef’s Note
The key to this dish is contrast: the sweetness of slow-roasted tomatoes with the earthiness of wild mushrooms and the tang of the beer. Don’t rush the roasting or the mushrooms — those few extra minutes create the depth you’re after.
Add comment
Comments