Kentuckified Krentje Brij

When I first read the prompt for this challenge I had one dish jump to mind pretty quickly. But it was one I didn't have the recipe for, so I reached out to my extensive network of cousins and very quickly had multiple recipe options.

The one I will be sharing in this piece pulls from all of the versions I gathered and also adds some original changes. And as indicated by the title the dish is Krentje Brij.

Now for those of you whose Dutch is a little rusty it translates to "currant mush." I know a recipe for something called "mush" is super appealing. You're probably so eager to scroll down and whip up some "mush" right now.

I'm kidding of course. But although this dish has an unappetizing name and also looks kind of gross, I promise it is delicious.

Before I unload the ingredients and directions on you allow me to share why this dish is significant to me. All of my great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands. Therefore my entire cultural heritage is Dutch. They didn't all end up in the same place when they arrived in the U.S. though. Some settled in Michigan, others ventured west to Montana and Iowa. I currently have cousins who live in all three of those places and have visited each of them throughout different periods of my life.

There have been three major waves of Dutch migration to the U.S. and there are lots of places throughout the country with sizeable Dutch American communities. While my dad grew up in Montana and my mom grew up in Iowa they met in Arizona where another pocket of Dutch American community exists.

I thought I'd share just a little taste of my family tree with a handful of images that give a little peek into my ancestry. And while I'm not the family historian I do have access to some pretty intriguing historical family photos courtesy of my mother and of course the relatives that shared them with her.

The following photos depict my great grandparents Zonnefeld with their twelve children, my grandparents Zonnefeld, and my mom with her two siblings. The name Zonnefeld translates to "sun field".

And this second batch includes my Grandmother Kamerman (maiden name Kamps) with her seven older brothers, my grandparents Kamerman, and my dad with his two older siblings (he has four younger ones too, but this photo predates them). Kamerman translates to "chamber man".

Since my dad was one of seven I've got quite a collection of cousins on his side that are part of the Kamerman clan. They're the ones who were quick to respond with sharing their Krentje Brij recipes with me.

Nearly every year that I've lived in the southeastern United States we've traveled to join a portion of that Kamerman clan in Michigan for Thanksgiving celebrations. The time spent with family at those gatherings have been some of the most wonderful memories looking back from adolescence to adulthood.

While Krentje Brij is not on the menu for Thanksgiving dinners when it comes to mind it carries the same warmth as those wonderful memories of time spent with the Kamerman clan. And out of the handful of Dutch dishes I've consumed, Krentje Brij is the one that is instilled as being a delightful eating experience.

So without further ado, let's get to it! Like I've already mentioned this is a bit of a hybrid recipe with some unique flare. That is mostly due to the inability to access some of the original ingredients. It's not exactly easy to procure currants in Louisville, Kentucky. Therefore I'm afraid my version of the recipe will be a "currant mush" without currants. But I will include the original options too. It's a dish that very flexible to substitutions!

Also many of my family recipes are more of a "fruit soup" than a "currant mush" and I do like it to be more on the thicker "mush" side so I made some adjustments in the liquid amounts.

Lastly, several of my family recipes call for raspberry jello mix which was also not available to me. I decided to substitute Mixed Berry jello, which I did not realize is vibrant blue in color until I opened the package. I felt it was okay to proceed because after all this is a Kentuckified version and Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Cups of Water
• 1 heaping cup of barley
• 1 heaping cup of raisins (or dried currants or cranberries)
• 1 cup of sugar
• juice of a small-medium sized lemon
• sliver of lemon peel
• cinnamon stick
• 2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries (or other berries)
• 1/2 cup of cranberry juice (or currant or berry juice)
• 1 small package of mixed berry jello mix (or raspberry)

Directions:

1. Combine the water, barley, sugar, dried fruit, lemon juice, lemon peel, and cinnamon stick.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Simmer until the barley is soft (15-20 minutes if using instant barley, 45-55 minutes with regular barley)
4. Add more water if necessary to reach desired consistency
5. Add in the frozen or fresh fruit, juice, and jello mix.
6. Stir until blended.
7. Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick
8. Serve warm or cold (I prefer warm!)

Optional: Add heavy cream to individual servings according to preference (highly recommend!)

I'm very thankful for the prompting this challenge provided to collect recipes and actually make Krentje Brij myself for the first time. It was certainly a way to feel connected with my Dutch heritage even if some of the ingredients I used were pretty far removed from the original recipes for the dish.

It also inspired a surge in interest in my ancestry so I've been exploring some online tools to trace my family tree back to my third great grandparents and I'm curious to see just how far back I can go.

Next time you're feeling that urge to make some "mush" I hope you'll consider giving Krentje Brij a try! Now that I've honed my recipe, I'm excited to make it again. And I hope to establish some new traditions involving this special dish!