Queens Day a sea of orange

What is Queens Day

On April 30, the Dutch celebrate Koninginnedag ("Queen's Day"), a national holiday to commemorate the birthday of the country's (former) Queen. It is by far the most widely celebrated holiday in the Netherlands. Amsterdam festivities in particular rival those of Mardi Gras in New Orleans or New Year's Eve in New York City. As such, Amsterdam is packed to the gills on April 30, welcoming up to two million party-going visitors.
The Dutch have been observing Queen's Day on April 30 since 1949, when the new Queen Juliana ascended the throne. Before then, the holiday fell on August 31, the birthday of Juliana's mother, former Queen Wilhelmina.

When the current Queen Beatrix succeeded Juliana in 1980, she chose to keep Queen's Day on April 30, as Beatrix's own birthday is January 31, a date when Dutch weather isn't conducive to the many outdoor activities associated with the holiday.
Every year Queen Beatrix visits one or two Dutch towns to greet her country's people and visitors, who receive her with fitting celebrations. What began as a commemoration of the Dutch Royal Family has evolved into a nationwide day of creative, carefree springtime revelry.

So here is two types of food that you can eat on queens day here in the netherlands.

orange and fennel salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 fennel bulb

• 2 oranges (1.5 for the salad, plus the juice of half and the zest of half)

• 1/2 red onion

• Big handful of flat-leaf parsley

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Remove the tough outer leaves of the fennel and cut off the shoots that stick out at the top. Keep the green fronds (it looks a bit like dill). Next, slice off the root end at the bottom. Quarter the fennel bulb, wash thoroughly and slice very finely. You can use a sharp knife, a Japanese mandolin or a food processor to do this. Now finely slice the red onion.

Next, section the oranges. This is a bit fiddly, but give it a go. You do need to remove the skin and all the white pith and then cut the orange segments away between the inner sectioning membranes. Section the oranges over a bowl to catch the juices. Now tear some parsley leaves roughly by hand. Use only the parsley leaves for this salad, not the stalks.

Make a dressing with the freshly squeezed orange juice, finely grated zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss fennel slices, fronds, red onion, orange segments and torn parsley with a drizzle of the dressing.

Makes enough for one large lunch salad, or two smaller starter/side salads.

Orange soup
Ingredients:

• 1 medium pumpkin

• 1 butternut squash

• 2 large carrots

• 6 cups of vegetable stock (1.3 liters)

• Pinch of saffron threads

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Yoghurt

Preparation:

Top and tail the pumpkin, butternut squash and carrots, and slice the butternut and pumpkin into quarters. No need to peel. Roast the pumpkin, butternut and carrots in a 480 degree F oven (250 degrees C), until tender. This could take between 30 minutes to an hour, but don´t rush it.

Meanwhile, soak the saffron strands in a tablespoon of hot tap water. Heat the vegetable stock in a large pot. Once the vegetables are tender, roasted and blistered, remove from the oven. You should be able to peel the charred skin off the carrots. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and fibrous bits of the pumpkin and butternut squash and discard. Now scoop out the soft orange flesh. Add the pumpkin, butternut squash and carrot flesh to the stock.

Now add the saffron strands and the soaking water. Using a stick blender or food processor, puree the vegetables and stock until smooth and creamy. Add more stock if you desire a thinner soup. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and nutty brown bread.