Czech Foods Recipes

Though my grandmother made an apricot buchta (or she just called it a roll), more common buchty might be poppyseed or cream cheese. Less common seems to be the buchta I've made filled with nuts and raisins. The Czech word " buchta " doesn't seem to be surviving as well as the word " kolach " either, for though Gallup mentions it third in a list of common Texas Czech pastries, I've found it almost impossible to find a recipe in a community cookbook that actually uses the word buchta . Instead, I find recipes for "rolls".  Still, Westfest actually has a buchta category in it's annual baking contest. And poppyseed buchty and cheese buchty can be found in true Texas czech bakeries next to the kolaches, klobasniky , and strudels (but they're called "rolls.") The recipe I use for the nut-filled pastry came to me from my first cousin once removed, Dorothy (Morkovsky) Fischer, and she does call the pastry a  buchta . (Photo

The only place I'd seen these cookies (more like bars, really) before was at the roadside gas station-bakery Wiekel's in La Grange. On Wiekel's website, they offer… "The Czech Shortbread Bars have a crumbly texture and are lightly sweetened with a layer of either apricot or cherry filling." Mary's cookies were filled with raspberry jam (supporting the "Garnet" in the name) and they were indeed flaky and buttery and delicious. Do these cookies have a history that links them back to the homeland? I don't know, but I like the name and they are delicious. The Czech Republic certainly has its own version of guláš, but so does Hungary, Poland, Croatia and probably other places as well. My father and I have a theory that guláš is the ancestor of Texas Czech church picnic stew, which I'll explore in a post later this year. The recipe below is from the classic cookbook Generation to Generation , by the Historical Society of the Czech Club of Dal

And now for something completely different... as you can probably see, I have been on a bit of an east asian food kick lately.  Best to mix things up a bit!  Since I recently had access to a grill, I thought I'd try my hand at some grilled flatbreads. These are warm, fluffy, and lightly seasoned with rosemary, sea salt, and tiny pools of olive oil goodness. This recipe uses a modified version of my basic pizza dough (using bread flour and longer rising times). You will need: 1 packet quick rise-dry yeast 1 cup water 2 Tbsp oil 1/2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt 2 1/2 cups (strong) bread flour 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped Sea salt  Virgin olive oil Yield: 3 large flatbreads or 4 medium 1. Combine dry ingredients: salt, sugar, flour, and yeast in a medium bowl. 2. Heat water to 130F/55C, immediately add water (once heated) and oil. Stir until thick. 3. Turn dough onto floured surface, kneading for 5 minutes. 4. Return dough to bowl and cover with kitchen towel, let sit for 30 minutes. 5.

Spicy and uniquely flavored by a gochujang paste-based sauce, these crispy chicken strips are a great (and fairly simple) homemade version of Korean fried chicken wings.  I had been meaning to make Korean fried chicken for years now.  However, I have to remember that I want to make it in advance of a trip to Chinatown... and I finally remembered!  If you do not have a Chinatown and your supermarket's international food section is poor, it might be worth trying Amazon for gochujang.  Gochujang is also a standout ingredient in the sauce for Bibimbap ! Anyways, back to the fried chicken! For the sauce you will need: 2 Tbsp gochujang paste 1 Tbsp Sriracha 2 Tbsp ketchup 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil 1 Tbsp butter 4 Tbsp caster sugar For the fried chicken you will need: 600g (approx 1.3lb) chicken breast fillets (strips) 6 Tbsp self-raising flour 3 Tbsp sweet potato flour 3 Tbsp rice flour 1 tsp salt 1/8 tsp ground black pepper Oil for frying   Garnish: Sesame seeds

I made Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki a couple months ago.  And then a million times over since then.  We are crazy for Okonomiyaki!  It is not quite like anything I've ever eaten or cooked before.  Familiar flavors, such as the savory pancake and noodles mix with the smokey katsuobushi (bonito fish flakes) and Okonomi sauce which were new to me! I highly recommend heading here for a step-by-step guide to Okonomiyaki .  Or you can find the (I think more common?) Osaka style here . Happy Okonomiyaki-ing!

My husband and I have been greedily trying Japanese food all over London, as we simply cannot get enough!  However, that is an expensive hobby, so at some point we had to start doing our best to reproduce some of the wonderful food we've tried at home.  The recipe for rice balls (below) makes a great vegetarian side dish or would be good for little (or picky!) fingers! Grilled Teriyaki Salmon and Greens Salad You will need: 1/4 cup mirin 1/4 cup sake (cheapest available seems to work fine!) 1/4 cup dark soy sauce 2 tablespoons sugar 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil 400g (14oz) salmon 1/3 cup edamame 100g (3.5oz) fine green beans, blanched 100g (3.5oz) broccoli, blanched 1 cup sushi rice (uncooked) Yield 2 servings 1. Prepare sushi rice by rinsing, soaking for half an hour, and then cook according to package instructions.  You may wish to season it with 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (or to taste). 2. Combine mirin and sake over a medium/low heat for 5 minutes.  Add soy sauce and sugar and stir until