Czech Foods Recipes

Italian beef sandwiches are a coveted meal in my home regardless of the season. We enjoy the easy crockpot Italian beef during the hectic work week schedules and even football Sunday. The benefit to this meal is that the food prep can be accomplished in less than ten minutes early in the morning. The slow cooker does the rest of the work. A traditional Italian beef sandwich will be produced with a roasted sirloin tip or a quality inside round cut. This recipe uses chuck roast which amazingly pulls off a winner in my book. This recipe has become a family favorite and has evolved from trial and error as a result of combining several earlier attempted recipes. Those that are really sensitive to spicy or zesty au jus, I would recommend using half the portion of pepperoncini juice as I have maintained in this recipe. Easy Crockpot Italian Beef 4 pound, chuck roast 12 ounce jar of pepperoncini 1 pkg Italian seasoning mix (Dry Italian Dressing Mix) 3 cups of water 2 beef boullion cubes 1 gree...

Now that the weather is cooling down, it is a prime opportunity to use the dutch oven, crock pot, and soup kettle. I live vicariously through my grill during the summer and still plan on using the grill throughout the fall and winter season. Do not let anyone convince you that the grilling season is extinct in January! I have prepared many steaks, chops, and racks of ribs in temperatures plummeting into the teens. On that note, I will be preparing several traditional one dish meal recipes such as soups and stews over the next few months that I will share with you all. The one pot dish is good for so many reasons. My favorite reason is that it cuts down on the amount of pots and pans you will need to clean up afterwards. One pot dishes are a great way to marry the flavors of meats, vegetables, and herbs all in one container. When I think of one pot dishes I like to prepare such fare as koprova (dilled pot roast), chicken and dumplings, pizza soup, chicken noodle soup, stuffed green pepp...

Who does not enjoy a good pound cake? We usually get our fill of pound cake during the Easter season as my mother prepares this tasty dessert annually. She will bake a small army of pound cakes shaped like the Easter lamb. She dusts them with powdered sugar and sends us home with this tasty treat. I look forward to this pound cake every year. I would be lying if I said that was the only time of year I enjoyed a good slice of pound cake. We usually eat pound cake three or four times during the year as this buttery dessert goes well with just about any fruit, syrup, frosting or any other sweet accompaniment one could imagine. So how many different ways to do you serve up pound cake? I have a few Ideas listed below. Strawberry Shortcake Using Pound Cake This is a lighting quick way to serve dessert for your next dinner party. If you are low on time, yes you can cheat and purchase the premade pound cake at the store. Add a pint or two of fresh strawberries, and then top off with whipped cr...

We have learned how important the addition of a Dutch oven is to cooking. This is one of the few appliances that allow you to transfer a dish from stove top to oven all in the same cooking container. My wife received the Lodge 6 quart Dutch oven for her birthday last July and we have used it religiously ever since. I would be lying if I said this birthday gift only benefited the significant other. The cookware is ideal for stroganoffs, stews, soups and several rice dishes. The Dutch oven we have is red (as shown in the picture). I believe the other available color is blue. As the exterior has a thick red enamel finish, the interior is a white enamel finish. Since using the Dutch oven for over three months, we have incurred a few tiny scratches of the enamel on the bottom which I am not too thrilled about. I am not sure why this is the case as we use wooden or plastic tools to avoid scratching the enamel. This particular oven is large as the maximum volume is six quarts and the dimensio...

Finding good bargains at the store sometimes involves purchasing a higher volume of food when warehouse clubs offer great deals that are too good to pass up. The only problem for some will be having the capacity to store a large amount of food. Even if you do not have that spare freezer in the garage, consider purchasing the item anyway if you know you can split the cost with another family member or friend to take advantage of such bargains. Meat will generally keep well in a freezer as long as you stay within the right freezing timeline and the meat is wrapped correctly. There is a proper way to seal the meat to guarantee you will be free of freezer burn and free of funky tastes or odors absorbed by other neighboring food in the freezer. WRAPPING MEAT 101 How do I portion out the meat? So you buy that larger than life pork loin, beef tenderloin, or large string of Italian sausages from Sam’s or Costco. You know you won’t knock down that much food in one sitting unless you are feeding...

A good czech meal on Sundays will consist of roast pork or duck with a little dumplings, sauerkraut and a cold pilsner. Today was no exception as I prepared this meal with chateau bread dumplings and dilled cucumbers (instead of kraut). The recipe below is a snap to follow and one can use either center cut pork loin or a pork tenderloin. I opted to use pork tenderloin today since the store carried many different sized of tenderloin and only huge cuts of center cut loin which was more than our family needed. Keep in mind the tenderloin requires less cooking time due to being much more narrow compared to the wide center cut pork loin which will take anywhere between three to four hours to cook a four to five pound roast. Czech Roast Pork - Veprova Pecene 3 lb pork tenderloin 1 teaspoon caraway 1/2 yellow onion, chopped 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt Pepper Water 1. Preheat Oven to 325F. 2. In a side bowl, combine onion, garlic, oil and seasonings. 3. Rub marinade o...

Those new to cooking or trying to expand their culinary basics might want to keep a stock of key herbs and spices to always have on hand for kitchen creations. The list of essential ingredients will vary in every household as everyone has their favorite dishes to prepare whether it is Czech recipes accented with dill or Mexican recipes accentuated with cayenne pepper and cumin. I put together a list of some essential spices and herbs found in my kitchen. I have more items than what is on this list. I just find this list to be my guide to those items that should never be depleted. I also highly recommend (when applicable) to use fresh herbs over the dried version. If you are a gardener, try and plant or grow herbs for easy access in the summer. For the rest of the season, your options are to use dried or prepare to spend some extra money on fresh herbs imported from the warmer climates. Salt No shocker here. Whether baking or cooking most dishes include sodium for flavor. I have three ...

With the colder weather and the cold and flu season fast approaching, the desire for soups and sauces will soon be around the corner. I like to start many soups and sauces off with a good chicken stock or broth. I usually make chicken stock as it is derived from the carcass or bones of the chicken which provides high amount of protein and a rich flavor to this key soup starter. Once you have a good amount of chicken bones, it is up to you which vegetables and herbs you wish to add. There is no set guide to making a chicken stock outside of chicken bones and water. I usually opt for the traditional vegetables of carrots, celery, and onion, and also use up anything available in the vegetable drawer or garden, whether adding tomatoes, garlic, or parsley. Simple Chicken Stock 4 lbs Chicken wings, necks, backs, or legs 2 Large Carrots, Chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 3 stalks of celery, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, peeled 1 bunch parsley ¼ teaspoon peppercorns 3 bay leaves 1.Place vegetables...

Tohe popularity of Apple cider is at an all time high right now. I see it on store displays at just about every supermarket and farm stand I have visited the past few weeks. We love cider whether it is served in a chilled state or even warmed up in the microwave with a cinnamon stick. Besides drinking it in its natural state, there are many other ways to use up the tasty cider. Mulled Cider Mulled cider seems to go hand in hand with the holidays from Halloween through the Christmas season. Mulled cider is easy to prepare and a great way to get your kitchen and home smelling divine. Stews Cider can be a great accent to beef or lamb based stews. The autumn stew starts with the stew meat, vegetables, broth and water. Give your hearty stew a kick start by substituting some cider in place of some of the water. Also add some fall vegetables such as pumpkin and squash for the full autumn effect. Pan Sauce Apple cider makes an excellent pan sauce. Next time you are making chops or roast pork l...

The autumn days in Chicago are definitely getting crisper with temperatures plummeting into the fifties and sixties. The change of seasons leaves me with added items to the monthly chore list such as cleaning out the garden, gutters, and doing a heck of lot of raking with our maple trees dropping every leaf imaginable. Unfortunately these chores cut in to my time to try and prevent some time in the kitchen to do some cooking, baking and even sneaking in a round of golf here and there. The changing of the season though gets me amped up to shop quality autumn beers sold at the local liquor store. The fall brings forth the return of dishes created in the oven and dutch oven so I like to dabble with a few ales and Oktoberfest brews to match the mood. A couple of suggestions. 1. Sam Adams Oktoberfest – This dark amber beer is has a more malty finish. The taste is a little toasty and nutty, but incredibly but satisfying. This is my “go to beer” when settling down in the big chair after a t...

So last Sunday I was up for a good meal with idle frozen chicken breasts sitting in my freezer in the garage. The weather has been cool enough to cook in the kitchen again, so I obliged the thought of preparing chicken parmesan though without the parmesan. Huh? I actually was out of parmesan or even Romano cheese in the fridge. I did have an ample supply of garlic, Italian seasonings, bread crumbs, eggs, flour, etc. The chicken was thawed, pulverized, and eventually transformed into a tasty breaded entrée topped with mozzarella sitting on top of a bed of angel hair. I was able to drizzle the chicken dish with some homemade red sauce I had previously frozen from last month’s bumper crop of tomatoes in my garden. The successful dinner was only to be followed up by my attempt at Oatmeal cookies. I am not a self proclaimed baker. I consider myself pretty astute with some Czech pastries, cakes, and a few pies here and there. I can even make a few decent loaves of bread. I found my abilities...

One of my favorite side dishes when engaging in a fulfilling Czech or German meal is the side dishes. Yes starches such as dumplings and boiled potatoes are a tasty accompaniment when consuming roast pork or duck laden with a hint of caraway. But then enter the Eastern European staple of our good friend,the cabbage. When I am fortunate enough to dine out at Bohemian restaurants or partake in Oktoberfest parties, I always get a side dish of either sauerkraut or the very tasty braised sweet and sour cabbage. Most braised cabbages are usually served using the red cabbage variety. The traditional green cabbage will work, but I think the red cabbage is a subtle reminder of the fall season, so why not add a little zesty color to the dinner plate? Try this recipe out. The key to preparing a good vinegar and sweet based cabbage dish is to really let the final product rest or refrigerate for a day or so. Yes, you can serve it right away, but if possible try to give it another twenty four hours...