Czech Foods Recipes

Below is the recipe for corn meal mush straight from the community cookbook. My practical advice…. the recipe calls for way too much water. Though the mush did firm up in the refrigerator overnight, it was the texture of soft tofu. It did hold together while frying (very gingerly turning it), but took a long time to brown because all the water in it basically had to evaporate first. Also, I fried the slices in olive oil… I’m sure frying it in a pan fresh with bacon grease would make it that much yummier.  And though the recipe intimates that it should be eaten for breakfast ( with scrambled eggs, bacon and syrup!!), I made it for dinner with another recipe I tested from the book… spinach gravy. In the photo, you’ll see slices of the corn meal mush topped with the spinach gravy. More on “gravies” in another post, but I’ve included the recipe for that, too. This made a great vegetarian supper (my 3 year old wouldn't eat the spinach, but ate the fried mush with ketchup!...

Some of the best recipes found within Czechoslovak, Polish or any Eastern European cuisine are established amongst pastries and breads. Aside from indulging in a deliciously popular Czech treats of kolacky or bublanina , there are other tasty breads and desserts to try out. One delicious Slovak treat I remember well is the filled sweet bun called buchty. These buns can be found in most Slovak and Czech restaurants or bakeries. I remember this treat as a child as the sweet yeast raised buns had a glossy finish with a filling consisting of fruit jams or a danish like cheese with raisins or poppy seeds. The trick to making these desserts is to adequately knead the dough and using a fruit or cheese filling that is thick enough to avoid seepage during the baking process. I was unfortunate in my own family recipe search to locate a buchty recipe. I was able to find several rather tasty recipes on the internet to share right here on this blog.   As I have reviewed these, they all app...

I was happy when I discovered kohlrabi in stores in the US. I would occasionally buy kohlrabi and eat it. so I decided to use it to cook dinner for him tonight. I didn't want to push the kohlrabi on him raw, since it was not his custom. I However, I didn't have 3 ingredients at home, so I tweaked the recipe to fit what I had in my "frigidaire". 3 chicken breasts 2 kohlrabis, including leaves olive oil few saffron threads 1/4 tsp ground turmeric 1/4 tsp ground coriander 5 spring onions, sliced 2 garlic cloves crushed 1 can of diced tomatoes salt pepper 1 and 1/2 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup parsley 1/2 lemon Rinse chicken breast and cut into slices. Heat about 2-3 Tbl olive oil in a big pan add chicken, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and brown chicken slices. Peel kohlrabi and cut into small squares. Rinse kohlrabi leaves and cut them  into thin strips (set aside, they will go last with parsley). Remove chicken from pan and a...

Happy Friday everyone. The weekend is finally here. I just added a new breakfast recipe for preparing homemade strawberry pancakes . Feel free to check it out when you have a chance. I occassionally find strawberries on sale at the nearby Meijer store and feel compelled to prepare this breakfast for my kids every few months (aside from making a German Apple Pancake or Dutch baby).

I've come up with another short-cut way to an impressive cake.  Although it almost seems a shame to cover the swirls of the mixed yellow/chocolate cake, if ever there was a topping fit to do so, it would be this cold-set ganache. As far as I can tell, ganache recipes are fairly standard.  This is mine, tailored to the amount necessary for a double layer cake (with a layer of ganache within to hold the two pieces together).  This is done simply because I do not have a lovely springform pan.  I would encourage you to bake the cake this way if you are lucky enough to have a springform pan, as to not interrupt the swirls of the cake.  Additionally, it will make topping the cake easier. Side note: Why is Firefox telling me ganache is not a word?!  Clearly Firefox has never tasted my friend Cassady's truffles. For the cake you will need: 1 box chocolate/yellow swirl cake mix (and its ingredient requirements) For the ganache you will need: 315g (approx 11 oz) dark...

Hope springs eternal; a very popular saying for the opening day of baseball as well as describing the hopes for many kicking off new projects early in the spring season.   The mild weather has encouraged my desire to begin planting items in my Zone 5 garden. Since the very warm month of March, it has taken an enormous amount of will power to refrain from planting an army of seeds/seedlings to start my 2012 victory garden.   I have finally begun the process. About a week ago, I enlisted the help of my two year old son and we planted a small army of romaine seeds. The germination took about eight days, but we finally see signs of life. I have planted lettuce the past two years and enjoyed the convenience of having this leafy vegetable readily available at my beck and call when deciding on a salad or sandwich topper for the evening meal. This year decided to plant straight from seed rather than purchasing the already started seedlings. My second early planting project involved re...

Basically, I enjoyed this cake so much that I felt the need to turn it into a cupcake.  So I present an incredibly simple short-cut-filled route to Black Forest Cupcakes. Note: If you prefer, you can core your cupcakes and fill with the cherry jam instead of having it float on top.  However, that jam WILL leech into the cupcakes, so you'll have to force everyone around you to eat a cupcake before they go bad (I'd give them about 24 hours max). :P  But you'll probably make a lot of friends, so that's fine then! :) For the cupcakes you will need: 1 recipe Devil's Food cake batter yielding 24 cupcakes, prepared 1 jar of black cherry jam/preserves 1. Simply bake the cupcakes as directed. 2. Spread a generous amount of cherry jam in the center of the cupcake's top. 3. Frost (recipe below) using an icing bag, as you will need to start from the outside and swirl in, otherwise the frosting will slip around in the jam. Vanilla Buttercream Frosting You will need: 1 cup b...

I'm not really sure what possessed me to do this initially, but I believe I have now perfected my Sweet n Sour Chicken Puff Pastry Roll.  They are certainly unique, although maybe not to everyone's tastes.  I am not completely mad though, as my mostly-sane manfriend is a fan as well.  The savory crunch of the puff pastry goes quite nicely with the sweet and savory taste of the chicken within.  I've found it best served on a bed of sticky rice topped with  more sweet n sour sauce.  However, it may also be at home with some mashed potatoes. You will need: Ready-rolled puff pastry (Approx 12 x 10 inches) 2 large chicken breasts, partially cooked 1 egg 1 500g jar of sweet n sour sauce 2 servings of rice (prepared) Yield: 4 large rolls 1. Partially bake your chicken breasts until you are able to shred the chicken (or simply cut into very thin pieces). 2. Place shredded chicken into a bowl and add sweet n sour sauce (strained of vegetables if undesired) a little ...

These cupcakes are perfect for when you are low on time but want to make something a little different.  The only extra step is crushing the oreos.  Simple! You will need: 1 sleeve (approx 150g) oreo cookies/chocolate and cream sandwich biscuits 1 recipe vanilla cake batter yielding 24 cupcakes, prepared 500ml whipping cream (whipped) 4 Tbsp icing sugar 1. Take 3-4 sandwich cookies and remove the cream from the center.  Crush the cookie halves into a fine dust and set aside. 2. Crush the remaining cookies into medium sized pieces.  Mix these pieces into the prepared cake batter. 3. Finish preparing cupcakes according to recipe instructions. 4. For the topping, combine whipping cream and icing sugar in a bowl, using an electric mixer (or impressive arm muscles and a whisk) to whip the whipping cream until light and fluffy.  ALTERNATIVE: Top with Cool Whip. 5. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with finely-crushed oreos. Note: Be sure to store cupcakes in refrigerator onc...

Strawberry pasta salad with cucumbers, fresh mozzarella, and basil turned out to be a refreshing spring lunch. I can imagine this as a sort of picnic fare, as it is best at room temperature and would travel well. With a sweet balsamic glaze and a pinch of salt it was still a dish with a soft flavour. I am toying with the idea of switching out the mozzarella for some tangy chucks of feta cheese next time. Continue to Recipe... Recipe: Strawberry Pasta Salad Serves 4 Time 30 mins 1/2 lb. (250g) short pasta shape (e.g. ziti) half a cucumber , sliced into half-moons 1 cup (5oz / 150g) strawberries , sliced 1 - 2 Tb olive oil 1 Tb balsamic glaze OR 1/2 Tb balsamic vinegar pinch salt 2 fresh buffalo mozzarella balls (3.5 oz / 100g each) handful fresh basil leaves handful toasted chopped almonds 1) Cook pasta in boiling water 8 - 10 mins, drain and rinse in cold water.  2) In a large bowl, toss pasta with cucumber and strawberry slices. Gently mix in the olive oil, balsamic, and salt....