Czech Foods Recipes

Eataly in Italy. In Roma. There are countless reasons to adore this railway-station-turned-food-emporium. Four floors of Italian delights have been drawing in tourists and locals alike ever since it opened a week ago. And I am told they have been streaming in the front door in droves every single evening. The only way to get a few decent snaps of the offerings was to go during the Italy-Germany Euro Championship semi-final. It was empty. Loved it. It was essentially a private tour of food, books and maps. We strolled, marveled, and dreamed of the baskets-full of goodies that will be our future bounty. Now is just an evening reconnaissance. Eataly is of course cornering the whole local aspect. With so many products made in-house - buffalo mozzarella, gelato, and it appears even some beers. Wine is sold by the liter straight from the barriques mounted on the wall. Nearly every food station displays maps of Italy with regional designations of the specific product type colourfuly de

Some days lead one looking for a filling plate of meat. These days do not come as a surprise. They predictably stop by on the very same days where a 15K run was had under an eighty-degree morning Roman sun. Everything fueling that grueling wake-up had been burned off, and I was ready for lunch by 10am. And I wanted a proper lunch. Salads be damned. People always joke about the vast quantities of food slim girls are able to put away. It's been like this for as long as I can remember. You know those skinny girls in middle school who rivaled their older teenage brothers at the dinner table? I do. Something about genetics, something about lifestyle, but it gives skinny girls the go-ahead to chow down for years. Then they grow up. They learn to fit in with the other girls by joining fitness classes, or cycling groups. They also learn to keep their mouth shut in the locker room when others are griping about the insurmountability of those last few pounds. But those skinny ones who were ne

The shoreline is filled with bodies of all shapes and sizes. A clang rings out as a metal folding table is unfolded and an electric hotplate is ritually placed atop. A mum and a granny start a big pot of water boiling for the coming pasta. A couple of toddlers proudly bear their birthday suits and rush into the water. The lake is much different than the beach. Families load up the car with enough equipment to spend all week at the shoreline. Yet they are here just for the day. Lake Bracciano is just north of Rome. At first glance, it seems a bit rougher, almost like you can feel the cramped flats on the outskirts of the city from where the families left early that morning. Teenage girls sport undergarments in place of swimming suits. Boys shout from open doors of a camper van, while at their feet a dog lies panting. There are more bald spots here than at the beach. More bad tattoos. More bellies. The shore is covered in black pebbles that are much too hot to lie comfortably on. There

I have the best boyfriend ever.  Now, before you vomit, I should explain.  He totally humors the weird way I eat.  Perhaps the most romantic thing ever said to me was, "I would strain the bits out of spaghetti sauce for you."  The only other people in the world who can cook for me on a regular basis are my parents, as they understand that onion powder is a perfectly acceptable substitution for actual onions.  However, my lists of picky demands are often too long for a mere mortal to attempt, leaving my poor parents frustrated. This leads me to my manfriend, who has not yet been beaten down by years of these peculiarities.  Therefore, he offered to make me a stir fry.  Why have I never had stir fry before?!  Answer: Because it is usually offered to me complete with onions, peppers, and those intriguing tiny pea pods.  I've always seen a stir fry as a dumping ground for all the vegetables I never want to eat.  In reality, I could have been making my own version of a stir fr

  Hazelnuts and green beans adorning the Thanksgiving table is a given. But in summer? Not usually the first thought. There are three excellent reasons why this makes a fantastic summer dish: 1) It's picnic perfect. Stick in the freezer for a few hours and it can withstand an afternoon at the beach. By the time your stomach is ready, it will have reached a perfect temperature. And no creamy dressing or bacon makes it sun-safe and won't frighten your bikini-clad companions. 2) Hazelnuts rock.  Summer is witness to an abundance of almond-focused dishes. Any why not? They are great with fruit, grilled fishes, and so on. Yet health wise, hazelnuts pack in just as much good stuff as their almondy counterparts. While there are many dangers of the summer, what with sharks and UV rays, finding oneself in an almond-rut should also be warned against. The prevention: from time to time, reach for hazelnuts. 3) Less carbs and time to cook than pasta. Self-explanatory. Yes, both produce the

{Steak with a Cilantro Dressing & a Bresaola Potato Salad} Some days must be witness to a little beefy indulgence. Make no mistake, this is not whatever the newest mcmassive hamburger is being promoted in the adverts. Rather, what a better accompaniment to a nice beef steak than a little bit more beef? First came the bresaola-wrapped potato salad. The following day, some gorgeous Chianina steaks were waiting to be topped with a spicy-cilantro dressing. Hmmmm...no time to do up a side, how about that potato salad with the thin slices of cured beef? Yes please, said the stomach. The potato salad is based out of Cook with Jamie . It's a slight twist on the classic - with lemon, horseradish, and celery. I find it brilliantly refreshing in the summer. Boiling the potatoes is done in the cool of night, of course. Replacing the crème fraiche with plain yogurt keeps it light, and I would even say that it is begging to be taken out for a picnic. Alongside a choice cut of meat with a sp

There are no words. There is only cake. Continue to Recipe... Recipe: Pistachio Cheesecake with Cardamom-Orange Glaze Serves 12 Time overnight Eat with Muscat / Viognier Crust : 14 oz (400g) sweet biscuits (vanilla wafers or other tea cookies of choice) 1/3 cup (75g) melted butter 3.5 oz (100g) blanched almonds 1 tsp ground cardamom  optional : a bit of sugar Filling : 3 x 8oz (680g) packages of cream cheese 8 Tb of orange blossom honey 4 eggs 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream 2-3 tsp of orange blossom water zest of one orange Glaze : (adapted from Angela's Food Love ) 3/4 cup orange juice juice of 2 limes 3 Tb orange blossom honey 3 Tb acacia honey 2 Tb chestnut honey 8 cardamom pods - only the inner seeds well crushed (mortar-pestle/spice grinder) 2 handfuls of chopped pistachios   1) Heat oven to 375F/190C. Get out a spring-form pan and rub a bit of butter around the insides.  2) Make the crust: In a food processor/plastic bag with rolling pin, crush the biscuits and almonds. In a b

This is my mom's recipe for Chicken Marsala, which she has kindly edited for me to remove bits of shallots and onion.  Thanks Mom, you're a star!  Warning, this dish takes a moderate amount of time and effort, as well as grease flying at you out of the pan.  This is why my dear mother makes it, and not me.  I watch and nom. :) You will need: 2 chicken breasts 1/4 cup flour Butter and Olive Oil for frying (approx 2 Tbsp of each) 2 tsp onion powder 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup dry Marsala wine 2 Tbsp chopped parsley (dry or fresh) 1 lb white/buttom mushrooms Salt/Pepper for seasoning 1. Clean and slice mushrooms.  My dad cleans mushrooms with a toothbrush to brush off anything hanging out on the shrooms. 2. You will need to flatten the chicken breasts using the smooth side of a meat tenderizer (or something you've invented that will smash the chicken flatter, be creative!).  This is so the chicken will cook evenly. 3. Season chicken with salt/pepper. 4. Add the flour to a wi