Stuffed peppers with tomato-zucchini sauce

… is a dish which exists in different names and forms around the world. Green (or actually any colour) peppers stuffed with ground meat and rice and topped with a seasoned tomato-zucchini sauce is a very easy but tasty recipe. Personally I think I can present this recipe as one of many other typical Czech meals. It exists – of course – uncountable number of varieties – not only in Czech but in an international environment – stuffing with / without meat, with cheese, with crumbs dressing, with spices and herbs or with vegetables, rice or pasta; and sauces like classic dripping, tomatoes or creamy ones…
Ingredients and directions in my recipe are quite banal. One recommendation to the technological point of view: extended hand blending of ground meats secure a very nice and homogeneous structure of the stuffing and rice ensure a perfect volume.

Ingredients:

4 large peppers (colour doesn’t matter – classic is classic, but any colour make the dish more interesting).

Meat stuffing:

300g ground pork
300g ground beef
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground caraway seeds
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup rice
 

Sauce:

1 bigger onion
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tomatoes
1 small zucchini
3 cloves garlic
1 small chilli pepper
2 bay leaves
2 clove
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
 

Directions:

1. Ground meats, eggs and spices mix very well in hands for about 20 minutes. Extended hand blending of ground meats secure a very nice and homogeneous structure of the stuffing

2. Add rice and blend one more time.

3. In the mean time chop onion, tomatoes and chilli pepper and in the roasting pan roast onion until light brown, add tomatoes, chilli, spices and sugar and cook until tomatoes are boiled to mash. Do not cover the pan – so the liquid can evaporate. In the end add cubes of zucchini and turn off the heat.

4. Cut the tops of pepper and clean the seeds.

5. Stuff the peppers with the ground meat mix and cover with the tops.

6. Add stuffed peppers on the top of prepared sauce and bake for approx. 30 minutes in preheat oven 180°C (350°F).

7. Serve with rice, pasta, potatoes or dumplings.

Beef liver with Cream Sauce

Great recipe, which I didn’t make for really long time, but last time I visited our grocery store and saw the liver I knew immediately how it will be presented.
Of course it is possible to use any kind of liver (chicken, turkey, pork or liver). I know that many people don’t like liver, because they think they are full of blood or they are afraid to prepare it.  My recipe is very “taste conservative” and simple, so don’t be shy to try it and think: liver is a perfect source of vitamin A and many vitamins B.

Ingredients:

500g liver
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
pinch pepper
1 bigger onion
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 cup cream
salt 
1 tsp Maggi liquid seasoning

Directions:

1. Clean liver put to the boiling water with bay leaves and pepper. Do not put any salt into the water (liver would turn hard). Cook for 15 minutes.

2. In the mean time roast chopped onion on some vegetable oil until light brown, ad flour a prepare light roux.

3. Take the liver out and cut into a small cubes.

4. Strain the broth direct to the roux and stir regularly, ad cubes of liver and caraway seeds. Cook for couple of minutes.

5. In the end add cream, salt and Maggi seasoning.

5. Serve with rice or dumplings. 

Root celery dip

We are preparing again with my colleagues our “lunch together”. This month we choose “appies” as our main theme.
Celery has not only a significant place in a natural medicine for thousand of years, but also in the culinary, because it has an extraordinary power as a appetite stimulant. Therefore celery dip (also called false lobster dip) will be just a perfect match and great appetizer not for our coming event, but hopefully for you as well to enrich your fall bill of fare…

Ingredients:

1/2 root celery
1 carrot
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
pinch pepper

Directions:

1. Scrape through a fine grater celery and carrot.

2. In a bowl sprinkle with lemon juice, add salt and pepper and mix it with mayonnaise. It can be use as a dip or as a spread.

Roast pork with dumplings and cabbage

Roast pork with dumplings and Sauerkraut (pečené vepřové s knedlíky a se zelím, colloquially vepřo-knedlo-zelo) is considered the most popular Czech dish. They can be prepared from scratch, from cabbage or from sauerkraut, which is most common. There are different varieties, from sour to sweet. Red or white cabbage can be used.
Principles of preparation exist many. The base is – of course what else would answer butcher’s grandson – meat. Some people prefer marbled meat (like bacon), other lean one.  My personal favourite is a combination or “gold standard” – so meat is not too dry, but not to fatty as well – neck roast or shoulder roast is the best. For a perfect taste marinate the meat a night before (use just salt, mashed garlic, pepper and caraway seeds – give the meat really good massage). Cabbage or Sauerkraut is for me seasonal matter – in

Ingredients I. (meat):

1kg pork roast (neck roast or shoulder)
500g marbled bacon
1 bigger onion
2 cloves garlic (mashed with salt)
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper and caraway seeds

Directions I. (marinade):

1. Mash garlic with some salt and rub the meat with this mixture, add pepper and caraway seeds. Leave in a roasting pan over night in the fridge.







2. Next day add some water on the meat and roast slowly on 180°C (350°F), baste and turn the meat regularly. When the meat become red (but not crispy yet) cover with chopped onion. Purposely in this phase (not to burn onion – could turn bitter).

Ingredients II. (ferment):

1/2 tsp dry baking yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
pinch sugar
1 tbsp flour

Directions II. (ferment):

All ingredients mix in measuring glass or deeper bowl and let arise (about 20 min.).

 

Ingredients III. (dumpling dough):

ferment
2 cups flour
1/2 cup lukewarm water
pinch salt 

 

Directions III. (dumpling dough):

Mix all ingredients and create loaf. Put the loaf for 20 minutes to raise into the middle part of a steamer. After the raising time just put this part over a boiling water and let steam for 20 minutes.When is the dumpling ready, punch the dumpling with a fork on several spots.

Ingredients IV. (cabbage):

1 head of cabbage
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1/4 cup vinegar
2 cups water
1 tbsp caraway seeds
3 strops bacon
1 bigger onion
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp flour

Directions IV. (cabbage):

1. Cut or shred the cabbage (I prefer a little bit coarser structure). Into the pot add cabbage, salt, sugar, vinegar, water and caraway seeds. Cook for approx. 30 minutes uncovered.

2. In the mean time roast bacon on the vegetable oil and add chopped onion.

3. Roast until slight brown and add flower to prepare light brown roux.

4. Mix the roux with cabbage and cook for another 2 more minutes, stir regularly.

5. Serve and decor on the plate. Don’t forget pour some sauce over the dumplings and cabbage. 

Canadian-Czech version of kail

On our Saturday’s Farmers Market in Nakusp I got this particular version of kail. For me it was kind a surprise, because I knew kail only like a cabbage type “head”. Nevertheless the inspiration and craving for kail appear… One of the typical Czech version of kail is usually served with roasted pork (or rabbit) and potatoes (or regular) dumplings. Here is my Canadian-Czech version of interesting recipe for today inspiration.

Ingredients:

5 leaves of kail
1 bigger onion (chopped)
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups water
3 potatoes (cubes)
5 cloves garlic (mashed with salt)
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Washed kail ground on a meat grinder or cut with knife on very small pieces, add 2 cups of water and cubes of potatoes into a pot. Cook until potatoes are done.

2. In the same time roast onion on some vegetable oil until light brown.

3. Add flour and prepare light roux.

4. Add this mixture into the kail and cook very slow approx. 2 minutes, stir regularly. Add some salt, pepper and garlic in the end.

5. Serve with roast pork, beef or rabbit and regular or potatoes dumplings.

Smoked Salmon Fettuccine Alfredo with dry tomatoes

Just returned back form my two days trip to Enderby, BC, where I went to watch final salmon run… Very impressive – specially for person like me – who never saw such a Mother Nature’s miracle before. In context of seen just came on my mind one quite simple recipe with de luxe taste!

Ingredients:

250g fettuccine
100g butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup cream
3 pieces dry tomatoes
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of black pepper
parsley leaves for decoration

Directions:

1. Cook fettuccine according to package instructions in a salty water. In the same time melt butter in a saucepan and add flour. Roast for about 1 minute.

2. Add cream and very thin sliced dry tomatoes.

3. Boil for about 4 minutes and stir regularly. Add event. some more salt, nutmeg, pepper and Parmesan Cheese.

4. Smoked salmon nuggets cut into a smaller pieces. Depends on availability – can be used of course thin strips or pieces of smoked salmon as well.

5. Mix the Alfredo sauce into the boiled warm fettuccine and add cubes of salmon.

6. Decor on the plate with some parley leaves.

Lumberjack’s spread

Today evening when I did some research on the Internet – for some reason came on my mind Nine Fairy Tales from one of the most influential Czech writers 20th century – Karel Čapek, which he published in 1932. One of the fairy tales is a story how lumberjack cure a princess with bread and curd spread. In this fall time this story and recipe remains me early summer and gives the energy to body and soul. Enjoy the simple but tasty recipe for today.

Ingredients:

250g curd
small piece of butte
1 small onion inc. the green parts (leek could be as well nice substitution)
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground caraway seeds
chives for decoration

Directions:

1. Mix butter in a bowl with salt and caraways seeds.
 
2. Add curd and mayonnaise and whip.

3. In the end add fine chopped onion or leek.

4. Spread on the bread and decor with some cut chives.