Filled Strawberries Dumplings

I used to live with my parents in a city called Kromeriz in the Czech Republic (that time Czechoslovakia) until I was 14. I do still remember, when – about in the middle of 80’ – was open one store (called North Star) close to the downtown square where they sell only frozen groceries and frozen meals. The assortment wasn’t - of course – not so large – how we know from present time and one of the product I can still remember – it was a wax-paper-box with 6 strawberries dumplings made from curd dough inside…
I’m not too sure, how I evoke this idea, but the craving for those dumplings was enormous. So I had to go to our Overwaitea and bought a box of fresh strawberries and made those dumplings… And because the experiment went great, I brought some “intermediate-product” with me next day and finish the dessert for my colleagues in my work.

Ingredients:

1 package fresh strawberries
500g curd
4 cups semolina
1/2 cup flour
2 egg yolk
1 tbsp butter
from 2 eggs whisked white

As a topping:

250g curd
1 tbsp sugar
1 vanilla sugar or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Mix curd, egg yolks and butter. As a next step add flour and semolina. With a wooden spoon slightly add the whisked eggs white.

2. Make a roll from the dough and cut it into 1in pieces.

3. Every piece squeeze into a nice round ring, put a strawberry in the middle, cover with the edges and make a nice filled dumpling.

4. Cook for 12 minutes in the water with a pinch of salt. Serve cover with a topping made from curd, sugar and vanilla. Decor with strawberries jam and/or fresh strawberries.

Miso soup

In my work I have an excellent team of colleagues and not only work-related-topics are discuss on our breaks and “lunches together”. Most of us love to cook and bake and thanks to our international team we all have the privilege to discuss and try international cuisine. This recipe and introduction to the Japanese cuisine and culinary I got from my colleague Jan.
Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called "dashi" into which is mixed softened miso paste.
Miso paste defines character and flavour of the soup and can be categorized into red (akamiso), white (shiromiso), or mixed (awase).
The most common dashi soup stocks for miso soup are made of niboshi (dried baby sardines), kombu (dried kelp), katsuobushi (thin shavings of dried and smoked bonito, aka skipjack tuna), or hoshi-shiitake (dried shiitake).
According to Japanese custom, the solid ingredients are chosen to reflect the seasons and to provide contrasts of color, texture, and flavour. Thus negi and tofu, a strongly flavoured ingredient mixed with a delicately flavoured ingredient, are often combined. Ingredients that float, such as wakame seaweed, and ingredients that sink, such as potatoes, are also combined. Ingredients can include mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, seaweed, onion, shrimp, fish, and grated or sliced daikon.
Miso soup can be prepared in several ways, depending on the chef and the style of soup. Japanese recipes usually call for most vegetables and meats to be cooked in the simmering dashi, particularly mushrooms, daikon, carrots, potatoes, tofu, and fish. The miso is suspended separately in some dashi stock removed from the simmering mix, to keep the miso paste from cooking, which alters the flavour, kills beneficial bacteria, and reduces the health benefits of biologically active miso paste. When the vegetables are cooked, the stock is removed from heat, the miso suspension is added and mixed into the soup, any uncooked ingredients are added, and the dish is served.
The soup is usually served in a bowl and drunk directly, the solid ingredients are eaten with chopsticks.

 

Ingredients:

2L water
1 package of katsuobushi
2 slices of kombu
1 small carrot
3 tbsp miso paste
1 package tofu
1 green onion (negi)
1 sheet of dry seaweed
 

Directions:

1. Add package of katsuobushi, carrot and kombu into the water. Cook for approx.20 minutes.

2. Strain through strainer.

3. Cut tofu and carrot into the longer slices and add it to the boiling broth. Turn off.

4. Mix approx. 1/2 cup of hot broth with miso paste and a blend until smooth. Add this mixture back to the broth.

5. Cut one sheet of seaweed into the small strips (using scissors) and chop green onion fine.

6. Serve in the bowl.

Steak tartar

Steak tartar is again one of the Czech classic and I think that I already scared some of Canadians just with description of preparation Usually the first question after my explanation sounds like: “… but you do not eat THIS raw, don’t you…???!!!” My coldblooded answer is always: “…of course we do, otherwise it wouldn’t be the real TARTAR…”

On the other hand – once you go over the first shy and prejudice and try, you will realize how great it taste! Specially from Canadian AAA beef it is an absolute MUST try because Canadian beef has different texture and of course great taste – compare to the European beef. From my point of view it is impact of different species of cattle and of course different process and time of ageing. But this is a topic for an extra lecture and lets go back to the recipe:

Ingredients:

250g fresh double grounded extra lean beef (tenderloin)
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp ketchup
1/2 small onion (fine chopped)
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp Worcester sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground caraway seeds
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg yolk
drop of Tabasco or pinch of chilli
2 slices of bread
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic

Directions:

1. Firs prepare toast: fry bread in the frying pan on some vegetable oil from both sides until nice golden-brown.

2. Each piece of toast smear with garlic from both sides.

3. On the plate prepare beef in the middle and egg yolk on the top of it, decor spices and onion on the side as shown on the picture. Serve.

4. Everyone mix then all ingredients and spread on the toasts.

Elk on gin

What a great combination! I got a great present from my colleague Christine – actually her husband shoot elk last weekend. What a treat! For most of my European friends it is quite complicated to explain the difference between deer – elk – moose, because the terminology is quite similar and translation is complicated. Anyway just for a little explanation with a help of Wikipedia: elk (or wapiti, Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest mammals in North America. Is from the deer family and bulls are some 40% larger than cows at maturity, weighing an average of 320 kg (700 lb)!!!

Only moose (Alces alces subsp. andersoni; as well from deer family) is larger.

 

Ingredients:

3 elk steaks
2 cloves garlic (mashed with some salt)
3 juniper berries
1 clove
5 tbsp gin
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion
1 carrot
1 parsnip
piece of root celery
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup aceto balsamico
2 cups cream
1 tbsp flour

Directions:

1. Crunch juniper and clove in mortar and add mushed garlic with salt. Add gin and blend well together.

2. Cover the steaks with this marinade and place meat into Ziplock. Let marinate for about 2 days in the fridge.

3. After this two days roast onion on some vegetable oil until light brown.

4. Add shredded root vegetables and bay leaves. Roast for a while.

5. Add the steaks and the marinade as well.

6. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the meat is tender.

7. Take steaks and bay leaves out. Mix the sauce and vegetables using hand mixer and add mixture cream-flour. Cook for a while until the sauce is nice and smooth. Add the aceto balsamico and event. some salt for taste. Serve with dumplings or potatoes dumplings.

Mom’s Cream of Bean Soup

I’m not sure, if I mentioned in my previous articles, how much I do like soups. So far I didn’t presented them here on my blog, but if there will be an interests, I will do it with pleasure.
This special Cream of Bean Soup is very simple but very tasty one. My mom used to use always one special kind of beans – called Scarlet Runner Beans (in German Feuerbohne or Käferbohne). And the reason was that this kind of beans gives the cream a special dark pink colour. Because I wasn’t able to buy this particular variety so far in BC, I’m using Pinto Beans, which make the colour not so intense, but quite close to the original colour.

Ingredients:

2 cups of beans (soak over night in plenty of water)
2L water
1 smaller carrot
1 small parsley or parsnip
piece of celery root
1 cup cream
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse soaked beans and add some fresh water. Cook until almost done (approx.30 minutes).

2. Shred vegetables on a coarse grinder and add into the soup.

3. After approx. 10 minutes mix flour in a cream and pour it to the soup and bring it to the boiling. Stir regularly.

4. Add some salt and pepper for taste.

Pork tenderloin stuffed with bacon, spinach and mozzarella cheese

Very interesting recipe – from many sides – preparation, flavour and aesthetic as well. It is worth to try and you can use your imagination and creation how you can. Bacon can be substitute with ham and I would definitely try another kind of cheese – even more aromatic.
You can use a frozen pork tenderloin as well – just put some salt and garlic on the frozen meat and let is slowly de-frost in the fridge.

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins

2 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic (mashed with some salt)

1/2 tsp pepper

1 package frozen spinach

100g mozzarella cheese

8 strips bacon

4 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Clean tenderloins and put some salt and garlic on the top, leave in a Ziploc over night in the fridge to marinate.

2. The next day dry tenderloins with paper-towel and cut lengthwise to make like a pocket.

3. Beat the meat and ad some pepper on the surface.

4. Cover with slices of bacon.

5. Pour boiling water over frozen spinach in a strainer and then pour cold water over again. Drain all liquids by squeezing spinach against the strainer.

6. Cover the bacon strips with dry spinach.

7. Cut mozzarella cheese into a large long cubes and put these on the top of spinach.

8. Roll the meat strips and fix with some toothpicks.

9. Direct in a roasting pan fry the stuffed tenderloins on some vegetable oil from all sides – so the meat is nice and crispy.

10. Cover with remaining strips of bacon and put the roasting pan to the pre-heated oven - 180°C/350°F) – approx. 25 minutes.

11. Make a gravy from a dripping (add some mixture water/flour) and ad event. some salt and pepper. Cut tenderloins into a cca 1 inch pieces and serve with potatoes, mashed potatoes or rice.

“SLAW”

… as you probably realize – today’s recipe is not just a slang expression of  “COLESLAW” (which you know as a salad made with raw shredded cabbage, carrot and mayonnaise), but it is a short version of this typical recipe.
SLAW fits perfect as a side dish to BBQ or can be serve as appetizer or small afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage
2 carrots
1 onion
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Clean vegetables and prepare for shredding or cutting.

2. Shred cabbage on a mandolin or on coarse grater; carrots on a fine grater and chop onion in small cubes.

3. Prepare solution from sugar, salt, vinegar and water. Pour over the vegetables and mix with wooden spoon. In the end add some black pepper and vegetable oil.