‘High south cuisine’ food culture emerging in Northwest Arkansas | Business, Political, and Cultural News in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas

‘High south cuisine’ food culture emerging in Northwest Arkansas | Business, Political, and Cultural News in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas



Here's an article which really depicts the food culture in the area where I now call home.

Czech Goulash

I have a great affinity for "Czechoslovakian" cuisine or now referred to as the Czech Republic. Perhaps because some of my ancestors lived in that region. I have a postcard and letter that were sent to my maternal grandpa by a cousin written in Czech. I'm sure he never spoke that language, just German when he was younger. So after quite a few different attempts, I think I've come up with a recipe that really works well for me. I know a lot of people use ketchup, but the key ingredient I found was ground caraway seeds. That's the flavor that I'm sure was missing from the different restaurants we ate at in Prague and Bratislava. So here it is: and I'm using an electric pressure cooker because it will get done a whole lot quicker 2 pounds of stew meat - I used beef, but any meat protein would work well here oil salt & pepper 1 onion, sliced 2 Tbl sweet paprika 2 tsp hot paprika 1 tsp marjoram 1 tsp ground caraway seeds 2 Tbl flour 2 Tbl tomato paste 1 cup beef broth Heat oil in pot. Add beef in batches. You don't want it overcrowded or it will steam your meat (that happens later in the process). We want a nice sear on this. Sweat onion until translucent. Add all your spices and stir and minute or so to let them bloom. Now you can add the flour, tomato paste and stir again and cook for a minute or two to cook out some of that flour. If it's too thick, add a little bit of the broth. Now add beef back to pot along with any juices. Pour in beef broth and stir again. Place lid on pressure cooker and set on high pressure for 20 minutes. Once pressure has been attained, you can start on your starch. I made spaetzle with ours and they were great! When the meat is done, do a natural release on this. If you do a quick release, the meat will seize up and be tough. Carefully remove the lid. I usually offer this up family style and suggest to my guests that they use the starch as a carrier and get plenty of the sauce. Bon Appetit! Chef, Please!

Here is a very easy recipe for a wonderful beef roast. Mince 2 garlic cloves and combine with tarragon, rosemary, parsley, thyme, salt & pepper. Add a bit of grapeseed oil. Rub mixture over roast. Bake until internal temperature reaches 125 F. Cover and let roast rest 10 minutes or more.

I guarantee your guest will love this!

French Rabbit

Well, the rabbit wasn't from France, but the preparation certainly was French. Liberally coat the rabbit pieces with Dijon mustard...I used a grainy type. Pan sear both sides. Make sure that you don't crowd the pan...you may need to do this in two batches as I did. Place seared rabbit on plate. Pour in about 1/4 cup of dry white wine and scrape up any browned bits. Then add a diced onion and cook until slightly brown about 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add 2-3 tablespoons flour and stir. Add the rest of the bottle of wine (ok, so maybe you've had a glass), stir and then add rabbit along with its juices. Simmer for about one hour until meat is tender. During this time, the sauce will thicken up. If it is too thick for your taste, just add a little more water. Serve with steamed rice or noodles. Garnish with parsley, if you like. Bon Appetit! Chef Kathy Dederich

Rabbit!

Well, yesterday I stopped to pick up my order from Pel-Freeze in Rogers, Arkansas. What a group of friendly people!!! Vicky, Anita & Kirk could not do enough for me. My carton of cut-up rabbit was ready for me when I arrived after my cook date and Kirk insisted on taking the box to my car. I know I certainly could have taken the 17 lb box on my own. Tomorrow, I will make what I am sure will be a wonderful meal using their fresh product. Look for more to come!

West African Chicken Stew

Here's a great and easy stew to make when the weather starts to get colder. For this client, who only likes white meat, I sauteed a diced onion, then added a clove of minced garlic. Add bite-size chicken breasts. Stir once or twice then add a can of diced tomatoes, one can of water and about a half cup of creamy peanut butter and one half teaspoon of white pepper and cayenne pepper. Whisk well to get all ingredients incorporated. Simmer until chicken is cooked through. You can add chopped peanuts to top, or scallions as I did here. I think a nice change here would be to add Rotel tomatoes for a bit more zing!

The lessons no one taught us...: Learning to cook...

The lessons no one taught us...: Learning to cook...