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!

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!

Pressure Cooking in the Bella Vista Library

Grayslake Farmers Market June 17

Well, somehow, the weather actually improved as the day progressed...luckily for us all!

There was a great turnout and it seemed like lots of people were eagerly buying plants, sweet corn and a host of other goodies offered by other vendors.

And, I also met the lady who is following me on Twitter!!! How exciting. If you'd like to follow me, it's ChefPlease....I'll share more.

Many of you who stopped by and had tasted a sample, asked for my cauliflower recipe. I promised you, I'd put it here on my blog. So here it is:

PUREED CAULIFLOWER

1 head of cauliflower, remove stem, break vegetable into flowerettes
1 cup of water (or enough to steam)
1 tablespoon Pernod - remember this is the French anise/licorice flavor
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
salt and white pepper to taste - I used about a teaspoon of salt and maybe 1/2 t pepper
chopped Tarragon for garnish

Steam cauliflower until soft - if you have a pressure cooker (which is what I used), it should be done in 5 minutes. Mash with potato masher, immersion blender, regular blender or food processor. Add Pernod, oil, salt & pepper and stir until ingredients are incorporated. Adjust seasoning. Serve and top with tarragon.

And for those of you who don't care for the flavor of licorice, remember, you can always omit it. This is a great way to get kids to start eating their vegetables. You can reduce the amount of liquid and this will look an awful lot like mashed potatoes!

If you're on Facebook, you can become a fan of ChefPlease! Come and take a look!!!

Don't forget to check out my website www.ChefPlease.com

I'll be at the market again next Wednesday, so stop by my booth for something new to taste!

Til then,

Bon Appetit! from Chef Kathy