Cooking at home: Enchiladas

As I said before, I love Tex-Mex. It’s one of my favorite types of food. While there are several great places in Prague to indulge in tacos, burritos, and margaritas, sometimes there’s nothing better than whipping up some good ol’ Tex-Mex at home.

This was the first time I’ve ever made enchiladas here. Sure, I’ve done tacos, nachos, quesadillas, fajitas, but never enchiladas --- until now.

First, let's start with the ingredients:

As you can see, I use a mix of high/low ingredients. There are some things I just can't live without (Cholula hot sauce), and others where the store brand is just as good (Albert taco sauce). I didn't make an enchilada "sauce" per se, instead I mixed the taco sauce with the M&S roasted pepper salsa (amazing).

Cheeses are also something that, unless you go to a specialty shop, you have a limited selection to choose from. I am not afraid of using shredded Edam (I'm not!) especially when I'm mixing it with another cheese. Since I didn't have time to get to another shop, I just bought Cheddar from the market.

First, I start by cooking the meat. I used some ground pork that we had, but any meat (or none if you're vegetarian) will do. I seasoned it with some salt, pepper, ground cumin (brought to me from Turkey via an awesome friend), and chili. Don't be afraid to use the pre-made seasoning packets though, I use them as well and they do just fine.

While the meat is cooking, I prep all the vegetables. I'm very pro multi-tasking in the kitchen.

When the meat is almost finished, I add in the black beans and some more spices. Once that's done I remove it from the pan and add the vegetables and minced garlic, with just a bit of oil.

I cook them until they are soft and slightly browned, then set them aside.

Now it's time to assemble! Take a casserole dish (or any oven-safe baking dish), and spread some of the salsa mix on the bottom. Then take one tortilla, fill it with some of the meat mix, the vegetable mix, and the salsa mix. Roll it up, and place it seam side down in the dish. Repeat this until you've filled the baking dish (I made four rolls, but if you have a larger dish you can always make more).

Once this is finished, top with the rest of the salsa mix and finish with all of the yummy cheese (I used a combination of shredded Edam and Cheddar).

Cover the dish loosely with tin foil, and bake in the oven at 170° C for about 20-25 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

I topped mine with sour cream and Cholula, and Spanish rice on the side, but you could make salad, or just eat them alone (they're big enough)!

And if you miraculously have leftovers, it makes a great lunch for the next day.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner

Serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers if you live with my boyfriend)

Ingredients

250g ground pork (or any ground meat)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2-3 peppers (any color), thinly sliced

1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced

4 plain tortillas

1 jar M&S roasted pepper salsa

1 jar Taco sauce

1 package (100g) shredded Edam cheese

1/2 block (100g) shredded Cheddar cheese

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 170° C

Heat a large skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Add a small amount of oil (depending on type of pan). Add meat to skillet and break apart with fork or wooden spoon (no metal on Teflon!)

When meat is slightly browned, add cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Once meat is almost finished, add black beans and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until beans are warmed and incorporated. Remove this mixture from skillet and set aside.

In same skillet, add a bit more oil and heat again. Then add peppers and onions. Cook until soft and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Turn off stove and set vegetable mix aside.

Take baking dish or pan and add 1/4 of the salsa mix, spreading across the bottom of the dish. Then take 1 tortilla, fill it with meat mixture, vegetable mixture, and 1-2 tbsps of salsa mix. Roll up tortilla and place seam side down in the dish.

Repeat this step with other 3 tortillas.

Top with remaining salsa mix, and spread to evenly coat. Then sprinkle cheese mix evenly across all enchiladas.

Cover loosely with tin foil, and place in oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil, and continue to bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Top with sour cream, hot sauce, or anything else you may like. Serve with Spanish rice.

Restaurant Review: La Jídelna

So for my first restaurant review, I’m starting with a relatively new place that I had never been to before. Why make things easy? Living on the Vinohrady/Vršovice border, I’m always looking for new, great places in our area to eat; something close, but reliable. La Jídelna is one of those places, so we decided to try it out.

La Jídelna (literally The Eatery, or Dining Room) is located in Vršovice, which is a short walk from our flat, but also easily accessible via the 22 & 4 trams (stop: Ruska).

Outside, they have boards which post their daily menu offerings.

The inside is simple but comfortable. Everything is new, the layouts of the tables are well placed (no trying to squeeze through), and the lighting is intimate without being too dark (I hate eating in the dark).

We arrived at about 7PM, and it was empty then, but later a few other tables came in. It’s not a terribly large space, so it didn’t feel awkward being the only people in the restaurant.

The waiter was very friendly and attentive, and although you may think it was because we were the only people there, his demeanor didn’t change even when other tables filled up.

Everyone else ordered Pilsner (36 CZK) to start, but I, being the black sheep of the family (read: not Czech), had a glass of Chardonnay (95 CZK).

At 95 CZK a glass, it’s a bit more expensive than in other places, but well worth it. This was definitely a strong, crisp, French Chardonnay, which I enjoyed so much that I had three glasses. I will pay more for good wine, and you should too.

The menu is a nice mix of Italian, Mediterranean, and meat dishes, the most expensive thing being the Dakotian Young Bull Steak at 195 CZK.

We asked the waiter his recommendations, and he said any of the pasta dishes would always be an excellent choice because all of the pastas are homemade.

After we ordered, the waiter brought us a complimentary tasting appetizer, Roast Beef with potato salad on toast.

The beef had a nice texture, complimentary to the potato salad, which was quite delicious. This was also a nice gesture, and the waiter did so for other tables as well. I’m not sure if this is just a temporary offering, since they are newly opened, but it was well received nonetheless.

Everyone else ordered meat dishes as their main courses, but I, again, being the black sheep, ordered a pasta dish. I did this for several reasons: I will never turn down homemade pasta, I wanted to be able to present a mix of dishes from the restaurant, and we were doing a meat-centric place the following night (you’ll know what I mean when you read the next post).

I chose the Pappardelle with Šumava mushrooms and cream sauce (135kc).

Let me say, this was simply perfection: an appropriate portion of perfectly al dente pasta, a light cream sauce that wonderfully displayed the mushrooms, and just the right amount of parsley and parmesan. My personal belief is that pasta dishes are the best when they are simple, use a few quality ingredients, and are cooked with love. A lot of times, I find that places smother it with sauce, or unnecessary toppings, and this just distracts from the pasta, which should always be the focus of the dish.

My boyfriend and his father both chose the Dakotian Young Bull steak with salsa verde (195kc), the former with baked potato slices with parmesan (45kc) , and the latter with baked potatoes with herbed dip (45kc). The steak came topped with lightly caramelized onions and a nice sauce. I tried a piece of the steak and it was well cooked and juicy. The baked potatoes were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, also very delicious.

The last dish had by our friend was the Risotto with Roast beef and zucchini in a spicy olive oil (155 CZK). The roast beef was the same as in the appetizer, and the zucchini were quite fresh and not over-cooked. The risotto was a little salty for our friend’s taste, so he let me taste it and I agreed, a bit too salty. However, when the waiter came over to ask us how the meal was, my friend politely explained this to him, and he was very gracious and said he would pass this along to the kitchen. A true sign of a good restaurant; one that accepts criticism and looks to improve the quality of their dishes.

Of course, I had to have dessert. My excuse was, “But I’m writing a review, and I need to try at least one.” I don’t ever really need an excuse to eat dessert. I had Fried Praline pastries filled with dark chocolate, with raspberry sorbet (75kc). The sorbet came in a cute caramelized sugar cup. The soft, cold sorbet complimented the warm, gooey pastries nicely. Dark chocolate and raspberry is my favorite combination for desserts, and this was satisfying without being too overpoweringly sweet.

I’d love to tell you the total for the entire bill, but I can’t since my boyfriend snuck away and paid it without telling anyone! But as you can see from the prices above, you could easily have a nice meal for two here and still come in under 700kc.

Overall, I would give La Jídelna high marks, even having only been there once (don’t worry we’ll be going back again). They also have lunch menus, and a sister café “Erhart Cukrárna” located in Prague 7. My only slight complaint, if it even is one, is that there were not many people there for dinner, even on a Friday night. But hopefully reviews like this and others will change that. I wouldn’t want to see such an amazing place have to close down due to lack of patronage. So if you live in the area, or are just looking for a new, hidden place to try, La Jídelna is definitely a sure thing.

La Jídelna
Kodaňská 5/319
101 00 Praha 10

telephone: 271742541

website (under construction): http://www.lajidelna.cz

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I hope you're hungry

So let's start things off by making everyone hungry, if you're not already.

I've done a lot of cooking and baking during my time in Prague, and here are just a few photos of the many meals I've whipped up. Recipes to follow later, for now, just try not to drool on the keyboard.

I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the photos. Most were taken with a (bad) camera phone, but I promise future photos will be much nicer!

Eggs Benedict. The brunch meal of champions. I've made this too many times to count, as my friends will attest to. Although it's traditionally made with Canadian bacon (basically ham), I mix it up and use either English bacon, smoked salmon, or tomatoes for my vegetarian friends. The Hollandaise sauce is not made from scratch, because who has that kind of time on a Sunday morning when all you want to do is drink mimosas and relax? The secret: I import Hollandaise sauce packets from the US. I know, I cheat!!! But it's  still amazing, trust me.

Good, old-fashioned apple pie. Who doesn't love it? This was actually made for our Thanksgiving dinner, from scratch (including the dough)! What can I say, for some things I just don't cut corners. I've made it a few times since, it's a nice departure from the Apple Strudel which is served in many places here.

You will find out quickly there are certain types of foods I can't get enough of, and Tex-Mex is one of them. I'm pretty much in love with anything I can smother in salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. These are my beef nachos, with baked tortilla chips and homemade pico de gallo and guacamole. This usually gets made at LEAST once every two weeks, if not more often.

Mmmm burgers. I cannot take credit for making these, as one of my friends actually did. But oh man, these were probably the best burgers I've ever had. It was juicy, flavorful, and ENORMOUS. We do our "burgin'" quite often, so be prepared for more burger goodness.

Sweet and succulent chocolate cake. I love chocolate, especially dark, and this cake is just that. A dark, moist, cakey center with dark chocolate ganache frosting. It's highly recommended that you do not engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes after you eat a piece.

So that's just a few samples of my baking and dining-in meals, don't worry, we'll get to the restaurants soon too. In fact I'll be going to two this weekend, one I have never been to, and one that is an old favorite, so check back for those reviews next week!

Welcome to The Bohemian Plate

After 2+ years of living, cooking, and eating in Prague, I've finally caved in and started a food blog to document all of my dining (in and out) experiences here. I will say that when I first moved here, it was tough to acclimate to the different selections and types of foods and restaurants offered. But in time, Prague and I converged to a point where it offers (reasonably priced) sushi, and I navigate the markets like a (semi) pro.

Don't let the name fool you, this is NOT just about Czech cuisine. In fact, it's more about the diversity of cuisines  that are now emerging in Prague, and all over the Czech Republic. Sure, there may be some Svickova and Goulash here and there, but trust me, your taste buds can travel around the world without leaving Prague.

I will start the blog by playing a bit of catch up and talking about some past experiences, but then we'll quickly skip to the present and I will start with new posts about restaurants, cooking at home (real food I promise!) and how and where to find what you need to satisfy your every craving. Hope you enjoy!