Czechia - Film

Burning Bush

This review is for all three episodes put together as they are really just one long story. It does a good job of showing people in a bad situation; How do you challenge a legal system in a tyranny and expect to win? How do you deal with the loss of your son? How do you deal with the state seeking to crush you? Our main character was given the awful choice of risking her family's well being or fighting for justice.

You get a real sense in this film that even those people working within the tyranny know it's a tyranny but feel helpless to do anything about it. This film is also an excellent period piece and made me feel like I was watching something filmed in the late 1960's in eastern Europe.

Czechia - Pictures

Czechia - Recipes

Bramboracky (Czech Savory Potato Pancakes)
Prep
30 m
Cook

30 m
Ready In

1 h

Recipe By:Sonya M. Shafer
"Bramboracky (bram-bor-atch-key) are traditional pan-fried potato pancakes best accompanied by beer. This is a recipe that my Czech boyfriend and I have fun with often. Potato pancakes are commonly associated with traditional Czech, Ukrainian, Yiddish, German, Hungarian and Polish cuisines, although other cuisines (including those of India and Korea) also have similar potato pancakes."
Ingredients
4 large potatoes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and black pepper to taste
1 pinch dried marjoram (optional)
2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)

2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
oil for frying
Directions
Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes, squeezing out as much liquid as you can. Transfer the shredded potatoes to a mixing bowl. Stir in the crushed garlic, salt, pepper, marjoram, and caraway seeds.
Beat the eggs with the milk. Add the egg mixture to the potatoes and stir well to combine. Gradually mix in the flour to form a thick but still pourable batter.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; the oil should be about 1/4-inch deep. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the hot oil, flattening it slightly. Fry the pancake until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Taste the first pancake and adjust the seasoning if necessary; repeat with remaining batter.









Veprova Pecene (Roast Pork)
Country: The Czech Republic
Course: Main
Makes: 6 to 8 servings



Ingredients:

1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs prepared mustard
2 tbs caraway seeds
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs salt*
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs pork roast
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup beer (or water)
1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs butter
*Czech dishes tend to be salty, so adjust this amount according to how much salt you personally prefer.


Directions:

Make a marinade out of the oil, mustard, caraway seeds, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Rub the pork all over with this mixture and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Place the chopped onions in a layer on the bottom of the roasting pan and add the beer or water (the only beer I had was Guinness, which really isn't very Czech, so I just went with water). Now put the roast on top of the onions and cover loosely with foil.
Roast until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, turning once (the USDA recently declared this to be pork's new safe internal temperature, down fro a long-time standard of 160). Let rest for 10 minutes.
Transfer the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan and add the cornstarch and butter. Simmer until thick and serve over the sliced meat.








Apple Strudel
Posted on 10.5.2014 in Bakery & Desserts



   
Apple strudel is traditional Czech pastry that have its origin in Austrian cuisine. It’s very popular dessert in Czech cuisine and across Central Europe thanks to history of Austro-Hungarian Empire. Apple strudel is quite easy to prepare thanks to the option of buying prepared pastry dough. However old-fashioned people still make their own dough.

Ingredients
Phyllo or flaky pastry
4-6 apples
cinnamon sugar
egg
powdered sugar
raisins, walnuts (optional)
Directions
Roll out pastry in slim rectangle.
Grate apples and put them on dough. Add raisins or chopped walnuts if you want.
Sprinkle apples with cinnamon sugar.
Roll up dough into long cylinder and close both ends.
At last brush strudel with whisked egg.
Put in preheated oven 200°C (390°F) for about 20 minutes until strudel has nice golden color.
Dust with powdered sugar. Apple strudel can be served with whipped cream.

Cyprus Film - The Dragonphoenix Chronicles

The Dragonphoenix Chronicles

The mighty Dragonphoenix Empire rules the World of Elebros with an iron fist. Dragar, an enslaved warrior from the north, escapes his captors and flees for his homeland, though the way back is filled with fantastic dangers.


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Cyprus - Pictures

Cyprus - Recipes

MOUSSAKA RECIPE
Moussaka is possibly one of the best known Greek dishes, and for good cause – it is delicious! It involves a lot of work, but the end result is worth it. You’ll feel proud of your work and rewarded once your family and friends enjoy your moussaka with a fresh salad and a glass of dry red wine.
Our mothers used to make moussaka with aubergines, potatoes and courgettes.  I find that this recipe has prevailed in most homes to the present day, although I have eaten moussaka in some Greek islands made with just courgettes, just potatoes – or even potatoes and pumpkin. My favourite alternative was moussaka with artichokes.
Whichever combination of vegetables you choose, remember that the key to moussaka is always the aubergines. Although aubergines are now available throughout the year, in the summer they are sweeter and they derive their sweetness from the sun. They used to be one of the cheapest vegetable in the summer and Greek families had more than one meal a week using this vegetable.
Now we get aubergines throughout the year, and when grown in green houses they are not so firm and have a watery texture. If you must make moussaka using greenhouse aubergines then make sure they are fresh and use them quickly. If you forget them in the fridge you might think that they can be disguised in such a dish with so many ingredients – but the flavour will suffer!
Aubergines have a slightly bitter taste, but one way of getting rid of it is to simply immerse the sliced aubergines in salted water, or sprinkle with salt.  After half an hour, rinse and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper. 
Aubergines do absorb a lot of oil when fried.  My mother always used to say that frying them in very hot oil means that they absorb less oil. Alternatively, you can make this dish slightly lighter (but also without such a rich taste) by baking the vegetables rather than frying them. Simply place the vegetable slices on a baking tray, brush lightly with oil and bake until cooked.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS 
Mince meat sauce:


1 big onion finely chopped
2 tbsps olive oil
1 kg minced meat (pork or pork/beef or lamb)
1 tin chopped tomatoes or 1 glass grated tomatoes
1 glass red or white dry wine (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oregano
Half bunch finely chopped  parsley (one cupful)

Extra flavours can be obtained if preferred by using:


3 garlic cloves, 5 cloves, ½ tsp cinnamon or a small cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf

Bechamel sauce:


175g butter
A few tbsps flour (just enough to absord all the butter)
Milk as needed
1 cup of Halloumi cheese grated or a  mixture of other cheeses
½ tsp grated nutmeg

Vegetables:


4 large aubergines
4 courgettes
4 potatoes
1 ½ – 2 cups corn or sunflower oil

METHOD:   For the meat sauce:  


Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté onions.
Add the minced meat until brown, for around 10 to 15 minutes.
If you want to add wine now is the time to pour it in.
Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and oregano and stir well.
Add the garlic, cinnamon, bay leaves if using.
Cover and cook for 20 minutes to make a moist sauce, then remove lid and cook for a further 10 minutes (don’t let the sauce get too dry)
Take off the heat and add the parsley, mix well and put aside until required.
Remember!  Parsley in Greek dishes with such sauces is always added last and after the heat is turned off.

For the Béchamel sauce:


Melt butter in a saucepan.
Add flour, stirring with a wooden spoon so it absorbs all butter.
Take off heat.
Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly and quickly.
When a smooth custard-like sauce is achieved, put on heat again
Carry on stirring/whisking, adding more milk as needed
Your béchamel should be smooth and thick but not stiff
When the sauce is ready, add 3-4 tbsps of grated cheese and grated nutmeg and mix well.

For the vegetables:


Peel and wash potatoes.
Wash aubergines and courgettes and cut off stems and tips.
You can peel your aubergines a bit but not completely.
Cut aubergines, courgettes and potatoes lengthwise into large 5mm slices
Place aubergine slices in salty water for an hour.
Rinse well under cold water in a colander.
Dry each slice very well with kitchen paper. (If one drop of water escapes from the aubergine when frying a splash can burn you!)
Heat up oil in a wide frying pan.  You should have enough oil to cover vegetables when frying them.
Fry in batches in hot oil until lightly brown.  
Drain from excess oil by placing all fried vegetables on a tray lined with a double layer of kitchen paper

Finally:  


Place a layer of vegetables on a lightly oiled baking dish or pyrex dish – first the aubergines, then courgettes, lastly potatoes.
Spread meat sauce over your vegetables evenly.
Cover with another layer of vegetables or whatever vegetables you are left with.
Pour béchamel sauce over the top.
Prick your moussaka with a fork all over to allow the béchamel to run a bit inside the vegetables and the meat sauce.
Sprinkle grated cheese on top.
Sprinkle ground nutmeg on top (or ground cloves or ground cinnamon).
Bake in a pre-heated oven (180 to 200) until golden brown (45 mins – 1 hour)
If your dish is full to the rim then place a baking sheet underneath to prevent spills in the oven.

Tip:
Vegetarian moussaka can be made by replacing the mince meat sauce with a mouthwatering vegetarian sauce. Simply fry onions until soft, add garlic and various vegetables like sliced carrots, cauliflower florets, broccoli pieces, chopped tomatoes or passata.  Cooked brown rice can be also be added to the sauce, as well as cooked lentils and pine kernels. Finish the sauce by adding a cupful of chopped parsley – there’s no need to cook the parsely in the sauce; its raw freshness gives the baked dish a unique flavour. 














































OLIVE CAKE - ELIOPITTA
INGREDIENTS:

4 cups plain flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup olive oil 3 teaspoons baking powder (heaped) 1 can orange soda (e.g. Fanta) 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest The juice of 1 orange  1 1/2 cups pitted dry black olives (kalamata type) 1 medium brown onion finely chopped 2 spring onions finely chopped 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint  2 tablespoonschopped fresh dill 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) 3 tablespoons orange juice or diluted orange squash 2 tablespoons dry mint 1 teaspoon sugar 10 black olives (cut in long thin strips) for decoration - Optional

PREPARATION:


Lightly grease and flour a 25cm round bundt or ring cake pan and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
Rinse the olives under some running cold water. 
In a food processor add half of the chopped brown onion, 3-4 tablespoons of fresh orange juice, half a cup of chopped pitted black olives and blend just long enough to turn into a smooth paste (not liquid).
In a big mixing bowl sieve the flour, salt and baking powder. Make a well in the centre and add the olive oil, vegetable oil, orange soda, the rest of the fresh orange juice, the orange zest, the dry and fresh mint, the fresh coriander, the other half of the chopped brown onion, the spring onion, dill, the remaining cup of chopped black olives and the olive paste you prepared in the food processor.
Mix all the ingredients well until thoroughly combined and mixture does not stick to your hands or spoon. 
Transfer mixture to your prepared cake pan, smooth with a spatula and brush with some orange juice (or squash) and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Finally arrange the long strips of slices olives evenly around the pan to decorate. (Optional)
Bake in the preheated oven at 180C/350F for about an hour or until a knife or skewer comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool for around 10 mins before you transfer to a serving dish. 



















ngredients
3 cups butter
1 & 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
2 & 1/2 tbs brandy
1 tsp liquid vanilla extract
2 & 3/4 cups coarsely chopped roasted almonds
roughly 6 cups all purpose flour (or less or more flour as is needed per the instructions below)


recipe
1. Preheat the oven to 176C.


2. With a mixer (or hand mixer) beat the butter and icing sugar together for about 10 minutes, until the butter turns a light yellow colour.


3. Continue to mix and add the egg yolks. When the egg yolks have been incorporated, add the brandy. Continue to mix well incorporated, about another 5 minutes.


4. In a large bowl, add your vanilla and nuts. Then add the butter mixture. Begin to mix with your hand, adding the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Continue to mix with your hands. The mixture will be very sticky at the beginning, but should become less sticky as you add more flour. Continue to add flour until the mixture holds together and does not stick to your hands. It should look like the last “Step 4” picture below.afrodite's kitchen kourapiedes recipe5. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Do not work the dough too much, as this is not good for the cookies. With a cookie cutter, cut out shapes from the dough.afrodite's kitchen kourapiedes recipe6. Place the cookies on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for about 20 to 22 minutes. The cookies should be a very light golden brown colour.


7. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool.


8. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top to cover the cookies and enjoy!