3 Days in Washington, DC


Travel Dates: June 24-27, 2023

Finally, a long weekend road trip getaway to explore this grand nation! Since moving to the US 3 months ago, we’ve been so busy settling in and exploring our neighbourhood that we haven’t had any time to do any road trips. This long weekend we finally decided to plan one and as our first American road trip, we chose to visit Washington, DC – the capital of the nation! I’ve been to DC a couple times in the past but this was Toby’s first time. He was more than excited to see all the famous buildings, but most importantly the Air and Space museum!

For our first time hiring a car in NY, Toby did a lot of research into finding the cheapest option for rental cars and settled on a small local shop. When we went to pick up the car the day before, it was less than ideal. The entire car had stains, scratches, and I swear the little holes in the seats looked like cigarette burns. I’d post pictures, but let’s not start off our happy weekend vacation blog on a bad note. Just believe that it was gross 🤮. It was so gross that I had to quickly Amazon cheap car seat covers and luckily had them delivered the same day in time for our trip (gotta love Prime). You can just see the car seat covers in the photo looped around the head rest 😂. It was a 4.5 hour drive to DC from our home in Brooklyn. Luckily Washington is a pretty walkable city, so we parked our car in the hotel lot and didn’t have to touch it until it was time to go home. 😅 Needless to say, this would be our first and last time hiring from this company.

We stayed at Hotel Washington. It was a beautiful fancy hotel that Toby chose because it was near the White House, Washington Monument, and restaurants. They were filming the next Captain America movie just outside! 🤫 Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any celebrities during our time there and missed out on all the times they were filming. The valet told us that one of the main stars of the movie was staying at our hotel though – too bad he couldn’t remember his name.

It never ceases to amaze me how huge the buildings are in DC!

I’ve always been impressed by the sheer size of the buildings in Washington. Many of them take up an entire block!

Evening stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue

Things to Do: The National Mall

When you visit Washington DC, the main sights can be broken up into 3 categories: 1) Monuments and Memorials, 2) Government Buildings, and 3) Museums. All of these surround a large walkable grassy area that is grouped together known as The National Mall. The map below outlines this grassy area and if you have a good pair of walking shoes, you should be able to hit all the memorials in one day, which is what we did!

Our itinerary:

Day 1 (red): We arrived around lunch time and after checking in, we started at the White House (right across from our hotel) and headed towards the Washington monument then did a circle to the Lincoln memorial, around the Jefferson memorial, then back up past the Washington monument and back to the hotel for some dinner.

Day 2 (blue): We headed to Capitol Hill and took some photos outside, walked through the US Botanic Garden, then finished off at the Air and Space Museum.

Day 3 (green): We spent all day at the massive Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

How Many Days Do You Need?

It depends on what you want to see and how much time you’re willing to put in. If you only want to see the major monuments and memorials and the outside of the buildings, you could easily finish it all in 1 day.

If you want to go inside the government buildings such as Capitol Hill and The White House and join a tour, I’d recommend adding on an extra day or two, depending on your tour times and how packed you want your schedule to be.

Washington is home to MANY museums and it would be a shame to leave without at least visiting one or two. The two most popular ones are the Air and Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History. Each of these museums are quite large and can easily take up nearly an entire day. If you want to visit both, add on an extra 2 days. Apart from these two, there are also a variety of other museums that are free of charge that can easily add on to your itinerary.

For us, we spent a total of 3 days and saw all the major monuments and memorials, saw the outside of the White House and Capitol Hill but didn’t attend any tours, and went to the Air and Space Museum as well as the Museum of Natural History. This was just enough time for us to enjoy everything without feeling too rushed. If we have a chance to visit again, I’d book some walking tours inside the government buildings and maybe visit the Museum of American History which has a lot of cool famous historical items.

1) Monuments and Memorials

Washington Monument

You can go inside for free, BUT tickets have to be reserved at least 30 days in advance or released at 10am the day before. You can find more info at recreation.gov. We didn’t end up going inside during this trip, but I went in a few years back and I remember it being a small museum of the history of the monument and photos documenting the building process.

View from the base of the Washington Monument

World War II Memorial

World War II Memorial with the Lincoln Memorial in the distance
World War II Memorial – each star is for a fallen soldier
World War II Memorial looking back to the Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool
View of the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial – FOREST! JENNY!!!!!!
The detail is amazing!
View of the Washington Monument from the top of the Lincoln Memorial

Korean War Veterans Memorial

I’ve been told that this memorial is also cool to check out at night!

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

It was a longer walk to get to this memorial but the stroll along the water was beautiful and there were tons of geese!
Thomas Jefferson Memorial

2) Government Buildings

The White House

This was the best photo I could get of the White House. If you get too close to the White House you end up with bars and gates in your photo and its hard to see the entirety of the building. We didn’t end up going into the White House because it is a HUGE process to organize. First, you have to book your tickets at a minimum of 21 days prior to visiting but no longer than 90 days. Second, in order to organize your tour, you have to contact your member of congress if you’re a US citizen, or if you’re a foreign citizen, you have to contact your embassy in DC. More information here. I definitely did not plan early enough for this trip to make this happen and the amount of effort it took was a bit too much for us. Maybe next time.

Capitol Hill

You can visit Capitol Hill free of charge, but it has to be with a guided tour. Tours last roughly an hour (more info here). We didn’t end up going in during this trip because we were a bit short on time. I mainly wanted to see the outside of the building, however sadly during our trip, it was under renovation. 😦

Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill

United States Botanic Garden

This wasn’t originally on our list but we happened to walk past it on our way to Capitol Hill and checked it out. It was a lot larger than we expected they had a large display of unusual orchids on display at the time!

United States Botanic Garden

3) Museums

There are a TON of museums in DC and the best part is that they’re all free! The Smithsonian museums are HUGE and takes a lot of time to get through but there are some really cool things in them. Due to popularity, remember to check online to see if you need to book tickets ahead of time. We almost didn’t get to see the Air and Space museum because we didn’t know you needed a timed ticket!

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

https://airandspace.si.edu/

This is one of our favourite Smithsonian museums in DC. There are a lot of original famous historical items here including the original Wright brothers’ plane and also original parts from the space shuttle missions. The museum goes through a chronological history of air and space in time starting with the invention of planes and ending with space travel. Tickets are free, but you HAVE to buy them early and there are timed entries. If you don’t buy them early, same-day tickets are released at 8:30am and if there are any leftover, they are re-released at 12:30pm. Toby and I (and many other tourists) learned this the hard way. We rocked up at 12:15pm and stood outside in the super humid heat and waited until 12:30pm until online ticket portals were open and quickly snagged two tickets. Not everyone was so lucky and had to come back another day. It was also super busy, so I’d recommend planning early and booking the first ticket of the day so you’re not rushed to get through everything in time before closing. We JUST managed to get through everything but didn’t have time to see any of the short films.

Right at the entrance, you’re initially greeted with the original model of the Enterprise they used in the Star Trek TOS opening scenes!!!
Toby’s mind was blown when he saw that they had the original Wright brother’s plane!
It was pretty cool
Toby loves planes
Not a replica!

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

https://naturalhistory.si.edu/

This was our second favourite museum in DC. This museum is HUGE and tickets are not required beforehand. Entry is free and it will likely take you all day to get through it all. This museum has the largest collection of dinosaur fossils that I’ve ever seen and there are a TON of things to see here. Definitely worth a visit!

You can see what you’d look like in prehistoric times
😂
Like twins 👯‍♀️

Smithsonian Castle

This was also not on our list of things to do, but we happened to walk by it on our way to the Museum of Natural History. There was a beautiful garden to walk through and the building is the Smithsonian Castle, which is temporarily closed.

Things to Eat

We weren’t really expecting a big foodie trip, so we just googled nearby restaurants to our hotel and found the two top rated ones and spent most of our meals there 😅.

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Rib and Stone Crab

https://www.joes.net/dc/

Joe’s is a chain restaurant with locations in Chicago and Vegas. They specialize in seafood (esp stone crab) and prime rib. Over the course of two separate meals, we ordered the crab cakes, steak tartare, lobster, prime rib, and stone crab. The prime rib was meh, but the crab cake was delicious (although pricey) and the stone crab was out of this world! We had never had stone crab until now and we were HOOKED. We went back the next day just to have the stone crab again. Oh boy!

The stone crab was SO freaking good. I’d come back to DC just for these babies!

Old Ebbitt Grill

https://www.ebbitt.com/

This restaurant has historical significance – it is Washington’s first saloon, opened in 1856! It’s now owned by a corporate restaurant chain but they’ve preserved the interior very nicely and the place has a great ambience to it. They pride themselves on being a ‘scratch kitchen’, making everything from scratch including all the sauces. The food was decent but nothing mind-blowing (the crab cakes were better at Joe’s), but the atmosphere was great and it was always busy during dinner time, so make sure you make reservations!

VUE Rooftop (inside Hotel Washington)

https://www.vuerooftopdc.com/rooftop-bars-dc

This rooftop bar was located inside of our hotel which was nice. It has great views of the Washington monument as well as the White House in the distance. The drinks are decent and the vibes were lovely at sunset. There’s a whole restaurant area but we already had dinner at this point so we only had drinks and dessert.

We drove home early next day to make it back in time to unwind and do laundry before work started the day after. Thanks for reading! If you have any tips or suggestions for DC, I’d love to hear them!

Abby4 Comments

So Easy Tan Tan Ramen


Date Published: Oct 24th, 2023 | Last Updated: Mar 2nd, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: easy, quick, Asian, mains, soups, healthy
Serves: 2 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 20 mins

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Ramen is my all time favourite food. No matter where we travel, I always scout out notable ramen shops (we’ve been to a LOT of them). Nothing beats a classic Tonkotsu Ramen, but a Tan Tan Ramen is a close second. For the longest time, I’ve assumed all ramen recipes would be long and arduous like the Tonkotsu ramen, until I came across a random Tan Tan Ramen recipe and realized how simple it was – no boiling down bones for hours required! In fact, the recipe is so simple that you can put it all together within 30 minutes and with minimal prep work! Toby tells me that this is the best Tan Tan Ramen he’s ever had – and I’m inclined to agree! This recipe comes out so flavourful with minimal effort, perfect for a quick lunch or dinner. The serving size is for 2 people because I find that it’s best eaten fresh and not as leftovers in a bulk cook as I often do for work. Multiply the recipe ingredients if you’re cooking for more people.

This recipe was adapted from Woks of Life.

A Healthier Alternative?

We all know a classic tonkotsu ramen isn’t the most calorie-friendly dish out there. The classic broth is made through boiling down bones with fatty pork belly to achieve that beautiful creamy flavour and texture. It’s delicious in every way, but sadly too rich to have daily. HOWEVER, a Tan Tan Ramen has the same creamy broth but without any cream, milk, or fat. The creamy broth is actually made with….drum roll…oat milk! 🤯🤯🤯 Any unsweetened oat milk will do, BUT I’ve discovered that homemade oat milk will create an even creamier texture. Toby and I recently bought a Vitamix Blender, a kitchen appliance I’ve wanted ever since I was a little girl waiting for the ice cream and hot soup samples during a demo at the CNE. After 18 years, I finally took the plunge and got one last month. Ever since then, I’ve been making my own oat milk. If you’ve ever made oat milk at home, you’ll know that if you over strain it, it can get kind of slimy – this is due to the beta glucan, a soluble fibre found in oats. Therefore when you make oat milk, you don’t want to squeeze the strainer bag too much or else the sliminess comes out. However, in a Tan Tan Ramen recipe, I encourage you to squeeze the bag! The slimier the better! This sliminess results in a thicker soup and creamier texture in the recipe. Beta glucan is actually good for you and has cholesterol-lowering properties, so go ahead, squeeze the bag (don’t worry, your soup won’t be slimy)! You don’t have to feel guilty about eating ramen anymore and the soup is actually good for you!

If you’re already making a big batch of oat milk, use the last 1.5 cups when straining the milk for this recipe. Otherwise, blend 1/2 cup of oats in 2 cups of cold water on HIGH speed for 30 seconds and strain and squeeze through a nut milk/fine mesh sieve/bag. You only need 1.5 cups for this recipe.

What are Ramen Noodles?

Ramen noodles are different than regular noodles. They are alkaline and has a distinct taste with a slight chewy/bounce texture. To stay true to the authenticity of a tonkotsu ramen, I’d recommend taking the extra effort to find ramen noodles – you’re putting in all this effort to make it all from scratch anyway!

When looking for ramen noodles, try to buy them either freshly made or in the frozen section. Avoid the dehydrated dried noodles that are labeled as ‘ramen noodles’ – I’ve tried a few different kinds in the past and they’re just not the same.

My favourite ramen noodles are made from Sun Noodle and they come in medium or thick noodles (see picture). This one package has 2 servings – it doesn’t seem like much, but it definitely expands when cooking!

Myojo is another brand of ramen noodles I’ve heard g

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 300g ground pork
  • 1 Tbsp mirin
  • 1 Tbsp ginger, finely minced
  • Soup Flavour Base:
    • 2 Tbsps soy sauce
    • 2 Tbsps unsweetened peanut butter
    • 1 tsp rice vinegar
    • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
    • 1 Tbsp chili oil (any kind is fine, I prefer the Szechuan mala chili oils)
  • 1.5 cups unsweetened oat milk or soy milk
    • Pro-tip: for a creamier soup, use homemade oat milk (blend 1/2 cup oats to 2 cups water on high speed for 30 seconds then strain it through a nut milk bag)
  • 1.5 cups chicken stock
  • 1 Tbsp spicy bean sauce (la dou ban jiang 辣豆瓣酱)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bunches of bok choy (or other leafy greens), washed and trimmed
  • 2 servings of ramen noodles (any brand will do, my favourite are from Sun noodle – see photo)
  • 2 green onions/scallions, chopped

Directions:

Mix the ground pork, mirin, and ginger together. Set aside to marinate for 15 mins.

Prepare the soup flavour base by combining soy sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, sugar, and chili oil. Evenly divide this mixture into 2 soup bowls for serving. Set aside.

In a saucepan on HIGH heat, add in the oat milk and chicken stock. Heat it up until it just comes to a simmer then turn the heat to LOW to keep warm until ready to be used. Do not let it get any higher than a small simmer otherwise it may curdle!

In a wok on HIGH heat, drizzle a small amount of oil and sauté the marinated pork from step 1 until browned. Then add in the spicy bean sauce and garlic. Continue to sauté for another minute then turn off the heat.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the bok choy for 60 seconds then remove from the pot and set aside.

Bring the same pot of water to a boil again and cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions. Strain the noodles.

To assemble: Add one ladle of the oat milk/chicken stock mixture into each of the soup bowls over the soup flavour base and mix well until combined. Then evenly divide the rest of the oat milk/chicken stock mixture into each bowl.

Then top with the cooked ramen noodles, ground pork, and bok choy. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped scallions over top. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

So Easy Tan Tan Ramen

Date Published: Oct 24th, 2023 | Last Updated: Mar 2nd, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: easy, quick, Asian, mains, soups, healthy
Serves: 2 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

  • 300g ground pork
  • 1 Tbsp mirin
  • 1 Tbsp ginger, finely minced
  • Soup Flavour Base:
    • 2 Tbsps soy sauce
    • 2 Tbsps unsweetened peanut butter
    • 1 tsp rice vinegar
    • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
    • 1 Tbsp chili oil (any kind is fine, I prefer the Szechuan mala chili oils)
  • 1.5 cups unsweetened oat milk or soy milk
    • Pro-tip: for a creamier soup, use homemade oat milk (blend 1/2 cup oats to 2 cups water on high speed for 30 seconds then strain it through a nut milk bag)
  • 1.5 cups chicken stock
  • 1 Tbsp spicy bean sauce (la dou ban jiang 辣豆瓣酱)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bunches of bok choy (or other leafy greens), washed and trimmed
  • 2 servings of ramen noodles (any brand will do, my favourite are from Sun noodle – see photo)
  • 2 green onions/scallions, chopped

Directions:

  1. Mix the ground pork, mirin, and ginger together. Set aside to marinate for 15 mins.
  2. Prepare the soup flavour base by combining soy sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, sugar, and chili oil. Evenly divide this mixture into 2 soup bowls for serving. Set aside.
  3. In a saucepan on HIGH heat, add in the oat milk and chicken stock. Heat it up until it just comes to a simmer then turn the heat to LOW to keep warm until ready to be used. Do not let it get any higher than a small simmer otherwise it may curdle!
  4. In a wok on HIGH heat, drizzle a small amount of oil and sauté the marinated pork from step 1 until browned. Then add in the spicy bean sauce and garlic. Continue to sauté for another minute then turn off the heat.
  5. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the bok choy for 60 seconds then remove from the pot and set aside. Bring the same pot of water to a boil again and cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions. Strain the noodles.
  6. To assemble: Add one ladle of the oat milk/chicken stock mixture into each of the soup bowls over the soup flavour base and mix well until combined. Then evenly divide the rest of the oat milk/chicken stock mixture into each bowl. Then top with the cooked ramen noodles, ground pork, and bok choy. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped scallions over top. Enjoy!

AbbyLeave a comment

Rendering Pork Fat: Making Lard


Date Published: Oct 24th, 2023 | Last Updated: Oct 24th, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: tips, tricks
Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 1 hour

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Using lard instead of cooking oil adds an extra depth of flavour to any dish – think stir-fry noodles, fried rice, sautéed veggies. You can buy ready to use lard at any grocery store, but I find homemade lard to have an extra smokiness that you just can’t get beat. Although a little time-consuming, it is SO easy to make your own lard at home and also a little satisfying to watch all the fat melt down. Try it yourself! The finished lard will last for up to 6 months in the fridge.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 1kg of pork belly/fat – with or without skin, chopped 2cm pieces
  • 3/4 cup water

Directions:

In a wok on MED-HIGH heat, add in the pork belly and water. After a minute or two, the water will start turning murky and start to evaporate.

Oil slowly starting to render
Rendering further, small pool of oil ready to collect

When the water evaporates, turn the heat down to MED-LOW and let the fat slowly start to melt to a clear oil.

Continuously spoon out the clear oil into a heat-proof bowl as its produced (you don’t want to leave the pork sitting in a pool of oil or else this will start frying the pork). This is a slow process and will take roughly 45mins – 1hr. Be sure to toss the pork pieces occasionally. It’s done when the pork pieces are dried and crispy and no longer rendering fat. Turn off heat.

When the pork is dried and no longer producing much oil, turn off the heat
Collected oil from rendering the fat

Once the oil cools, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate. If there are any big floaties in your oil from the pork, strain the oil first before storing. It will solidify once cold and you can use it as needed when cooking. This will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Summarized Recipe:

Rendering Pork Fat: Making Lard

Date Published: Oct 24th, 2023 | Last Updated: Oct 24th, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: tips, tricks
Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 1kg of pork belly/fat – with or without skin, chopped 2cm pieces
  • 3/4 cup water

Directions:

  1. In a wok on MED-HIGH heat, add in the pork belly and water. After a minute or two, the water will start turning murky and start to evaporate.
  2. When the water evaporates, turn the heat down to MED-LOW and let the fat slowly start to melt to a clear oil. Continuously spoon out the clear oil into a heat-proof bowl as its produced (you don’t want to leave the pork sitting in a pool of oil or else this will start frying the pork). This is a slow process and will take roughly 45mins – 1hr. Be sure to toss the pork pieces occasionally. It’s done when the pork pieces are dried and crispy and no longer rendering fat. Turn off heat.
  3. Once the oil cools, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate. If there are any big floaties in your oil from the pork, strain the oil first before storing. It will solidify once cold and you can use it as needed when cooking. This will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months.

AbbyLeave a comment

Babička’s Simple Czech Goulash


Date Published: May 16th, 2023 | Last Updated: May 16th, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: mains, easy
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 2.5 hrs

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‘Goulash’ is a stew or soup made with meat and vegetables and usually using paprika as the main spice. It originates from Central Europe and there are LOTS of different variations of it between countries and so many different ways to make it. This recipe is Toby’s babička’s (grandmother’s) version of a simple goulash. It’s one of Toby’s favourite dishes so she taught us how to make it when we visited in Czech last summer. When I first made it on my own I had to guestimate the amounts of everything since true to old school universal grandma cooking, everything was made by ‘taste’, ‘feel’, and ‘eyeballing it until it looks right’ 😅. I’m happy to report that this recipe is Toby-approved to be just like his babička’s version.

In Czech Republic a goulash is commonly served with bread dumplings (knedliky) and a few slices of red onion, but you can choose whatever carb you wish. Toby’s favourite way is mixed with pasta noodles so it’s more of a pasta dish rather than a soup/stew – it’s not traditional, but he loves it so that’s how I make it every time!

A goulash can be a great way to use up leftover meat and veg in the fridge. The ingredients are pretty forgiving as long as you use paprika and caraway seeds for the seasoning to give it that Czech touch. Toby’s family friends once made goulash using wallaby meat when they visited in Australia!

This recipe seems long with lots of steps, but it’s actually pretty once all the prep work is done. The hardest part is waiting for it to be done!

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 500g yellow onion, diced (the ratio of onion to meat is 1:2)
  • 1kg beef chuck or shank or pork, diced into 3-4cm pieces
  • 3 Tbsps paprika (try to get the best quality you can find)
  • 2 Tbsps whole caraway seeds
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt (more to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 500g white mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
  • Serve with bread, dumplings, rice, or noodles

Directions:

In a medium pot on MED heat, sauté the onion in a drizzle of oil until it caramelizes/ turns brown then remove from the pot and set aside.

Next, in the same pot, turn the heat up to MED-HIGH and add another drizzle of oil. Splash a drop of water into the pot and if it sizzles, it’s hot enough and ready to use. Add in the diced meat and sear until the sides are browned (~5-8 seconds per side). Do not overcrowd the pot – only add enough meat to fit in a single uncrowded layer. You may have to sear the meat in a few batches. If you add in too much meat at once, the juices will come out and you’ll end up boiling the meat.

Once all the meat is seared, turn the heat back down to MEDIUM and put all the meat back into the pot along with the caramelized onions. Then add in the paprika, salt, caraway seeds, garlic, and mushrooms. Stir until combined and cook until the mushrooms are tender ~5 mins.

After 15 mins
After 2 hours – I didn’t need to add any water in this batch

Once the mushrooms are tender and have released their liquid, put the lid on and simmer everything on LOW heat until the beef is tender and easy to break with a spoon, ~ 2 hours. Check on it and stir every 15 mins. If the sauce is disappearing and getting a little dry, add in enough water to cover half of the meat each time. The amount of water to add will depend on how much liquid gets released by the mushrooms and how much evaporates over this time. Every time I’ve made this the amount of water changes. In some instances I haven’t had to add any water at all!

While you’re waiting for the goulash to cook, prepare your carb of choice to go with the goulash.

Once the meat is cooked, add in the cornstarch by making a slurry of it in a small bowl with a few spoonfuls of the liquid from the pot. Once all the cornstarch is dissolved, pour it into the pot and mix it around. Feel free to add more cornstarch if you prefer a thicker stew. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Done!

Serve with your choice of carb: dumplings, bread, rice, or noodles. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Babička’s Simple Czech Goulash

Date Published: May 16th, 2023 | Last Updated: May 16th, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: mains, easy
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 2.5 hrs

Ingredients:

  • 500g yellow onion, diced (the ratio of onion to meat is 1:2)
  • 1kg beef chuck or shank or pork, diced into 3-4cm pieces
  • 3 Tbsps paprika (try to get the best quality you can find)
  • 2 Tbsps whole caraway seeds
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt (more to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 500g white mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
  • Serve with bread, dumplings, rice, or noodles

Directions:

  1. In a medium pot on MED heat, sauté the onion in a drizzle of oil until it caramelizes/ turns brown then remove from the pot and set aside.
  2. Next, in the same pot, turn the heat up to MED-HIGH and add another drizzle of oil. Splash a drop of water into the pot and if it sizzles, it’s hot enough and ready to use. Add in the diced meat and sear until the sides are browned (~5-8 seconds per side).
    • Do not overcrowd the pot – only add enough meat to fit in a single uncrowded layer. You may have to sear the meat in a few batches. If you add in too much meat at once, the juices will come out and you’ll end up boiling the meat.
  3. Once all the meat is seared, turn the heat back down to MEDIUM and put all the meat back into the pot along with the caramelized onions. Then add in the paprika, salt, caraway seeds, garlic, and mushrooms. Stir until combined and cook until the mushrooms are tender ~5 mins.
  4. Once the mushrooms are tender and have released their liquid, put the lid on and simmer everything on LOW heat until the beef is tender and easy to break with a spoon, ~ 2 hours. Check on it and stir every 15 mins. If the sauce is disappearing and getting a little dry, add in enough water to cover half of the meat each time.
    • The amount of water to add will depend on how much liquid gets released by the mushrooms and how much evaporates over this time. Every time I’ve made this the amount of water changes. In some instances I haven’t had to add any water at all!
  5. While you’re waiting, prepare your carb of choice to go with the goulash.
  6. Once the meat is cooked, add in the cornstarch by making a slurry of it in a small bowl with a few spoonfuls of the liquid from the pot. Once all the cornstarch is dissolved, pour it into the pot and mix it around. Feel free to add more cornstarch if you prefer a thicker stew. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Done!
  7. Serve with your choice of carb: dumplings, bread, rice, or noodles. Enjoy!

AbbyLeave a comment

Mushroom Sausage Stuffing Rice


Date Published: March 9th, 2023 | Last Updated: March 9th, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: mains, side, easy
Serves: 6-8 as a main | Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 30 mins

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I LOVE stuffing. I know I say I love a lot of foods, but stuffing is definitely top 3 for me and it’s always the dish I look forward to most every Thanksgiving. I could eat stuffing all day every day, but the sad reality is that it’s so full of buttery goodness that I’d probably have heart burn and struggle to fit through doorways if I made it a daily meal. (If you haven’t tried my mushroom stuffing, I urge you to give it a go!). In an effort to make it a more “healthy”, sustainable everyday meal, I experimented with isolating the flavours of the stuffing by swapping the carbs out from bread to rice and halving the amount of butter required and adding protein to make it well-rounded. Thus was the birth of stuffing rice! It turned out way better than expected and much easier to make than regular stuffing. I will admit, I still do miss the buttery bread of regular stuffing, but this is definitely a great alternative for all those days until the next Thanksgiving 😅.

You can also sneak in some veggies such as sautéed asparagus or spinach, which I didn’t think about until after I wrote this recipe and took all the photos. Next time!

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 1 stick (115g) salted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 600g mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 medium bunch of celery (~8 stalks)
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced
  • 300g sausage, chopped (any will do, my favourite is Kielbasa)
  • 1 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1.5 tsps dried sage
  • 0.5 tsp dried marjoram
  • 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp cooking salt + more to taste
  • 3 cups jasmine rice
  • 3 cups chicken stock + more if needed

Directions:

In a large pot on MED heat, melt 1 stick of butter. Add in garlic, onion, mushrooms, celery, and parsley. Cook until the celery is soft enough to break with a wooden spoon (~5 mins). You can add a lid on to quicken the process.

Next, add in the chicken thighs, sausage, poultry seasoning, thyme, sage, marjoram, black pepper, and salt. Sauté until the chicken thighs are half cooked, then add in the jasmine rice and chicken stock. Mix well.

Put the lid on and simmer on LOW heat until the rice is cooked (~20 mins). Be sure to check on it every 5-10 minutes and add extra chicken stock if the liquid is absorbed too quickly before the rice is done. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure nothing sticks. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, adjust salt and pepper to taste and fluff up with a fork. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Mushroom Sausage Stuffing Rice

Date Published: March 9th, 2023 | Last Updated: March 9th, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: mains, side, easy
Serves: 6-8 | Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick (115g) salted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 600g mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 medium bunch of celery (~8 stalks)
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced
  • 300g sausage, chopped (any will do, my favourite is Kielbasa)
  • 1 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1.5 tsps dried sage
  • 0.5 tsp dried marjoram
  • 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp cooking salt + more to taste
  • 3 cups jasmine rice
  • 3 cups chicken stock + more if needed

Directions:

  1. In a large pot on MED heat, melt 1 stick of butter.
  2. Add in garlic, onion, mushrooms, celery, and parsley. Cook until the celery is soft enough to break with a wooden spoon (~5 mins). You can add a lid on to quicken the process.
  3. Next, add in the chicken thighs, sausage, poultry seasoning, thyme, sage, marjoram, black pepper, and salt. Sauté until the chicken thighs are half cooked, then add in the jasmine rice and chicken stock. Mix well.
  4. Put the lid on and simmer on LOW heat until the rice is cooked (~20 mins). Be sure to check on it every 5-10 minutes and add extra chicken stock if the liquid is absorbed too quickly before the rice is done. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure nothing sticks. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, adjust salt and pepper to taste and fluff up with a fork. Enjoy!

AbbyLeave a comment

Hearty Kielbasa Chili


Date Published: May 7th, 2023 | Last Updated: May 7th, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: main, easy, soups
Serves: 6-8 (1 large pot) | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 2.5 hours

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I’m back! Toby and I have been so busy moving to New York City and settling in to our new place and new jobs that I’ve barely had any time to play in the kitchen. It also doesn’t help that 90% of our kitchen things is still on a boat from Melbourne to NYC 😩. It’s been about 2.5 months, so hopefully they’ll release our items any day now…

This recipe never fails and is always a hearty meal on a cold day. It’s also a great way to sneak in extra vegetables to clear out the fridge. I have made this countless times over the years and it’s very forgiving in terms of extra vegetables you want to add in without affecting the flavour. There’s a big list of ingredients for this recipe, but the actual instructions are quite simple – just brown the meat, cook the veg and let everything simmer for a few hours.

This recipe is adapted from the Boilermaker Tailgate Chili from AllRecipes. I’ve made a few changes and omitted the beans since I’ve never been a fan but feel free to add them back in per the original recipe. You can also add in some chilis to give it an extra kick. The original recipe called for ground sausage meat which I couldn’t find at my local grocery store when I initially made this recipe and substituted for Kielbasa (Polish sausage) and it was amazing! Time and time again the Kielbasa has been my favourite part of this chili and as such I made it a permanent addition to the recipe.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 1kg ground beef
  • 500g Kielbasa, chopped
  • 2 (28 oz/800g) cans diced tomatoes with juice
  • 1 (6 oz/170g) can tomato paste
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 500g mushrooms, slices
  • 4 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 4 beef bouillon cubes
  • 1/2 cup beer
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsps ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • Grated cheese for sprinkling on top

Directions:

In a large pot on MED heat, add a drizzle of oil and cook the ground beef until it’s half-browned (~3 mins).

Then add in the onions, garlic, mushrooms, and Kielbasa. Continue to cook until the onions start to soften and turn translucent.

Pour in the diced tomatoes with juices and tomato paste. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure nothing sticks.

Add in the rest of the ingredients except the sour cream (celery, green peppers, beef bouillon cubes, beer, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika). Mix everything together then simmer on LOW heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally (the longer it simmers, the better the flavour!).

After 2hrs, taste and adjust salt and pepper and cayenne pepper if needed. Done!

Serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Hearty Kielbasa Chili

Date Published: May 7th, 2023 | Last Updated: May 7th, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: main, easy, soups
Serves: 6-8 (1 large pot) | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 2.5 hours

Ingredients:

  • 1kg ground beef
  • 500g Kielbasa, chopped
  • 2 (28 oz/800g) cans diced tomatoes with juice
  • 1 (6 oz/170g) can tomato paste
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 500g mushrooms, slices
  • 4 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 4 beef bouillon cubes
  • 1/2 cup beer
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsps ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • Grated cheese for sprinkling on top

Directions:

  1. In a large pot on MED heat, add a drizzle of oil and cook the ground beef until it’s half-browned (~3 mins) then add in the onions, garlic, mushrooms, and Kielbasa. Continue to cook until the onions start to soften and turn translucent.
  2. Pour in the diced tomatoes with juices and tomato paste. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure nothing sticks.
  3. Add in the rest of the ingredients except the sour cream (celery, green peppers, beef bouillon cubes, beer, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika). Mix everything together then simmer on LOW heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally (the longer it simmers, the better the flavour!).
  4. After 2hrs, taste and adjust salt and pepper and cayenne pepper if needed. Done!
  5. Serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Abby1 Comment

Spicy Cucumber Curry Soup


Date Published: Jan 1st, 2023 | Last Updated: Jan 1st, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: starter, appetizer, main, healthy, vegetarian, < 30mins, easy, low-cal
Serves: 6-8 as a starter, 4 as mains | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins

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With an abundance of cucumbers on the Homolka farm lately, I’ve been experimenting with different ways of using it up. This recipe uses up 4 cucumbers at a time, however full disclaimer, the actual flavour of the cucumber is masked by the spices, but it’s still a delicious and hearty soup nonetheless, and also healthy and low in calories! (If you’re looking for a cucumber soup full of cucumber flavour, check out the Hot or Cold Creamy Cucumber Soup recipe.)

Cucumber-mania!

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 large cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, and chopped
  • 1.5 Tbsps curry powder
  • 2 tsps red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you prefer it spicier)
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tsps sesame oil
  • 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 4 cups of cooked shredded chicken (optional)
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium sized pot on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is very soft, translucent, and slightly browned (~5 mins).

Set aside a large handful of sliced cucumbers for garnish at the end and add the rest into the pot. Mix around for 30 seconds then add in the curry powder, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper. Sauté for another minute until the spices are fragrant, then add in the soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken stock, and milk. Bring the soup to a boil then simmer gently for 10 mins with the lid on, until the cucumbers are soft.

After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and use a stick blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can pour the soup into a blender instead of using a stick blender.

Put the soup back on the stove on MED heat and add in the shredded chicken. Once heated through, stir in the greek yogurt and taste to adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the reserved cucumbers when serving. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Spicy Cucumber Curry Soup

Date Published: Jan 1st, 2023 | Last Updated: Jan 1st, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: starter, appetizer, main, healthy, vegetarian, < 30mins, easy, low-cal
Serves: 6-8 as a starter, 4 as mains | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 large cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, and chopped
  • 1.5 Tbsps curry powder
  • 2 tsps red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you prefer it spicier)
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tsps sesame oil
  • 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 4 cups of cooked shredded chicken (optional)
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized pot on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is very soft, translucent, and slightly browned (~5 mins).
  2. Set aside a large handful of sliced cucumbers for garnish at the end and add the rest into the pot. Mix around for 30 seconds then add in the curry powder, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper. Sauté for another minute until the spices are fragrant, then add in the soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken stock, and milk. Bring the soup to a boil then simmer gently for 10 mins with the lid on, until the cucumbers are soft.
  3. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and use a stick blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can pour the soup into a blender instead of using a stick blender.
  4. Put the soup back on the stove on MED heat and add in the shredded chicken. Once heated through, stir in the greek yogurt and taste to adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the reserved cucumbers when serving. Enjoy!

Abby1 Comment

Hot or Cold Creamy Cucumber Soup


Date Published: Jan 1st, 2023 | Last Updated: Mar 7th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: starter, appetizer, main, healthy, vegetarian, < 30mins, easy, low-cal
Serves: 6-8 as a starter, 4 as mains | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 20 mins

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Happy New Year everyone!

Summer is upon us which means the Homolka farm is once again in full swing with an array of fresh home-grown veggies! Of these veggies, zucchini and cucumber seem to always be in abundance with Toby’s dad at least harvesting 4-6 per day! There’s only so much cold cucumber salad you can make, so I was on the hunt for cooked cucumber recipes. I’ve always been a sucker for soups so when I came upon a hot cucumber soup recipe from EatingWell.com, I just had to try it! It was delicious right from the start but I made a few little adjustments and doubled the recipe amount so I can have this as a main dish instead of a small appetizer portion. This recipe can be served hot, warm, or chilled – cold soups never seem satisfying and hearty for me, so I always like to have it hot.

This is only part of the cucumber mania on the farm! ❤️

This soup is so quick and easy to make. It’s also fantastic for using up an abundance of cucumbers and best of all it’s creamy and low in calories at the same time! Sounds too good to be true, eh?

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 Tbsps lemon juice
  • 4 large (~8 cups) cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, and sliced
  • 3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 1 tsp cooking salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 avocados, diced
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt

Directions:

In a medium sized pot on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is very soft, translucent, and slightly browned (~5 mins).

Add the lemon juice and sauté for another minute, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pot.

Set aside a large handful of sliced cucumbers for garnish at the end and add the rest into the pot. Mix around for 30 seconds then add in the chicken stock, salt, and black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil then simmer gently for 10 mins, until the cucumbers are soft.

After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and add the diced avocados to the pot. Use a stick blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can pour the soup into a blender instead of using a stick blender.

Stir in the greek yogurt and taste to adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the reserved cucumbers when serving. Enjoy hot, or chilled!

Summarized Recipe:

Hot or Cold Creamy Cucumber Soup

Date Published: Jan 1st, 2023 | Last Updated: Jan 1st, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: starter, appetizer, main, healthy, vegetarian, < 30mins, easy, low-cal
Serves: 6-8 as a starter, 4 as mains | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 Tbsps lemon juice
  • 4 large (~8 cups) cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, and sliced
  • 3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 1 tsp cooking salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 avocados, diced
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized pot on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is very soft, translucent, and slightly browned (~5 mins).
  2. Add the lemon juice and sauté for another minute, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pot.
  3. Set aside a large handful of sliced cucumbers for garnish at the end and add the rest into the pot. Mix around for 30 seconds then add in the chicken stock, salt, and black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil then simmer gently for 10 mins, until the cucumbers are soft.
  4. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and add the diced avocados to the pot. Use a stick blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can pour the soup into a blender instead of using a stick blender.
  5. Stir in the greek yogurt and taste to adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the reserved cucumbers when serving. Enjoy hot, or chilled!

Abby4 Comments

Creamy White Wine and Garlic Mussels


Date Published: Dec 28th, 2022 | Last Updated: Dec 28th, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: < 30mins, easy, appetizers, mains
Serves: 2 as mains | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins

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I LOVE mussels. I could eat them all day everyday. It is physically impossible for me to not order mussels if it’s on a menu. I prefer them in a white wine broth like this recipe, whereas Toby prefers it in the a tomato sauce base. Either way, mussels are one of my favourite seafood items and I could eat a whole kilo of them all on my own – ask Toby 😜. We’ve travelled around Australia and have tasted the freshest seafood available but my favourite is at the Queen Victoria Market mussel van where they have the plumpest mussels farmed in Port Arlington and they offer them cooked in a variety of flavours. You gotta try the blue cheese mussels. Seriously. (It’s on my to-do list to try and recreate them.)

I’ve spent a few months trying to perfect this recipe and we’ve also tasted a lot of disappointing white wine garlic mussels in my research. I’m glad to finally be able to share my version of a classic mussel dish! This recipe has a buttery garlic and onion broth base and finished off simmering in cream for that perfectly flavourful indulgent broth. They’re a breeze to whip up and add a touch of fanciness to dinner parties.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 2 Tbsps + 1 Tbsp (43g) unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 cup dry white wine (ie. sauvignon blanc – I’ve used Chinese cooking wine successfully as well 😅)
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 kg live mussels, washed and debearded
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

In a large pot on MED-HIGH heat, melt 2 Tbsps butter then add in the garlic and onion. Sauté until the onions are soft.

Add in the bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and white wine. Bring the sauce to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add in the mussels and stir. Put the lid on and cook for 5-7 minutes until the mussels all open up.

Once all the mussels have opened up, take them out with a slotted spoon and divide evenly amongst serving bowls. Leave the sauce in the pot and add in 1 Tbsp of butter and the heavy cream. Let it simmer for 10 mins to let the flavours infuse and until the sauce thickens a little. Turn off heat and pour sauce over the mussels. Serve with slices of toasted bread. Enjoy!

Other mussel recipes:

Summarized Recipe:

Creamy White Wine and Garlic Mussels

Date Published: Dec 28th, 2022 | Last Updated: Dec 28th, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: < 30mins, easy, appetizers, mains
Serves: 2 as mains | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsps + 1 Tbsp (43g) unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 cup dry white wine (ie. sauvignon blanc – I’ve used Chinese cooking wine successfully as well 😅)
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 kg live mussels, washed and debearded
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

  1. In a large pot on MED-HIGH heat, melt 2 Tbsps butter then add in the garlic and onion. Sauté until the onions are soft.
  2. Add in the bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and white wine. Bring the sauce to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add in the mussels and stir. Put the lid on and cook for 5-7 minutes until the mussels all open up.
  3. Once all the mussels have opened up, take them out with a slotted spoon and divide evenly amongst serving bowls. Leave the sauce in the pot and add in 1 Tbsp of butter and the heavy cream. Let it simmer for 10 mins to let the flavours infuse and until the sauce thickens a little. Turn off heat and pour sauce over the mussels. Serve with slices of toasted bread. Enjoy!

AbbyLeave a comment

Creamy and Tangy Czech Mushroom & Dill Soup (Kulajda)


Date Published: Dec 25th, 2022 | Last Updated: Dec 25th, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: soups, appetizers, <30mins, easy, mains, vegetarian
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

Jump to recipe |

What is Kulajda?

Kulajda (pronounced “koo-lie-duh”) is a creamy and tangy mushroom, dill and potato soup that is traditional to Southern Czech. We first came upon it on our trip to Prague this past summer. Apart from all the nostalgic Czech dishes that Toby wanted to have (including steak tartare), we also googled some famous must-have Czech dishes that led us to the historical Michelin-guided restaurant, Café Imperial. There were SO many delicious things at this restaurant but my all-time favourite was the kulajda. In fact, I liked it so much that I was on the lookout for it at every subsequent restaurant we went to on our trip around Czech! The flavour combination of savoury and tangy and highlighting the ingredients of mushrooms and dill were out of this world. It was a combination that was new to me and I loved it!

Also a big fan of their svičkova and steak tartare!
Often served with a poched egg

After googling recipes and experimenting with a few, I’ve come up with this version that is a mix of a couple of different recipes that resulted in a soup just like the one at Café Imperial. 😊 The soup was surprisingly easy and straightforward to make. If it wasn’t so heavy, I’d probably make this all the time 😜.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 40g dried porcini mushrooms
  • 5 bay leaves
  • 4 whole allspice berries
  • 2 cups (480ml) water
  • 40g (1/3 stick) unsalted butter
  • 4 Tbsps (40g) all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups (720ml) beef or chicken broth
  • 500g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
  • 3/4 cups (180ml) heavy cream
  • 2-3 Tbsps white wine vinegar (start with 2 Tbsps and add more if you prefer it more tart)
  • 1/4 cup (50g) sugar (or more to taste)
  • 3 Tbsps fresh dill leaves, chopped (no stems) + additional for garnish
  • 1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (or more to taste)
  • 4 eggs

Directions:

In a small saucepan, add the dried porcini mushrooms, bay leaves, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to simmer for 15 mins. After 15 mins, turn off the heat and set aside.

While the mushrooms are simmering, make a basic roux: In a medium sized soup pot on MED heat, melt the butter, then gradually sprinkle in the flour bit by bit while stirring until it’s all incorporated and you end up with a thick paste. Don’t add in the flour all at once or you’ll get a big clump of dough.

Once you get a thick paste, slowly pour in the beef broth while continuously stirring to ensure no clumps form.

Strain the mushrooms from the saucepan in step 1 and pour the mushroom-soaked water into the beef broth pot. Bring to a boil and simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside and discard the bay leaves and allspice berries.

After 10 mins, add the potatoes and soaked mushrooms to the soup and continue simmering for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes soften.

Turn off the heat and stir in the cream, white wine vinegar, sugar, and dill. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, or vinegar to your liking. Let the soup rest for a few minutes before serving.

While the soup is resting, poach 4 eggs.

When serving, add a poached egg to each bowl and pour the soup overtop. Sprinkle extra dill leaves on top to finish. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Creamy and Tangy Czech Mushroom & Dill Soup (Kulajda)

Date Published: Dec 25th, 2022 | Last Updated: Dec 25th, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: soups, appetizers, <30mins, easy, mains, vegetarian
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

  • 40g dried porcini mushrooms
  • 5 bay leaves
  • 4 whole allspice berries
  • 2 cups (480ml) water
  • 40g (1/3 stick) unsalted butter
  • 4 Tbsps (40g) all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups (720ml) beef or chicken broth
  • 450g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
  • 3/4 cups (180ml) heavy cream
  • 2-3 Tbsps white wine vinegar (start with 2 Tbsps and add more if you prefer it more tart)
  • 1/4 cup (50g) sugar (or more to taste)
  • 3 Tbsps fresh dill leaves, chopped (no stems) + additional for garnish
  • 1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (or more to taste)
  • 4 eggs

Directions:

  1. In a small saucepan, add the dried porcini mushrooms, bay leaves, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to simmer for 15 mins. After 15 mins, turn off the heat and set aside.
  2. While the mushrooms are simmering, make a basic roux: In a medium sized soup pot on MED heat, melt the butter, then gradually sprinkle in the flour bit by bit while stirring until it’s all incorporated and you end up with a thick paste. Don’t add in the flour all at once or you’ll get a big clump of dough.
  3. Once you get a thick paste, slowly pour in the beef broth while continuously stirring to ensure no clumps form.
  4. Strain the mushrooms from the saucepan in step 1 and pour the mushroom-soaked water into the beef broth pot. Bring to a boil and simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside and discard the bay leaves and allspice berries.
  5. After 10 mins, add the potatoes and soaked mushrooms to the soup and continue simmering for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes soften.
  6. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream, white wine vinegar, sugar, and dill. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, or vinegar to your liking. Let the soup rest for a few minutes before serving.
  7. While the soup is resting, poach 4 eggs.
  8. When serving, add a poached egg to each bowl and pour the soup overtop. Sprinkle extra dill leaves on top to finish. Enjoy!

AbbyLeave a comment