The Louisville Chef

I’ve had many versions of this dish all over the Czech Republic and in Budapest. Sometimes it’s more of a soup and sometimes it’s more of a stew. You can adjust it to more of a soup consistency by adding an additional cup of beef broth.


This is the simplest variation of this dish I know of, and I like it because is does not use lard, as many of the typical recipes. If you want to make it a bit more authentic, you can substitute lard for the vegetable oil.
I like to serve this with hearty dark bread and a great Czech beer like Pilsner Urquell.
Ingredients

2 lbs Beef Chuck, cut into medium size cubes 1 lbs of White Onion, sliced thinly on a mandoline ½ cup of Vegetable Oil ½ cup of dark Beer 1 Tbsp of Salt 2 Tbsp of Sweet Paprika, you can mix some Hot Paprika in if you want some heat. 2 tsp of Marjoram 4 cloves of Garlic, crushed 1 tsp of Caraway Seeds 1 can of Tomato Paste 2 cups of low sodium Beef Broth 2 slices of stale dark Bread, cubed
Brown off the meat in the hot oil, remove the meat and set asi…

This is a wonderful comfort food dish. It is hearty, has lovely flavor and is easy to bring together. It’s sort of a fusion between Swedish meatballs and a Stroganoff mushroom cream sauce and then you add the noodles for a perfect finish.



This would be perfect with a nice French Burgundy or Pinot Noir.

Ingredients
24 Meatballs, rolled to 1 inch in diameter To prepare the meatballs, use 1-1 ½ lb of ground Beef. Season the beef with Black Pepper, Celery salt, ½ tsp Sugar, a bit of freshly ground Nutmeg, Worcestershire Sauce and one beaten Egg and a Tbsp of Breadcrumbs. Mix gently and then form into meatballs.
1 Onion, sliced 1 lb Mushrooms, sliced in two 2 Tbsp Butter ¼ cup dry Sherry or Marsala 1 pint/two cups of heavy Cream or Crème Fraiche Green onions, just the green or chopped fresh chives Egg Noodles
Prepare the meatballs and allow them to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Then heat 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a sauté pan and brown off the meatballs and drain away the fat and s…

This is one of my favorites, because it’s combines the salty, sweet and sour taste so common in Thai cooking. It is not common in this form on most Thai menus, but is more of a fusion dish.

In Thailand, they often use tamarind paste to create this sour effect, but this is hard for many people to find, and it requires a longer cooking time to blend well.
Ingredients

¾ lb. Skinless, boneless Chicken Breast, sliced 1 large thinly sliced Onion. 1 large thinly sliced sweet Red Pepper 1 can Bamboo Shoots, drained 2 Tbsp. of Peanut or another Vegetable oil 3 cloves chopped Garlic 2-inch piece of fresh Ginger Root, sliced very thin. 1-2 Thai Chili, chopped
Sauce, this will be added towards the end of the cooking process.
3 Tbsp. Fish Sauce 1 Tbsp. White sugar or brown sugar or palm sugar Juice from one lime
Hint: I prefer the “Three Crabs” or “Tra Chang” brand, as it is very flavorful but not too salty compared to others I’ve tasted.

Start the heat under your wok, or a large skillet may also be used. The key…

Thais’ love fresh basil, and use many different types. Most of us are familiar with Sweet Basil, and this is easy to find in any market. However, it’s the “Holy Basil”, known as Bai Grapao, which is the most flavorful and authentic.


This basil has an anise type of flavor and gives this dish an amazing flavor and dimension that just doesn’t taste the same with sweet basil.
You should always use fresh basil for this recipe, as the dried variety will not give acceptable results, unless you can find the authentic dried Thai Grapao.
Ingredients

¾ lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, coarsely ground and marinated in about 1 Tbsp. of fish sauce, and 1 Tbsp. of light soy sauce. 1 sliced large Onion 1 sliced sweet Red Pepper 2 finely chopped Thai Chilies 2 Tbsp. of Peanut or another Vegetable oil 3 cloves chopped Garlic 1 tbsp chopped fresh Ginger Root 4 stalks of fresh Basil, pulled apart just before adding to the dish. Chopping fresh basil causes it to turn black while cooking.
Sauce, this will be add…