BEEF STROGANOFF - Chef's Choice

Serves 6 – Preparation time 30 minutes.

Over the years I have always been fine tuning this favorite of mine, adding or subracting spices and adjusting their amounts. I have finally settled on this combination. It consistently pleases my pallete and the final savour and bouquette are always at their maximum with fresh, natural ingredients. I also enjoy this without adding the sour cream.

Now, serve yourself a reasonable portion. Relax, eat slowly, enjoy the subtle flavors and aromas. Gutes Essen...!

Ingredients

• 1 pound fettuccine pasta or egg noodles
• 2 pounds thinly sliced fillet mignon or stir fry strips
• ¼ cup olive oil for the sauce
• 2 tblsp olive oil for the meat
• 12 ounces medium-ciurse chopped yellow onion
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 16 oz. ounces sliced mushrooms – thick ¼”
• 2 tblsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp sea salt – for the sauce
• 2 tblsp of sea salt – for boiling the pasta
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp dry tarragon
• ¾ cup of red wine – cabernet sauvignon
• 2 tblsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2-1/2 cups (2 10-1/2 oz. cans) consommé or beef stock
• ¼ cup unsalted butter for roux
• 4-6 tablespoons all-purpose flour for roux
• 2/3 pound of sour cream
• Sour cream for garnish, if desired
• Chopped parsley for garnish

Preparation

Cook the Pasta:

o While making the sauce, cook pasta according to the package directions to al dente in four quarts of water in a stock pot and drain well

o Place back into the same pot it was cooked in and put on a burner that has been turned off, toss in 2 tblsp butter, cover and keep pasta warm

Make the Sauce:

o Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat until hot

o Add and sauté onions, shallots, mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg and tarragon, until onions start to turn translucent

o Add the wine and Worcestershire and cook 3 more minutes to incorporate flavor

o Add Consommé or beef stock and bring to a boil – boil 2 minutes

o Reduce heat to low simmer

Make the Roux:

o Heat a small skillet or sauce pan over medium-low heat and melt the butter

o Add flour (start with 4 tblsp, 1 tblsp at a time) to the butter and stir with a wire whip or wooden spoon until the roux is smooth

o Continue cooking 2 minutes and then slowly add the roux to the sauce while stirring until the sauce is the correct thickness

Sear the Meat:

o Heat a skillet with 2 tblsp of olive oil over medium-high heat until hot

o Place strips of meat into the pan and sear the meat on both sides to medium-rare, put on the side

o Deglaze pan with ¼ cup of red wine, scraping bits and add to meat

Prepare & Serve:

• Remove stroganoff sauce from the heat and slowly add sour cream, stirring well
• Put back on medium heat and cook 2 minutes – do not boil, avoid curdling sour cream
• Plate the pasta, add seared meat strips and ladle the sauce over meat and pasta and garnish with more sour cream to taste and parsley
• Serve hot, season with salt and pepper to taste

Forget the bad television. An hour after this magnificent fare, excercise, shower. Snuggle with your spouse or a friend.

RECIPE BOOK - Eat What The Hell You Want - A Diet For Real People!

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The recipe book "Eat What The Hell You Want - A Diet For Real People" has a target release date for the Fall of this year. Below are examples of headings & menus. Items will be added as they are finalized.

Forward

Eat what the hell you want, just eat less!

There, an ancient secret to healthy living has finally escaped Pandora’s Box. Warning: Do not tell the “Diet Corporations” or “Diet Gurus.” This free common sense causes them to lose vast amounts of business. It is estimated that Americans spend well over $40-45 billion in weight loss programs and products.

If you follow this “revolutionary new diet plan,” you may finally stop thinking about food, your weight and how ugly you are. You’ll move on with your life, to something more important. What that is, you’ll have to discover on your own, but it will come to you.

I'm not a commercial chef, I'm not a nutritionist nor diet expert. I only have common sense. I do what my mother told me.

How is it that she lived to be 93, without medical and weight problems, while coming from a generation of "ill-informed," a generation which "lacked knowledge," "scientific food gurus" and "nutrition-experts?"

We now have all these miracle foods, miracle potions and drugs, miracle "diets and solutions" and experts telling us what to eat (and without who's wisdom and products we would fail to exist), as our society eats itself to death with business driven "marketing concoctions." Let's call this processed stuff what it is...I'll coin it "Quasifood." But, enough of this bashing - it accomplishes little...!

Now that you’ve learned the secret, you won’t be obsessed by and consumed with food – as if somewhere on that plate was the meaning and purpose of your life – you’ll just be eating and enjoying good food.

If you are a lonely person looking for happiness from food, you’ll find some solace but not your happiness and self esteem; if you’re a person who is overweight, by eating less you’ll lose the pounds. Sorry – that’s it!

The diet industry and marketers of magic programs and products are nothing more than psychic clairvoyants and astrology soothsayers – and packagers of hogwash!

Enjoy balanced meals and all the varieties of foods you want! Just eat less! Get on the course of moderation. Yes, also get off your duff, and do some basic, daily exercise. We all need it. Most of us don’t work outdoors or on the farm anymore. I walk on the treadmill or briskly outside in the neighborhood, one hour per day, at a 3 mile per hour clip. In the winter time, I dress appropriately.

Don’t waste your money on any “magic” machines or gadgets.

You won’t look like those actors or gymnasts. They are props to get you to buy their products. Later, once you are seeing some progress from my “diet program” (now that is funny), if you want, purchase a machine that gives you aerobic benefits. But you have to be into it with an attitude that you are doing it for your health and well being, and that you enjoy the one hour you can spend by yourself – thinking and dreaming time – not for the purpose of losing pounds, not because a commercial claims you will look like an “healthy,” anorexic or muscular movie star.

Imagine This...!

You enjoy food. You can eat what you want. No need to hide in the closet. No more feeling guilt and shame when eating.

How many diets have you raced towards, for dear life, only to fail and try another (now that’s ego building…)?

Hey…! Wake up…! “Diets” don’t work…! Authors are getting rich. They know it, and you don’t…! If you need meaning in your life, go buy some red socks…! Go water a flower. If you’re nuts, I can’t help you.

This book and my recipes are about good eating, tasty meals, enjoying flavors, aromas and the satisfaction of creating something from my own imagination, learning as I go and making the next concoction another great discovery.

I enjoy puttsing in the kitchen. It is relaxing. I find great solace; the world becomes quiet. The universe around me slows down; I become less hectic and nervous; I smell the roses.

Stop and smell the food…!

Peace of mind sets in. Life is good. Food is your friend, not your enemy!

Introduction

I’ve been overweight twice before. I am 5’ 11” tall. I simply enjoyed eating and ate too much. My last weight was 235 lbs. After a year of gradual cutting back and a little discipline, I now weigh 200-197. I am “supposed” to weigh in at around 175 lbs, give or take. I’m very pleased with my slow and safe progress. My goal is to reach 180-175 lbs. I’m not in a hurry, and I’m on my way. I’ve done this before, and only my desire to do it will get me there. And it’s not about my looks.

I’m already good looking. My dogs lick my face all the time.

I began to feel “heavy” and I knew it was not good for me. I had less energy than before; I began to feel not good about myself, also. So, don’t think I don’t know where you may be coming from. I wanted to do something about it. And, about my good looks, well I have to leave that for someone else’s judgment.

“Diets” are marketing and sales shams and are not effective. Those factory produced frozen or processed foods taste bad. Let me take that back – they taste like crap. They call them “meals.” I call them sanitized, frozen and processed road-kill.

Oh, give me a break!

1. Peel and quarter a real potato (tennis ball size or a pinch smaller): 1 minute;
2. Boil potato: 20 minutes (you don’t have to watch it, it boils by itself and takes no effort);
3. Stick a fresh chicken leg, thigh or breast into the microwave: 3 minutes;
4. Put it into the oven at 375 and bake until a nice golden brown: 20 minutes or until done;
5. Corn, green beans or vegetable of choice in the microwave: 3 minutes (or steam or boil on stove top, until done);
6. A small (!) pat of butter, a sprinkle of salt & pepper and Italian seasoning: 15 seconds;
7. Beverage of your choice in a glass (don’t suck it out of the can or bottle – what the hell happened to your self-esteem and, didn’t your mother teach you anything?!). Savor it from a fine glass.

That’s it!

A real meal: 20-30 minutes. Sit down. Eat slowly. Close your eyes. Savor the smell! Savor the taste! Make sure some music is wafting in the background. Take your time and enjoy…!

Here is the alternative:

1. Processed, frozen, factory road-kill out of a plastic or tin tray: 20-30 minutes.
2. When done eating, make up for the flavorless, stinking, wet-woolly smelling “food” by immediately over-snacking something tasteful - potato chips, cake, chocolate candy bars, etc., all night long.
3. Unsatisfied disgust, feelings of food deprivation, depression and anger with self: all night long. Repeat the next day.

Producers of those products do not care about your diet or your health. If their advertising tells you that they do – false. That’s what it is, advertising and promotion to create sales. To them, it is about products and units, just like vacuum cleaners and automobiles sold.

Their primary interest is creating “products which sell” and “millions of units per quarter sold.” They are about “what products can we create, that consumers will buy?” and “what new markets are available to us/what have we not invented yet?”

I’m somewhat guilty of the same and, the truth is, I want to sell many copies of this book. I won’t kid you…no secret there. Do I care about your weight? No, you have to care about your diet, if it’s an issue. Do I care how beautiful you are? No, I don’t know you. And food manufacturers don’t know you either.

By the way, you are beautiful or handsome just the way you are…!

You don’t need anyone’s two cents, concocted advertising or passive-aggressive criticism to make you a good or whole person. People criticize others to make themselves feel adequate or acceptable. They criticize, they get criticized. It’s a Catch-22. Companies shame you and make you feel less than human or satisfied, less than what the “perfect” fashion is of the day, so that you buy their products. It’s as simple as that. End of subject.

I like myself for who I am. If we meet, I will like you for who you are, or I go someplace else. Better yet, you go somewhere else…avoid companies and people who pass judgment on you. Who you are is in your head. It is not about your weight or the clothes you wear, the wine you drink, the food you eat or the car you drive. I’ll dribble some more wisdom a little later.

I hope you’ll enjoy the flavors of my recipes and get the same pleasure from the making of a meal. There is life beyond food, but I sure do like a damn good soup and sandwich.

Having preached that one, let’s get back on track.

I gradually and eventually started to walk 3.5 miles per hour on a treadmill, for one hour every day. I am on the same routine now. You don’t have to do this, right away – start gradually. When I finish, I feel great – it revitalizes me and pumps me full of fresh oxygen. I love food and have come to the conclusion that “deprivation” was something not even the Neanderthals pursued.

My game plan became: “Eat what the hell I want, just less of it.” Eat part of the cow, not the whole damn thing! No fancy secrets here!

There is nothing better than a 22 oz. steak, a very large baked or boiled potato, smothered in butter, sour crème and chives and bacon, complimented with corn or other vegetable of choice and sautéed onions. I love salt, so a lot of salt and pepper were always the coup de grace.

Well, it had to come to an end – not the meal, (no way in hell) but the portion! And now I still enjoy the steak, the potato and butter, the vegetable and the sautéed onions – I just enjoy less of it. And therefore I don’t feel deprived and starved!

So that was it…! Christoph’s revolutionary “diet” was born!

By the way, “diet” in my book means a healthy, well balanced meal – eating everything nature has to offer. Notice I said nature, not man.

Diet does not mean deprivation or cutting out groups of food. Who the hell started that brainless idea?

These meals and recipes are partially what I grew up with, partially what I learned from watching others and, finally, the stuff I experimented into creation. They are basic meals, simple, and full of flavors that I like.

They are starting ideas. Have fun, create your own. Others have never complained about my meals (or they lied to me successfully and told me the meals were great). But, if that were the case, why do they always come back to my table?

These meals contain the following: fats, butter and oils, cholesterols, and carbohydrates, salts and sugars and other fancy spices. All the things you get from natural foods – the kind that come from the earth and grow on trees. I find it interesting that nature gave us all this “bad” food and that we have to eat what comes from laboratories and manufacturing facilities or food mutations from beakers on a Bunsen burner.

I recommend you eat a consistently, well balanced diet of wholesome, fresh foods from all family groups. Variety is also the spice of life. The only rule here is moderation.

If you are looking for something deeper and more complex, you won’t find it here…!

Unfortunately, every once in a while you’ll have to put up with one of my lectures. If you are looking for peace of mind, a human relationship or emotional stability, food won’t give it to you, and I won’t promise it to you.

What food can give you is relief from hunger (that’s its sole purpose), a relaxing hour of preparation, good company and conversation at the table (even if it’s with yourself) and an aromatic, tasty and flavorful meal.

Umpapa…!

One Last Story

I took a trip with my daughter Karen to Iowa, some time ago. It was her turn for the university. We made a mini 3 day vacation out of the event. She was excited and I was a proud father.

When I travel, I love the idea of a country breakfast, in a small town – a real, home cooked type of meal: a small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to start with, a little coffee (regular), 2 eggs over-easy, hash-browns, rye toast buttered, and 2 sausage patties. Kill it with a tall, ice cold glass of milk…Damn, now that’s good! You see, I don’t do this every day.

My daughter had orange juice, an unreasonable portion of pancakes with butter and syrup and a tall, ice cold glass of milk. She doesn’t do it daily, either.

Now, across the restaurant by the window, in a booth with a big round table, by herself, a quite, rotund young lady (damn, I mean rotund: approaching 300 lbs, I’m convinced) was reading a paperback, smiling and quite involved.

On her plate were 4 eggs over-easy, hash-browns, 4 sausage patties, 2 slices of buttered toast. On the side were a serving of biscuits and gravy, more sausage patties, more hash-browns and a bowl of fruit.

She beckoned the waitress. In a stupor, I watched with awe and interest, as she requested another tall glass of ice filled Coca Cola. Emphatically, she commanded, “Please make sure that it’s a ‘diet’ coke.” She did not look up, skip a morsel or turn the page.

A Word of Caution and One More Bag of Wind

Your personal health condition may require you to be under your doctor’s care.

These recipes assume that you have no health concerns, such as high blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol levels, diabetes, etc.

This book is not presenting a “diet” plan to be followed, nor is it intended to be a “weight loss” program. This book is about common sense and enjoying what we all do every day, in moderation. These meals meet my pallet’s desires, and I present them to you with the same spirit.

The industry is telling you that you need to be on a diet (even if you don’t), in order to achieve some “ideal” physical condition or emotional stability. The truth is, if you need to be on a “diet regimen” because of weight, you are eating too much as a whole, excessively snacking and not getting the exercise that your body requires.

Here is a tip: you are sucking down too many beverages, eating too much dessert, potatoes chips, donuts, candy bars, too much pasta, too much bread, too much ice cream, steaks that are too big, too many pork chops, too many potatoes, too much fried, fast food, etc.

If you are nervous or bored, don’t eat!

Read a book or magazine of value, about something that interests you. Do not eat and watch TV. You won’t be aware of the good food flavors and aromas; you’ll simply eat like an unconscious schmuck! Concentrate on the pleasurable flavors of your meal. You deserve it. I won’t give you my opinion about the value of TV. (Ok…I’m lying; I can’t resist and I’ll tell you later).

The answer the beverage industry has for you is: don’t drink fewer beverages; instead, we now have “diet” beverages for you. (If you drank only one beverage per day, we the industry would go out of business). God forbid you drink what you should, or what nature intended – good, free water.

I do not buy water!

When I go cycling, I drink from city or township provided fountains. I think I can promise you that you won’t get the bird-flu. I always bring a cold, large mouth water bottle filled at the house, with ice cubes. I will not be healthier, lose weight or become more handsome, if I spend my hard earned money on commercial water. I grew up in the city of Chicago. My mother never purchased water. It was considered stupid and a waste of money. Occasionally, she would drink a 7-Up or Ginger Ale, a little wine (we made Spritzers, the old fashioned way).

I don’t recall her being overweight, ugly to look at, chronically ill, or with leprosy or unable to speak properly.

In spite of drinking only tap water, she was still a nice person, socially adjusted and generally happy. She lived to be 93. At that age, I still gave her a teddy bear and a kiss for Christmas.

Of course this is contrary to what all water bottlers will tell you. You cannot live a healthy and happy life without purchasing their water. Humbug!

A health plan and weight resolution the food industry has for you is frozen, canned or processed factory food – foods that promise to make you thin, slow down your aging process, give you beautiful skin, make you emotionally happy, solve your marital problems, make your spouse do what you want, etc.

If you eat pre-packaged foods because they are portioned meals, proportion your own meals.

If you are miserable, be miserable eating real food…!

At worst, you will be the beneficiary of the health benefits of real food. I think I can say with some certainty that you will not starve with smaller portions of food, if you make your own meals.

But, here is another Catch-22.

If you and I become so lazy that we can’t spend 30 minutes to make an authentic meal for ourselves or the family, the food processors deserve every penny they take from us. After all, it is us, our habits, attitudes and emotional gullibility that have put them and keep them in business, in the first place.

Now, we should also enjoy garbage fast foods – every once in a while, not as a steady diet! So go ahead, enjoy them, every so often.

Nothing wrong with wood-pulp tasting burgers (on this thing they call a bun – it’s supposed to be bread?), dehydrated birds called chicken and wallpaper paste tacos. Hold on. I have to put this book to the side and rush out to get me one of those “meals.”

Here is a thought: 1 meal from Burger King (my preference) – 2 quarter lb. Whoppers®, large French fries and large coke – has 2270 calories, 107 grams of fat and 840mg of sodium. Holy cow, that’s enough to fill someone's calorie and almost double the fat quota for the day! And look at the amount of salt! So, let’s “supersize” ourselves; let’s have 2 burgers, large fries and a large “diet” coke (to make sure our dinner is calorie reduced, because we are calorie conscious). Yeah, right!

My secret is told. Once a month I get my Kentucky Fried Chicken fix. (I said, once a month, not 3 times a week). I get a leg and a thigh, a scoop of the best coleslaw, great mashed potatoes and gravy and a small coke – no refills. Original, not Crispy!

I’ll be back….

Come and join me for balanced, appropriately portioned, tasteful meals. Grab 4 ounces of willpower, 1 pound of attitude and let’s go! Life doesn’t get better!

-- Christoph

Restaurant Review

Cucina Bella

Algonquin, Illinois
Review by Christoph
Dinner January 23, 2010 – 5:00 PM to 6:45 PM

Website

Algonquin is not Milan, but Cucina Bella may just take you there.

I called ahead to see if a reservation for 2 was necessary. I had a brief and pleasant response from the host telling me no, seating would not be a problem.

My daughter and I arrived at 5:00 PM. The evening was semi-dark; fog was settling in; an elevated western ridge of trees on the hill and lights on the streets gave me the ambiance of possibly being in a small Italian village. The restaurant is on the corner of Main and Washington Streets and assumes no elegance from the outside.

We stepped in and, after being greeted a minute later, were seated by the wall and were facing the open kitchen. I liked that I could see the hustle and activity of chef and support staff. Patrons were still sparse, but the servers were many, preparing for and anticipating a soon to arrive Saturday evening crowd. By six o’clock, the restaurant was in full swing.

We were greeted by a young waitress. You can generally anticipate a friendly welcome and service at establishments, but what immediately struck me was her real persona, not the required portrayal of pleasantry. She failed to tell me her name, and that was the only faux pas of the evening. When I requested what it was, she embarrassingly replied Samantha. She was genuine, authentic – a nice person, her face beaming with inner contentment, full of an excitement for life. Not knowing what I wanted to drink, she recommended an apple vodka martini – a first for me. It was exquisite.

Italian bread with an excellent crust, olive oil and a finely ground parmesan cheese opened our fare. We ordered baked Oysters Rockefeller. The spinach had perfect, firm texture, but was plain and un-spiced and the hollandaise sauce offered no flavor.

Insalate: You must have the Barese Salad. Filled with bites of flavorful salami, Fontanella cheese, artichoke hearts and hearts of palm, it was fresh, crisp, cool, light and sparkling.

We were promptly served our minestrone and chicken noodle soups. The minestrone presented a slight vinaigrette savor, something I had not experienced, and was…interesting. The chicken noodle soup was good.

Our main courses were Spaghetti & Puttanesca and a house specialty of Braciola. Both were fabulous.

The spaghetti was al dente. The Puttanesca should have been a soup – one could not get enough of it. Anchovies, onions, capers and strong black olives in marinara sauce were superbly executed – fresh, tart and smooth like an aged single malt.

The Braciola lived up to its menu description – tender. The marinated flank steak was excellent, stuffed full of flavor, parmesan cheese and pine nuts, raisins and bread crumbs, served over linguine, and the marinara sauce absolutely luxurious – rich, well appointed and with an extravagant abundance of self esteem. It was so good and surprising, I insisted on taking a canister home before leaving. It is available for purchase at Joe Caputo’s & Sons and other food stores in the area. What I received was not bottled, but fresh from the kitchen pot. One simply has to go to Cucina Bella and request a canister of this liquid gold.

The waitress was constantly attentive, asking us at what pace we wanted to receive our food – that is not often experienced. We were always kept abreast of when the courses would arrive at the table.

We had a ringside seat to watch the Chef. Erica commanded the kitchen with self assurance and skill – a beautiful young woman, with blond hair in a bun, an orchestra leader with her ensemble. The kitchen was hectic and a blur. We enjoyed her movements as she produced meal after meal. We were both struck at the pleasure she took in her performance – a pointing here and a nod there. Frequent wide smiles with reserved laughs disclosed love of her craft, respect for her staff and resulting creations of excellent fare.

If you are looking for quiet dining, this is not the place to go. Cucina Bella customers this evening were loud, full of laughing and exchange of – you could sense it – meaningful conversation.

Two other locations – Crystal Lake and Palatine – are available. Casual or semi-formal, appeared to be the dress. A young staff was eager to work and please, each of them enjoying their place in time.

The menu will please any pallet – appetizers, soups, salads, pasta, steak, pork, fish, and a nice selection of wines are available. Price is more than affordable. Portions are enormous. I will let you discover the desserts for yourself.

With a light, natural brick setting for interior ambiance, the lighting could be turned slightly up for easier menu reading. Don’t let their website dissuade you. The poor and underexposed photography does not reflect its open, inviting atmosphere. The restaurant was filled with life and a staff, energetic, authentically dedicated to its customers.

Cucina Bella made me feel unrushed – relaxed, as if in Europe. From 5 o’clock to 6:45 I was transported and experienced an all-is-right-with-the-world spirit – a place I will frequent often.

A New Beginning...

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The MISSION: To educate all, but especially the young: "Get back to the basics of creating healthy, home-cooked meals and consuming non-processed, natural foods."

It’s time to become more serious about my passion for cooking and, of course, eating.

I hope to have a recipe book completed by the Fall of this year, titled “Eat What the Hell You Want – A Diet For Real People”, where the theme and emphasis is about eating non-processed, home-cooked meals, consumption of reasonable portions, reasonable exercise and plenty of sarcastic humor, guiding readers away from fast food, manufactured tin can meals and cardboard tasting “mush.”

I'm not a commercial chef, I'm not a nutritionist nor diet expert. I only have common sense. I do what my mother told me.

One of the dictates was that I not only eat well, but listen to good music. She explained it was good for digestion, better for the soul and a must for long life. So I thought it was imperative to have classic works throughout the Blog. It sets the tone for better eating.



The recipes are a compilation of my mother’s European cooking, and a discovery of what I personally liked as I travelled for business throughout North America, Mexico, Europe and Asia. Primarily, I still prefer uncomplicated German and simple American cuisine – and Sushi is an interesting addiction I keep close at hand. I have been cooking since the age of 12…that makes it almost 50 years. Damn, that's too long...!

I will be discussing what I think are interesting food facts, as well as posting reviews of restaurants, recipes from the book and new meals as I create them. Please join me and comment, as I begin my second life's adventure.

I hope you find the information in these pages both helpful and entertaining. I welcome both your comments and criticisms. As I learn more, I will share what I learn.

To see a sample of the recipe book, please go to the heading 0-Recipe Book.

Thank you for visiting Eat What You Want... Please spread the word about eating healthy and real food, and come back often.


Christoph

Oh, Palease...! is copyright and a trademark of Christoph G. Olesch. All text and recipes Copyright (C) 2010. Christoph G. Olesch. All rights reserved. Eat What You Want - A Diet For Real People and Eat What The Hell You Want - A Diet For Real People is Copyright (C) 2010. Christoph G. Olesch. All rights reserved.
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