I didn't have any milk...

... but I wanted pasta with cream sauce. Here's what I did, and it was great.

Garlic Parm Cream Sauce Without the Cream

2 T butter
2 T flour
1 c chicken broth (I used bouillon)
2 cloves garlic
fresh ground black pepper
dried red pepper flakes
3 T good grated parmesan cheese
1/3 c beer (or wine)

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Sprinkle in the flour slowly while whisking smooth. Continue heating over low heat, whisking occasionally, for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let it cool a few minutes while you heat the broth. Whisk broth into roux and set over low heat. Add garlic, cheese, pepper, and pepper flakes. Add a little beer or wine to thin out a little. Toss with pasta.

Serves one very hungry person.

Chicken Paprika, Swiss Style

I made this for my friends and wonderful hosts Nicolas and Sandrine in Chexbres, Switzerland. I used creme fraiche from Gruyere, but if you don't have any lying around, you can use sour cream.

Chicken Paprika

1 T vegetable oil
1 T butter
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 T sweet Hungarian paprika
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in 1" chunks
2 c chicken or beef bouillon, boiling
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 c creme fraiche or sour cream
1/2 c heavy cream

Heat oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft. Add paprika and chicken and cook until chicken is browned completely. Pour in bouillon (you can also use broth) and simmer, covered, for 1/2 hour. Add the two creams and season with salt and pepper. Serve over pasta.

Feeds 3.

Goulash!

Goulash and beer were everywhere in Prague. Here's my recipe:

Beef Goulash

2 T vegetable oil
2 lb. beef round, cut into 1" chunks
3 small onions, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 T good, sweet Hungarian paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups beef broth, boiling
2 T balsamic or wine vinegar
2 T tomato paste
sea salt & fresh ground black pepper
1 c pilsner beer
2 T cornstarch in 1/3 c water

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over high heat and brown the hell out of the meat in batches so that it doesn't become soupy. Reduce heat to medium and saute onions with the meat. After a couple minutes, add the garlic and paprika. Cook until onions are soft and clear. Add the chopped pepper and saute a few minutes more. Add the broth, vinegar and tomato paste and stir well. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add beer and simmer another 10 minutes. Whisk in a little cornstarch water to make a nice gravy. Serve over bread and/or potato dumplings.

Serves 4.