Where to find steak and lamb chops?

This query is from Sean the starving carnivore:

Help! Does anyone know where I can buy a decent bit of fillet steak and some nice lamb chops, please ? 90% of the meat in the supermarkets here seems to be pork or chicken or some very strange body parts which I am not that keen on. Any beef that I have bought in Tesco’s, Avion or Carrefour has been so tough that one would need jaws of steel to bite through it. Any recommendations please ?

I have found meat in Hainburg, Austria at Hofer (good for ground beef), and Spar (good for chicken and other meats). If you want to travel a little further, you can find large quantities and some good cuts of meat at reasonable prices at C&C Pfeiffer. It is located in Shopping City Sud south of Vienna in Austria. Drive to the far end, past the McDonald’s.

–E

Creamy Pasta with Peas and Ham – Recipe from Valeria

Creamy Pasta with Peas and Ham
15 g butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup frozen peas
1 package of fresh fettuccine or 1 box of pasta
150 ml cooking cream
30 g grated Parmesan cheese
150 g sliced ham, chopped

Cook pasta according to instructions on the box and drain.
In the meantime, melt butter in a large non-stick pan over medium heat.
Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Add peas, cream, Parmesan cheese and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper and cook 3 minutes.
Stir in cooked pasta and the chopped ham.
Serve immediately.

Roasted Endive and Prosciutto Ham – Recipe from Amanda

Roasted Endive and Prosciutto Ham

This is something I stole from Jamie Oliver. Take fresh thyme and pound it in the mortar/pestle with garlic . . . add LOTS of olive oil, pour the whole mess into a large bowl, and then work it into endive which I cut in half long ways. Wrap the oiled/herbed endive in prosciutto ham, pour some good balsamic vinegar over it all, and roast. It also works with radicchio, but that turns an awful color when it cooks, although it tastes really nice.

Cooking time: I must confess, I’m not really sure. I’d say between 45 and 60 minutes, however.

Ribs – Recipe from Amanda

Ribs
Pork and chicken are about the best you can do for meat here in Slovakia. I recently rediscovered this recipe for ribs that I got from a fellow expat in Argentina:

About 2 kilos/4 pounds ribs or whatever you find in the grocery store. Often I get those pieces of pork without bones. Boil them in salted water for about one hour. Drain.

Cover with the following sauce made of

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar (I use whatever, including balsamic)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 onion, diced

You can thin the sauce with a little water if you want . . . 1/2 cup. I forgot this time. I spread the meat in a shallow pan like a lasagna dish. Cover with sauce and put in oven at 250F for about 2 hours, turning the pieces a few times. Messy, but really delicious.

Keith’s Chili with Shopping and Cooking Tips

Keith’s Chili

1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
500g ground beef
3 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
500g dried red kidney beans soaked over night and cooked
cumin, chili powder, curry powder, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste (use any or all)

Chop onions and garlic, fry in large pot with oil. Add beef when tender, fry until brown. Drain the grease. Add the beans, tomatoes and spices. Simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

For this recipe, I call for 500g of kidney beans, soaked and cooked. This violates the 30 minute rule, but canned kidney beans here have sugar in them and that ruins the taste, in my opinion. Soaking the beans overnight and cooking for an hour ahead of time, makes it easier.

I get the ground beef in the Hofer in Hainburg, I’ve heard that Carrefour has decent meat, too.

I prefer the Valfrutta brand of chopped tomatoes (Krajena Rajcata).

I have not found cumin in either Slovakia or Austria that imparts the right flavor. Net Grocer is easy and keeping spices in the cupboard is easy, so I figured this is good enough reason to still include this recipe.