Siegenthaler, Vrana do culinary battle with live cook-off

Jakub Vrana and Jonas Siegenthaler had a heated cook-off live on Washington Capitals Twitter on Thursday, but the real winners are anyone who makes their dishes at home.

The Capitals teammates each made a 25-minutedish from his respective kitchen as team chef Robert Wood provided some guidance and encouragement, and radio announcer John Walton delivered commentary.

Washington forward T.J. Oshie also popped in to check on their progress.

Siegenthaler, a defenseman from Zurich, Switzerland, opted for a Swiss dish of veal and mushrooms in a cream sauce called Züri Gschnätzlets.

He said he goes to a Swiss restaurant in Washington D.C. once a month and gets Züri Gschnätzlets most of the time, but he also makes it at home.

"It's actually pretty easy to cook," he said. "I would say every Swiss guy loves to eat that."

Vrana went with an original beef and vegetable creation, as opposed to any Czech dishes that he said would've taken too long to make. He served it with rice and plated and photographed it like a pro.

"Maybe it's going to look like a beef stroganoff, but that's not really it," Vrana said. "It's with veggies, like Thai food, I would say. So it's like a sauce with beef and rice. I like it a lot because it's spicy and I like spicy food, and I think it's healthy and light."

Siegenthaler got major style points for flipping a giant, hash brown-like potato fritter called rösti onto a plate for the typical Züri Gschnätzlets side dish.

"That's impressive, Siegs. Wow," Oshie said. "I might have to have you over here to cook a meal for the family. I don't know if the kids will touch it, but I'll give it a go."

Oshie revealed he is not a fan of mushrooms during his appearance, but did give credit to Siegenthaler for looking the part with a towel around his neck. Oshie also sounded shocked to see Vrana's kitchen so clean.

"That can't be your place," Oshie said. "Is that your place? It looks pretty clean."

Vrana replied, "I prepared for this."

Without the benefit of being able to taste the food, Wood had to declare a winner based on technique, style, how much of a mess they made (or didn't make) and charisma.

When the cooking was over, Wood gave kudos to both contestants for their neatness in the kitchen, but gave the edge to Siegenthaler.

"It finally paid off, all the hours I spent in the kitchen," Siegenthaler said in his victory speech. "I didn't think I'd use it or present it at some point in my life."

Züri Gschnätzlets

By Jonas Siegenthaler

Ingredients

1 pound veal - sliced thin

1 cup white button mushrooms - sliced

1 splash white wine

1 cup onions - diced

1 pound Russet potatoes - shredded on a coarse grater

½ cup heavy cream

Directions

Rattle or shred the potatoes and make a "rösti" or large hash brown cake - using a large 12-inch saute pan, start with oil in the pan over medium heat.

Add enough oil to have a small pool in the bottom and then add the potatoes evenly, seasoning the potatoes as you add. Smooth the potatoes out with the spatula and then cover with a lid.

Cook until the bottom is nicely browned and then use an inverted plate to flip the hashbrown pancake. Flip it onto the plate first and then slide it back into the pan to cook the other side. Both sides should be cooked about the same time.

Preheat an 8-10-inch saute pan over medium heat. Start with the sliced veal and just cook it quickly, so they are still rare and take them out again.

Cook the onions in the same pan with the mushrooms until they're softened and there is no liquid left in the pan. Now put the veal back and add the cream. Season with salt and pepper.

After a couple minutes you put the white wine in there to finish it up and there goes your Züri Gschnätzlets.

Sweet Fire Beef Stir Fry

By Jakub Vrana

Ingredients

1 pound thinly sliced beef -- use a grilling steak like NY strip, flank or sirloin

Marinate at least 1 hour but best overnight in the fridge:

A pinch of salt and pepper

1 tablespoon ginger puree

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons potato starch (arrow root could work as well)

3 oz olive oil

Veggies

1/2 cup yellow or white onion - sliced

1 cup mushrooms - sliced

1/4 cup green onions - sliced

1/2 jalapeno - chopped

Honey - to taste

Directions

Preheat a 10-12-inch skillet or saute pan over medium high heat until nice and hot.

Start by browning the sliced onion in a little oil.

Once nicely browned, add the meat and keep cooking quickly until you brown the meat nicely.

Then you can cook the veggies -- mushrooms, green onions, jalapenos -- adding a pinch of salt as you cook.

Now balance the spice with a little sweetness from the honey.

Enjoy it alongside steamed white rice, and finish with a little touch of chives on top.