Obložené Chlebíčky - Open Face Sandwiches

These open-face sandwiches are a summer staple and come in many varieties. They are great for entertaining as a snack or as a stand-alone meal. You can use baguettes or some Slovak potato bread.

You will need (as a meal for 2:

Bread slices - 3 per person as a meal, less as a snack.
1 Vlašský  Šalát (Slovak Potato Salad) recipe
cucumber slices
1-2 sliced tomatoes
2 sliced hard boiled eggs
parsley to garnish

Place some of the potato salad on the slices of bread. Then place cucumber, tomatoes, eggs, and parsley on top. Garnish with leftover cucumber and tomato and serve leftover potato salad as a side.

Another less-heavy variation is to use a couple smoked ham and salami slices instead of the potato salad. If you do this, be sure to put something sticky on the bread, like a butter or cheese spread. Other variations include endless combinations of meats (usually ham) and cheeses (especially gouda or edam).

Vlašský Šalát - Potato Salad

This Slovak Potato Salad is really easy. Used on Obložené Chlebíčky or as a stand-alone side dish.

You will need:

1 mashed potato

2-3 oz. smoked deli ham

1/2 cup peas

2 Tbsp. pickle juice

1/2 cup mayo

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate.

Zemiakový Chlieb - Potato Bread

This is a heavy and firm potato bread, perfect for Obložené Chlebíčky (Open Face Sandwiches) or as a side to Stuffed Peppers or most other dishes as an alternative to bread dumplings. It cuts beautifully and has a strong potato flavor. Most recipes include the following ingredients: Mashed Potatoes, Water, Flour, Yeast, Sugar, and Salt. Many recipes add an egg, butter, or oil. 

This recipe is one I derived from a combination of different Slovak and Russian recipes that best emulates the Zemiakový Chlieb found in most Slovak bakeries. It's always a work in progress so as I find a better combination I will update. 

You will need:

1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 large russet potatoes mashed (2 cups mashed potatoes)
3-4 cups flour
1 tbsp oil
1 egg
1 tsp salt

Cook potatoes. I usually do this by boiling the potatoes for 30 mins, then running over cool water.  The skin comes right off in this process. 

Heat milk to 105-110 degrees and add sugar and yeast. Let sit for about 10 mins while adding egg, oil, salt, and potatoes to a separate bowl. Add yeast mixture and half the flour. Mix and gradually add the rest of the flour. Dough is ready when you can grab it without it sticking to your hands. Grease a bowl, cover, and put in a warm place (I turn the oven on for 30 seconds, turn it off, and put the bowl in the oven). Let rise for 1-2 hours, allowing more time for cooler places and less for warmer. 

Knead dough and form a long loaf about 6 inches in diameter. Place loaf on top of a little cornmeal on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 mins. Loaf will sound hollow when tapped. If not, bake another 5-10 mins. 

Immediately place on cooling rack. Slice and serve after allowing to cool for 10-15 mins. Will keep for a week or more.

Plnené Papriky - Stuffed Peppers

Who doesn't like stuffed peppers? This is a Slovak dish borrowed from Hungary. It's one of my favorites and one of the easiest dishes you will ever make. It makes great leftovers.  This one is adapted from a book I like to use. It's a great resource for Slovak cooking but is keyed to the English market and some of the ingredients are hard to find in the U.S. This recipe is for 4 servings.

You will need:

1-2 peppers per person (see note on peppers)
1 yellow onion
3 Tbsp. oil
1 - 1.5 lbs. ground pork (see note on pork)
1 1/2 cups white rice
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. paprika (I add 2)
14 oz. tomato paste (alternatively 1.5 pounds fresh pureed tomatoes and subtract 3 cups water later)
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2 bay leaves (or 1 tsp. crushed)
1 tsp. marjoram
salt and ground black pepper

Serve with Dumplings, sliced rye bread, or boiled potatoes, and side salad.

Disclaimer: I wrote and tested this recipe at an elevation of 500 ft. I tried it again at 5,300 ft. at it was a disaster. If cooking at a higher elevation, use 1/2 cup less rice and cook an extra 20 mins.

Choosing Peppers - Have you ever seen large Anaheim peppers? You only need one pepper of that size per person.  However, smaller peppers will be easier to serve and will offer more pepper flavor. Anaheims are probably the most readily available peppers in the U.S., but Hungarian wax peppers are probably the best. I know for a fact that Hy-Vee will special order wax peppers upon request for a very reasonable price. Either way, choose a pepper according to your taste. On a 1-10 scale of spiciness, the wax peppers do not even register, as they have lots of flavor but no spice. Anaheims would be a 3-4. Jalapenos would be a 7. Serranos are about 9, and habaneros at 10. Having been raised in San Antonio, TX, I prefer my dish has at least 1-2 stuffed jalapenos in the mix to add a little kick to the dish while still remaining true to the Slovak and Hungarian style.

Choosing Ground Pork - the pork will not be drained in this cooking process.  Depending on your taste, that will not matter. I prefer leaner dishes, so find the lowest fat content possible because you will be ingesting all of it.

Cooking with Paprika - most Americans do not know this, but paprika is simply the Hungarian and Slovak word for a pepper. It is made of ground and dried Hungarian peppers. It's true flavor is activated when added to a hot oil (such as bacon grease or cooking oil). Sometimes this causes an instant bubbling reaction in the pan and is no cause for alarm.

Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove seeds to the extent possible.

Fry the onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until golden.

In a bowl, mix pork, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, cooked onion, rice, eggs, and breadcrumbs.

Stuff the peppers with the meat. Make meatballs with any leftover meat.

Add 2 Tbsp. oil and 2 Tbsp. flour to a 4-6 quart pot that you can cover. If you are using the same pan as the onion, please rinse first as this will get very hot and burn onion residue. Make a nice peanut butter colored roux, then add the paprika. Mix quickly, then add 4 cups water and 14 oz. tomato paste (or 1.5 lbs. fresh pureed tomatoes with one cup water). Add 1-2 tsp. salt and the powdered sugar.

Add bay leaves and marjoram, then boil sauce. Add peppers and meatballs, cooking on medium heat for 30 mins and simmering for 15. Add water if necessary to maintain similar sauce consistency as spaghetti sauce or marinara.

Plate with side or eat as a stand-alone dish. Great leftover.

Sviečková - Roast Beef and Creamy Root Vegetable Sauce

It helps to think of this dish in two ways. First, it is a traditional roast beef, dumplings, and sauce dish. Second, and more importantly, the sauce for this dish is versatile and can be used in many dishes. I will first give instructions for the dish itself, then briefly describe the variations you can use with the sauce. This recipe renders 4 servings.

If you are preparing the traditional dish, be sure to start marinating a couple days before you want to eat. If you are just making a variation with the sauce, marinating is nice but not as necessary, so you could start the day of serving.

You will need:

1 beef rump roast (1 1/2 - 2 pounds)

A few slices of bacon (see bacon shopping tips here in section III)

4 large peeled carrots

2 peeled parsnips (some companies cover them in wax. Make sure it's all removed)

1/2 peeled celery root (2-3 stalks celery will do if you can't find celery root)

1 yellow onion

1/2 cup white vinegar (or try 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup white cooking wine)

1 whole bay leaf (or 1/2 tsp. crushed bay leaves)

1 whole allspice berry (or 1/4 tsp. ground allspice)

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

4 Tbsp. butter (1/2 stick)

1/4 - 1/2 cup flour (depending on desired thickness of sauce)

1 tsp. powdered sugar

1 cup heavy cream (or use half and half or whole milk depending on how rich you want it)

1 Bread Dumpling recipe

garnishes traditionally include cranberry jam, lemon slices, and whipped cream (I don't use these, the dish speaks for itself).

Traditional Dish

Cut small grooves into the roast and insert bacon strips inside. Hold the grooves closed with cooking twine.

Chop onion, carrot, celery root, and parsnips. Bring to boil in 4-6 quart pot filled with 6 cups water. Add vinegar, pinch of salt, and spices (bay leaf, allspice, and black pepper). Turn off the heat and let it cool (will normally take a couple hours to cool completely). Place roast and vegetable broth in bowl or pot together and marinate in refrigerator until day you want to eat. Allow 12-48 hours to marinate. 

Remove from refrigerator and remove any whole spices if possible. You can cook the roast one of two ways:

1. Slow Cooker/Crock Pot (easy and preferred): Melt half the butter in saucepan and brown roast. Add roast and drippings to slow cooker. Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan and fry the drained vegetables (save the stock!) for a few mins, then add to slow cooker with 4 cups of saved stock. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. The roast will fall apart when completed this way because it will be very tender.
2. Simmer (traditional and results in sturdier slices of meat instead of creating a roast that will fall apart): Same method except place meat back into pan after vegetables are done. Add 4 cups of saved stock. Cover and simmer for 90 mins - 2 hours. Add more stock if necessary.

When the meat is done, remove it at let it rest while you finish the sauce. 

If you are cooking dumplings, you should start boiling them at this point.

To finish the sauce, use blender, food processor, or masher (food processor results in best consistency) to puree everything left in the pan (except the meat of course). Put the sauce back in the pan and add the flour and cream. Bring to a simmer. Add sugar and 1 Tbsp. vinegar or cooking wine. 

Slice the meat and plate. Pour sauce over meat. Serve with dumplings and garnish as desired.

Variations

This sauce is delicious. I have tried it with pork chops and chicken as well.  If you don't have as much time to cook, feel free to cook the vegetables and broth for 30-45 mins while pan-frying some pork or chicken separately. 

If you want a good cranberry sauce recipe to serve with this dish, try this: Blend in food processor 1 bag cranberries, 2 red apples, and 1 whole orange with peel. Mix in 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and 1 cup sugar. Let sit in refrigerator for one week (any less and it's disgusting). Serve with this dish as an accent flavor and save leftovers for Thanksgiving or any other time.  Freezes very well.

Knedliky - Bread Dumplings

In Czech and Slovak cooking, there are two main kinds of dumplings: bread and potato. Bread dumplings are much more common and are traditional for meat and sauce dishes. They will be light and spongy and will soak up the sauces of an entree nicely.

There are many ways to prepare these dumplings, but there are a few main things to keep in mind. First, make sure your yeast is activated and rising nicely. Second, find the right dough consistency. Third, find a way to keep them from getting too soggy while boiling and to let them dry off properly when done.

You will need:

1 cup milk

3 Tbsp. yeast

1 tsp. powdered sugar

1/2 - 2/3 cup breadcrumbs (or 2 chopped dinner rolls)

1 egg

pinch  of salt

3 cups flour

First, heat 1 cup milk to about 105-110 degrees. This will feel hot but not too hot to keep a finger in for 10 seconds. This makes a perfect home for the yeast. Pour the milk into a bowl or large cup (16 oz. volume or more). Add a teaspoon of powdered sugar to feed the yeast. Now add 3 Tablespoons of yeast.  That is not a typing error, you need lots of yeast to make the dough rise correctly. Stir them all together and let it rise while you mix the next set of ingredients. It should make a froth that foams from the milk all the way to the top of the cup if the yeast is activated correctly. Try again if it doesn't work, as the dumplings will not turn out well if the yeast is not activated.

In another bowl, mix about 1/2 - 2/3 cup breadcrumbs with an egg. You can also use a couple chopped rolls instead of breadcrumbs. Add the yeast mixture, 3 cups of flour, and a pinch of salt. Once the dough is fully mixed it should clean off the sides of the bowl but still be a little sticky. Place in a greased covered bowl. Leave in a warm place for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Start some boiling water (fill a 6-quart pot half or 2/3 full). Knead the dough and then divide in half. You can form each half into an oval or a sphere (doesn't matter). There are a couple ways to proceed from here. For convenience, you can cover the shaped dough for 15 mins to let it rise again and then boil it, or you can wrap it in a cheese cloth, tying it off at the ends, let it sit for 15 mins, then boil it. They tend to turn out better in the cloth, but without the cloth it can be a little soggy but otherwise tastes the same.

Boil for 15 mins total, turning them over halfway through.  Once removed from the water, take off the cloth immediately (if applicable) and set it on a cutting board to dry. Stab it everywhere with a fork or knife immediately to let out the steam. Then you cut it into 1/2-inch slices. You can do this with a knife or with a string. Once it has drained off (usually 1-2 mins), go ahead and place on saucers if serving immediately. If not, place in a cloth-lined bowl covered until ready to serve.