Czech Recipes


CZECH & SLOVAK RECIPES

Zeli Recipe from the Toronto Foundation Family Picnic
By Chris Pack

2 Tablespoons bacon drippings (about 4 strips)
4 cups shredded cabbage (green or red)
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup water
1 ¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. caraway seed

Heat drippings in a large skillet; add remaining ingredients and a dash of pepper.  Cover tightly and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally.  For crisp cabbage, cook 20 minutes.  For tender cabbage, 30-45 minutes.  Crumble leftover bacon into cabbage at the end of cooking.

Makes 4 or 5 servings.

Fruit Dumplings (Ovocne Knedliky)

By Lisa Bergantz (Keliipaakaua)

 
Dough:                                  Filling:
1 pkg yeast                            Any fresh fruit like: diced strawberries, peaches
1 ¼ cup lukewarm milk            apples, blueberries, apricot or plum halves. 
¼ cup sugar              
½ tsp salt                                Topping:
3-4 cups flour                         Mix together sour cream and powdered sugar
3 Tb. Oil                                              into smooth topping- until desired sweetness
 
16 squares of parchment paper (3”X3”)
 
  • Pour 1 ¼ cups milk into large ceramic bowl and heat on high in microwave for 1min.
  • Add ¼ cup sugar and package of yeast to the warm milk. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes until yeast bubbles and builds up.
  • Add salt and 2 cups flour to yeast/milk mixture and begin mixing together.
  • Add 3 Tb. Oil and mix together to incorporate oil into dough
  • Gradually add in another 1-2 cups of flour as you mix the dough. You want a soft, springy dough that barely doesn’t stick to the sides. Don’t add too much flour.
  • Lay dough onto lightly floured cutting board or counter and knead the dough a little until workable and not sticky.
  • Divide dough in half. Divide each half in half (now you have 4 pieces)…Continue until you have 16 pieces of dough.
  • Take one of the 16 pieces of dough and flatten it into a circle. Fill the center with a favorite fresh fruit. ( You can first add a dab of jam to sweeten the dumpling.) Pinch the edges of the circle together around the fruit and make into a ball. Pat the ball around in your hand until the creases are sealed and smooth.
  • Place each ball on a square of parchment paper and onto a cookie sheet. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for an hour or until dumpling doubles in size.
  • Place dumplings in a steamer (on the square of parchment paper) for about 10 minutes.
  • Serve each fruit dumpling covered with the sourcream topping. You can garnish with pieces of fresh fruit sprinkled atop the topping.
 

*           A traditional topping is melted butter and powdered sugar. You can also drizzle chocolate sauce on top.

*           This recipe was adapted from a Hawaiian bread dough that wraps around a meat mixture, called Manapua.  I grew up eating Manapua and when I returned home from my mission, I realized that this dough would work perfectly for Ovocne Knedliky!