Oh, How I Love Knedlíky!
Photo © Rob Jones
It’s not a passing love affair with Knedlíky, a minor romance. It’s an enduring and unbreakable love affair. Just stay out of it. You’ll lose. Quit while you are ahead. It’s like a drug to me whenever I visit the Czech Republic.
Roast pork, Bread Dumplings, Sauerkraut.
For the pork roast…
3 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut in individual size portions. Cook up with one onion, diced. 4 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced. 4 tablespoons oil. 1 tablespoon salt. Freshly ground pepper. 1 teaspoon caraway seeds. 2 tablespoons flour
Season pork with salt, pepper and caraway seeds. Heat a cast iron pan with the oil. When oil is hot, sauté onion in pan for about 8 minutes or until light golden. Push onion to the side and add pork roast. Brown the pork roast on all sides. Add 250ml of water and scrape the pan. Cover the pan with a lid. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 2 hours. Turn meat over every 30 minutes. At the end of the cooking, remove the lid and increase temperature to 190C and bake for another 45 minutes. Remove from the oven. Remove the pork roast from the pan and place on a plate covered with foil. Place the pot back on the stove, and add 100ml of water to the drippings. Scrape the sides and bottom of the pot. Add flour mixed in 4 tablespoons of water and add to the drippings. Cook for 5 minutes to make a gravy. Serve pork roast in a plate with a couple sliced of dumpling, the cooked sauerkraut, and the gravy on top.
For the Knedliki Dumplings
4 cups quick-mixing or instant flour. 1 cup milk , warm. 1 egg. 1 teaspoon yeast. 1 teaspoon sugar. 1 teaspoon salt
Combine the sugar, the yeast, and the milk. Whisk and set aside for about 10 minutes or until it is foamy. In the bowl combine the flour, the egg, the salt. Add the yeast mixture and knead until the dough detaches from the edges of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it rise for 2 hours. Dust the work surface with flour and form into 3 loaves. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Carefully place the dumplings in the pot. Reduce the heat to low and cook covered for 20 minutes, turning the dumpling half way through the cooking. Poke the dumpling in a few places with a fork to let the steam out. Slice the dumplings.
For the Sauerkraut
1 quart Sauerkraut , drained. 1 onion, finely chopped. 4 tablespoons butter. 1 teaspoon caraway seeds. 5 cups water. 4 tablespoons sugar. 1 teaspoon salt. 3 tablespoons flour
In a pot, add the drained sauerkraut, water, sugar, caraway seeds, and salt. Bring to boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Melt the butter in a pan and add the onion. Sauté while stirring regularly for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Add the flour. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the flour and onion mixture to the pot with sauerkraut. Cook on medium for a few minutes while stirring.
Eat voraciously.
RJ
