[bluesman]

This thread needs some pictures.


Here an image after I pounded my meat. I sprinkled them with salt, pepper, celery seeds, caraway and marjoram.

Fresh bread crumbs from stale homemade bread. The only way to go.

Sauerkraut is from a can though. Still good.

Ill be packing up the crock with some Kapusta this week to get it ready for Xmas. We are doing the traditional Slovakian feast this year.  

I decided to cook after all Bluesman, I just cant seem to stay out of the kitchen for long.

Capp...You can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy.

That's what I want to do...make some Kapusta for the holidays. I need to make some homeade kielbasa too!

I need to keep a look out for pork butt sales (no pun intended). 

[nicneufeld]

OK, schnitzelfest 2009 is going down tomorrow night at my place.  Got the pork unthawed, the wife will have the kitchen immaculate, and some beer will be chilled in anticipation.  Hopefully my jaegerschnitzel sauce comes out a bit better this time!

[Thirsty_Monk]

This thread needs some pictures.


Here an image after I pounded my meat. I sprinkled them with salt, pepper, celery seeds, caraway and marjoram.



Fresh bread crumbs from stale homemade bread. The only way to go.



Sauerkraut is from a can though. Still good.

Ill be packing up the crock with some Kapusta this week to get it ready for Xmas. We are doing the traditional Slovakian feast this year.  

I decided to cook after all Bluesman, I just cant seem to stay out of the kitchen for long.

Can I come for dinner to your house?
I will bring some beer

[blatz]

cap - the only thing I see missing in that pic is a .5L of maerzen bier!

Those look great  - did you put any oil in the pan or all butter?  Cast iron skillet or regular saute pan?

[capozzoli]

Cast Iron, and oil not butter. Try clarified butter next time, works great.

We use lard sometimes.

Smadny mnich, yeha it would be great to have some of your beer (and you) at one of our Slovakian parties. Hardly any English spoken at them at all.

This is the highlight that we all gather around. Familiar?  Huh?



 

[Thirsty_Monk]

WOW.

Kotlikovy gulash. Are you serving some slivovica (Plum Brandy) with it? I rarely speak Slovak these days.

[capozzoli]

Sometimes, if the in-laws are on this side of the pond and have brought some with.

I have some Becarovka in the liquor cabinet though.

Check this out.

Here is a stroll down Eastern European memory lane.

First the not so good by my M-in-law.





Or how bout this stuff.









Polish food, but the beer is Slovakian.

[Thirsty_Monk]

Man can you move closer to WI?

I would skip first two pictures. I think it is called tlacenka.
I always hated it but my mom LOVED it so much.

Rest of it is BIG thumbs up. Where did you get those dumplings?

[capozzoli]

Not tlaclenka. Americans call that head cheese.

That is koconina or some people call it huspenina.

Where did I get the dumplings? I made them. You want to know how?

[nicneufeld]

cap - the only thing I see missing in that pic is a .5L of maerzen bier!

Allow me to oblige!  First pint drawn from my (late) oktoberfest maerzen.  The potatoes are leftover home fries with onions that were formed into patties and crisped up on the griddle...a lot of embedded bacon grease from the original cooking.  I think I've just about nailed the mushroom sauce, which might be a bit heavy for some people's taste but I love it!

[nicneufeld]

Cap, love the Eastern European food...well some of it.  That fatty refuse at the beginning though, man, that for sure is something to leave in the old country.

So slivovitz might go nicely with gulyas?  I have long planned to do an "over the fire" goulash cook and serve with aszu tokaji but I haven't yet gotten bold enough to buy that drastically expensive Hungarian wine.  Besides, goulash is cowboy food...its kind of like pairing brisket and beans with champagne.  Slivovitz may be more my style anyway, are there any decent, affordable ones that are more along the lines of a good eau de vie as opposed to cheap, headache inducing plum vodka?

[Thirsty_Monk]

Where did I get the dumplings? I made them. You want to know how?

Oh yes I do.

[Thirsty_Monk]

So slivovitz might go nicely with gulyas?  I have long planned to do an "over the fire" goulash cook and serve with aszu tokaji but I haven't yet gotten bold enough to buy that drastically expensive Hungarian wine.  Besides, goulash is cowboy food...its kind of like pairing brisket and beans with champagne.  Slivovitz may be more my style anyway, are there any decent, affordable ones that are more along the lines of a good eau de vie as opposed to cheap, headache inducing plum vodka?

Hey skip wine with Kotlikovy Gulash.
Gulash is like Casserole in here. You put there whatever you can find in fridge.

To cook over the fire gulash is great pass time in Slovakia.
Group of friends get together and cook it over the fire "in the nature".
A lot of alcohol is consumed.
People have a good time.

[capozzoli]

CZ Dumplings.

First thing, (and this is very important) drink a few of these.


When you feel suitably relaxed then begin the dumplings.

Start by taking a coffee mug and filling it half way with milk. Warm the milk till it is about 98 degrees. Then add a table spoon or two of bread yeast, (dry or otherwise) into the milk also add a pinch of sugar to feed the yeast.. Mix it well then set it aside and wait for it to start forming a head. Put the mug in a bowl it case there is over flow or blow off.  This is your yeast starter, if for no other reason it proofs the yeast.

If mixing dough in a mixer Add about two cups of bread flour, or regular flour to kitchen aid mixer. Add an egg to the flour and a teaspoon or two of salt. Add a partially beaten egg to the flour and begin mixing. Add the milk and yeast to the flour and mix on low. If to dry add a little water, if too wet add a little flour. It should mix till it is like a nice workable bread dough.

If mixing by hand put the flour in a large bowl, add the salt and then make a depression in the middle of the flour add the egg to the flour inside of the depression that you made. Start mixing outward incorporating the egg and the flour. Then gradually add your milk and yeast. mix well with the finger and add flour or water as needed. It shouldn't be to sticky. T

hen kneed it over a few times on a floured surface.

Form it into tennis ball size pieces of dough formed into a slight oval. Put a little more flour out on your surface and set the dough out to rise. Cover them with a clean damp dish towel so not to dry them out.



At this point, and again this is very, very important. Drink a few more of these.



after the dough has risen. set up some sort of steamer/ I use a colander in a big pot. Put a dough ball or two in the steamer and steam for about 20 mins. Then viola you have CZ dumplings.

Then get someone else to make gulash cause at this point you will surely be to f-ed up to do it.   

[Thirsty_Monk]

Thank you for the recipe.
I will try it out.

You have nice stash of authentic beverages.
Do you buy it locally?