A tender sweet bread with a deep golden crust and a flavorful, nutty filling. Perfect with a hot cup of coffee. Before you begin, keep in mind that the dough needs to be refrigerated overnight.
This wonderful jam-filled bread is a traditional Czech/ Slovak recipe. It was served to us at dinner as the meal and it is MUCH easier to make than I expected!!! INGREDIENTS: (these measurements a…
This recipe comes from a cookbook called Anniversary Slovak-American Cookbook, published in 1952. This goulash tastes just like the goulash I ate in Prague.
This version of the classic Czech pastry livens up the dough with lemon flavoring.
Yesterday I wrote about my paternal grandmother and her amazing baking skills, her strudel, kifli, and so many other wonderful things. Her soup, noodles and machanka were sufficient to keep me happy, also, for sure. Grandma Pramik Today I would like to talk a bit more about my maternal grandmother. Firstly, she was deaf, since early womanhood, due to an illness, so it made it difficult to ever just sit and chat with her. That just didn't happen without shouting. Most of my memories of Grandma, outside of cooking, were of watching her crochet, as in this picture here, taken in our back yard, circa 1955. She crocheted long, dripping lacy edges on pillowcases, multitudes of doilies, some of which I still have, and lovely edges on handkerchiefs. I do not have a lot of food memories from Grandma Pramik, but the things I do remember are things I love to this day. Her Apple Cake, which I tried to approximate, as I have no recipe, left indelible memories. Her bread, the same recipe that my Mom made, one I have altered over time, with equally great results, was phenomenal. And her Slovak Rolls. For some reason, my recollection was that her rolls were called Kolach. Then later on, it seemed I must have made a mistake on that word. But by whichever name one calls those amazing rolls, made only at Christmas time, they were something I looked forward to with just as much anticipation as to my paternal grandmother's strudel! Grandma's Crocheted Handkerchiefs I have dedicated significant time over the years to trying to find out what these rolls might have actually been called in Slovak, to see if the word sounded familiar to me. While Grandma and Grandpa Pramik came over from Slovakia, also in the early 1900s, they spoke Slovak less often than English, though I do recall them speaking Slovak, and having little magazines in Slovak around their house. Well, I finally found the names for the nut and poppy seed rolls in Slovak, but there are no bells resounding in my head, so who knows at this late date? Just for informational purposes, in Slovak, the poppy seed rolls are called Makovnich and the nut rolls are called Orechovnik. Slovak Rolls - Poppy Seed and Nut I know that my Mom's Holupki (Cabbage Rolls) came from her mother, though I cannot get my memory to recall sitting at her table to eat them (I didn't like them at all as a child, so likely I blocked that memory!). I do love them today, and make them at least once a year. Chicken Paprikash also came from Grandma Pramik, though when I read recipes that are from Europe, the recipe is made differently. I suspect that during the Depression, as Grandma and Grandpa Pramik lived in the city as opposed to on a farm, they would have had less access to richer foods like sour cream and other things. I believe this may have influenced the way she made her foods, such as her Chicken Paprikash, which I still make her way, today. Another memory is of Grandma's cookies. She made these little cookies that were like a wafer on the bottom, with a puffed up top, always sprinkled with those multicolored hard nonpareils. I have actually made these before, but long before I started taking photos of everything I make, so I do not yet have photos. One day soon, I will make them and set the recipe out here in my blog for posterity. Poppy Seed Rolls The recipe for Poppy Seed and Nut Rolls that follows, was given me by my Aunt Mary, and is not actually Grandma's recipe, though from this remove, I cannot distinguish any difference. They are amazingly good! One caveat is that the poppy seed must be ground for this recipe for the correct consistency. It would be impossible to get the poppy seed to stay in place, otherwise. I have a little poppy seed grinder that I use, and it takes a fair amount of muscle. It is not easy to grind poppy seeds, and I know no better way to do this. For the nut rolls, simply use a fine grinder or grater. If using a food processor, the important thing is not to over-process. You do not want nut butter for this. Slovak Rolls Poppy Seed and Nut Rolls Makes 6 rolls DOUGH: 1 cup milk 2 packets dry yeast 1 cup unsalted butter 7 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3 eggs, beaten ½ pint sour cream (1 cup) FILLINGS: (1 - 2 Cups Per Roll) Nut Filling: 6 cups walnuts, ground (about 1½ lbs) Spread filling evenly over surface of dough before rolling Grinding Poppy Seeds ⅓ cup melted butter 1½ cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla milk, just enough to dampen Poppy seed Filling: 1 pound poppy seed, ground fine ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla (up to 2 tsp) milk, enough to moisten raisins (optional) Make Dough: Scald milk; cool to lukewarm (90 to 110 degrees). Sprinkle in the packets of yeast and let stand until bubbly. Cut the butter into the flour, as for pie dough. Add the sugar, salt, eggs, sour cream and the yeast mixture. Knead till smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and put into a plastic bag and REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT. Next day, cut the dough into 6 equal parts. Roll each to about ⅛-inch thick on a floured surface (about 12 x 12 inch square). Brush dough with melted butter. Spread with filling of choice. Roll up, place on greased baking sheet, seam side down. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Brush with milk. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. MAKE FILLINGS: For Nut Filling, combine all ingredients and use just enough milk to moisten the filling to dampness. Makes enough for 3 rolls. For Poppy Seed Filling do the same. If using raisins in the poppy seed filling, rinse them in hot water, drain, and sprinkle over the filling once spread on the dough. Makes enough for 3 rolls. My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.
Otherwise known in English as "egg cheese". This is from my MIL who has Czech heritage. She makes this every Easter. She slices it and serves it at room temp with ham. *I* like it when it's chilled and I slice it and put it on a sandwich w/ cold leftover ham slices. It's a soft, solid custard. Servings are a guess. Prep time is the chilling time.
My first attempt at a Slovak recipe is Kolachy which is a jellied pastry. I don't remember my mom making these, but I know that we bought them when we would go on vacation to a cabin in Phillips, Wisconsin, which has a large population of Slovak people and holds an annual Czech-Slovak Community Festival each summer. These pastries are filled with a fruit or cream cheese filling and are a perfect breakfast treat! Let's hope mine turn out this beautiful!
Haluski - Dumplings and Cabbage (Cuz Thom is adamant that all REAL SLOVAKS know that only dumplings make it real Haluski !) DUMPLINGS: 2 cups flour, 2 cups potato, finely grated (optional) 1 Tsp salt, 2 eggs, 2/3 cups milk. Mix together. If you don't have a dumpling maker (a pot with holes in the bottom and a turner that squeezes dough through the holes), you will have to drop dumplings by hand. Over a pot of boiling water, use dumpling maker or use a spoon to drop dough into the water. Dumplings should be the size of your finger nail. When they float to the top of water, scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Continue until all dough is used. Chop cabbage, fry in butter (with onions if desired) until browned and soft. Add dumplings. Enjoy real haluski! Note: Some folks add potato to the dumpling dough. Depends on the village the old folks came from. by Thomas Ponchak Haluski (Polish) 1 lg head of cabbage 2-3 sweet onions 2 sticks real butter dash of salt and pepper Cut hard core from the head of cabbage and cut thick veins out. Coarsely chop onions. Melt 1 stick butter and brown onions in a very large skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Add cabbage & saute slowly until just tender & browned (about 20 minutes). Add more butter if cabbage is burning. Set aside. EGG NOODLES : 2 eggs 3 C. sifted flour 1 tsp. salt Beat eggs slightly, add salt, & stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured board, and roll out thin. Let stand about 30 minutes. Cut into 1/2" wide strips. Cook in boiling salted water about 8 minutes. Drain in colunder. Mix noodles with cabbage/onions. Alternative method: Grandma would make homemade noodles, but in a rush, a bag of store bought noodles will suffice.
My background, Slovakian (Czechoslovakia at the time) on my Mother's side and Northern Serbian (Yugoslavia at that time) on my Father's side, has influenced the way I've eaten since birth. I grew up eating certain things, certain ways, and those have stayed the same all my life, where possible. Due to constant warring through the centuries, these eastern European countries have been overrun repeatedly and have changed hands, so to speak, ethnicities overlapping and influencing. So it is that many of the recipes that come down from both parents sometimes almost overlap. My Mom and Dad both made what their parents called Chicken Paprikash, though the styles were quite different. My paternal grandmother made strudel filled with poppyseeds, or nuts, and sometimes other things, while my maternal grandmother, instead of the very fine and delicate strudel dough, made Slovak Rolls, an enriched bread-like dough that was filled with poppyseeds, or nuts. Similar, but different. Sometimes, like with the "paprikash," the name of the dish overlaps, and sometimes the dish is just very similar but called differently. In this blog, I want to set out a couple of recipes from my North Serbian Grandmother: Machanka (or Tomato Gravy) and Kifli, little flaky fruit filled Christmas pastries), plus two filling varieties. Grandma Hromish Firstly, a little bit about my North Serbian Grandma Hromish. Grandma was married in Kucur, Bačka, Vojvodina at age 15, yet still brought her knowledge of cooking and baking with her. Her pastries were legend; flaky Kifli, nut pita, strudels (that I sadly, have not learned to make) of many varieties and others I have no access to at this late date. She arrived in the US with her first two children in the early years of the 1900s. Grandpa arrived a bit earlier than Grandma. They settled eventually in Ohio, around Celina, and farmed. Grandpa died before I reached two years of age, so I never knew him, but I know they had chickens and eggs and grew vegetables, something my Dad always loved doing. My father was born in Celina, the first of their children born in the U.S. From Grandma I learned to love saffron, as her house smelled of saffron most Sundays as we went to her house for dinner. Soup simmering on the stove, lovely golden from the saffron, with beef or chicken simmering away. She always made homemade noodles and those were always a treat. After serving the soup and noodles, she would Serve the meat from the soup, with more noodles and machanka. I am fairly certain that the word "machanka was actually spelled mačanka; the little mark above the "c" making the sound of "ch," as with the District mentioned above: Bačka. I grew up eating machanka often. It is a sweet sour kind of tomato gravy, eaten with the meat that had been cooked in the soup. This was standard. Later on, as the internet took off, I tried to find any kind of reference to machanka, and the only thing I ever found was a brown gravy, and certainly not Grandma's version. I finally fond only one reference to a tomato based gravy years later. This is similar to that machanka my Grandma made. In flavor, it fits with my memory, though I cannot say how authentic it is. Machanka with chicken and noodles Machanka Makes about 2½ cups 2 tablespoons bacon grease 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste 2 cups water 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon salt freshly ground pepper, to taste In a skillet heated over medium heat, melt the bacon grease and add in the flour, stirring until it is bubbly, figure 1. Off heat, add in the tomato paste (my mom used a large jar of tomato juice rather than the tomato paste and water), figure 2, and stir, mixing thoroughly with the roux, figure 3. Slowly, stir in the water until the whole mixture is smooth, figure 4, and set over the heat to cook until boiling and allow it to cook, stirring constantly until the mixture is thickened and bubbling. Add in the vinegar, sugar and salt, and as much pepper as you choose. Cook for another few minutes to ensure all the raw flour is cooked through, figure 5. Serve over boiled beef or chicken and noodles. Making Machanka ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kifli I remember these mostly at Christmas, though I know Grandma made them for other special occasions also. They are best if made using fillings made from scratch, as the fillings stay put. If using store bought fillings, they tend to run out. I have two filling recipes below. Makes about 100 little pastries Kifli with Prune or Apricot Filling 1½ tsp instant dry yeast (½ pkt) 3 cups flour ¼ pound lard ¼ pound unsalted butter 1 egg, whisked ¼ cup whipping cream, or heavy whipping cream ¼ cup evaporated milk ½ cup Poppy seed filling, Prune “Lekvar" or Apricot fillings are common Confectioner's Sugar, for rolling and sprinkling Mix instant dried yeast into flour. Work in the lard and butter as for pie dough. Add egg and cream and work with hands just until the dough pulls from sides of the bowl. Do not over mix. Sprinkle your work area with powdered sugar and roll out a portion of the dough. Cut dough into 3-inch squares. Fill these small squares or circles by placing ¾ teaspoon of filling of your choice in the center. Bring up opposing corners, dampen the edge with milk or cream and pinch together, then fold the pinched piece over to ensure they stay closed while baking. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheets for 15 to 18 minutes at 375 degrees. Bottoms will be golden and tops will just start to become golden color. Remove from oven, place on a rack to cool and sprinkle with more confectioner's sugar just before serving. Prune Butter or "Lekvar" Prune Butter or Lekvar Makes approximately 1½ cups 1½ cups pitted prunes ⅔ cup water 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 3 tablespoons lemon juice ⅓ cup brown sugar Place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Cool slightly; pour into a food processor. Process until just smooth. Store any unused portions in the refrigerator. Apricot Filling Apricot Filling Makes approximately 1½ cups 1½ cups dried apricots (pitted) ⅔ cup water 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 3 tablespoons lime juice ⅓ cup granulated sugar Place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Cool slightly; pour into a food processor. Process until just smooth. Store any unused portions in the refrigerator. My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.
When I think of to these little treats my heart races to my mom's kitchen or my grandmother's kitchen or my aunt's kitchen. I think the word dumpling doesn't do them justice, they
A tender sweet bread with a deep golden crust and a flavorful, nutty filling. Perfect with a hot cup of coffee. Before you begin, keep in mind that the dough needs to be refrigerated overnight.
Flaky buttery cream cheese pastry dough envelopes a delicious walnut-cinnamon-y filling. YUM!
For centuries, Czechs have enjoyed the Christmas treat vanocka, which means bakers have labored to make the sweet, fruity bread for just as many centuries. Radio Prague's Eric Martin found out just how difficult the bread is to make. The product of his hours-long solo attempt was practically inedible, so we sent him to get his act together at a well-known Prague bakery as it prepared for the Christmas…
This nut roll recipe hails from an old family friend and is a Christmas staple. It only requires one rise, so it's easy to churn out a ton of nut roll!
In between rounds of Sushi Go Round (Thanks Allergy Mom! It's my new game addiction) I found myself in the mood for some comfort food. My cravings turned to something I've wanted to make for awhile, pagach. Pagach is Slovak bread filled with cabbage or sometimes potatoes. I always loved it slathered in butter when my mom and grandma Helen would make it. I had my parents dig out the recipe from my grandmother's church cookbook a while back only to find out that the recipe calls for ten cups of flour!! My dad also found this recipe online for a smaller batch and with a few alterations I made my first batch on my own. I was happy with the result. Though my batch was a tad thinner it could have easily passed for one made by my mom or grandma. Here's what I did: Pagach (Slovak Cabbage Bread) Makes 2 large flat breads (approximately 11x14 inches) Adapted from GoToCentralEurope.com and The Sacred Heart League Cookbook from Livonia, Michigan. Dough: 3 1/2 cups flour (I used white spelt, but I plan on using all-purpose next time) 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 pkg) dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water 1 tablespoon of sugar 2/3 cup scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm (I used warmed soy milk) 1 egg 1/3 butter, melted (I used Earth Balance margarine) Filling: 1 medium to large head of cabbage, chopped 1 medium onion, diced 4-6 tablespoons of butter (again EB for me*) salt and pepper *Optional: 1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic (I found that when I'm using Earth Balance instead of margarine a tiny bit of dry garlic makes cooked cabbage taste more like it was cooked in butter. I have no idea why this works but I do it all the time.) Additional butter (or EB) -Stir the yeast in the water and a pinch of sugar and let sit for a few minutes to proof. -Add flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook and stir together to distribute. -Beat the egg into the warm milk along with the melted butter and remaining sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the flour and salt and mix until a smooth dough forms. -Place the dough in a oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest until doubled. -When doubled, punch the dough and give it a few quick kneads before recovering and allowing it to double again. -Make the cabbage filling by cooking down the cabbage, onion and butter (garlic powder optional) with salt and pepper to taste. You want the cabbage and onion to get soft and golden brown. I cook it over medium-low heat and stir frequently. Allow it to cool. -When the dough has doubled a second time divide it into quarters. Take one quarter and roll it out on parchment with a little flour until it is ~1/2 inch thick. Spread half of the cabbage mixture on top. Roll out a second quarter to match and lay it on top of the cabbage. Pinch the edges closed, cover with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for half an hour. Repeat with the remaining quarters of dough. -Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. -Roll out the sandwiched dough and cabbage as thin as you like (1/2 to 3/4 inch.) Brush with butter (or EB) and prick the top with a fork. Transfer the dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cut into pieces and serve with more butter (or EB.) -Realize that cabbage and starch is a wonderfully comforting thing. These places have a potato filling if you are interested in trying it that way: GoToCentralEurope.com The Joy of Soup: Pagach I'm adding this to Yeastspotting which is a wonderful weekly collection of recipes that use yeast. My collection of to-do bread, cracker, and other recipes always increases with each roundup.
One bowl of this soup takes the bite out of winter. Thick, creamy, and vegetarian, you’ll be amazed at how well the flavors meld. Special thanks to Clifford A. Wright who shared a version of this recipe in his book, The Best Soups in the World. As he states in the recipe introduction: "As they spoon some soup, your guests won’t be able to put their finger on what they like so much…"
Being Czech means that a lot of people I run in to either a) have no idea where Prague/Czech Republic is, or b) know kolaches (or koláčy ) ...
This lightly sweetened, fruit filled pastry recipe has been handed down in my family for generations.
The Slovak traditions for Christmas and Easter have imprinted certain taste memories that I can't avoid craving every year. One of the thing...
This meatless Slovak dish of baked bread dough balls and fried sauerkraut is typically served on holidays but can be enhanced with sausage year-round.
Yum I know I haven’t posted lately, but it’s exam and final paper time and I have just a short few days left until I’m done for the session. As much as I needed to get onto my p…
My father and grandparents were born in Czechoslovakia. I use to watch my grandmother make these small pastries at Christmas time and I couldn't wait to eat them when she was all done. I do hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I do. You will need a large area to work.
How I enjoyed the comfort of Pauline’s soup kitchen.
Traditionally made and served on Easter Sunday, this cheese has a mild scrambled eggs taste.
These kolache are made in the traditional manner: a yeast-flavored dough is rolled, cut and filled with fruit preserves for an attractive holiday cookie.
At first I'd like to remind you the giveaway is still open to everyone so don't hesitate and give it a chance :) Now let's move to Christma...
Hi, Everyone! I'm so excited to share this recipe for traditional Czech "buchty" (sweet filled buns) with you today! Every time I get a little homesick and miss Prague, I know that cooking or baking something that reminds me of home will cheer me up! These sweet buns are one of my favorites, and just
This recipe for Czech Christmas bread, also known as vanocka, is similar to Polish chałka, Jewish challah, and other egg-twist breads.
Krokety have always been a fancy kind of way of serving potatoes in the Czech Republic. If you go to the restaurant there you either get french fries or croquettes as a side dish. I have never seen them served here in the US but maybe that’s because I don’t know their correct name in …
This version of the classic Czech pastry livens up the dough with lemon flavoring.
One of the cornerstones of Czech cooking is dumplings - bread dumplings, yeasted dumplings, potato dumplings, fruit dumplings, dumplings with bacon, and on and on. So it seemed natural that my descent into Czech cooking begin with this mass of flour and carbohydrates. Most families here don't make dumplings anymore, as they are quite cheap to buy mass-produced ones in the shops. Some have told me they buy them from their local pub, which makes them from scratch. When I confessed my upcoming dumpling adventure to some, the men seemed impressed (thought I was being a good wifey to the Czech hubs), and the women said they remember making them with their mums years ago and I should definitely give it a shot. Making dumplings is a great way to get over that after-work slump of forgoing the dinner plans and diving into a bag of microwave popcorn (I fully admit to having done this), because even though it takes awhile, it's pretty easy, and I felt like a kid in science class watching an experiment! These two dough logs blow up and get all slimy in a big pot of boiling water. Don't worry, the slime subsides by the time they're ready to eat :) Eat with Czech Goulash Continue to Recipe... Bread Dumplings Time 1 hr 20 min Serves 6 2 stale bread rolls 2 - 3 Tb butter 3 1/2 cups flour 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 egg 1 cup (250 ml) water or milk 1) Cube the rolls into small squares and fry in the butter until a bit browned and crispy. 2) In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the already-whisked egg and liquid. Stir with a big wooden spoon, and use your hands to help. Add more flour if necessary. Should still be a little sticky. Add the bread roll pieces until mixed/mashed throughout the dough. 3) Split into two logs, cover and let sit for 25 - 35 minutes, and get a big (5 liters or more) pot of water boiling. 4) Slip both logs into the water, cover, and let boil away for 35 minutes. This will look really cool! 5) Scoop out, let cool just a little, and slice with thread. Yes - thread. While its cooking dig out a spool of whatever color you fancy, and wrap around your fingers like dental floss (maybe one could use floss too), and slice into 1 cm thick slices. 6) Eat with your favourite Czech meat 'n sauce combo (recipes to come soon!) What about you? Have you ever made dumplings? Does this method sound about right? Would you be willing to try to make this, or does it sound like too much work? Suggestions/improvements/experiences are welcome :) Dobrou Chut'/ Enjoy! -- Jo
Yesterday I wrote about my paternal grandmother and her amazing baking skills, her strudel, kifli, and so many other wonderful things. Her soup, noodles and machanka were sufficient to keep me happy, also, for sure. Grandma Pramik Today I would like to talk a bit more about my maternal grandmother. Firstly, she was deaf, since early womanhood, due to an illness, so it made it difficult to ever just sit and chat with her. That just didn't happen without shouting. Most of my memories of Grandma, outside of cooking, were of watching her crochet, as in this picture here, taken in our back yard, circa 1955. She crocheted long, dripping lacy edges on pillowcases, multitudes of doilies, some of which I still have, and lovely edges on handkerchiefs. I do not have a lot of food memories from Grandma Pramik, but the things I do remember are things I love to this day. Her Apple Cake, which I tried to approximate, as I have no recipe, left indelible memories. Her bread, the same recipe that my Mom made, one I have altered over time, with equally great results, was phenomenal. And her Slovak Rolls. For some reason, my recollection was that her rolls were called Kolach. Then later on, it seemed I must have made a mistake on that word. But by whichever name one calls those amazing rolls, made only at Christmas time, they were something I looked forward to with just as much anticipation as to my paternal grandmother's strudel! Grandma's Crocheted Handkerchiefs I have dedicated significant time over the years to trying to find out what these rolls might have actually been called in Slovak, to see if the word sounded familiar to me. While Grandma and Grandpa Pramik came over from Slovakia, also in the early 1900s, they spoke Slovak less often than English, though I do recall them speaking Slovak, and having little magazines in Slovak around their house. Well, I finally found the names for the nut and poppy seed rolls in Slovak, but there are no bells resounding in my head, so who knows at this late date? Just for informational purposes, in Slovak, the poppy seed rolls are called Makovnich and the nut rolls are called Orechovnik. Slovak Rolls - Poppy Seed and Nut I know that my Mom's Holupki (Cabbage Rolls) came from her mother, though I cannot get my memory to recall sitting at her table to eat them (I didn't like them at all as a child, so likely I blocked that memory!). I do love them today, and make them at least once a year. Chicken Paprikash also came from Grandma Pramik, though when I read recipes that are from Europe, the recipe is made differently. I suspect that during the Depression, as Grandma and Grandpa Pramik lived in the city as opposed to on a farm, they would have had less access to richer foods like sour cream and other things. I believe this may have influenced the way she made her foods, such as her Chicken Paprikash, which I still make her way, today. Another memory is of Grandma's cookies. She made these little cookies that were like a wafer on the bottom, with a puffed up top, always sprinkled with those multicolored hard nonpareils. I have actually made these before, but long before I started taking photos of everything I make, so I do not yet have photos. One day soon, I will make them and set the recipe out here in my blog for posterity. Poppy Seed Rolls The recipe for Poppy Seed and Nut Rolls that follows, was given me by my Aunt Mary, and is not actually Grandma's recipe, though from this remove, I cannot distinguish any difference. They are amazingly good! One caveat is that the poppy seed must be ground for this recipe for the correct consistency. It would be impossible to get the poppy seed to stay in place, otherwise. I have a little poppy seed grinder that I use, and it takes a fair amount of muscle. It is not easy to grind poppy seeds, and I know no better way to do this. For the nut rolls, simply use a fine grinder or grater. If using a food processor, the important thing is not to over-process. You do not want nut butter for this. Slovak Rolls Poppy Seed and Nut Rolls Makes 6 rolls DOUGH: 1 cup milk 2 packets dry yeast 1 cup unsalted butter 7 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3 eggs, beaten ½ pint sour cream (1 cup) FILLINGS: (1 - 2 Cups Per Roll) Nut Filling: 6 cups walnuts, ground (about 1½ lbs) Spread filling evenly over surface of dough before rolling Grinding Poppy Seeds ⅓ cup melted butter 1½ cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla milk, just enough to dampen Poppy seed Filling: 1 pound poppy seed, ground fine ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla (up to 2 tsp) milk, enough to moisten raisins (optional) Make Dough: Scald milk; cool to lukewarm (90 to 110 degrees). Sprinkle in the packets of yeast and let stand until bubbly. Cut the butter into the flour, as for pie dough. Add the sugar, salt, eggs, sour cream and the yeast mixture. Knead till smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and put into a plastic bag and REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT. Next day, cut the dough into 6 equal parts. Roll each to about ⅛-inch thick on a floured surface (about 12 x 12 inch square). Brush dough with melted butter. Spread with filling of choice. Roll up, place on greased baking sheet, seam side down. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Brush with milk. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. MAKE FILLINGS: For Nut Filling, combine all ingredients and use just enough milk to moisten the filling to dampness. Makes enough for 3 rolls. For Poppy Seed Filling do the same. If using raisins in the poppy seed filling, rinse them in hot water, drain, and sprinkle over the filling once spread on the dough. Makes enough for 3 rolls. My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.
This wonderful jam-filled bread is a traditional Czech/ Slovak recipe. It was served to us at dinner as the meal and it is MUCH easier to make than I expected!!! INGREDIENTS: (these measurements a…
