Czech Cuisine

Many dishes in traditional Czech cuisine are served with dumplings (e.g. roast of pork and sauerkraut, beef in tomato sauce, beef in dill sauce, and especially „Svíčková“ – premium beef in smooth cream&vegetable sauce).

Dumplings (Houskove knedliky)

4 servings

Ingredients:

350 g flour (75% any bread mixture, 15% rice flour, 5% potato starch, 5% soya flour)

Salt

1 egg

baking powder (about 4g)

lukewarm milk (about 300ml, depending on the quality of flour)

*and one of the following:*a. 2–3 slices of GF bread cut into cubes (1ccm)

b. 2 GF rolls cut into cubes (better from the previous day)

c. 40g of puffed rice

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients to create thick stiff dough.
• Form three rolls (cylindrical shape, diameter 8–10 cm) and put them immediately into a big pot of boiling water.
• Cook for 15–18 minutes.
• Cut into slices with a piece of thread (better than with a knife) and keep warm for serving.
• The GF dumplings tend to disintegrate during cooking. You might have to make them several times before you'll be able to assess required stiffness of the dough. It might be easier for beginners to cook the dumplings in greased mugs dipped 2/3 in boiling water – cooking time 20 minutes. Another possibility is to cook the dumpling wrapped in a linen napkin.

Potato Dumplings (Bramborove knedliky)

Ingredients:
- 400g boiled potatoes, still hot and finely grated
- 1 egg
- 40g maize starch

Method:

• Mix potatoes and starch on a rolling board or a large chopping board. Then add egg and salt.
• Work the ingredients into dough, form rolls (diameter 6 cm), cook for about 15 minutes in boiling water and cut into slices.
• Alternatively, form round dumplings (diam. 5cm) and cook for a slightly shorter period of time.

This type of dumplings is served typically with smoked meat and spinach or just with fried onion.

Potato fingers (Bramborove sisky)

„Sisky“ is a dish very popular with children. Use the same dough as in the previous recipe.

Method:

• Form small cylinders of finger size and cook in boiling water for several minutes.
• Serve with ground poppy-seed sweetened with sugar and melted butter. Other alternatives: use fried breadcrumbs, cinnamon & sugar or grated hard curd & sugar instead. (Hard curd – „tvrdý tvaroh“ or „tvaroh na strouhání“ – is available in most shops.)

Leftover dumplings can be frozen or used to make a quick lunch: Cut sliced dumplings into cubes, roast on fat (oil or lard), add salt and ground pepper and pour over with beaten eggs. Cook until the eggs are ready. Sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve with a salad – preferably of sour taste.