Czech in the Kitchen

Roasted Pork, Sweet Cabbage and Knudi (Czech style)

 

This is a very standard, classic Czech dish.  In Prague you can typically get this at most restaurants though they may give you a slightly different version of the knedle or dumpling. There are actually two versions, one with this dough and another with a yeast dough that is a bit more work.  This is definitely a dish that is synonymous with “home” for me.  Enjoy!

Roast Pork

Chop up the pork shoulder and place it in a roasting pan.  dice the onion and garlic, add to pork, salt and toss.  Bake the pork at 350 degrees in the oven for half hour or so with the lid on, then remove lid and roast until browned.

When the pork is roasted remove from the pan, fry the drippings on medium heat until the onions are browned.  Once the onions are browned add enough flour so that you have a soft paste and brown for a few minutes (frying the flour will remover the flour taste from the gravy).  Stir often and watch that it doesn’t burn.  After a few minutes add water, about 1/2 Cup at a time and whisk until thick, keep adding water until you have to consistency of gravy.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Cabbage

Shred the cabbage and put in a large saucepan.  Add water, caraway seeds, salt and cook until soft on medium heat. Once soft add vinegar and sugar, in a separate frying pan fry the chopped onions in oil until golden, then add flour and fry for a few minutes.  Once you fry the flour for a few minutes then add the mixture into the cabbage.  The cabbage should have a sweet and sour flavour, feel free to adjust the salt, sugar and vinegar to taste.

Knudi

Peel the cooked potatoes and grate them, add the flour, egg, wheatlets (if used) and salt. Knead into dough, adding more flour if needed to make sure you have a nice bread dough consistency. Take a section of the dough and roll out into a thin log. Then cut the log into pieces that would be about the size of large marbles when rolled into balls.

These can be shaped into whatever form you would like.  Traditionally this exact dough is used to make Czech Knedles, a bigger log that is boiled and then sliced (typically with thread so not to squish the roll).  By making the the dough into knudi I have found is much easier to gauge when it’s cooked. And all around less hassle. To make the knudi, roll into balls then use a fork and press the ball against the fork, pushing it off the fork, your thumb with create the indentation and the fork will create ridges on the other side.

You want to work quickly with the dough since it will begin to get sticky if you let it sit.  Once you get started, get the water boiling and keep moving.

Drop the knudi into boiling water, stir immediately and cook until done, (they are done when they float to the top), then place them into a strainer until drained and cooled a bit. (this is when you get your next batch into the pot) Keep covered and warm and you can also coat with a splash of oil to keep from sticking. The knudi should be soft but not fall apart when cooked.  They will stiffen up a bit as they cool.  If the first batch is too soft you can always add a bit of flour.