BEST of Czech Republic food : Vepro-Knedlo-Zelo !

Vepro-Knedlo-zelo is short for veprova (roast pork), dumplings (knedliky), zeli (sauekraut). Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, a classic Czech dish!

There are several variations of the dish, and most Czech restaurants offer it. Dobru chut (Bon Appetit)!

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The following recipes come from my-prague-sights.com:

Roast Pork (Vepřová Pečene)
Ingredients:
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs prepared mustard
2 tbs caraway seeds (We Czechs love the caraway seeds.)
1 tbs garlic powder – more if you’d like!
1 tbs salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 lbs pork roast
1 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup beer (or water)
1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs butter
Directions:
Mix the vegetable oil, mustard, caraway seeds, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and rub over the pork roast. If you have time, let it sit about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C).
Lay the onions a large roasting pan. Pour in the beer. Put the roast on top of the onions in the pan. Cover pan with foil. You can even add a few cloves of garlic if you’d like.
Bake at 325 F (165 C) and baste with the natural juices frequently. Turn meat over while baking (1 to 1 1/2 hours).
Save the juices from the pan and add the cornstarch and butter. Throw in a saucepan and simmer shortly till it thickens. You can pour this over your pork and dumplings (see next recipe).

Yeast Dumplings (Houskové Knedlíky)
Ingredients:
1/2 package dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon salt
4 cups instant flour
1 egg
1 cubed bread roll
Directions:
Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water with sugar. In a big bowl comine flour, salt, egg and bread roll. After yeast rises, add to mixture and knead for 10 minutes or so. Form 4 rolls on a sheet with flour. Cover and let rise.
Boil salted water and gently place in water – maybe one or two at a time. Cover and cook about 20 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick. It should be light and puffy.
Remove from water and slice.

Simple Sauerkraut (Zeli)
Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, sliced into small strips
1 lb sauerkraut – with juice
1 medium chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 tsp cold water
1 tsp cornstarch
sugar and vinegar to taste
Directions:
Fry bacon in a small pan over until evenly browned. Set aside. Fry chopped onion in butter until translucent. Add sauerkraut to saucepan, cook until tender. Add bacon, and season with salt, pepper and caraway seeds.
Stir together the cornstarch and water; mix into the sauerkraut, and simmer for a few minutes before removing from the heat. Add sugar and vinegar to taste.

 

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