As our ancestors left Moravia and Bohemia, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, they brought recipes with them. These same recipes have been handed down through generations. While a number of them have been “updated” over the years, the foundation originated in the Fatherland. We extend our sincere thanks to TCGS Lifetime Member, Richard Lesikar, for the map showing the Atlantic Ship Routes from Europe to America – 1850s to 1890s.

—“Czech Recipes,” Cooking with Czech Recipes Cookbook, Texas Czech Genealogical Society (2021)

Every so often, we have “Heritage Night.” Last evening was a good one! Slices of dumpling fried in bacon fat and served with scrambled eggs made a marvelous breakfast. And I couldn’t wait for lunch to have it all over again!

Mr. Big Food did the roast in the slow cooker. The dumpling takes a while but is easy. Gravy is gravy, and this was very, very good. Enjoy!

“Submitted by: Mary Ann (Mrs. John) Gantt”

AUTHENTIC CZECH ROAST PORK AND YEAST DUMPLINGS WITH GRAVY

ROAST PORK

2 or 3 lb. pork loin
1 C hot water
1 Tbsp whole caraway seed
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ stick butter
2 Tbsp white flour
1 C hot water
1 tsp salt
1 medium onion, sliced
2 Tbsp ground paprika
Yeast Dumplings
Sauerkraut (see recipes in this section)

Preheat oven to 375o. Place pork in baking dish with fat side up, add hot water, add salt, pepper and caraway seed, distributing evenly over fat surface. Roast in preheated oven until internal temperature reaches 165o. “Alternately you may cook this in a crock-pot on high for 4 to 5 hours.” Reserve cooking juices. Fry sliced onions in butter, brown flour and paprika in onion-butter mixture, add reserved cooking juices all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When mixture boils, reduce flame and simmer 5 minutes. Slice roast pork into ½-inch slices and smother with gravy. Serve with dumplings and sauerkraut.

YEAST DUMPLINGS

“Forget what you know about American dumplings. These are different in many respects.”

“This batch of dumplings will serve eight.”

4 C white flour
1 package yeast
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1½ C milk, heated to a temperature of 110o to 120o, “in the microwave this is about a minute on HIGH). The temperature is very important since you are using yeast in the recipe”
5 slices stale bread, diced

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and yeast. Add egg to warm milk and mix well. Add egg-milk mixture to dry ingredients and mix well. “You will need to knead the dough for about ten minutes until it is elastic.” Shape dough into a ball “and put it on the top shelf of your oven on a lightly-floured dinner plate. Cover the dough with a dishtowel. On the bottom shelf of your oven, place a pan of water that has just boiled on the stovetop. Close the oven (DO NOT TURN IT ON) and let the dough rise for one hour. It will double in size.” Remove plate and dough from oven, add diced bread to dough, mix thoroughly, return to oven “as before and put another pan of boiling water in the oven with it. Let it rise about for another hour.” Remove and divide dough into 4 equal portions. With floured hands, shape each dough portion into “hot dog bun” shapes. Place on a floured cookie sheet, cover with a cloth and let rise for about 15 minutes more. While dumplings are rising, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add two of the dumplings to boiling water, cover tightly and let boil 7 minutes. Turn dumplings, re-cover pot and let boil another 5 minutes. Immediately remove dumplings and allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cook remaining 2 dumplings “in the same manner.” To serve, slice dumplings about ½-inch thick on a warm plate with the roast pork. Cover the pork and dumplings with the paprika and onion gravy.