Passport & Plate - Bryndzove halusky

dominikask — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:37:04 GMT

Ingredients
For 5 portions:
4 pcs of mid-sized potatoes
250 g plain flour
1 egg
200 g "bryndza" (Slovak soft sheep cheese) or feta or cream cheese
100 ml sour cream
200 g bacon in one piece
2 tsp salt
chives (for decoration)

How to prepare this recipe
Put on a smile and let´s start :)
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. We will need it later.
Now, peel the potatoes and grate them on a fine grater into the bowl. Add 1 tsp salt, the flour, an egg and make the fairly thick dough (picture 3). To test the consistency drop a little teaspoon-full in boiling water and it should sticks together. If it falls apart, it needs more flour. Next, we need to make “halusky” and there are few options. You can buy and use a Spaetzle maker, use a knife and cutting board or use two spoons to make dumplings. If you have a Spaetzle maker, drop a big spoonful of the dough in and push the dough through the holes into the boiling water. Make sure the water is always boiling. When the dumplings are done, they will float to the top. Get the dumplings out with a slotted spoon and place them in a drainer. Afterwards, put them back in a pot to keep them warm.
If you have somebody to help, while you are working on "halusky", he can prepare bacon. If not it is again your turn. Cut up the bacon into small cubes (1 cm) and cook in a skillet on medium high heat until the bacon is crunchy (not burned) floating in the grease. We use the grease to moisten "halusky" and not to be sticky.
Finally, we make a cream sauce. Original "bryndzove halusky" is made of soft sheep cheese which is produced in Slovakia. But you can easily substitute it with some cream cheese or feta cheese. Then, mix any kind of cheese with sour cream and we can serve.
Top the dumplings with the cold cream sauce, hot pieces of bacon and chopped chives for decoration.
Easy, cheap and delicious!

The story behind this recipe
Sometimes it happens the best things are right under your nose.
6 years ago, I was on my first study trip abroad, in Oradea, Romania. Meeting people from different countries was new and exciting for me. We became good friends (until these days). After a month there, I had 20th birthday and I wanted to make it special. Searching for the great place for the trip I came across the Slovak town in Romania called Nadlac, unbelievable. I got in contact with people living there and together we organized a perfect day with sightseeing, visiting a typical Slovak restaurant “koliba” and learning more about the history. In restaurant, they served our Slovak traditional meal “bryndzove halusky”. Friends were asking me about the ingredients and taste so I had to tell the truth. I have never tried it before. Believe it or not, we never cooked it at home and in restaurants I always ordered something else. So on my 20th birthday I ate Slovak traditional meal in Romania for the first time. It was delicious and I was not the only one amazed by its taste.
After this perfect day we couldn´t wait to eat it again. A few weeks later, a Lithuanian guy Vitalis had birthday. We decided to organize a dinner party for him. It was the best chance to cook "halusky". I suggested preparing it in my flat and bringing it to the party. However, it was a day of bad luck and when I was going to boil the water, we ran out of gas. It was Sunday so nobody worked. Fortunately, my Cypriot friend Mahmut came and helped me to take all the things to the party house. We were a bit late but everybody offered a helping hand. We were so funny running around the pots trying to prepare it on time. Hungry people were asking every 5 minutes if it is ready and we were boiling water for more than 1 hour because prior to boiling we put oil in water and it resisted boiling. Finally, with 2 hours delay "bryndzove halusky" came from the kitchen and they tasted fantastic as we prepared it on our own.

Photos: My Scholarship entry - Strong moments from my travels

dominikask — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 09:30:00 GMT

My name is Dominika & I am a travel-addict. I think I inherited it in genes & over the years it got worst. The first big conflict appeared during my high school when I was offered a 6-month study in Italy. My father was totally against as I was only 16. It took several years but in my 20 I fell into it. And the consequences appeared. Those lighter: a lot of money spent, family & friends left behind. Those worse included many parties & hangovers, lots of friends around the world impossible to visit, withdrawal symptom after the trip. After few study stays abroad I decided to give the meaning to my travels. I started taking camera not only to the parties but also to the countryside. Later, the nature became one of the main criteria influencing my travel choice. First photos were for fun to capture my memories. But before my last travel to volunteer in Bali I bought a better camera to improve my skills. Living next to local people I wanted to capture their real life as best I can but usually it ended as a normal photo. After coming home I began giving public screenings. My story is strong but I would like to support it with quality photos as well. Please help me to follow the way :)

Taking photos to improve my travel addiction

Passport & Plate - Bryndzove halusky

Photos: My Scholarship entry - Strong moments from my travels