Europe on plate
Vepřo knedlo zelo
Ingredients
For the pork:
- 1.5 kg boneless pork shoulder, cut in individual size portions
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoons flour
For the dumplings:
- 480 grams flour
- 1 cup milk (warm)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the sauerkraut:
- 1 kg sauerkraut , drained
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 5 cups water
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons flour
Instructions
Pork Roast:
- Season pork with salt, pepper and caraway seeds.
- Heat a cast iron pan with the oil. When oil is hot, sauté onion in pan for about 8 minutes or until light golden.
- Push onion to the side and add pork roast. Brown the pork roast on all sides.
- Add 1 250ml of water and scrape the pan.
- Cover the pan with a lid or tin foil. Bake in a preheated oven at 180˚C for 2 hours.
- Turn meat over every 30 minutes.
- At the end of the cooking, remove the lid (or tin foil), increase temperature to 190˚C and bake for another 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Remove the pork roast from the pan and place on a plate covered with tin foil.
- Place the pot back on the stove, and add 100ml of water to the drippings. Scrape the sides and bottom of the pot.
- Add flour mixed in 4 tablespoons of water and add to the drippings. Cook for 5 minutes to make a gravy.
- Serve pork roast in a plate with a couple slices of dumpling, the cooked sauerkraut, and the gravy on top.
Dumplings:
- Combine the sugar, the yeast, and the milk. Whisk and set aside for about 10 minutes or until it is foamy.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, the egg, the salt. Add the yeast mixture and knead until the dough detaches from the edges of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it rise for 2 hours, in a warm area away from drafts.
- Dust the work surface with flour and form the dough into 3 loaves.
- In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Carefully place the dumplings in the pot.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook covered for 20 minutes, turning the dumpling half way through the cooking. You need to maintain a rolling boil throughout the cooking.
- Take the dumpling out of the pot. Poke the dumpling in a few places with a fork to let the steam out.
- Slice the dumplings delicately with a sewing thread or a serrated knife. Slices should be about ¾ inch thick.
Cooked Sauerkraut:
- In a pot, add the drained sauerkraut, water, sugar, caraway seeds, and salt. Bring to boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer covered for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion. Sauté while stirring regularly for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Add the flour. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and onion mixture to the pot with sauerkraut. Cook on medium for a few minutes while stirring.