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Bean Soup with Smoked Pork Knee

The cuisine of northern Slovakia is influenced by the harsh climatic conditions of the area, where it is usually intensively cold at least three months per year. This is one of the reasons why smoked meat, potatoes, sauerkraut, dairy products and pulses are typical for this cuisine. In Slovakia, the pulses belong to the oldest cultivated crops. The most famous dish, still popular in the Slovak kitchen, is the bean soup, which used to be part of the Christmas Eve dinner for many families.

Instructions:

Dip beans into the water a day in advance. Let the washed smoked knee cook in a larger pot with the bay leaf and peppercorns. Cook until tender. After cooking, take the knee out of the pot and let it cool, take off the meat from the bone and cut it into small pieces. Strain the broth. Meanwhile, pour out the water from the beans, wash them and let them cook in the broth from the knee. Add the carrots cut into slices and the diced potatoes and cook until tender. Finally, prepare a roux with the lard from the finely chopped onion, flour, paprika and pour it into the hot soup. Season it with salt, pepper, marjoram and crushed garlic. Finally, put some pieces of lean meat from the smoked knee into the soup.

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Apple Strudel with Shortcrust Pastry

This sweet and sour specialty is exceptionally popular with locals and guests alike. The apple strudel filling is made of apples, sultanas, sugar, breadcrumbs, natural flavors, pine nuts, other nuts or almonds and butter. Only South Tyrolean apples and South Tyrolean butter may be used in apple strudel with the seal of quality. All ingredients are natural. Preservatives and other additives are forbidden. Flavor enhancers may not be used either. South Tyrolean apple strudel contains only natural flavors and aromas.

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Cauliflower Croquettes

Meatballs of various types are an integral part of Romanian cuisine and the word chiftea (pl. chiftele) (pronounced /kif-te-a/ – /kif-te-le/) is clearly an indication of their Turkish origin, the word being a corruption of the Turkish kofte and related to the Middle Eastern kafta. In the Moldavian region of Romania they are also commonly known as parjoale (/pur-joa-le/) although these seem to be a little larger in size than the standard Romanian chiftea. Due to the preference for pork in the Romanian diet, these meatballs are most commonly composed of pork, perhaps in combination with some beef. Lamb chiftele are quite rare in Romanian cuisine. These cauliflower croquettes have a moist, light interior and, if cooked right, a crispy coating. Cauliflower is more usually pickled in Romanian or the whole florets are battered and fried.

Ingredients for 6 - 8 portions:

  • 1 of smoked pork knee (1 – 1,5 kg)
  • 220 g of big mottled beans
  • 2 pcs of carrots
  • 3 pcs of potatoes
  • 1 bigger onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 3 teaspoons of fine flour
  • 50 g of lard
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 blobs of whole black pepper
  • salt, ground black pepper, marjoram, ground sweet red pepper

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