Recipe Esterházy Roast Beef

Oliebollen, literally translated as grease balls, are deep fried dough balls, studded with raisins and currants and sweetened with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. It is traditional to serve oliebollen with coffee during Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Holland. Oliebollen are good cold too, with a hot cup of coffee and some extra powdered sugar. With this recipe, one can make about six oliebollen.

When it came to his choice of meals, Emperor Franz Joseph proved very loyal to his native country and region. Alongside cooked beef, he loved simple pastry dishes made from eggs, flour, milk and a little sugar, such as the light and creamy Kaiserschmarren. Also known as ‘Emporer’s Trifle’, this dish is a true staple in Viennese cuisine and can not only be served as dessert but also as a main course. And: It is really easy to make.

Autumn in Slovakia belongs to goose feasts, with their long tradition especially in the Small-Carpathian region. Breeding of geese and goose feasts in Slovakia have about a hundred year long tradition that is related to the southern regions of our country. The tradition of roasting goose came to Slovakia from German-speaking countries, especially Austria and Germany, where it is associated with the feast of St. Martin. In Slovakia, it was mainly established for economic reasons because selling roasted goose at the local markets was the activity of Slovak housewives, which in this way improved the household budget. Gourmets from various parts of the country began to search for places where the best goose came from (Chorvátsky and Slovenský Grob). Another reason for the emergence of this habit was just to the South of Slovakia with plenty of small rivers and brooks ideal conditions for breeding geese.

This aubergine salad is served as a starter along with crust bread and various other ‘salate’ or on the table for a late summer barbeque. It can easily be made well in advance and make plenty, because it’s also extremely delicious just on its own for a lunchtime snack, and all the better with some crispy grilled ‘lipia’ bread (a kind of round thin bread, something like a flatbread or pitta). What’s more, it’s simple to make!