Valerian got a funny Slovak cookbook a few years ago, Z Kuchyne starého Prešporka (from the kitchen of old Pressburg) by Peter Ševčovič. Pressburg is the German name for Bratislava, and the book is full of quirky cooking advice from the Bratislava of yesterday, collected from average and not-so-average people, since there are some recipes for living on the street, including how to cook pigeons and alley cats. I’ve skipped right over those to a recipe for a Slovak favorite, even today: vianočka, a kind of sweet braided bread.

The name vianočka means “Christmassy” but in fact this bread is an everyday item, something you pick up at the grocery store. Our kids are especially fond of an Austrian brand that we refer to as “squishy bread” because it’s packed full of artificial preservatives to keep it soft for for all eternity. When baking at home of course, we stick to natural ingredients!

The vianočka available these days is usually sweet and has a hint of lemon flavor. This old recipe from the book makes a rich, spicy loaf, delicious sliced and toasted or with jam.

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Vianočka- braided sweet bread, adapted from Z Kuchyne starého Prešporka

The dough had a strange texture after the first rise; if you leave it to rise overnight in the fridge, give it plenty of time to warm up the next day before you start to work with it for best results.

Ingredients

Makes one large loaf

• 1 star anise
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 vanilla bean
• zest of one lemon
• 5½ cups/550 grams flour
• 1 packet instant yeast
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tbs/80 grams sugar
• scant 1¼ cup/250 ml milk
• 4 oz/100 grams butter
• 2 egg yolks
• ½ cup/40 grams raisins

For topping

• One egg yolk beaten with about a teaspoon of water
• ¼ cup/20 grams slivered almonds (optional)

Method

• Using a mortar and pestle, pound the star anise, cloves, and vanilla pod to a fine powdery paste.
• In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter together in a small pan, until just below boiling. Turn off the heat and add the spices. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and lemon zest. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture. Add the two egg yolks. Mix well until a soft dough forms; add the raisins and mix until incorporated.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead until it is soft and shiny, about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover the bowl with plastic and allow the dough to rise until doubled, about 2 hours. You can also put it in the refrigerator overnight.
• Divide the dough in half. Divide one half into four equal-sized pieces. Divide the other half in half again, then divide one of those pieces into thirds, the other in two. You will have nine pieces of dough in three groups of descending size.
• Roll each piece of dough into a rope; all the ropes should be of equal length, but fatter or skinnier depending on the size of the piece.
• Make a four-strand braid with the four biggest pieces. Make a three-strand braid with the medium pieces, and place it on top of the first braid. Twist the two smallest ropes together, and stack them on top of the two other braids. You may want to stick a toothpick at each end to pin the braids all together (I didn’t and the top kind of slid over).
• Place the loaf on a greased baking sheet and cover with a cloth. Allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/190 C.
• Brush the loaf with the egg wash. Sprinkle the almonds over the top, if desired.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes. If the top starts to get too dark, cover the browned parts with a piece of foil.
• Allow to cool completely before slicing.

It happens early every summer. The tiny potatoes appear and I start to look for them at the local markets.

The locals consider these tiny gems to be trash and they are also treated as such. If you go to the market you will find them in a crate off to the side with a big sale sign.  Once I found them in Győr at an upscale market where they were so cheap I bought 5 kilos. I still remember the woman asking me: “What are you going to do with those?” I shrugged and fearing more questions I  ran away with my price and and my secret.

I always wonder, when will people learn what I already know.  Every year I ask myself: “do they know it? are they going to still be affordable? what kind of strategy should I use to hide my secret?” I want to risk it and share my secret. The thing is, we’re moving so I am gone in a few weeks. I am ready to share my secret with the human race. Roasted tiny potatoes are the most amazing potatoes you will eat. I love them so much that I eat them without anything. Only potatoes and me. Katy is the same way. Now you know!

A few weeks ago I spotted them: they were imported from France and on mega sale in our local supermarket. I was so happy. I never had my favorite tiny potatoes in winter, so of course I bought a few bags.  The recipe is very simple.

1. Wash them, scrub them, do not remove the skin. If you have a bigger specimen, cut them in half.

2. Cook them in a boiling water for 8-10 minutes (depending on the size).

3. Once cooked, drain them in a colander and let them dry for about 5 minutes.

4. Put them into a roasting pan and roast them on 390 degrees F for approximately 45 min – 1 hour.  Give them a shake to turn them at the halfway point. You can use olive oil or any other oil, a combination of oil and butter, or, if you are decadent, use lard or goose fat – your results will be even better.

5. Salt them generously and enjoy them BIG TIME!

Maybe you have noticed that the pictures are slighter better quality. I would like to thank my in-laws for a great birthday present -  a new Canon 430 EX flash. The photography is more fun with it. Thank you and I am looking forward to cook some nice rich Central European meal garnished with roasted tiny potatoes for you soon.

There is nothing fancy, nothing sophisticated about lángos. It is simple, greasy and so delicious that when Katy’s friend came from NYC for her second visit to Central Europe, she refused all fancy restaurants and asked for lángos.

Unfortunately, modern ideas about health are killing lángos stands. What rubbish! The deep fried dough is full of vitamin B, and the salty garlic water, which you spread over the lángos, is brimming with allicin. If you decide to eat it topped with cheese and sour cream, you get protein and calcium as well! Why, it’s practically health food.

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Langos

Ingredients

Makes about 6 large or 10 smaller langos

• 12 oz/330 grams floury potatoes
• 3 cups/400 grams flour, plus more for flouring your work surface
• 1 sachet (7 grams) instant yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/3 cups/3 deciliters milk
• Oil to deep fry
• —————————
• To serve:
• Garlic
• Sour cream
• Grated cheese (Emmental or another firm, mild cheese)

Method

• Peel, roughly chop and boil the potatoes. While they are cooking, stir together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
• When the potatoes are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork (it doesn’t matter if they start to fall apart a little), drain off the water and mash them while still hot. Add the milk and make as smooth a paste as you can – don’t worry if there are small lumps.
• Stir the potato mixture into the dry ingredients; when it is well combined, turn it out onto a clean surface and knead for a few minutes (you could also use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment). The dough will be soft and sticky; if you find it too sticky to work with, add a little flour, but don’t worry too much. Place the dough in a large, clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1.5 hours or until doubled in bulk. You can also put it in the refrigerator overnight at this point, if you prefer.
• When you are ready to fry the langos, heat about 2 cups/half a liter of oil over medium heat in a pan (we used our big non-stick skillet). While it is getting to frying temperature, you can prepare the langos. Flour your work surface liberally, and have more flour ready to sprinkle on the dough. For each langos, scoop out about ½ cup of the dough and blob it onto the work surface. Sprinkle flour over the top of the dough and pat it out to about ½ an inch/2 cm thick. If you use plenty of flour it won’t be too sticky, I promise!
• The oil is hot enough when you toss in a tiny scrap of dough and it bubbles fiercely. Carefully place the langos in the oil one at a time (2 might fit in a large pan, but don’t crowd them) and cook about 3 minutes or until the bottom is a deep golden color. Turn with a fork or tongs and cook another 3 minutes. Remove from the oil and allow to drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all langos are cooked..
• To serve, traditionally the langos is brushed with a mixture of garlic paste and water or oil. Crush a couple of cloves of garlic in a press or using a microplane grater, and mix with about 2 Tbs water or olive oil.
• On top of this, if you dare, spread sour cream and sprinkle with grated cheese. Enjoy!