Monthly Archives: February 2017

Thunder in February – Freeze in April… Kolach vs. Klobasnik

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Sunday evening, I heard something that sounded an awful lot like thunder. Hmmm, I turned off the sound of the pre-Oscar show and listened. Sure enough, very clearly, I heard thunder. I believe it was Mrs. Georgia Vittitow, God rest her soul, who stated, “A thunderstorm in February means a freeze on the same date in April.” As the sole owner of a struggling vineyard in Rains County, I surely hope she was wrong, and that there won’t be a freeze on April 26. That would be devastating.

But, that had me thinking of other “old timers,” their “sayings” and how knowledge is passed, sometimes incorrectly.

I’m a third-generation Czech-American. My parents were both ESL (English as a second language) students. They didn’t have an acronym in those days, but they were the kids in the country school houses that spoke a different language at home and then learned English as they attended school. In those days it was no big deal and everyone learned English if they attended school.

I grew up and attended public schools in Arlington, certainly speaking English, but still submersed in a Czech-induced life. I grew up with traditional Czech cooking – and certainly kolache.

So, I know what a kolach is. Kolach comes from a Czech word meaning circle or wheel. It is a soft buttery pastry, usually filled with a fruit center.

The plural form of kolach is kolache. It is not cylindrical and it does not surround a sausage. However, popular in Texas, the fabulous treat with a sausage encompassed in dough is something different.

I asked my mother about it, since I kept hearing non-Czechs call them kolaches. My mom surmised that it would be very possible for leftover kolach dough to be used to make a kind of sandwich with leftovers, even sausage. It’s not a kolach – just as a hotdog rolled up in a tortilla isn’t a burrito. However, the item could have been taken to the field as a Czech-like sandwich.

When I pushed her and my dad for a name for this sausage-rolled-in-dough thing, they came up with klobasnik, or in plural, klobasniky. A klobasnik is an American creation. In the now Czech Republic or Slovakia, it isn’t a “thing.” If you tried to order one while visiting in Europe, they’d probably be confused. The confusion probably came about when some poor Czech took his simple leftover sandwich to work. Then when struggling to converse with others and with the language barrier, it may have been called a kolach. The Czech-American would have agreed that yes, in a way, it was. Thus began an annoying misunderstanding – okay, at least for me and possibly other Czech-Americans.

I make klobasniky for Reka’s Rise and Shine and other coffee shops. They seem to be well liked. I hear them referred to as “pig-in-a-blankets” and that doesn’t do them justice. Any hotdog rolled in biscuit dough could be called that.

A klobasnik should be made with the best quality sausage link that can be found, rolled in a buttery sweet-roll dough, cooked until perfectly golden-brown and finished by basting with butter.

I won’t give away my Czech grandmothers’ recipes, but here’s a kolach recipe that has been published in Texas Highways. It is pretty good, and worth a try.

Kolache*
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
2 pkg. dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
2 eggs, beaten
4 c. all-purpose flour
fruit filling
posipka filling
1/3 c. additional butter, melted

Heat sour cream until warm, Stir in sugar, salt and softened butter. Set aside to cool.
Sprinkle yeast over warm water. Let stand until yeast dissolves. Add to sour cream mixture. Add eggs and flour. Mix well until the dough is spongy. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator and shape dough into egg-sized balls. Flatten into 1/2-inch thick and let rise for 10 minutes on a lightly-greased cookie sheet.

Make indentions in the middle of each ball. Add fruit filling. Sprinkle posipka over the top.
Let kolache rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush the edges with melted butter.
* Notice there’s no “s” at the end – kolache is plural.

Fruit Filling
2 12-oz pkgs. dried fruit like pitted plums or apricots
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar

Cover fruit with water and cook 12-15 minutes, until tender. Drain.
Puree fruit in blender. Add cinnamon and sugar, blend until combined.

Posipka
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, softened

Blend flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

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My husband often complains that our freezer is full, yet there is nothing edible in it. That’s because I save scraps like trimmings from asparagus, carrots, mushrooms and onions, shrimp shells and bones from chicken, beef, pork and fish. I hate to purchase broth and stock, and I love the ability to control the flavors.

It’s not all about control, because it also makes me feel good to use things that others would throw away. If for some reason the vegetable scraps can’t be used, they at least go on the compost pile.
I use the following stock in chowders and soups. With Lent around the corner, I figured recipes with fish would be helpful.

Shellfish Stock
2 quarts shrimp shells
2 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped carrots
2 tsp. olive oil
2 quarts water
1 bundle of thyme sprigs, sage and parsley stems tied with string
4-5 whole peppercorns
1/2 c. dry white wine

Toast shrimp shells in a 375-degree oven until they lightly brown. Meanwhile, sweat onions, celery and carrots in olive oil in a large pot, cooking until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery soften.

Add the toasted shrimp shells, spice bundle, peppercorns and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 45 minutes.

Strain and use the flavorful stock right away or allow to cool and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for several months.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder
4 bacon slices, chopped
1-1/2 c. sweet corn kernels
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. flour
3 c. diced potatoes
6 c. shellfish stock
4 c. arugula, kale or other peppery green vegetable
1 lb. peeled shrimp
1 c. fat-free half-and-half

Brown bacon in a soup pot. Then add corn, onions, salt, paprika and cayenne pepper.
When the onion begins to brown, add flour and stir until combined. Cook 3-4 minutes.

Add potatoes and shellfish stock. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add greens and shrimp. Cook for about 5 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender and the shrimp are done. You’ll know they are done when they turn pink.

Add fat-free half-and-half and stir. I like to add cracked black pepper on top of each bowl. Serve with a slice of crusty bread.

Roasted Green Chiles in Chowder

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I’m increasingly concerned with the warm weather we’re experiencing. Normally the high temperatures are in the 50s at this time of year. I’d be pruning my roses. However, they are now sprouting new growth and I haven’t pruned yet. I’d like to rough-prune my grapevines, but I’m afraid that activity will encourage an early bud break. It is certainly a crazy winter.

This is the earliest I’ve seen asparagus coming up in my perennial bed. I’ve been picking them, but wonder if we aren’t going to have another hard freeze soon. Like most people, I’m just doing the best I can, and I am trusting that it will all work out – maybe not for the best, but it will work out.

My husband has tilled one of my three vegetable plots and will soon complete the other two. I’ll have onion sets planted by the end of the week. I just have to keep planning for the future. In doing just that, I’ve looked through my freezer and found a bag of frozen roasted chile peppers that I put away last year. I want to use up the vegetables in my freezer so that I’ll have room when I harvest this coming summer. This soup is a great way to use fresh or frozen vegetables.

Roasted Green Chiles and Corn Chowder
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp. cumin
3 tsp. red chile powder
2 bay leaves
6 c. vegetable broth
4 c. potatoes, cubed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 c. roasted green chiles, diced
3-4 c. corn
1/2 lemon, juiced

Begin by sautéing onions in olive oil and butter for about 15 minutes. Then add the garlic, cumin, chile powder and bay leaves. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the broth. Immediately add the potatoes, salt and pepper and stir, bringing the contents up to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer about 10 minutes.

Add the thawed roasted green chilies and corn and cook until they are heated throughout. Removed the bay leaves and about half of the potatoes, corn and onion.

Then use an immersion blender and purée the rest of the mixture in the pot. If you want a chunkier chowder, remove more of the chunks before puréeing. If you like a soupier mixture, remove less.
Add the chunks of potatoes, corn and onion back to the pot along with the lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Serve garnished with torn cilantro leaves, grated cheese and fat-free Greek yogurt. A little Louisiana hot sauce is also good to add before serving. I toasted tortilla chips with grated cheese to serve on the side.

Italian Sausage Soup and Quick Pea Soup

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I spent Sunday afternoon racking and running new wine through a coarse filter. The juice will undergo a cold-stabilization period before it will be blended and bottled. The process took hours and it was close to 8:30 when I started dinner and watched the football game. Sounds like the fourth quarter was the time to watch, anyway.

With the unseasonably warm weather, stew doesn’t sound too inviting. Fortunately, Saturday was cool when I tried this hearty, healthy stew.

Italian Sausage Stew
1 lb. Italian sausage links
1-1/2 c. onions, chopped
1 c. green peppers, chopped
2 tsp. garlic, minced
28-oz. canned tomatoes
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp. butter
5-6 c. torn kale, washed and stems removed
10 oz. wheat penne pasta
3-4 c. chicken stock
1 c. half-and-half
salt and pepper, to taste

Brown Italian sausage links on all sides in a large pot. Remove and reserve for later. They won’t be cooked through, but will finish cooking later.

Using the sausage grease, sauté onions and green peppers for 15-20 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add canned tomatoes, reduce heat and simmer.

In another pot, brown mushrooms in butter. Add to the first pot. Add enough water to the empty pot to blanch the kale. Bring the water to a boil and season with salt. Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces. Add to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Remove kale with a slotted spoon and add to the first pot. Do not throw out that water! Instead, bring it back up to a boil and cook the penne pasta, following the package directions.

When the penne is ready, drain it and add it to the first pot. Add enough chicken stock to the first pot to make a stew-like consistency. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, then remove from the heat. Add half-and-half and season with salt and pepper.

Serve garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and/or chopped fresh parsley.

Stew is perfect when there’s time to cook. However, when I need something quick and hearty, I make an easy soup using canned peas.

Quick Pea Soup
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
4 cans spring peas or baby peas
4 c. chicken stock
1 c. fat-free half-and-half
salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté onions, garlic and ginger in coconut oil in a pot with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drain peas, and add to the pot along with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes and remove from the heat.

For perfectly smooth pea soup, puree all of the soup in a food processor or with an immersion blender. I like to see some recognizable peas, so I skim out about a cup of peas, puree what’s in the pot, and then add the peas in the cup back to the pot.

Add fat-free half-and-half and adjust seasonings. Garnish with crumbled cooked bacon or cubes of cooked ham.

Years ago, experts insisted that coconut oil was bad for us. Now, experts are stating that it is good. So, I suggest trying coconut oil while it’s still considered to be good. I like the taste, even in savory dishes. I’m pretty sure ginger has always been healthy, and of course so are peas, making the Quick Pea Soup a terrific choice.