I have been carrying the following thoughts in my head ever since we operated the KolibaJasná hut. At that time, I experienced the opposite side of Slovak gastronomy and Slovak nature. We are talking about our national jewel, the food that we praise to the heavens everywhere and actually go to shit on… and some literally????:
Bryndzové desire
In this article, I will reveal a few secrets, give a few tips, namely two basic ones: Never eat dumplings just anywhere! Your mom will make them for you the best.
How is that?
A couple of times in Slovakia they wanted to honor me and pamper me and cooked gnocchi. Of course, I ate them, for two reasons: I was hungry as hell, and the insult of not eating them would have been passed over in the Middle East.
Why do most Slovaks offer bryndza dumplings in restaurants? Because Slovaks are the self-proclaimed dumpling kings. Everyone knows exactly what they should be, how they should taste, what consistency they should have, how salty the bacon should be, whether they are too watery or not... and above all, everyone knows exactly how much they should cost!
But have you thought about how the chefs manage to coordinate it in the kitchen when the restaurant is full of guests and there are ten (for sadomasochists even thirty????) dishes on offer?! Have you thought about the quality of the potatoes used? Because I'm telling you that nice manure is brought into this country!
Did you know that gnocchi should be a seasonal dish? Sure, January under Chopok, the best-selling food - gnocchi. But bryndza in January, I will also tell you that even the milkmen are magicians.
But in order not to throw the blame everywhere, let's pour some pure wine. They bring gnocchi frozen in a bag to most restaurants. There is nothing wrong with them, but it is basically impossible to turn them into a top-quality food in terms of taste and consistency. We also started like that - when my brother was alone in the kitchen and I was alone in the field.
The second variant is that they are boiled before opening. I think that the vast majority of businesses that try but don't have the capacity do it this way. Must. We are over that too. Of course, we're getting closer to the ideal, but it's still not like mom's.
So it screams at you. So what are you going to do? You build a special kitchen for a special person, what a blast fresh. Ole! You're reaching nirvana and you think you're a dumpling demigod. And wonder world, aren't you.
Because if you want to make them perfectly, the human factor comes into play. I also experienced "people" in our kitchen who cooked them for people and didn't even taste them! Yes, such chefs are also active in the Slovak gastronomy industry: you ask them if they liked it, and they just shake their heads that they didn't. Too bad the brother doesn't have a taxamater for tasting, but that's another blog.
I'll sum it up. Yes, gnocchi are a must, in a professional kitchen you need space with an extra person, quality ingredients and love for that.
Recipe for our Best gnocchi for 4 people
You need:
potatoes - approx. 500 g
semi-coarse flour - approx. 150 g
coarse flour - approx. 150 g
egg - half is enough, but it doesn't matter if it falls whole
salt
Approach:
Grate the potatoes on a grater (ie a Liptov grater). But be careful: there is no potato like a potato. If it releases a lot of water, more flour will be needed. Sprinkle to make the consistency ideal - neither thin nor thick. Don't forget the egg and salt.
Place them gradually in the boiling water, either through a strainer, or for connoisseurs straight from the colander. I prefer a strainer, the so-called dumpling
Bacon - our alpha & omega. We use thin bacon without skin, smoked with smoke, and we make cracklings on a low heat, we do not speed it up. Thin and skinless because when it is fried, there is not so much waste (baked fat). A lot of waste fat remains from the wide bacon. Bacon available in chains is a pure disaster. You really need to be careful about your choice. Definitely don't buy cooked bacon, they will never be that crispy!
When the gnocchi float to the surface, collect them in a bowl and add a ladleful of cooking water - this is an important moment! This is why gnocchi sometimes float in restaurants, for example because the cook added too much cooking water and not enough love.
It also depends on how quickly they are brought from the kitchen - the longer they stand there (a minute, two, three), the more water is absorbed and when you get them to the table, they can be concrete. The cook simply has to keep this in mind.
Add cracklings and bryndza. Mix well, taste. They must be ideal. If necessary, add boiling water, salt, baking powder and mix again. When the consistency is top, they go on the plate. Add crackers, a glass of ginger and we wish you a good appetite!
In conclusion – BRYNDZA
Bryndza is absolute alpha & omega. In my halúška practice, I've tasted bryndza from almost everywhere. It's a fact that gnocchi taste better with one and worse with another, and there are also gnocchi that are consistently completely inappropriate or badly made - we've also had cases where they clumped together and didn't come together.
When I once served our regulars at the bar a plate of absolute Bryndza from Salash, they turned up their noses: "What is this strange-smelling cheese?"
Simply, a hundred people, a hundred tastes - especially in the world of dumplings!
Cheers, friends!
