Bobalky

Pre-baked Bobalky Balls

Bobalky is a favorite for a Slovak Family. Traditionally served on Christmas Eve or even during Lent for a meatless dish. Really these light and airy balls of dough are delicious any time of year. We traditionally serve them at New Years with our pork and sauerkraut "Good Fortune" dish.

Make homemade Bun Recipe.
After rising, cut of pieces of dough and roll into a snake-like tube.
Cut off one inch lengths and roll into small balls.
Place on a greased cookie sheet and cover with a tea towel.
Let rest about 20 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 375° oven until browned (about 8-9 minutes) this depends on your oven.

Baked Bobalky Balls

  Remove from oven   and place on cooling rack. Completely cool them.
Now they can be bagged and stored for a day or two until ready to prepare Bobalky and Sauerkraut.

Finished Bobalky and Sauerkraut

Now it is time to prepare the final product.
I usually make a quart size freezer bag full of Bobalky Balls.
I take a quarter cup of butter and melt that over medium heat in a large skillet. Now it is up to you...I add 1/2 of a small onion that is diced to the butter and cook for about 3 minutes. (If you don't like the texture of onion, you can substitute a few sprinkles of onion powder over the sauerkraut.) I use 1/2 can of sauerkraut. Add this to the hot butter and onions. Cook over medium heat until the sauerkraut picks up a tad of color. Here's the strange part...while cooking the sauerkraut, boil about a quart of water to have ready for the next step. After the sauerkraut looks like the way you want it, take the Bobalky Balls and place them in a large colander.
Take the boiling water and pour over the Balls. Immediately after they are drained, place in the skillet and toss with the sauerkraut mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes...and then serve them up.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Sauerkraut Soup

Don’t be too judgmental...this is something worth trying.

4 1/2 cups water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. kielbasa, cut into slices and each slice into fourths
1 large (16 oz) can sauerkraut (do not drain)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. flour

In Dutch oven, bring water, potatoes and salt to a boil. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add kielbasa (or any smoked sausage you prefer), sauerkraut, and onion. Bring to a boil again, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sour cream and flour. Gradually stir in about 1 cup of the hot soup mixture. This is so the sour cream warms up slowly and doesn't curdle. Return the sour cream mixture back into the soup. Blend well. Heat thoroughly, but do not let boil.

This recipe was developed over my daughters’ love of sauerkraut as well as my own immense love for it.

It is very easy to make and freezes well for serving later. I would make this and always have a few small containers frozen in the freezer for when the girls would be home on break from college. Who knows, my daughter Kate loves this soup so much, I’m sure there may be a song written about it someday. Just joking.

I put no black pepper in this recipe, but when I serve myself a cup of this soup, I load it up with several sprinkles to my taste. It usually is a lot. I’m a true pepper lover...it is probably my favorite spice.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!