Check out the new links
We Welcome your input of Favorite Recipes:
You can now share your favorite Recipe with others here or
See the Add Your Recipe in the Menu Bar or you can go to the Discussion Forums and log in and add recipes there.
Continuing the history of Kansas ethnic recipes from the 1961 Centennial to Kansas. There we Cookbook, the next group that had an influence on our Kansas heritage were the Central European people- Czechs, Poles, Austrians and Hungarians. These cultures had much in common in history, customs and food. All came from countries which have known war, oppression, changes in boundaries and rulers. In the mid nineteenth century these oppressed peoples poured into America in search of a better life, of political freedom, and freedom of military service. The earliest settlement of Czechs was in Republic County around Cuba, but Harper and Sumner counties had homesteads in 1871. Later there were settlements in Ellsworth, Russell, Lincoln, Marion, Ottawa and Rooks counties. Growth was not from organized colonization but in word of mouth from family and friends.
As early as 1868 there were Polish families migrating re homesteads in Barton and Republic counties.
A few Hungarians homesteaded in Rawlins, Ellis and Harper cos. , and some Bulgarians located near Sublette in Haskell Co. Austrians are listed as homesteaders in Barton, but many Austrians were listed as Germans. None of these groups formed into colonies and most were absorbed into German or Czech communities.
Food enjoyed by these immigrants are served frequently today by their descendents and distinctive seasonings of these dishes --paprika, poppy seed, etc., are a gastronomic delight and a welcome addition to modern menus.
My “I don’t think so!” recipe is pickled pigs feet. I know that you can still buy them in some supermarkets and I know that I had them growing up, but think I can pass on them today.
Pickled Pigs Feet - Scald and thoroughly clean pork feet, rub off nails, boil in salted water until tender. Add 1 T. pickling spices, one medium onion, chopped finely, about 1/3 c. vinegar. Boil for 10 minutes. Pour into crock. Let set to cool overnight.
It was hard to chose a “good” recipe as there were so many. However, I finally decided on Kolacky(Kolaches). This is a Czech recipe and one I remember with fondness when we went to high school basketball games in Timken. I think we paid a nickel each for one.
Kolaches -Make a sweet dough of your own choosing. The Czechs had many different sweet dough recipes. With the dough form small balls about 1 to 2 inches in diameter and place on a greased cookie sheet and ˝ inch apart. Size will depend on use. - Small for morning coffee, larger for family use. Cover. When light to the touch, make a depression in center of each roll with tips of fingers and fill with any type if preserves, cottage cheese, prune filling or poppy seed filling may be used. (My favorite were prune and apricot.) Let rise again after filling until light to touch. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until brown. A topping such as coconut, icing, or finely chopped nuts maybe added to the filling just before baking or right after they are removed from the oven.
Enjoy!!