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November 23rd, 2008
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Meals and memories

Simple home dishes bring back happy times
From the chef | Search restaurants | Archives

July 9th, 2008 issue

Certain foods just seem to stir memories.

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Dressed in poppy seeds and sugar, škubánky remedies those homesick feelings.
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Mention hot dogs to most Americans and they will instantly recall a day at the ballpark or a summertime cookout. Say Yorkshire pudding and Britons often reminisce about Sunday gatherings of family and friends. Men in Lithuania brag about the number of “zeppelins” they managed to eat in one sitting way back when.
The food itself doesn’t need to be special in any way. Certainly zeppelins — pulverized potatoes wrapped around meat and covered in bacon grease and sour cream — are not a delicacy. The association with good times, however, makes the dish stand out.
Škubánky is one of several meals that remind many Czechs of childhood. A family lunch on weekends would never be complete without this, along with other traditional favorites.
Eva Brejlová is a noted home cook and a collector of classic Czech family recipes.

GRANDMA’S ŠKUBÁNKY

Ingredients:
1 kilogram potatoes
300 grams hard flour
250 grams butter
300 grams powdered sugar
100 grams ground poppy seeds
A pinch of salt
Preparation:
Peel potatoes and cut into midsize pieces.
Add water and salt and parboil for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to minimum; pour water into a separate bowl and sprinkle potatoes with hard flour.
Pour the water back over potatoes.
Using a spoon, make dents in the potatoes.
Bring heat back to boiling and cover with a lid.
Allow potatoes to steam for 20 minutes then remove from heat.
Mash steamed potatoes as thoroughly as possible (about 10 minutes). The potatoes should not cling to the spoon.
Add some salt and butter.
Dip spoon in butter and scoop out spoonsize lumps.
Before serving, sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and poppy seeds (you may also serve with melted butter or cheese curds). 


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