From My Mom's Kitchen to Yours - Fried Cheese, Slovak-Style

In the spirit of sharing something delicious with you, I wanted to tell you about this awesome recipe for fried cheese, courtesy of my mom.  For those of you thinking about what's so special about fried cheese, I want to explain that it's a traditional Slovak food that we indulge in during special occasions.  Don't believe me?! You can ask the folks at Koliba and see how it's done.

The difference between a Slovak fried cheese and something more American is that we fry long filet-like strips of a hard cheese (similar to Queso Blanco) and then coat it with tangy tartar sauce.  Typically served with peasant-style potatoes and some veggies, as you see above, it's often served during lunch.  In fact, my dad ordered a portion last time we were in Slovakia.  

So without further ado, here's my mom's version:

Slovak Fried Cheese with Tartar Sauce - A la Fooditka's Mama

Ingredients (serves 2)
4 1/4 inch pieces of queso blanco (you can buy this in a Hispanic market or look for it in the international foods section in a supermarket)
1 cup of flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of bread crumbs (recommend panko)
Oil (canola or vegetable oil is good)

Directions:
After you slice your cheese, cover each piece in flour, then dip into the egg wash and lastly in bread crumbs. Next step is frying. Make sure the oil is hot but watch it so it doesn't burn. You should go for a deep golden brown color (about 4 minutes on each side).

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 medium pickle, finely chopped
1 - 1 1/2 tbs of mayonnaise

Directions:
Combine ingredients and mix well. You can add lemon juice to give it more of a saucy consistency.

Koliba - Slovak Comfort Food

Koliba - 31-11 23rd Avenue, Astoria, NY 11105

718.626.0430

N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)

www.kolibarestaurant.com

Any excuse that I can make for eating Slovak comfort food at Koliba, I make. Yesterday's excuse was getting together with friends, Ivona and Edita and showing them a piece of Slovakia in Queens. It was only a short month ago that I went out with this fun duo and the three of us devoured huge plates of dumplings in Brooklyn's Slovak restaurant, Milan's.

My friends were happy with Koliba's food and I was glad. We were a lot fuller this time because we got more food--and it was a bit heavier than at Milan's. It's true that our tummies suffered the next day but in the end it was so worth it. Good Slovak food and company can't be beat.

Here are some of the dishes that we enjoyed:

Fried Dumplings with Eggs (Vyprazany Knedlik s Vajickom): This dish was completely new to me and we got it as a starter. It looked like scrambled eggs with bacon except that the "bacon" was really fried dumplings. It was awesome and also really filling. The fried dumplings had a sweet aftertaste and reminded me of the Italian pastry, zeppole. What made the dish hearty were the eggs and the cold salty toppings of pickles and roasted red peppers. Although I loved it, I don't think I'd get it next time because of the large portions of their main courses.

Beef with Cream Sauce (Svieckova): This was my dish and while I've had it elsewhere, I haven't yet experienced it at Koliba. It consisted of tender beef in a meaty cream sauce, topped with fresh cranberries. Although the cranberries were an American aberration, they provided a nice sweet finish to the meat. The beef also came with a side of bread dumplings or knedlik, which I adore--its spongy consistency is a delight and when dipped into the cream sauce, the deliciousness is indescribable.

Fried Cauliflower (Vyprazany Karfiol): I was having a hard time deciding between the beef and the cauliflower--so when Ivona decided to get the latter, I was glad because I could try both. My mom makes a mean fried cauliflower and my standards for it are high. Koliba's version didn't disappoint and the cauliflower was fresh on the inside and super crispy on the outside. Once dipped into the tangy tartar sauce, the flavor of this fried treat was at its best. The portion was humongous and I got to sample 2 very large pieces from Ivona's plate.

Fried Cheese Stuffed with Ham (Vyprazany Syr so Sunkou): Another Slovak classic, this is so much more than your typical fried mozzarella. Edita had her eye on it and devoured it with gusto. I got to sample it and it was divine--the cheese was super stringy and the fried crust was thick and again, really crispy. I didn't taste the ham in the cheese but assumed it was there. Edita didn't have any complaints except later on that night--fried food tends to be heavy so eat this large portion of fried goodness with caution.

The service was good, as usual. But like I mentioned, I think that you have a serious advantage if you speak Slovak. Our waitress was friendly and we talked to her about our home country. She revealed that she was from a small rural village, which all three of us have never heard of. For a large country like the U.S. this might not seem weird, but given that Slovakia is so teensy, we were surprised to learn about a new place.

The prices here are very reasonable. Our dinner which included an appetizer, three entrees and three generous glasses of Czech beer cost us $66 (excluding tax and tip).

3 Mmmms