Dori Galgovitch and her mom, Madelyn Levesque, both of Lisbon Falls, have worked hard to honor their Slovak heritage throughout the years, and by “working hard” they mean they have cooked a lot of Slovak food for a lot of Slovak people.

Levesque, whose maiden name is Doboga, is a third-generation Slovak. She guesses she was “probably 13 or 14” when her mother and grandmother started teaching her how to cook. In turn, she passed the traditions on to her children — five daughters and one son. Traditional family recipes and Slovak customs were preserved and handed down. Collectively, they have kept alive the Slovak traditions in their families, with large gatherings at Christmas and Easter.

Preparations for their Christmas Eve celebration begin early. Really early, actually. The first thing they do is harvest the mushrooms for the machanka, a sour mushroom soup, at the end of the summer. Levesque said her grandmother used to dry the mushrooms, but now Levesque prefers to clean and freeze them until it’s time to make the soup on Christmas Eve day. Since sauerkraut plays a big part in their Slovak cooking, it might not come as a surprise that the soup is made with sauerkraut liquid. Galgovitch said the soup is served on top of lechke, square kosher egg noodles, which used to be readily available at Shaw’s but are now very difficult to find. Hers were bought in a small store in Portland’s Old Port.

Then they get a little reprieve until it’s time to bake the bobalky biscuits a few weeks before Christmas. Bobalky are mini, baked-dough biscuits, with honey, sauerkraut and lots of butter. Variations include poppy seeds or onion. Once baked, the biscuits are put into a paper bag and put in a cool, dry place until Christmas Eve day, when the remainder of the recipe is prepared. Including — once again! — sauerkraut. Honey is added to this recipe to provide a sweet contrast. Galgovitch admitted, “It’s an acquired taste!”

The majority of Slovaks are Roman Catholic, and the Christmas Eve Holy Supper has traditionally incorporated many religious customs. Levesque and her family still begin with prayers and blessings, after which they break and eat the oplatky, a thin bread wafer (the host) dipped in honey, which they get from Holy Trinity Church in Lisbon Falls.  The family divvies up the cooking responsibilities each year. Sometimes Levesque makes the soup; other years, one of her daughters does. When Levesque laughingly said she thinks her daughters’ soup tastes better, Galgovitch, at the exact same time, complimented her mother and said her mom makes the best bobalky.

Levesque said once family members began marrying non-Slovaks over the years, they began to add some non-Slovak food to their celebration because “it’s hard to Americanize it!” Their celebration over the years has grown steadily. This year, Galgovitch said, “we expect 67 people plus anyone who just drops by.”

In Maine, there are several Slovak communities, including Lisbon Falls, Richmond and Livermore Falls. Slovakia had different regions, and as families immigrated, their food traditions varied slightly. For example, some families that originated in western Slovakia might incorporate a fish dish into their Christmas Eve celebration.

Galgovitch pointed out they don’t bake pies or other American-styled desserts, opting instead for pastries such as nut rolls or kolacky, which is more of a strudel, filled with walnuts, poppy seeds, cheese, apples and nuts. Her favorite filling is apricot.

Another important element for a successful Christmas feast is the kielbasa. Levesque’s father used to make it when he was alive, but she now considers the best-tasting is made by a gentleman in Bowdoin. She pointed out that home-made kielbasa is hard to find, and because it is quite difficult to make, she never wanted to make her own. Galgovitch said when her mother is in charge of the sour mushroom soup, she will usually hide a spiral of kielbasa in the pot while the soup cooks.

Nut Roll

1 sixteen-ounce and 1 eight-ounce package of cleaned walnuts, ground and mixed with sugar (about 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup of ground walnuts). Set aside.

2 cakes yeast

1/2 cup warm water

6 cups flour

6 tablespoons sugar

1/2 pound butter, plus another 1/2 pound melted to brush dough

1 cup sour cream

3 eggs beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg beaten

Small amount of milk

Dissolve two cakes of yeast in warm water. Cover and set aside. Combine the flour, butter, salt, sugar, 3 beaten eggs and sour cream. Add the yeast/water. You may need to add more flour to keep dough smooth, not sticky. Blend well. Divide dough into four large parts or five smaller sections. (Our hosts use five.) Roll out each part thin like a jelly roll on a lightly floured counter . . . but not too thin so it rips. Brush excess flour off and brush with a good amount of melted butter, then spread a little more than 1 cup of the nut/sugar mixture evenly over dough. Press down lightly so nuts don’t fall out when rolling.

Roll very tightly, pulling roll back slightly to keep roll tight. Butter the end to keep it closed. Brush ends of the roll with butter and push in so nuts don’t fall out. Place on greased pan so the seam is on the bottom. (Hint:Use greased aluminum foil to prevent sticking; it also makes it easier to remove from pan.) Cover with towel on a warm surface and let rise about double in size. When ready, brush with a beaten egg and a little milk mixed together.

Bake about 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Let bake until quite brown. Be careful to not burn the bottoms of the rolls. Let cool and wrap in aluminum foil until ready to use. Slice when ready to serve.

Bobalky (also known as bobalki)

Large package of frozen bread dough (five loaves)

1 pound butter

3/4 cup honey

4 pounds of sauerkraut

The bobalky (or little biscuits) are prepared several weeks before Christmas.

Thaw frozen loaves of bread. (Our hosts use five, but adjust for a smaller crowd.) Cut each full loaf into three strips, lengthwise, then cut each of those three strips lengthwise into three additional strips, for a total of nine long thin strips of dough.

On a floured cutting board, roll each of the nine strips back and forth into a long snake-like piece, about a 1/2 inch in diameter.

Starting at the end of the roll and using a very sharp knife cut into 1/2-inch mini biscuits or buttons. Use a quick snapping motion like chopping onions, otherwise you will flatten the bobalky. As you move along, flour bobalky and push the buttons off the cutting board. Flour again to prevent them from sticking to each other. When you have enough to fill a cookie sheet, shake off loose flour and place the buttons on an ungreased cookie sheet. Fill it up, but allow space for them to rise as they bake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly brown. When done, flip out onto a clean surface, break apart if necessary and let cool. Place in a paper bag (yes, a paper bag) in a dry cool place for 2 weeks.

Day-of preparation:

Drain sauerkraut and fry until slightly brown in 1/2 stick of butter. Set aside.

Melt remainder of the butter.

Place hard bobalky biscuits in boiling water, simmer gently while stirring, and cook until slightly soft — not mushy. Be careful, they soften very fast! Drain into colander and rinse with hot water. Place in large pot. Add sauerkraut mixture and blend together. Mix in melted butter to taste (the bobalky will absorb the butter as it sits).

Add honey to provide a sweet contrast to the sauerkraut, but don’t add too much!

Writer’s note: The little dough balls actually resemble little flat buttons in the finished dish, and it only took me a few bites to realize the sweet and sour combination of honey and sauerkraut could actually become, surprisingly, a little addictive. And serving with slices of kielbasa was the perfect combo.

Kolacky

2 cups flour

1/2 pound butter

1 eight-ounce package of cream cheese

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons sugar

1 package of dried apricots

1 small can crushed pineapple, drained

1 sixteen-ounce package confectionery sugar

Dice apricots, place in small pot, cover with water and cook slowly until tender. Stir in crushed pineapple and refrigerate until cool.

Mix flour and sugar; add butter, cream cheese, egg yolk.

Knead dough until if forms into a ball and ingredients are well mixed.

Place covered in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Cut ball into 4 sections.

Work dough in your hands until soft enough to roll.

Roll out on smooth surface powered with confectionery sugar (be generous).

Roll dough very thin. Cut into 3-inch-by-3-inch squares.

Place 1 teaspoon of apricot mixture in corner of square and roll diagonally toward the other corner, ending so the open ends are facing up and the fold is under.

Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly brown, approximately 10 minutes. Check often: They must be watched because the sugar can burn very easily.

Be very careful taking them off the cookie sheet — the sugar is very hot and will leave a nasty burn!

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