It took me 61 years to find out that this most loved and often made dish was not Hungarian but Bohemian. It was a legacy of my Godmother, Violet Zellner who was Bohemian and who's name I bore as June Violet. Aunt Vi had three sons and she loved to have me come for a visit to their home on the far south side of Chicago, miles from our home on the near north side. I would take the old red Halsted Street cars to the end of the line and then have to walk a block or two. She used to call me "Dolly" or "Sweetie Pie"". She was the first person I knew who had an electric stove. I remember her serving this dish with a dumpling as huge as a loaf of bread.

Regards, June Meyer.

• 1 large pork roast about 6 or 7 lbs. (If not lean, trim some fat)
• 7 large onions, peeled and chopped (do not lessen amount of onions, it is your gravy)
• 2 Tbs. sugar (do not omit, caramelizes the onions)
• salt and pepper

Sear all sides of roast in a hot roasting pan over high heat. Do not add any fat. (May set off smoke detectors).
Put all the chopped onions and 2 Tbs. of sugar into roasting pan with meat and cover.
Place in a medium heat 325 degree oven and slowly roast for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Check the roast periodically to turn it over and push the onions around. The onions should be taking on a rich brown color.

Caraway Sauerkraut

• 2 lbs. of Sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (I like the pouched kind rather than canned).
• 1 cup of water
• 1 Tbs. of Caraway seeds
• 1 Tbs. of sugar
• 2 Tbs. of lard or butter
• 2 Tbs. of flour

In the meantime, rinse the sauerkraut once with water, and put into a pot along with the Caraway seeds and tablespoon of sugar, and cup of water.
Slowly cook till kraut is soft about 1/2 hour.
When Kraut is soft, blend 2 Tbs. of butter or lard with 2 Tbs. of flour and stir into the Kraut mixing it in and stirring while the roux cooks to thicken the Kraut. Be sure it simmers a few minutes to cook away the raw flour. Keep warm.

Farina Dumplings

• 4 Tbs. soft butter
• 4 eggs
• Farina
• 1/2 teas. salt

But a pot of water on to boil.
Mix the soft butter, salt and the 4 eggs well.
Add farina 1/4 cup at a time till you have a dumpling dough consistency. Thick, not runny.
Then add a little water for moisture.
When the water boils, cut the dumplings into the water with a tablespoon.
When they come to the top, cook about 5 minutes more. Drain and arrange on meat platter.
Keep warm.

When the Pork Roast is finished, remove the roast to a board and carve it into slices.

To the onions in the roasting pan add 2 cups of water into which 2 Tbs. of flour have been stirred. While stirring the gravy use a spatula to "wash down" the caramelized meat and onion juices which have colored the sides of the roaster. This contains a lot of flavor and color for your Onion Gravy.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt.

Serve dumplings on the meat platter with a few spoonfulls of gravy poured over. Caraway Sauerkraut is served in a side dish and the Onion Gravy is served in a gravy boat.

Beer is the preferred drink. This is a feast fit for a Hungarian or Bohemian King.

If you have left overs (which I doubt) this reheats nicely. If you have cooked too many dumplings, they can be frozen and used in soup or Gulyas.

Serves 6-8.