Pečka (veľkonočná baba)

The story

Pečka goes by several names in Slovakia. A Noviny.sk feature on the Slovak Easter menu also calls it veľkonočná baba, Easter baba, or stratené kura, literally "lost chicken," and describes it as a characteristic holiday dish once made from eggs, rolls, pork belly and smoked meat, served with beets and grated horseradish. The TASR news agency describes a regional relative, veľkonočná plnka, baked in a pan from cubed rolls, smoked meat, eggs, mushrooms and spring greens such as spinach or nettles. The Slovakia-based blog Cook Slovak notes that the Slovak baba is savory, unlike the sweet Easter baba of Polish and Ukrainian kitchens, and records a reader who made it for Easter with rice instead of rolls. The blog's own version soaks the rolls in the stock left from boiling the Easter ham and sausages, and the SITA agency's recipe soaks them in milk and adds chives. Both methods turn stale bread, plenty of eggs and the trimmings of the smoked meat into one firm, sliceable dish. For Easter Sunday, March 28, 2027, assemble the pan in the morning and bake it while the ham rests; it cuts cleanly once warm and packs well cold for an Easter Monday lunch.