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Like maminka used to make

Classic svíčková is rich, flavorful and all Czech
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November 29th, 2006 issue

No matter how you dress the plate, good meat and a great sauce are what matters.

By Roman Paulus

There are many ways to prepare svíčková. You can use beef, venison or rabbit. But the secret to a great svíčková is tender meat and, of course, the sauce.

It's a good idea to save some of the sauce. Growing up in the Czech Republic, we used to ask for second helpings — not of the meat, but of the sauce. If you reduce it and thicken it carefully, the flavors and consistency will remind Czechs of mom's cooking, or make visitors fall in love with Czech cooking.

I like using cracked black pepper instead of the finely ground table pepper, because it provides a more noticeable sharpness. But it's a flexible recipe that varies from family to family. Enjoy experimenting, and savor a traditional dinner.

Braised Beef Svíčková
Ingredients	Preparation
(Serves five) 1,000 grams (35.3 ounces) beef fillet, salted 50 grams smoked pork fat 200 grams root vegetables, diced 100 grams onions, diced 50 milliliters (1.7 fluid ounces) lemon juice 750 milliliters beef stock 30 grams mustard 100 milliliters white wine 2 tablespoons sugar 50 grams butter 100 grams flour 500 grams double cream Oil 1 bay leaf Salt, pepper, allspice to taste	Heat oil in a midsize pan. Add the beef fillet and sear on all sides (until lightly browned) then set aside. Cut pork fat into thin strips and melt in pan. Add butter. When butter is melted, add diced vegetables, onions and sugar. Sauté until golden. Add mustard, then gradually pour in white wine and lemon juice. Cook for two minutes. Add seared beef back into pan, along with salt, pepper and allspice. Gradually pour in beef stock until it at least half-covers the meat Bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes, until beef is tender (make certain the liquid at least half-covers the meat during this process). Remove beef fillet. Reduce sauce by half and then add the double cream. Whisk in flour and cook slowly for 10 minutes, until the sauce is smooth. Season to taste, and strain. Serve sliced beef with the sauce, dumplings and cranberry jelly.

Roman Paulus is chef of CzecHouse, located in the Hilton Prague, Pobřežní 1, Prague 8-Karlín. Tel. 224 841 111.

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