Gourmet Group: Czech Menu

Ham Roll filled with Horseradish Cream (Šunková rolka plněná křenem) – Serves 12

Ingredients:

3 oz cream cheese, softened
6 stuffed olives, chopped
2 tbsp whipping cream
1 tsp prepared horseradish
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp paprika
6 thin slices of cooked ham (lunch meat size)

Directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients together, up to but not including the cooked ham.
  2. Cut each slice of ham in half.
  3. Spoon the horseradish mixture onto each slice of ham and roll.
  4. Garnish with olive slices and serve.

Potato Soup with Mushrooms (Bramborová polévka s houbami) – Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes, diced into cubes
6 cups of water
1 onion
1 root of celery
8 oz of fresh mushrooms (or use dried mushrooms and soak them 1 hour before using)
4 Tbs of butter
2 Tbs of flour
4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt, marjoram, caraway seed to taste
fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup of diced, fried bacon

Directions:

  1. Saute finely chopped celery, onion and mushrooms in butter
  2. While stirring, gradually sprinkle the vegetable mixture with flour
  3. Keep stiring until all of the flour blends in with all of the vegetables
  4. Add 1 cup of water and keep stirring for about 30 seconds
  5. Add the rest of the water, diced potatoes, caraway seeds and salt
  6. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
  7. Add marjoram, crushed garlic, parsley and simmer the soup for 5 more minutes
  8. Dish the soup up and sprinkle it with bacon and fresh parsley
  9. Note: some people also add more root vegetables in such as cauliflower, carrots and/or sauerkraut

Pork (Vepřo) – Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 lbs pork neck or shoulder
2 onions
Caraway
Salt

Directions:

  1. Salt the washed and dried meat and sprinkle with caraway.
  2. Put in a greased baking pan and sprinkle with diced onions.
  3. Add water (or stock) in the bottom of the pan and bake covered for about an hour and a half, at a high temperature.
  4. Baste from time to time to make sure the meet does not dry out.
  5. When the meat is soft, uncover the pan, so that a crust can form.
  6. When ready, slice the meat.
  7. The gravy remaining in the bottom of the pan can be sprinkled with a bit of fine flour, or just boiled.

Dumplings (Knedlo) – Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb of potatoes
1 ½ cup coarse flour
1 cup semolina
2 eggs
Salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Boil the potatoes in their skins, peel, and grate.
  2. Mix with flour, semolina, eggs, and salt.
  3. Make tough dough, using your hands.
  4. From the dough, make several rolls with a diameter of approximately 6 cm.
  5. Put into boiling salted water.
  6. After a while, the dumplings must be lifted to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
  7. Boil for 20 to 25 minutes, then take them out and slice.

Cabbage (Zelo) – Serves 4

Ingredients:

24 ounces of pickled white sauerkraut or half a head of fresh cabbage
2 Tbs fine flour
1 Tbs lard or some other type of grease
½ tsp salt
Sugar to taste
1 whole onion, sliced

Directions:

  1. Sauté onions in the grease until transparent
  2. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of fine flour and sauté some more
  3. Add cabbage that has been cut into thin slices, add salt, and a bit of water (or the brine if using pickled sauerkraut) and stew.
  4. Add more water during stewing, from time to time.
  5. In the end, add vinegar and/or sugar, to taste.
  6. If preferred, red cabbage can be prepared in the same way as white cabbage.

Sponge Cake (Bublanina) – Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs divided, at room temperature
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur (optional)
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and stemmed
Confectioners’ sugar
Blueberry Sauce (optional but see below)

Directions:

  1. Place rack in center of oven and heat to 350 degrees. Butter or lightly coat with cooking spray a 9-inch-by-9-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, sugar and yolks until light and fluffy. Add liqueur, if using, orange zest and salt, mixing well.
  2. In a clean medium bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff. Alternately fold in egg whites and flour into butter-egg mixture.
  3. Turn batter into prepared pan and scatter blueberries evenly over top. Press down into batter with a spatula. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cut into 6 equal pieces. Serve warm or cold dusted with confectioners’ sugar Makes about 2 cups

Blueberry Sauce for Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

2 pints fresh blueberries, washed and stemmed
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar or more to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Cook until berries come to a boil, pop and release their juices, and the sugar is dissolved, about 3 to 4 minutes.
  3. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.