Need help with Czech menu

I am involved in planning an International Night for our community, and being of Bohemian descent, we have chosen Czech. I would like some help in putting together a menu of popular Czech dishes, from appetizer to dessert, including three entrees. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

you should make sauerkraut and potato dumplings, for one. do you need recipes, or suggestions?

 

My Czech Republic has some information on Czech meals on the Czech Food and Drink page at http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech_culture/czech_cuisine.html.

 

Ruzete: I would love a recipe for the sauerkraut and potato dumplings. I'm also looking for a recipe for garlic soup. Thank you.

 

Jeff: Thanks so much for the direction. I've printed that out. I'm looking for the most popular dishes so we can satisfy about 100 people who probably have never tasted Czech cooking before. I believe two of the entrees we are planning on is pork/cabbage/dumplings and chicken paprikash. But if there are any other suggestions for a popular dish, it would be appreciated.

I'm also looking for a recipe for garlic soup. I've seen a couple of recipes, but the quantity of ingredients used is not specified.

Thank you.

 

Garlic Soup (Cesnecka)- 1 lb of potatoes, 6 cups of water, crushed or powdered caraway seeds, 4 garlic cloves, some rye bread, and 1/4 cups of fat (lard)

Cut up the potatoes, boil water with salt and caraway seeds until they are soft (25-30 minutes). Add the lard, and mash up the garlic with a pinch of salt and add it to the broth, and eat it with rye.

This serves 5-6 ppl.


i'll write the dumpling recipe soon!

 

Potato Dumplings: 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of flour, 6 potatoes, and salt, sauerkraut

Peel potatoes, cut into quarters, boil in salt water for about 15 min. Drain it, and mash. Mix flour and some salt with the potaoes. the after its mixed well add eggs and mix. Put the dough on a floured board and shape the dough into 3 large loaves. (sometimes i just make small dumplings by rolling them in small balls instead of loaves, which ever you prefer)
Boil a big pot of salted water(add as much sauerkraut as you want and boil with the water) to the put the dumplings in it and leave them for about 20 mins, (if you made small ones when they float the are done).
If you made the loaves, cut into even pieces and serves.
serves about 6 ppl

 

Ad: Garlic Soup - no Czech garlic soup is complete without marjoram!!!

 

Soup:

Goulash soup, tripe soup or garlic soup

Entrees:

Beef sirloin with creamed vegetable sauce and cranberries (Svickova pecene)
Roast pork, dumplings and sauerkraut (Vepřová pečeně, knedlík, zelí )
Pork schnitzel with mashed or roasted potatoes (Smažený vepřový řízek)

Dessert:

Fruit dumplings (ovocne knedliky), kolace, buchty or apple strudel

(Followed by a 2-week Weight Watcher diet)

 

Ruzete, Eva2 and Jana:

Thank you so much for the reply. The recipes sound great, and this will be a big help for our Czech event.

I did make a garlic soup last night, and it turned out better than I had expected. And the marjoram made the taste even better. I did find some garlic soup recipes that call for broth. Is that chicken or beef broth? I really don't think it is necessary, as the water version was wonderful.

Thanks again.

 

We also tried cooking my grandmother's recipe for pork roast, cabbage and dumplings. I think we have determined that to be one of the dishes we will serve.

 

GArlic soup has only potato broth (traditionally, you use water after you cook pealed potatoes, use potatoes for something else, just mush up few, add lard, majoram, garlic and salt. It is traditional to fry cubed rye bread and place some crutons on top of the soup once it is in the bowl. (some add Maggi flavouring or trow in bouilon cube, but that is cheeting a bit)

 

Magan: Thank you for clarifying the "broth" for me. Some of the recipes called for either water or broth. However, some of the recipes I found did not call for potato. Is it a different recipe for different regions? My grandparents were Bohemian.

 

Well, the recipes for garlic soup differ from family to family, I guess; some call for potatoes peeled, cut and boiled in water used for soup, others use beef broth or plain water and add potatoes boiled separately in skin, peeled and cut, some add an egg whisked with fork, etc. etc.
My favorite recipe: water + ground caraway seeds + salt + mashed garlic + home made cracklins, i.e. fried pork fat, cut into cubes (instead of lard). Marjoram is to be added at the very end, as boiling would spoil the flavor.

 

I also found a recipe for Czech Beer Soup. Is that a popular soup?

 

Never heard of a beer soup - sounds interesting, beer goulash - yes, but never a soup. Would you mind posting the recipe (or a link) please?

 

Beer soup is not very popular - actually, it has been used as a home therapy of cold or as a nutritious meal for convalescent people. I remember my granny making it - with dark beer and water (1:1), caramelized sugar, spices (cinnamon stick, whole cloves and allspice) and egg yolks.

 

no problem

 

Thanks Jana, I'll try it as soon as I get some beer

 

The recipe for Pivni Polevka Staroceska can be found at http://goodfood.hypermart.net/cz-soup24.html

The recipe calls for 2 slices of bread, cubed, 4 cups beer (light), caraway seeds, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup Butter, a pinch of salt, 4 egg yolks and one cup of cream.

Combine bread cubes, beer, a few caraway seeds, sugar, butter and salt.
Boil well and collect foam. Finally add egg yolks mixed with a little cream and heat thoroughly. Makes 4 servings.