Need help with Czech menu

I have made the garlic soup both ways, with and without potatoes. Both are very good. I did not try them with a beef stock, just water.

However, I did try the Czech Pivo Soup, and it wasn't my favorite. I thought it tasted better before I added the cream and egg yolks. Now I see why it is used for medical purposes. :^)

I also found a recipe for a Czech mushroom soup, and am going to try it today.

We found a Czech recipe for Salmon, and might try that as one of the entrees. We wanted to go with a meat (pork), chicken and fish to try and satisfy everyone. We also found a wonderful Czech bakery near Cleveland who will get the pastries to us for our dinner. We are in Pittsburgh. Our cities don't like each other in football, but where good Czech pastries are concerned, we can let bygones be bygones. :^)

 

Does anyone know of a good Czech vegetable dish/casserole? We've learned that some people coming to the dinner are vegetarian, and we want to have something for them also.

 

Well one of the most popular is Smazeny syr (Fried Cheese). Then there is Vejce s Koprovou omacku (Eggs with dill sauce), smazene houby (fried mushrooms), smazeny kvetak (fried caulliflower), Spenatove smazenky s houbami (Spinach rissoles with mushrooms), Zeleninove karbanatky (Vegetable rissoles), Brambory zapecene s brynzou (Potatoes baked with sheep or goat cheese) and Fleky zapecene se zelim (Pasta baked with cabbage). I have many more vegetarian recipes. If you like these or want more just post which one and I will email it to you. Hope this helps.

 

Thank you so much. I will pass these by the committee and get back to you with a recipe request. Thanks again.

 

BTW, the last two recipes mentioned by Carmilie (Brambory zapečené s brynzou and Fleky zapečené se zelím) are Slovak, not Czech ones.
However, both are delicious.

 

Carmilie: If it isn't too much trouble, would you please give me the recipes for Spenatove smazenkys houbami and for Smazeny syr.

Thank you.

 

My aunt always made us Kolaches. It is a pastry with fruit filling. Here's a recipe:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening (part butter)
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup warm water
2 packages dry yeast
4 cups flour
Cream sugar, shortening, salt and eggs thoroughly. Dissolve yeast in water and add to creamed mixture and add 1 1/2 cups of flour to yeast. Beat on low speed. Stir in remaining flour. Let rise in warm place for about 1 1/2 hours. Stir down and turn onto a well floured board. Divide into 24 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth round ball. Place onto a greased baking sheet. Cover with cloth and let rest about 15 minutes. Form balls of dough into a flat 4 inch square. Place 1 tablespoonful of filling into the center. Bring opposite corners together. Moisten with milk, overlap about 1 inch and seal well. Let rise about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake Kolaches for 15 to 18 minutes or until brown . Brush with melted butter and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or cold. Serves 24.

You can put cherry,apricot, poppy seed, prune, rasberry,etc. filling in it.

 

Thanks so much for the kolache recipe. I've seen the ones you mention, but I remember my grandmother's being round. She would form the pastry balls, make an imprint with her thumb, put the filling in that imprint and bake them.

Also, anyone out there with a good Czech vegetable dish. I'm still looking for that.

 

Did anyone mention "bramboraky"? (kind of salty potato pancakes)

mix raw grated potatoes, an egg or two, some flour, majoram, salt, pepper and finely cubed sausage (omit that if you are really hardcore vegetarian), spread over a pan with boiling oil on it and fry from both sides till its light brown.

 

Thank you for that recipe. I will try that one.

I am looking for the recipe for Spenatove smazenkys houbami (spinach rissoles with mushrooms).

Also for Smazeny syr (fried cheese).

 

Fried cheese:

Cut a block of cheese (Edam, Emmenthaler, mild Cheddar) to 1/2-inch thick slices, and either 1. turn them over in flour - egg slightly beaten with milk and pinch of salt - plain bread crumbs; or 2. turn them over in a thick mixture of egg, milk and flour. Deep fry in oil till golden and serve immediately with tartar sauce and boiled potatoes or French fries. Cold cheese will become rubbery.

 

then watch your blood pressure soar...eat enough of that and you will be lookin American! (yes, I know it is looking)

Not exactly the healthiest of meals, but yes, tasty. Once every few months shouldn't hurt though :roll:

 

for the bramboraky, garlic is also an ingredient, at least in all the recipes i am familiar with - the way my family makes them we let the grated potatoes stand for a bit, strain out the water from the potatoes, then add the salt, pepper, garlic, marjoram, eggs and then flour and milk to make the consistency to the batter used for pancakes - the sausage or cubed ham is optional

the fried cheese is also good with hermelin - the czecz cheese that is similar to brie or camembert - take the entire 100g package of cheese and follow the same procedure as for the other

 

Yes, for bramboraky GARLIC is a must, as well as MARJORAM.

 

Thank you. This all looks great.


Let me get your opinion on our menu for the dinner, so far:

Studenke Predkrmy (Appetizers):

1. Prazsky Canapes: Small cuts of rye bread with Prazsky, Farmer's cheese and parsley

2. Cheese Canapes: Thin cut of French baguette with Farmer's cheese, thin slice of cucumber, sprinkeld with dill, paprika and a touch of ground black pepper. Seved with lemon wedges.

3. Mala Sousta Se Syrem: Small cheese bites

4. Chlebicky Se Syrem Zerve a Redkvickami

Zelenina (Salad):

1. Mixed salad with radishes: consisting of thinly sliced radishes, tomato wedge, endive, sliced cucumber, red and green peppers, finely sliced sweet onion, sprinkled with chopped parsley. The vinaigrette is made by whisking together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper

Polevky (Soups):

1. Garlic Soup (with potatoes)

2. Czech Mushroom Soup

Main Course:

1. Chicken Paprika

2. Roast Pork, Dumplings and Cabbage

3. Broiled Salmon

(We are still deciding on a vegetarian dish to add to the menu -- any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.)

Dessert:

1. Brambory Ovocove Knedliky (Plum Dumplings)

2. Assorted Kolaches

3. Buchty (Poppy seed and nut rolls)

4. Apple Strudel

5. Oblaten Wafers


If anyone has any suggestions to add, change or improve anything here, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

 

> Prazsky Canapes: Small cuts of rye bread with Prazsky, Farmer's cheese and parsley<

What do you mean by "prazsky"? Is it Prague ham? If so, list it as such. Prazsky is an adjective meaning from Prague. On the menu it has no meaning unless it qualifies a food product.

It all looks very well, except for the salmon. Not typical at all.

I'll look up some Czech vegetarian recipes and get back to you.

 

i agree on the salmon not being typical - although it might not have always been the case -- salmon were at one time found in czech rivers, they more or less disappeared due to pollution but have been making a comeback of sorts

you might consider "pstruh na kmíně" (trout with caraway) -- don't know if you have trout fillets available where you are?? they would make it a bit easier probably - i am used to whole trout -- remove head and tail (not necessary but fits on pan easier and some people prefer that your food does not look at you while you are eating ) - lightly salt and pepper the fish, inside and out, and also use ground caraway inside and out -- melt butter on pan and fry the fish on both sides until done (usually can tell when the meat leaves the bones easily) -- as i said, fillets make it easier - they were available in the states when i lived there - generally served with potatoes of some sort

vegetarian dish: breaded and fried cauliflower (smažený květák) or cauliflower "burgers"

for the first, boil cauliflower until semi-soft, follow same process as for smažený sýr

for the second, boil cauliflower until soft enough to mash with a fork, add salt, pepper, (bit of caraway can be used), eggs (1 egg for 1 cauliflower approx.) and breadcrumbs to make a dough about the consistency of that used for meat burgers - make patties, coat in breadcrumbs and panfry

 

Thank you so much for the feedback.

The Prasky I'm referring to is a Czech sausage (with lots of garlic) that was referred to the other person who is working on this event with me. The salmon dish was found in a Czech cookbook and was very tasty. It is broiled with lemon, butter and dill, and does have a bread crumb topping. After looking for a fish dish, that one appeared to be something that most people would like, and something that would be easy to prepare for 80 people.

I am passing your suggestions on to the person I'm working with on this. However, I was agreeing with you about the salmon. It wasn't something that my grandmother ever made. I do remember trout.


Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

I just spent a frustrating hour leafing through several Czech cookbooks, looking for a traditional vegetarian recipe. The trouble is that most of the meatless dishes are either side dishes or they contain pork fat. Meat-free main dishes without pork fat tend to be sweet (ovocne knedliky are not considered a dessert - they are a main dish!) or they lack culinary interest. The only recipe I'd offer my guests is this one:

Pea or lentil burgers:

Process &frac12; pound of cooked peas or lentils and 2 boiled potatoes. Add 1 diced and fried onion, 2 eggs, salt, pepper and caraway seeds and, if the mixture is runny, add bread crumbs. Make burgers, dip in egg-white and bread crumbs, fry. Serve with sauerkraut and/or tomato salad.

 

Correction: half a pound (500 g)