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Svíčková na Smetaně

Name: Svíčková na Smetaně
Total time: 180 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Czech Republic
Ingredients: 800g (leg, in one piece) Beef; 2 Carrot; 2 Celery; 1 Onion; 80g Bacon; 200ml Heavy Cream; 2 Bay leaf; 1 tsp (whole) Black Pepper; 2 tbsp Vinegar; 2 tsp Sugar; 1 tsp Mustard; 2 tsp Salt; 250g Bread flour; 1 tsp Dry yeast; 130ml Milk; 1 Egg; 1 Lemon; To taste Cranberry Sauce

Main Dish

⏱ 180 min

👥 Serves 6

Difficulty ⭐⭐⭐

Beef braised in a creamy root vegetable sauce, served with knedlíky and cranberries — a Czech celebration dish.

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📖 The Story Behind This Dish

Svíčková is the Czech Republic's signature feast dish: beef braised with root vegetables like carrot, celery root, and parsley root, then served with a smooth sauce of the puréed vegetables and cream. It's always accompanied by knedlíky (steamed bread dumplings), whipped cream, cranberry sauce, and a slice of lemon.

🌆 Where it's eaten: At Sunday lunch at grandmother's house, a dab of whipped cream and cranberries is placed on a plate of white knedlíky and pale orange sauce.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 6)

Beef 800g (leg, in one piece)
Carrot 2
Celery 2
Onion 1
Bacon 80g
Heavy Cream 200ml
Bay leaf 2
Black Pepper 1 tsp (whole)
Vinegar 2 tbsp
Sugar 2 tsp
Mustard 1 tsp
Salt 2 tsp
Bread flour 250g
Dry yeast 1 tsp
Milk 130ml
Egg 1
Lemon 1
Cranberry Sauce To taste

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Salt the beef and wrap in or roast with bacon, and sauté the root vegetables and onion in the pot as well.
Add the bay leaf, peppercorns, vinegar, sugar, and 800ml water, cover, and simmer on low for 2 hours.
Knead the bread flour, yeast, warm milk, egg, and a pinch of salt, let rise, shape into a thick log, and steam 20 minutes to make knedlíky.
Remove the beef, blend the vegetables and broth, strain, and add the cream and mustard to make a smooth sauce.
Slice the beef and cut the knedlíky with a thread.
Pour over the sauce and top with a lemon slice, cranberry sauce, and whipped cream if you have it.

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