Czech Coffee ~ Káva

(serves 1)

2-3 t coffee, dark roasted powdered "Turkish" grind
¾ c [175 ml] boiling water

Place 2 or 3 heaping spoonfulls of coffee in bottom of mug. Pour boiling water onto coffee and stir well.

Stir in cream or sugar if you like.

Wait a minute or two to let grounds settle.

[If your coffee wasn't pulverized finely enough you'll have grit floating in your mug. Should that happen (and the brew's worth salvaging to you), strain it through a fine sieve. (It won't drip through a paper filter at this point.)]
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If anyone's ever offered you a euphemistic "cup o' mud," they could have just as easilly proffered Káva. This is the mug sized equivalent of Turkish coffee. But it's a lot easier to make, and you still realize the mud sludge at the bottom of the cup. All of which is a forewarning that you'd best like your java jumpin' before trying this at breakfast!

A shot of rum or cognac is often added to Káva (even at breakfast in Europe). North American etiquette reserves this variation for an after dinner or evening beverage. [Note: Czech rum is quite sweet. To approximate it, add a ¼ - ½ teaspoon sugar along with the shot of rum.]

“Breakfast Palačinky”

(serves 4)

2 eggs, separated
1 T butter
3-4 T sugar
dash vanilla [¼ t powdered vanilla, if available]
dash salt
1 lemon rind, grated
2 c [½ L] milk
1 c [250 ml] pastry flour
1 t baking powder
1-2 T oil for frying
[optional toppings: jam, butter, cinnamon sugar, sour cream]

Separate eggs reserving whites for later step. Cream yolks, butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest. Combine 3 or 4 Tablespoons flour with baking powder and set aside. Alternately stir into creamed yolks milk and flour in at least four portions. Beat egg-whites to form stiff peaks. Into batter now blend the baking powder and finally fold in whipped whites being careful not to destroy their volume any more than necessary.

Fry in lightly oiled pan in the manner of a crêpe [rotating pan as you pour in batter spreading it into a small, thin pancake.] Flip once; cook until golden.

Normal accompaniments are jam or cinnamon sugar with a dollop of sour cream. There's no reason you couldn't use syrup if that suits your taste buds. Just don't tell Eva you did so.

A palm sized palaèinky is commonly eaten precisely like American silver dollar pancakes [Susan B. Anthony coins not withstanding].

Strawberry Supreme ~ Palačinky s jahodami

(6 servings)

2/3 c [150 ml] flour
2 eggs
1 c [250 ml] milk
pinch salt
4 t sugar
1 c [250 ml] strawberries, sliced
3 T "cinnamon sugar" or (3 T sugar + 1 t cinnamon) mixed
¼ c [60 ml] powdered sugar (approx.)
2 oz [60 g] or [2 bars] semi-sweet chocolate
1 T butter
1 t water
1 c [250 ml] whipped cream

Cream together sugar, salt, and eggs in a mixing bowl. Alternately add small amounts of flour and milk until all are mixed and a batter has been achieved. Set aside at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Heat oil in a fry pan. Pour small amount of batter into hot pan while constantly rotating pan to spread batter into "crêpe." Cook until set. Turn once and cook another minute until golden. Remove from pan to cool. Continue cooking remaining pancakes (sic).

Down the center of a Palaèinky lay a line of sliced strawberries full length, but only about 1/3 of its width. Sprinkle some cinnamon-sugar over berries. Fold the uncovered portions like flaps over the filling to create a flattened tube. Melt chocolate with butter & water in microwave. Drizzle over top of each berry-filled roll and then decorate the length of the dessert with a squiggle of whipped cream using a pastry bag and large diameter die or with caned whipped cream. Place more chopped strawberries across dessert to add a splash of color.

Lightly dust some powdered sugar across the top of each dessert.
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Palaèinky is pronounced PAHL-a-chink-i. The literal translation (pancake) dishonors the dessert. The reader might completely overlook this treat if it only appeared indexed as such.

Whereas Rombauer & Becker toss crêpes, pancakes, waffles, and blintzes together under "Griddle Cakes" in their holy-of-holies Joy of Cooking, we eschew equating Palaèinky with flapjacks! [But then the writers also dare define Crêpes Suzette as "a glorified French pancake."]

Therefore, we render Palaèinky with a free interpretation to more precisely convey the significance--supremely good! Eva once served this for friends on their 20th anniversary and it was applauded as a feat no less spectacular than their long and loving relationship.

Potato Pancakes ~ Bramborák

(serves 4-6 )

2 lb. potatoes
2 eggs
pinch salt
grinding of pepper
1 T marjoram
4 cloves garlic, pressed
3 T parsley, freshly chopped
1 large onion, diced very fine
1 c [250 ml] flour
2-3 T oil (for frying)

Peal potatoes and quarter dropping each into cold water as you do so to prevent discoloration. Let them soak 15 minutes as you dice the onion, press garlic, and chop parsley into bowl. Using the shredder blade on your food processor, shred all the potatoes into another bowl. Using your hands, take a fistful of 'tater-shreds' and press the excess water out of them discarding liquid. Put the shreds into the onion mixture. Once you've got all the potatoes added, sprinkle milk over top to decrease darkening from oxidization. Add eggs and spices and mix a moment before blending in flour. You should have a sticky batter-dough.

Heat 1 or 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick pan. Spoon 1/3 - ½ c [75 - 125 ml] batter into pan or enough to spread into a pancake about 7" across by ¼" thick [18 cm x ½ cm]. You'll have to pat the dough down-n-outward to form the cake because it's too thick to spread by itself. Fry until browned on first side (about 5 minutes) then flip over. Fry on second side until browned. If the pancake breaks up or cracks apart, add another tablespoon or two of flour to the batter and mix well before frying another pancake. You may even have to repeat this process a couple times, depending on the water content of your potatoes (and your squeezing technique). This is one of those exciting factors which cannot be predicted in cooking. In other words, here’s where we spearate the cooks from the Czech Chefs.

Continue cooking rest of batter in the same way adding more oil if necessary. Serve as a potato side dish, or with filling as an entrée.

Trout Czech Style ~ Pstruh na kmíně a česneku

(serves 1)

1 medium whole trout with head, scaled and cleaned
½ t salt
1 large clove garlic
1 t caraway seeds
sprinkling of flour
3 T oil for frying
1 pat butter for serving

Wash trout thoroughly then pat dry inside and out with paper towels.

Sprinkle top, bottom, inside, and out with salt. Put garlic through garlic press and rub on outside of trout. Distribute caraway seeds on top then dust with a little flour.

Heat oil in non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place fish in pan; cover and turn temperature down to medium, frying 7 minutes.

Uncover; turn fish over; recover; and fry for another 7 minutes. Remove cover. Turn once again being careful not to break the meat. [Using two large "pancake flippers" can help.] The trout may need another 1 or 2 minutes frying time to finish cooking/browning. The flesh should be flaky when ready to eat.

Remove fish to warmed serving plate. Place a pat of butter or margarine on top and serve immediately with lemon wedge, fried potatoes (see recipe page ??), and vegetable(s) of choice.
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Garlic lovers are welcome to spread garlic inside trout as well as on the fish's skin. That wouldn't be very Czech, but it's very tasty.

Come to that, there's no reason caraway lovers can't put seeds inside the fish as well. Eva says, "Cook to your family's tastes." There's no arguing with that!

Roast Rabbit ~ Pečený králík

(4 servings) 475º F [246º C] oven

1 rabbit cut in half (or 1 cut-up, frozen rabbit)
2 strips of bacon, cut into ½" [1cm] strips
pinch of salt
4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
1 onion, diced finely
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 strips of bacon
2½ c [600 ml] water
½ c [125 ml] mushrooms, sliced

If whole, cut a rabbit in half. Slice 2 strips of bacon into small strips, approximately ½" [1cm] in length. Poke holes randomly into rabbit meat and insert the small strips of bacon into each hole. Rub meat with salt and pressed garlic.

Prepare all vegetables (except mushrooms) and spread them across bottom of a roasting pan. Place rabbit hales on top. Lay 2 strips of bacon on each half and pour in the water. Cover and place in preheated oven.

Cook for 1½ hours before removing lid to check liquid levels. If needed, add more water to prevent scorching. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan around (not atop) rabbit. Return uncovered to oven to brown lightly. Cook another 20 minutes or so but don't let the meat become too dark as it will dry out. Remove the rabbit and serve with red cabbage (stba) and fried potatoes (tba).

Moravian Goulash ~ Moravský Guláš

(4 servings)

2 large onions chopped
1 pound [450 g] pork, cubed into ½" [1 cm] pieces
2 T oil
pinch salt
dash freshly ground pepper
1 c [250 ml] HOT water to cover
1 t vinegar
2 T tomato paste
1 T Wondra flour dissolved in 1/4 c [60 ml] COLD water
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped

Heat oil in stew pot. Chop onions and add; stir constantly until golden. Do not let onions scorch. Chop meat into ½" [1 cm] cubes; sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss well and place into pot. Mix thoroughly and cook uncovered until meat is no longer red.

Cover and simmer 15 minutes, add enough HOT water to cover meat and simmer another 30-45 minutes until meat is very tender (depends upon toughness of meat). Add vinegar and tomato paste. blend well, stir in flour/water mixture and bring to boil 3-5 minutes while stirring to thicken. Lastly add chopped tomatoes and green pepper stirring in well but don't cook any longer.

Pork Roast ~ Vepřová Pečeně

(6 servings)The official Czech National Dish!

preheat oven 450º F [232º C]

1 pork roast, about 3 pounds [1½ kg]
dash salt
1 T caraway seeds
1 onion, diced
2 c [½ L] water, approx.

Sprinkle a little salt all over the pork roast. Place meat in pan. Dice onion; distribute it and caraway seeds across top of roast. Add enough water to bring liquid ¼ way up meat. Cover and place in preheated oven. Turn temperature down to 325 and bake for about 1½ - 2 hours (approximately 25-30 minutes to a pound).

Remove and check for doneness, internal temperature of 170° F [77° C] for pork loin or 185° F [85° C] for shoulder. If the meat needs a darker color, remove lid and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes to brown.

GRAVY:
1 package pork gravy mix + water according to package directions
1 c [250 ml] water + ¼ c [60 ml] Wondra Flour

After fully cooked, remove meat to serving platter and quickly make the following sauce in the pan with its drippings. Pour disolved commercial gravy mixture into roasting pan and over high heat stir until boiling. Turn down to low boil and stir, scraping bottom & sides of pan to bring loose all the flavorful bits that have stuck to roaster while baking. After about 2-3 minutes quickly blend the water and flour and pour into gravy. Mix well cooking until thickened. Immediately remove from heat.

Serve meat with Czech dumplings, gravy, and red cabbage.

This is the Czech Republic’s national dish. It’s eminently practical, easy, and „lahodný“ (delicious)! Once you serve it, you’ll know why. Your diners are likely to stand and salute the cook! (Enjoy the praise--you deserve it.)

Eva's Roast Chicken ~ Evino pečené kuře

(4 servings) 475º F [246º C] oven

1 onion, chopped coarsely
1 large tomato, chopped coarsely
1 green pepper, chopped coarsely
1 chicken, halved
pinch salt
1 t whole Italian blend spices
[or substitute a combination of whole rosemary, crushed oregano, basil flakes, marjoram, thyme, and summer savory]
1 t whole allspice
1 t whole pepper-corns
2 c [1/2 L] very HOT water (or enough to cover 1/4 of chicken)

Preheat oven to 475º F [246º C].

Chop onion, tomato, and green pepper. Scatter them across the bottom of a large roasting pan. Cut chicken in half and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place each half cavity side down on top of vegetables in pan. Toss remaining spices randomly over chicken.

Pour into pan just enough nearly boiling water to submerge chicken one quarter way up (avoid washing seasonings off meat). Cover and place in hot oven. Cook one-and-a-half hours.

Remove lid; check liquid level adding a bit more water if needed to prevent scorching. Continue roasting, uncovered, another 20-30 minutes until well browned.

[If you choose to, strain the drippings and deglaze the pan with chicken stock. Reduce fat calories by degreasing before making gravy.]

This is often enjoyed with Czech fried potatoes [tba] or rice pilaf [tba].

Dressing:
Mix to yield 1 cup [250 ml]:
¾ - ½ c [175 - 125 ml] vinegar
¼ - ½ c [60 - 125 ml] water
±3 T sugar [Splenda sugar substitute may be used]
½ t salt
2 T olive oil
fresh grinding of pepper

Core and roughly slice cabbage into thin strips an inch or two long [3-5 cm]. Place strips in colander nested in larger bowl and pour enough very hot water over to cover. [Water does not have to be scalding.] Soak 7 minutes.

While soaking...

Mix the vinegar and water to taste creating a total of 1 cup liquid. [Czech vinegar is stronger than American. A Bohemian palate requires about ¾ cup U.S. vinegar to ¼ cup water.]

Dissolve in sugar (or sweetener) and salt to taste whether you like a sweeter or sourer sweet/sour flavor. Add a grinding of pepper then whisk in the oil.

Pour salad dressing over slaw and marinate in fridge, covered, over night or at least four hours. Stir the slaw approximately half way through soaking to make sure all the vegetables benefit from the marinade.

This is one of those the-longer-it-marinates-the-better-it-gets dishes (kept in non-metal container).

Pork Schnitzel ~ Vepřový řízek

4 boneless pork sirloin chops,
or pork cutlets, boned
pinch salt
½ c [125 ml] flour for dredging
2 eggs, scrambled lightly
½ c [125 ml] bread crumbs
¼ c [60 ml] oil for frying
lemon, wedged

Pound each chop about ¼" [½ cm] thick with a kitchen mallet being careful not to tear meat. That means pound each side equally rather than always whacking away on the same side.

On both sides of each: sprinkle with a little salt then dredge in flour; dip in lightly scrambled eggs then in bread crumbs to coat completely.

Heat oil in large fry pan to a high heat and cook schnitzels one or two at a time (don't crowd) approximately 5 minutes until golden on first side. [Before flipping peek underneath to verify brownness. You only want to turn each one once to avoid drying out meat.] Flip and fry second side about 5 minutes more until meat is fully cooked. Place on absorbent paper to drain before serving.

Serve with lemon wedges. A squeeze of lemon juice adds a stupendous accent.
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The biggest secret to preparing perfect Czech schnitzel requires selecting the right cut of meat. You want a cross cut piece; that is, the grain should pass through the shortest thickness of the chop. Should you choose cuts that have the grain running the length of the meat, you'll produce a tougher entrée.

A second recommendation is to cheat a peek when frying. Feel free to lift a corner of the meat to verify brownness before turning because you only want to turn each one once. You can't treat them like pancakes, cavalierly flipping them over and over. If you do, you'll have tough, dried-out meat when you're done.

It's traditional to poke each øizek 3 times with a two-tine serving fork after removing it from the pan to perfect the flavor. There must be something to it--they always taste terrific!

Serve with Czech Potato Salad (tba) and vegetable garnish.

Potato Mushroom Soup ~ Bramborová polévka

(8 servings)

4 c [1 L] water (to cover plus enough to create soup)
dash of salt
4 large potatoes, diced into ¼" [½ cm] pieces
1 c [250 ml] sliced mushrooms
1 onion, diced
1 - 16 oz [454 g] package frozen Italian mixed vegetables
[or substitute one pound of mixed vegetables such as zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, and green beans)
small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 t marjoram flakes
grinding of pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed
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2 c [½ L] COLD water
½ c [125 ml] Wondra flour (dissolved into water)

Pour water into soup pot and shake in a little salt. Dice potatoes quickly tossing them into water to prevent browning. Slice mushrooms; chop parsley and onion adding them along with the frozen vegetables into pot. Bring to boil; turn down and simmer half an hour or until potatoes soften. Avoid overcooking or they'll fall apart. Add the marjoram, a few grinds of fresh pepper, and the crushed garlic.

Dissolve Wondra flour into cold water and blend into soup. Bring back to boil and stir/boil about 5 minutes to thicken.
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For a creamy variation (Bramborová polévka bílá), substitute 2 c [½ L] half-n-half for the cold water dissolving the ½ c [125 ml] Wondra flour as before. Continue with rest of recipe.

Red Cabbage ~ Červené zelí

(4 servings)

medium head red cabbage, cored
1 onion, chopped
1 T oil
1 c [250 ml] water
dash salt
3 T vinegar
3 T sugar
1 T Wondra flour

Shred the cabbage into strips about ¼" by 1 or 2 inches [½ x 2-4 cm]. Chop onion; heat oil in medium sized pot; cook onion until soft. Add cabbage, water, and salt; cover and simmer on very low heat about 30-40 minutes until limp but not mushy. [There should be very little water left at this point. If there’s more than a few tablespoons present, drain most of it off, either reserving it for soup or discarding it.] Finish by stirring in vinegar and sugar. Taste test to see if it needs more salt/sugar/vinegar. Sprinkle flour across cabbage while quickly blending to avoid lumping. Turn up heat and cook, stirring, until thickened.

Savoy Cabbage Schnitzel ~ Kapustový řízek

(serves 4)

1 small head savoy cabbage
2-3 eggs
dash salt
dash pepper
1/4 t whole Italian spices
½ c [125 ml] flour
2 eggs, beaten
¼ c [60 ml] flour
½ c [125 ml] bread crumbs
2-3 T oil

Boil cabbage leaves 5 minutes to soften. Drain and chop fine. In mixing bowl combine: cabbage, eggs, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and enough flour to make a sticky dough. Form into 4 patties, each about ½" [1 cm] thick.

Treat the patties like regular schnitzels from this point on. Heat oil in fry pan. Dredge in flour, beaten eggs, then bread crumbs. Place a øizek in pan and fry until bottom is golden gently peeking under a corner to check doneness before turning. Very carefully flip once so as not to break the patty and fry until second side is finished. [Eva says you can skip piercing the Savoy "steak" 3 times as one does a meat Schnitzel.]