Svíčková na smetaně
Czech marinated beef in creamy root-vegetable sauce with dumplings
Svíčková is the dish Czech families make for weddings, name days and big Sunday lunches, and in Prague pubs it appears on the menu as the proud centre of the week. Beef is marinated for a day or two with root vegetables and spices, slow-roasted, and the vegetables are then blended into a smooth, sweet-sour cream sauce. It is always served the same way: sliced beef, a pool of sauce, bread dumplings, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, a twist of whipped cream and a slice of lemon. Many cooks under-season the sauce; it should taste clearly of vinegar, sugar and allspice, not just cream. The optional smoked bacon that flavours the vegetables is pork; leave it out and the sauce is still rich. Chef's tip: blend the sauce until completely velvety, then push it through a sieve; that silky finish is what makes svíčková special.
- Total time
- 220 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the beef and marinade
For the sauce
To serve
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Trim any sinew from 2 ⅝ lb beef sirloin or topside, in one piece. Rub it with 2 tsp salt. Put it in a non-metal dish with 3 carrots, 2 parsley root or parsnip, 9 oz celeriac and 2 onions.
Step 2: Bring 2 cups water, ½ cup white wine vinegar, 8 allspice berries, 10 black peppercorns, 3 bay leaves and 1 tsp dried thyme to the boil, cool completely, then pour over the beef and vegetables. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 24–48 hours, turning the beef once or twice.
1440 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Lift out the beef and pat dry. Melt 1 ⅜ oz butter in a casserole over a medium-high heat (fry 2 ⅞ oz smoked streaky bacon first if using) and brown the beef on all sides, about 8 minutes.
10 minStep 4: Lift out the beef. Add the drained vegetables and fry for 10 minutes until starting to colour. Return the beef, pour over the marinade with its spices, cover and roast for 2–2½ hours, turning the beef halfway, until a skewer slides in easily.
150 minStep 5: Lift out the beef, cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes. Fish out the bay leaves, allspice and peppercorns.
15 minStep 6: Sprinkle 2 tbsp plain flour over the vegetables and liquid in the casserole and stir over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 300 ml water and simmer for 5 minutes.
7 minStep 7: Blend with a stick blender until completely smooth, then pass through a sieve back into the pan. Stir in 1 ¼ cups single cream and 1 tsp mild mustard and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 8: Season with 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice and more salt until sweet, sour and savoury are in balance. Thin with water if thicker than double cream.
Step 9: Meanwhile steam or warm 12 Czech bread dumplings (houskové knedlíky) until hot right through, about 10 minutes.
10 minStep 10: Slice the beef thinly across the grain and warm the slices briefly in the sauce. Serve with dumplings, plenty of sauce, a spoonful of 6 tbsp cranberry sauce, 6 tbsp whipped cream and 1 lemon. Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge; reheat until piping hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 690 kcal
- Protein
- 48 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does svíčková na smetaně take?
- About 220 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 180 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
- What can I use instead of parsley root or parsnip?
- Carrot or swede, same weight.
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