Svíčková (Czech Sauerbraten )

I am in the mood to cook Czech food.  And my favorite Czech food of all is Svíčková (pronounced Svitch-Kova).  My mother used to make this from time to time when I was growing up, but it was always a special treat since the technique is fairly labor intensive.

Now I am certain there are purists out there who will disagree with me, but my mother (a Sudetan german) always called this "Czech-style Sauerbraten", while my father, a Bohemian from Prague, insisted Svíčková is a distinct dish altogether.  I tend to agree with my mother since the technique is very similar to german-style sauerbraten.  Whatever, I'm not going to get tangled in those details. all that matters is that its really really REALLY delicious. 

Svíčková  absolutely MUST be served with big fluffy Czech boiled dumplings called Knedlicky (recipe follows).  Growing up, we always had these dumplings on hand, more frequently than we had potatoes or pasta. They are tender and essential for sopping up the lake of rich sour cream sauce served with Svíčková.  My mother would cut leftover dumplings into cubes, fry them in butter to crisp them, then add them to scrambled eggs for breakfast (YUM!)

It also MUST be served with a glass of cold Czech Pilsner, like Pilsner Urquell.   Beer really seems to cut the richness of the dish.  Also sometimes this dish is served with a small dab of cranberry sauce to help cut the richness, though I am not a huge fan of this tradition.

Pivo!

In the late 1990's my father's cousin Evička and her husband Jarda visited us from Prague and taught me how to properly make this dish.  I present it to you here.  I hope you will take the time to prepare this dish for friends and family, raise a glass of beer and toast "Na Zdravi!".