Czech recipe
How to make Svíčková (beef in cream sauce)
svíčková na smetaně
All of Czechia, also Slovakia
Slices of slow-cooked beef in a smooth, golden sauce made from root vegetables (carrot, parsley root, celeriac and onion) blended with cream and spices. It is served with bread dumplings, a spoon of whipped cream, cranberry sauce and a slice of lemon.
Ingredients
- 1 kg beef topside or silverside, in one piece
- 2 carrots, 1 parsley root (or a small parsnip) and a quarter of a celeriac, all peeled and chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5 allspice berries, 10 black peppercorns, 3 bay leaves and a sprig of thyme
- 50 g butter or 50 g diced bacon
- 250 ml double cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt
- To serve: bread dumplings, whipped cream, cranberry sauce and lemon slices
Method
- Heat the oven to 170°C. Season the beef with salt and brown it on all sides in the butter or bacon fat in a casserole dish.
- Add the vegetables, onion and spices around the meat and stir for 5 minutes. Pour in 500 ml of water, cover and cook in the oven for about 2 to 2½ hours, until the beef is tender.
- Lift out the beef. Remove the bay leaves, allspice and peppercorns, then blend the vegetables and cooking liquid until completely smooth.
- Stir in the cream and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season with lemon juice, sugar and salt: the sauce should be gently sweet and sour.
- Slice the beef, pour the sauce over it and serve with dumplings, a spoon of whipped cream, cranberry sauce and a slice of lemon.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
Svíčková is the Czech word for tenderloin, but the dish is usually made with cheaper beef topside. The name is sometimes wrongly translated as 'candle sauce', because svíčka means candle.
Take the trip to Czechia
