Best Family Favorite Czech Recipes

While Czechs are known for quality pork and beef dishes, they also have a fine appreciation for seafood. Some of the more common types of fish Czech’s will enjoy include carp, trout, salmon, and occasionally cod. Trout and carp are more prevalent in Bohemian cooking given the large (and very clean) rivers and lakes in the mountains . The carp is very popular in Czech and Polish culture as it is the highlight of the Christmas Eve meal. I personally do not care for carp though I have had it prepared in the U.S and the meat itself possessed an extremely muddy flavor that could not be disguised by any amount of lemon or garlic. Perhaps I would give it a second try if I was to have it prepared “smoked” sitting down in a Bohemian or Polish restaurant. My favorite fish on this list aside from cod would be trout. Trout is a very delicious flaky fresh water fish that can be easily prepared with simply a skillet and some fat for frying. As we are currently into the Lenten season I am excited

Many eastern European pastries are based on a variety of fillings which include fruits, cheeses and nuts. One of the fillings that truly stand out with Czech and Polish baked goods are poppy seeds. As a young child I did not immediately succumb to the taste of poppy seeds when I had the pick of kolacky filled with tasty fruits such as apricot, plum and raspberry. My young taste buds at the time had no desire for any cookie or slice of coffee cake containing this thin black paste containing seeds. Our poppy seed consumers in the home were mainly mom and dad. My spat with poppy seeds did not stop there. While attending college I worked part time in a hospital kitchen. Our particular kitchen (or hospitality) unit prepared the meals for the patients temporarily residing in the substance abuse wing. Working in an institutional kitchen, I actually learned a great deal of cooking and quickly realized hospital foods could actually be quite tasty given the right menus, management and a respe

As Christmas week draws in, I felt the urge to bake some kolacky for the family. I went with the strawberry cream cheese variety this weekend. This kolacky recipe is similar to the other kolacky recipe on this site as the dough consists of simply cream cheese, butter, and flour producing a light flaky puff pastry when baked. The pastry will end up light in color (almost white)when baked. I do not mind the light cream cheese flour tone so I do not add anything to create a golden or yellowing effect such as egg or extra vanilla. Give this recipe a try and remember to pinch the edges shut to avoid the pastry from unraveling. If strawberry cream cheese does not sound like the filling of your choice, you can opt for just about any fruit or nut based pie filling or jam whether apricot, plum, poppy seed or almond. Merry Christmas to all. Strawberry Cream Cheese Kolacky Kolacky Dough 1 cup all purpose flour 3/8 cup cream cheese 1 stick butter Kolacky Filling 1 small jar stra

I found a great deal at the store for which I snagged a 3 pound bag of apples for a measly one dollar. I love cooking with apples in the fall and winter as they are easy to come at a reasonable price. I usually like to prepare these apples in the form of german apple pancake, apple pies, or even a hot apple crisp. My plans for these apples involved something different, bread pudding with apples. The results were tasty and I recommend this as a worthy finish to your holiday dinners or get together. I recommend using day old bread cut or torn into larger pieces. If you have leftover baguettes or buns, that will work even better. You can top this pudding with sauce, though I just use a dollop of whipped cream upon serving. Also consider substituting dried cranberries in place of raisins to make the dish more holiday-oriented. Also consider immersing sliced apples into a bowl of cool water mixed with a little lemon juice until you are ready to combine with the other ingredients. Bre

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I love cooking with a dutch oven. This stove top marvel creates all sorts of tasty stick to your ribs kind of meals. One of these family favorite meals is chicken and dumplings. There are so many different varieties of chicken and dumpling recipes out there. I have one that is a “cheater” recipe since it uses the aid of bisquick rather than creating the dumping from scratch with flour and baking soda. On a side note, I prefer the use of the heart healthy variety of bisquick since there aren’t any transfats in the mix. I like this recipe opposed to those chicken and dumpling recipes that have dumplings consisting of a more “noodle” or pasta consistency. Some people claim that is true chicken and dumplings, though I prefer the more bread or biscuit style of dumpling as created in my recipe. If you have a whole chicken readily available and a box of bisquick in the cabinet, I recommend you try this one. This recipe also leaves the chicken parts with b

Czech Chicken Paprika Recipe 6 – 7 Chicken Thighs 2 Cups Chicken Broth 1 Cup Water 1 Cup Onion – Chopped 1 Cup Sour Cream 2 Tbs Paprika 2 Tbs Lard or Vegetable Oil 2 Tbs Flour 1 Tsp Garlic, minced ½ Tsp Salt ¼ Tsp Ground Pepper 1. Heat up lard or oil in skillet on medium low heat. 2. Spinkle paprika on both sides of chicken and place in skillet. Place any remaining paprika into skillet. 3. Increase heat to medium and brown both sides of chicken. 4. Add onion and garlic and lightly brown stirring occasionally. 5. Lower heat to simmer, then add flour. 6. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes stirring constantly. 7. Increase heat to medium and add chicken broth and water, stirring constantly. 8. Once a low boil is achieved add salt and pepper. 9. Reduce to simmer partially covered for 40 minutes. Stir on occasion. 10. Remove chicken from sauté pan and add sour cream to sauce. 11. Place chicken back into pan and mix. 12. Add additional salt and pepper to taste (if necessary). 13. Serve on dumplings or eg

Cooler weather ushers in more czech cooking. Well, the weather has finally cooled down here in Chicago which means I can immerse myself into cooking more Bohemian food. Today, I made Svickova which is marinated beef. This recipe much resembles the Chateau recipe with a few alerations here and there. I usually enjoy this dish served over dumplings with green beans on the side. I try to slice the roast as thin as possible so I can place the meat directly on top the dumplings when serving. A cold pilsner to accompany the meal is always good. Here is the recipe. Marinated Beef (Svickova) 3 lbs Sirloin Roast 2 Cups Water 1 Cup Vinegar 2 Carrots, Chopped 2 Ribs of Celery, Chopped 2 Parsnips, Chopped 1 onion, Chopped 5 pieces of Allspice 6 Peppercorns 2 Bay Leaves 4 Tbls All Purpose Flour 1 16oz container Sour Cream 1 Cup Beef Broth 1/2 Tsp Thyme Directions: 1. Combine water, vinegar, vegetables, all spice, peppercorns, and bay leaves into a saucepan and bring to a boil