Czech Fried Cheese

If there’s anything specific among Czech food, it’s Fried Cheese. Typical meal of Czech restaurants, where it was only vegetarian meal in the past. Breaded slice of cheese – Eidam (Edam; medium soft cheese), camembert (Hermelín), Emmental – is deep fried in pan or deep fryer and served with potatoes, french fries or in fast food put in bun with tartar sauce. It doesnť matter that it’s unhealthy, because it’s so easy and tasty.

Ingredients

  • 4 slices of cheese about 1.5cm thick (about 1/2 of inch)
  • eggs
  • flour
  • breadcrumbs
  • oil
  • salt

Directions

  1. Take 3 bowls. Put flour into first, whisked eggs with salt in second and breadcrumbs into third.
  2. Bread cheese in flour, then eggs and finally breadcrumbs. Bread each slice at least 2 times so the melted cheese won’t spill during frying.
  3. Fry in pan or deep fryer.
  4. Tip: In deep fryer – when cheese starts to swim up, it’s done.



Easter Stuffing

Easter stuffing is traditional meal that can be found during Easter in Czech homes. Although it’s called stuffing, it’s mainly prepared separately and only sometimes the mixture is stuffed in poultry. Stuffing can be made with meat or simply vegetarian. Also a lot of different herbs can be used. Traditional is nettle stuffing, but basically any green herbs like lovage, parsley can be used as well.

Ingredients

  • 10 old rolls
  • 6 eggs
  • 400 g boiled smoked meat
  • 50 g of melted butter
  • salt
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • handful of chopped herbs – nettle, parsley, lovage
  • almonds

Directions

  1. Cut rolls into small cubes and dunk in cup of milk.
  2. Crack eggs and split yolks and whites.
  3. Mix butter with yolks, rolls, salt, nutmeg and herbs. Also add cutted meat.
  4. Beat egg whites and gently add to mixture.
  5. Put mixture in buttered pan and sprinkle with chopped almonds.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C (360°F).



Potato Pancakes

Potatoes are the most used side in Czech cuisine. Potato pancakes are called bramborák or cmunda and are very popular. You can either serve it simply as side dish or as main dish, for example with sauerkraut and salami. Potato pancakes goes well with goulash or katův šleh (“executioner’s whipping”).

Ingredients

  • 1 kg of potatoes
  • cup of milk
  • 1 egg
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • flour
  • marjoram
  • salt, pepper
  • oil for frying
  • optional: salami, bacon or ham

Directions

  1. Peel raw potatoes, wash and shred. Pour off some water from shreded potatoes.
  2. Season with salt and pepper. Add egg, marjoram and minced garlic.
  3. Add milk and flour. Dough shouldn’t be too thick.
  4. Panfry in heated oil in shape of pancakes.
  5. Potato pancakes serve fresh and hot.



Czech Meatloaf – Sekaná

Sekaná is favourite Czech meal, but also favourite in other countries across the world. Today we bring classic easy Czech meatloaf recipe, but you can come across filled meatloaf with gherkin, sausage and egg.

Ingredients

  • 1kg of ground meat (mixed beef and pork)
  • 1-2 onions
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 2 eggs
  • salt, pepper
  • marjoram
  • 2 old rolls
  • 200ml of milk
  • breadcrumbs
  • oil

Directions

  1. Cut rolls into small cubes and pour milk over them.
  2. Chop onion and fry shortly.
  3. Mix meat with salt, pepper, minced garlic, marjoram, eggs and fried onion.
  4. Also add soaked rolls from milk.
  5. Mix all together and add breadcrumbs if needed. Meat shouldn’t be too sticky but also not covered in breadcrumbs.
  6. Form in 2 loaves and put in greased pan.
  7. Put in preheated oven 180°C (356°F) for 75 minutes. Sometimes pour a little water and baste.
  8. Serve with potatoes, mashed potatoes or simply bread.



Czech Bread Dumplings

If there’s any side dish Czechs love, it’s most definitely dumplings. Bread dumplings go perfectly with traditional Czech sauces like tomato sauce, dill sauce, svíčková (cream sauce) and of course goulash.

Ingredients

  • 500ml of milk
  • 1kg of fine wheat flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 20g of yeast
  • 20g salt
  • 2-3 old rolls
  • teaspoon of sugar

Directions

  1. Warm the milk to be tepid but not hot.
  2. Pour 100ml of milk into bowl, add crumbled yeast and sugar. Let leaven rest in warm place.
  3. Cut rolls into small cubes.
  4. Sift flour into clean bowl and mix with salt. Add eggs, warm milk and leaven (point 2).
  5. Knead thoroughly and at last blend in rolls.
  6. Cover bowl with cloth and let rise for 1 hour in warm place.
  7. After that devide dough into 3 or 4 parts. Knead again and form into long shaped rolls.
  8. Put in boiling water for about 20 minutes.
  9. Pierce with skewer to know they’re cooked.



Potato Salad

Potato salad is traditionally served with Schnitzel and cannot miss at Czech Christmas dinner table with carp. Every family prepare potato salad by their own recipe according to their taste and customs.

Ingredients

  • 2kg of potatoes
  • 3-4 carrots
  • 1 celery root
  • onion
  • 5 pickled gherkins
  • 4 hard boiled eggs
  • canned peas
  • 300g of ham
  • spoon of mustard
  • mayonnaise and tartare sauce (according to your taste)
  • salt, pepper

Directions

  1. Boil unpeeled potatoes in water with salt and let cool off. Then peel potatoes and cut to small cubes.
  2. Boil root vegeteables in water with pinch of salt and vinegar. Let cool off and cut to small cubes and mix with potatoes.
  3. Same way add chopped onion and gherkins, cubed boiled eggs, peas, cubed ham and mix together.
  4. Blend mustard and mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper. You can also pour a little of brine from pickled gherkins.