Rajská Omáčka (Beef with Sweet Tomato Sauce)
Rajská Omáčka is one of the signature dishes of the Czech Republic, made with hearty beef and an unmistakable sweet-and-sour tomato sauce. This creamy dressing is infused with various spices like bay leaves, allspice, black pepper, and some home cooks even add a twist of cinnamon to the mix.
Sugar is also sprinkled in to balance out the tartness of the tomato and when all that goodness meets the tender beef, it really brings out the best qualities in the main dish.
Rajská Omáčka is often served with Czech dumplings on the side. You can try the sauce with other mains like meat-stuffed bell peppers or pork, you’ll certainly love it!
Rajská Omáčka (Beef with Sweet Tomato Sauce)
Ingredients
Beef and vegetable broth:
- 2 carrots
- 1/4 celeriac
- 1 parsley roots
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 lbs beef sirloin
- 16 cups water
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 allspice berries
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
Rajská Omáčka:
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 5 cups beef broth
- 10 black peppercorns
- 5 allspice berries
- 3 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1½ tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup flour
- 5 tbsp vinegar
- 3/4 cup sugar
- salt
- 1 tsp pork lard
Instructions
For the beef and root vegetable broth:
- Rinse the vegetables and half them into a large pot. Place the beef in there as well, as well as enough cold water to almost cover the ingredients. Cover with a lid and place on high heat until the water starts to boil.
- Use a slotted spoon or a fine mesh sieve to remove any foam that might form on the surface.
- Once the meat has stopped producing foam, turn the heat down to low and add the spices and salt to the pot. Stir well and leave to cook uncovered for about 3 hours until the meat comes apart easily.
- Once the meat is cooked, transfer it to a dish and cover to keep warm. Strain the beef broth into another container and discard the vegetables and spices.
For the tomato sauce:
- Allow the pork lard to melt in a saucepan over medium heat then add the onion. Sauté until golden and soft.
- Next, stir in the tomato sauce and cook for a minute. Then, add the flour and stir vigorously to incorporate the flour into the sauce. Once incorporated, start pouring in the beef stock, little by little, whisking constantly until you get a creamy sauce that isn't too watery.
- Add the peppercorns, allspice, vinegar and sugar and simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Adjust the seasoning after this if needed.
- Take the sauce off the heat. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can use a immersion mixer to break apart the onion and any other remaining clumps in the sauce.
- Pass the sauce through a strainer into a separate dish, add the butter and stir until it melts into the sauce.
- Serve the cooked beef with a generous amount of sauce and pair with some dumplings as a side dish!
- Enjoy!
Notes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
