Ingredients
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Beef and root vegetables broth:
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2 Carrots
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1/4 celeriac
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1 parsley roots
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1 Onion
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3 cloves of garlic
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2 lbs beef sirloin
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16 cups Water
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3 Bay Leaves
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5 Allspice Berries
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10 Black Peppercorns
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1 tsp Salt
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Rajská omáčka:
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1 cup tomato puree
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5 cups Beef Broth
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10 Black Peppercorns
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5 Allspice Berries
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3 Onion
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1.5 tbsp Butter
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2/3 cup Flour
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5 tbsp vinegar
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3/4 cup Sugar
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Salt
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1 tsp Pork Lard
Directions
Rajská omáčka is one of the most iconic traditional Czech dishes and offers a uniquely rich sweet-sour taste. It’s based on a broth made from beef, root vegetables, and tomato paste. A signature of many Czech schools and kindergartens, rajská omáčka is an undeniable part of every Czech’s childhood.
This tomato sauce is nothing like the tomato sauces you know or come across in other national cuisines though. It’s sweet and sour, and the taste of the tomatoes is usually overshadowed by the various spices, such as bay leaves, allspice, black pepper, and, in some families, the not-so-secret ingredient, cinnamon.
Once the simmering and cooking are done, the sauce is blended into a very rich and creamy texture and is ready to be served with slices of boiled beef or bell peppers stuffed with minced pork and dumplings.
Preparation:
For the beef and root vegetable broth:
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Clean the vegetables and cut them into two. Put them together with the whole piece of beef into a large pot.
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Add cold water, cover with a lid, and bring to the boil.
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Remove the lid and skim off the condensed foam on the surface.
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Once the foam stops forming, add the spices and salt and turn down the heat to a minimum, to a bare simmer. Don´t cover the pot with the lid again. It takes about 3 hours for the meat to soften.
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Take the meat out of the broth and keep it somewhere warm. Strain the broth into a clean pot. Discard the vegetables and spices.
For the tomato sauce:
- Peel the onion and chop it finely.
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Melt the lard in a separate saucepan and set it on a medium heat. Add the onion and stir until it turns light golden brown.
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Add the tomato paste, stir for about 1 minute. Pour in the flour and stir continuously for 30 sec. Add the broth and stir. Start adding beef broth in batches. Always stir or whisk until a creamy sauce is produced. Don’t worry if some lumps remain in a pot. They will be eliminated later while straining the rajská sauce through a sift.
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Add 1 level teaspoon of salt, sugar, vinegar, and spices. Bring it to the boil, turn down the heat to a third and boil it, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
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Season the sauce with salt and sugar if necessary.
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Remove the sauce from the stove, mix it with an immerse mixer (you can skip this step).
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Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Discard the rests (onion, spices) got stuck in a sift.
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Add diced cold butter, which will soften up the sauce. Mix with a spoon until the butter melts.
- Serve warm with sliced beef you cooked earlier in the broth. Rajská pairs great with dumplings as a side dish.
