Traditional Czech Beef Sirloin with Cream Sauce and Dumplings
“Each year, together with my daughter I visit a world music summer festival in Ostrava, the post- industrial part of the Czech Republic. We have to drive there for about three hours, so each year we stop in the same renowned restaurant for this dish. It is our little ritual and I look forward to it every time.
Whenever I prepare this dish for my international friends they always say “oh, this is perfect; it is a main dish and a dessert in one” because of the cranberries and cream we serve it with.” – Vera Jourova
This recipe was kindly contributed by Vera Jourova, European Commissioner for Justice, Gender Equality, and Consumers. Image: AND- ONE / iStock / Getty Images Plus.
- 800 g beef sirloin
- 50 g bacon (cut in narrow bits)
- 2 big carrots
- 150 g celery root
- 1 parsley root
- 1 big onion
- 5 peppercorns
- 3 all spice balls
- 3 bay leaves
- pinch of thyme
- salt
- ground pepper
- 150 g melted butter
- juice of 1 lemon
- 250 ml cream for whipping
- 20 ml vinegar
- 4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 egg
- 2 handfuls of diced white baguette (2 days old)
- 1 tsp. yeast
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
Wash the meat, pierce in a few places and insert bits of bacon into the holes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry quickly in the melted butter, on all sides. Chop the onion and vegetables and fry in the melted butter until golden. Place the meat on top, add the spices, sprinkle with lemon juice, cover, and leave in the fridge overnight. The next day baste the vegetable/meat mix with some water, pre-heat the oven to 220 °C fan, and cook for approximately 90 mins with a lid
on. When tender, remove the meat and set aside. Remove the spices from the sauce, especially the bay leaves, then pour the sauce into a blender and blend until creamy. Pour back into a pot, add the cream and boil gently, mixing from time to time. If the sauce is too thick, dilute it with some water. Season with salt, add some lemon juice. To highlight the taste, you can add vinegar, and optionally a bit of sugar. To make the dumplings, put the flour in a bowl, make a hole in the middle, pour in warm milk and add the yeast. Wait about 10 mins until it is foamy on top. Add one egg, salt, and the diced baguette, and stir until the dough detaches from the edges of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it rise for 2 hours, in a warm area. Dust a work surface with flour and form the dough into 3 loaves. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Carefully place the dumplings in the pot. Reduce the heat to low and cook (covered) for 20 mins, turning the dumplings half way through the cooking. Maintain a rolling boil throughout. Remove the dumplings from the pot and poke with a fork to let the steam out. Slice the dumplings delicately with a sewing thread, dental floss, or a serrated knife. Slices should be about ¾ inch thick.
To serve, heat the meat and sauce and serve with the dumpling, a slice of lemon, and some cranberry sauce.
Whenever I prepare this dish for my international friends they always say “oh, this is perfect"
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