Cooking Recipes and Gastronomical Information

Czech Republic Cooking Recipes

A land of romance and gusto, the Czech Republic is home to culinary creativity mixing the heartiness of Slavic staples with the zest and flavor of Italy. It’s common to dine in the Czech Republic and just almost recognize the dish you are enjoying. Almost, but not quite. The food here is surprising and delicious. Here are two fantastic recipes to keep you tantalized until your next trip to Prague:

Cabbage Soup from CzechoslovakiaThis abundantly flavorful mixture of spices and hearty, nutritional ingredients is great for the wintertime, although it is more or less a year round staple although often served as a staple in restaurants. Cook it at home and then visit the Czech Republic (or Slovakia) and see how the locals prepare it!

Ingredients:
· 2 cups of chopped onion
· 4 pounds of beef soup bones
· 4 chopped cloves garlic
· 6 coarsely chopped and pared carrots
· 4 pounds beef short ribs
· 2 bay leaves
· 1 teaspoon paprika
· 2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
· 2 coarsely chopped cabbage heads
· 16 cups water
· 4 teaspoons salt
· 2 pounds of tomatoes
· 1/2 cup chopped parsley
· 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons red Tabasco sauce
· 6 tablespoons sugar
· 6 tablespoons lemon juice
· 2 pounds of sauerkraut (2 cans)

Directions:
Preheat the oven 450 degrees. Put the onions, chopped garlic, beef bones, carrots and bay leaves into a terracotta pan. Place the short ribs on top of the veggies, the sprinkle with paprika and thyme. Bake in the over for a half hour or until the meat starts browning. Transfer the vegetables and meat into a big pot, and scrape off flakes of the meat into the pot. Add cabbage, salt, water, tomatoes, and the Tabasco sauce and bring it all to a boil, quickly lower the heat and simmer for 1 ½ hours. After removing the fat, add the lemon juice, sauerkraut, parsley and sugar and cook for another hour. Take out the short ribs and bones from the pot and allow to slightly cool, then peel the meat from the bones. It will be very tender so you can chop it into bite-sized morsels. Throw it back into the pot and after 5 minutes it will be ready to serve!

Czechoslovakian Cheese Cake
What once was Czechoslovakia has now been divided into two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It’s not unheard of that nationals of both countries might dispute which side it belongs to. That’s why we recommend that you make two cakes, to satisfy both sides. Even if you’re miles away from the region, you should still make two cakes – purely for political reasons!

Ingredients:
· 2 cups granulated sugar
· 4 cups cottage cheese
· 2 tablespoons dark rum
· 2 tablespoon cornstarch
· ½ cups butter
· 2/3 cups raisins
· 6 tablespoons cream
· 4 large eggs (whites and yolks separated)
· 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Directions:
After preheating the oven to 350, sieve the cheese then grab a big bowl to mix together the egg yolks, sugar and butter and whip it all up. Once it is foamy, combine it with the milk, cheese, raisins, cornstarch, rum and grated lemon peels. Create soft white peaks by beating the egg whites, and mix them in with care into the mixture of cheese. Fill two crusts with the mixture and bake for 50 minutes. Makes 2 cheesecakes.