Bohemian Cooking Without Vegetable Oil

Ingredients

• 2 lb beef sirloin, trimmed
• 3 oz smoked bacon, cut into strips
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 parsley root, roughly chopped
• 1 small celeriac, roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 bay leaves, 5 allspice berries, 8 black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, salt

Method

1. Lard the sirloin with bacon strips, season with salt, and bury it in a dish with the vegetables, spices and vinegar. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Lift the meat out, pat it dry and brown it on all sides in butter in a heavy pot.
3. Add the marinated vegetables and spices and let them take color for a few minutes.
4. Pour in a cup of water, cover, and braise gently for about 2 hours, turning the meat now and then, until tender.
5. Remove the meat and the whole spices. Blend the vegetables with the braising juices until completely smooth.
6. Stir in the cream, balance the sauce with sugar, salt and a splash of vinegar, and warm it through without boiling.
7. Slice the beef, coat it with the sauce and serve with bread dumplings and a spoonful of cranberries.

Ingredients

• 4 carp fillets, skin on (or another firm freshwater fish)
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp ground caraway
• 2/3 cup coarse flour, for dusting
• 5 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
• 1 clove garlic, lightly crushed
• Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Pat the fillets dry, sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and caraway, and let them rest for 15 minutes.
2. Dust each fillet lightly in flour, shaking off the excess.
3. Heat the ghee with 3 tablespoons of the butter and the garlic clove in a wide skillet until foaming.
4. Lay the fillets in skin side down and fry over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin crisps.
5. Turn carefully, add the remaining butter and fry 3 minutes more, spooning the foam over the fish.
6. Serve at once with parsley, pepper, lemon wedges and boiled potatoes tossed in butter.

Ingredients

• 1 medium head white cabbage, cored and finely shredded
• 3 tbsp sádlo (lard) or butter
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tart apple, grated
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 cup light stock or water
• 1 tbsp flour
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Melt the sádlo in a wide heavy pot and soften the onion with the caraway seeds until golden.
2. Add the cabbage in handfuls, turning it through the fat until it starts to wilt.
3. Stir in the apple, vinegar, honey and stock, season, and cover the pot.
4. Braise gently for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is completely tender.
5. Dust the flour over the cabbage, stir well and cook 5 minutes more so the juices thicken and gloss.
6. Taste and balance with more vinegar or honey before serving warm.

Ingredients

• 1 oz dried porcini or mixed forest mushrooms
• 1.5 lb waxy potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 parsley root or parsnip, diced
• 1/4 small celeriac, diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp flour, for the roux
• 6 cups vegetable or beef stock
• 1 tsp dried marjoram, 1/2 tsp caraway, salt, pepper

Method

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes, then chop them, keeping the soaking liquid.
2. Melt the butter in a soup pot and sweat the onion, carrot, parsley root and celeriac until fragrant.
3. Sprinkle in the flour and stir over medium heat until it smells nutty and turns pale gold.
4. Pour in the stock and the strained mushroom liquid, whisking so no lumps form.
5. Add the potatoes, mushrooms, caraway and garlic and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
6. Crush the marjoram between your palms into the pot, season with salt and pepper, and serve with rye bread.

Ingredients

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk, lukewarm
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp butter, softened
• 2 egg yolks, plus 1 whole egg for the wash
• 1 tsp fine salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• Flaked almonds, for the top

Method

1. Dissolve the yeast and a spoonful of the sugar in the warm milk and let it froth for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the flour, remaining sugar, salt and lemon zest, then work in the yolks, yeast milk and softened butter.
3. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, folding in the raisins at the end if using.
4. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
5. Divide into three ropes and braid them, tucking the ends underneath, on a lined baking sheet.
6. Let the braid rise 30 minutes more, brush with beaten egg and scatter with almonds.
7. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes until deep gold and hollow sounding underneath. Cool before slicing.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of fine salt
• 3 tbsp melted butter, plus more for the pan
• 1 cup apricot or plum jam
• Powdered sugar, for dusting
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Softly whipped cream or sweetened quark, to serve

Method

1. Whisk the flour, milk, eggs, sugar, salt and melted butter into a thin, smooth batter and rest it 10 minutes.
2. Heat a knob of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until it foams.
3. Pour in a small ladle of batter, swirling the pan so it coats the base in a thin layer.
4. Cook about 1 minute until lacy and golden underneath, flip, and cook 30 seconds more. Repeat, buttering the pan between crepes.
5. Spread each crepe with jam sharpened with a little lemon, roll it up, dust with powdered sugar and serve with cream.