Go Back

Svickova

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the beef and marinade:
  • 1.5 kg about 3 lbs beef sirloin or top round, tied in a neat cylinder
  • 200 g about 7 oz smoked bacon, thinly sliced
  • 2 medium carrots roughly diced
  • 1 medium celeriac roughly diced
  • 1 medium parsnip roughly diced
  • 2 medium onions roughly diced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • ½ cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 whole black peppercorns
  • 4 whole allspice berries
  • 4 whole juniper berries lightly crushed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
For the sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Salt to taste
For serving:
  • Bread dumplings knedlíky, sliced
  • Cranberry compote or lingonberry jam
  • Lemon slices
  • Whipped cream
  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method
 

  1. Lard the beef. Using a thin knife or larding needle, insert strips of the smoked bacon throughout the beef — push the knife into the meat and thread bacon through the channel. This technique keeps the beef moist during the long braising and adds smoky flavor throughout. If this step seems too technical, simply wrap the bacon around the outside of the tied beef instead.
  2. Marinate. Combine the vegetables, garlic, wine, vinegar, water, and spices in a large bowl or container. Add the larded beef. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning once. The acidic marinade tenderizes the beef and begins flavoring the vegetables that will become the sauce.
  3. Brown and braise. Remove the beef from the marinade and pat completely dry — reserve the marinade and vegetables. Heat butter in a Dutch oven over high heat. Brown the beef on all sides until deeply golden — about 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. Add the marinated vegetables to the pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Return the beef. Pour the marinade liquid over — it should come halfway up the beef. Add water if needed. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, and braise in a 325°F oven for 2 to 2½ hours until the beef is completely tender.
  4. Make the sauce. Remove the beef and keep warm. Strain the braising liquid and vegetables through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly on the vegetables to extract all the liquid and pushing some of the softened vegetable through the sieve to thicken the sauce. You should have approximately 2 cups of rich, deeply colored braising liquid. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, add flour, and whisk for 2 minutes. Add the strained braising liquid and whisk until smooth. Add the cream, lemon juice, and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust the balance of sweet, sour, and salt — the sauce should be mildly sweet with a background acidity from the lemon and vinegar.
  5. Serve. Slice the beef against the grain into generous portions. Arrange over sliced bread dumplings. Pour the cream sauce generously over both. Add a spoonful of cranberry compote, a lemon slice, and a dollop of lightly whipped cream on top. Scatter fresh parsley. Serve immediately.