Beef sirloin in cream sauce with dumplings

The dish Beef sirloin in cream sauce is in the Czech language known as “svíčková na smetaně”. It is composed of raw materials abundant in Czech area, is mentioned in the first “Czech” cookbook – in the famous book “Home Cookbook” published in 1826 wrote by Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová. It consists of beef, root vegetable sauce and cream and of course dumplings usually leavened or bread. And why sirloin? Indeed honest tenderloin served with meat, called sirloin, which is considered one of the most valuable (for beef). But because it is relatively expensive, it is used in most cases, so-called false sirloin – rear roast beef.

4 serves, preparation time 1 hour + about 2 hours baking meat

Ingredients:

• 800 g rear beef
• 300 g root vegetables (carrots, celery, parsley at the same rate)
• 1 onion
• 50 g mustard
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 100 g of the oil
• a knob of butter
• 100 g smoked bacon
• about tablespoon flour
• 250 ml cream
• 3 pieces of bay leaf
• 5 pieces of allspice
• 5 pieces of pepper
• lemon juice to taste
• salt
• broth
• cranberries and lemon for serving

Preparation process:

Lard meat with fries of bacon (it’s great if we put it on for half an hour in the freezer) and fry in oil or oil and butter (it will not burn). Remove it and roast coarsely grated vegetables and onion on the roasted gravy. As soon as carrots releases the colour, add the sugar and let it caramelize, add the mustard, spices, pour the vinegar, put the meat and pour over boiling broth. Put the pot or pan with a lid in the oven and bake until flesh id soft (about 1.5-2 hours in a medium oven). Then, remove the meat and spices, meat, cut and blend the sauce. If necessary, thicken the sauce with flour mixed in milk and boil (it is necessary to cook the flour at least 20 min.), as appropriate season with salt. Refine with cream, season with lemon and butter, longer not boil. Serve with bread dumplings, lemon and cranberries.