Chive Sauce (Czech Pažitková omáčka)

Pažitková omáčka is an old-fashioned Czech chive sauce from northern Bohemia, and likely far beyond. Creamy, gently tangy, and ready in 20 minutes, it is served with boiled potatoes and a halved hardboiled egg. My version stays true to Grandma's tradition, with a small modern twist. 

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• ➜ A little about chive sauce
• ➜ Notes on ingredients
• ➜ How to make chive sauce
• ➜ Serving ideas
• ➜ Storage
• ➜ Final tips
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

➜ A little about chive sauce

So what is this sauce, exactly? It starts with a simple onion roux, loosened with broth and enriched with heavy cream. After 15 minutes of gentle simmering, the sauce is blended smooth, then finished with fresh chives and a splash of lemon juice. The result is warm, silky, and gently thickened - similar to a French velouté.

Other Czech sauces with a similar consistency include horseradish sauce (křenová) and dill sauce (koprová). Or browse more Czech sauces.

The onion base and the lemon finish are the modern twist I mentioned earlier, and once you taste them together, you will understand why.

My grandparents had a small farmstead in the Jizera Mountains, where my grandma Blažena kept a neat garden of flowers and herbs growing among the stones, and pažitka was one of them. This childhood memory is one of the things that make this recipe so special to me!

A NAME NOTE: in Czech, chives are pažitka, but in the border regions near Germany you may also hear šnytlík, from the German Schnittlauch.

➜ Notes on ingredients

✅ See the recipe below with step-by-step photos and many helpful tips. Scroll down for the full printable recipe in both US cups and metric measurements.

➜ How to make chive sauce

STEP 1: First steps. Peel the onion and chop it finely. Chop the chives as well and set both aside.

STEP 2: In a saucepan with higher rims, heat the butter over medium heat.

STEP 3: Add the onion and fry, stirring constantly, until translucent. This takes about 3 minutes. Do not let it brown, as pažitková omáčka is a light, white sauce and should stay that way.

STEP 4: Add the flour. Fry while stirring for about a minute.

STEP 5: While whisking, add the broth in batches. Try to avoid lumps, but if a few form, do not worry - the sauce will be blended later.

STEP 6: Season with salt and pepper and let the sauce simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir from time to time, as the flour tends to settle on the bottom and can burn.

STEP 7: At the end of cooking, add the heavy cream and heat for just a few seconds.

STEP 8: Remove from heat and blend until smooth. I usually transfer the sauce to a smaller vessel and use a stick blender, then return the sauce to the saucepan.

STEP 9: Stir in the chopped chives and lemon juice. Taste and add more salt if needed - this will depend on the saltiness of your broth. Do not bring the sauce back to a boil. Just keep it warm on the stove over low heat until ready to serve.

➜ Serving ideas

Pažitková omáčka is a wonderfully versatile sauce. A typical Czech plate has three components: the sauce, a protein, and a side. Here are the two most common combinations:

• Light dinner, ideal for spring: chive sauce, boiled peeled potatoes, and a halved hardboiled egg - my fav!
• For a more festive occasion: chive sauce, a slice of boiled beef, and bread dumplings.

But the sauce pairs well with much more:

Protein:

• Boiled beef: the most traditional pairing, where the sauce beautifully complements the flavor of the meat
• Roasted pork or poultry
• Poached fish
• Hardboiled eggs: for a simple, meatless meal

Side:

• Boiled, roasted, or pan-fried potatoes
• Bread dumplings or Czech potato dumplings
• Pasta: not traditional, but it works

Finish with a sprinkle of fresh chives on top. Dobrou chuť! 🙂

➜ Storage

Pažitková omáčka keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Keep in mind that sauces thickened with roux tend to get even thicker overnight. When reheating, add a spoon or two of water to loosen it back to the right consistency. Warm gently over low heat and stir often. Do not bring it to a boil, as this can dull the fresh chive flavor.

A note on freezing: I would not recommend freezing this sauce. Heavy cream can separate and turn grainy when thawed, and the fresh chives will lose their bright flavor and color. This is a sauce best made fresh and enjoyed within a couple of days.

➜ Final tips

• Do not add chives too early. Fresh chives lose their color and flavor quickly when exposed to heat. Stirring them in at the very end, off the heat, keeps them vibrant and aromatic. 
• Taste before adding lemon juice. Start with less than the recipe calls for. You can always add more, but you cannot take it back. The lemon should brighten the sauce, not dominate it. 
• Trust simmering the sauce. The 15 minutes of uncovered simmering does important work - it smooths out the roux base and removes any floury aftertaste, while gently reducing the sauce. If the sauce looks too thin at this stage, resist the temptation to add more flour. Flour needs to be fried first and then cooked out, so adding it late would make things worse, not better. The final consistency comes together once you blend in the cream.

📖 Recipe