Rajská omáčka - Czech Style Tomato Sauce
This is an authentic Czech recipe for rajská omáčka, homemade creamy tomato sauce.
Servings 6
Ingredients
Homemade beef broth:
- 2 large carrots peeled, halved
- 5 ounces celeriac peeld, roughly cut
- 1 medium parsley root peeled, halved
- 1 medium onion peeled, halved
- 3 cloves garlic peeled, roughly chopped
- 2 pounds beef chuck in whole
- 16 cups water
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 allspice
- 10 peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
Sweet tomato sauce:
- 3 medium onions peeled, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon pork lard
- 1 cup tomato paste
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 5 cups beef broth
- salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons vinegar 8% acidity
- 10 peppercorns
- 5 allspice
- 1.½ Tablespoons unsalted butter cold
Instructions
Homemade beef broth:
- Clean and peel 2 large carrots, 5 ounces celeriac, 1 medium parsley root, 1 medium onion, and 3 cloves garlic. Cut each vegetable into two pieces or chop coarsely. Put the veggies and 2 pounds beef chuck into a large pot.
- Add 16 cups water - the exact amount of water depends on the size of your pot. Cover with a lid, and bring it to a boil.
- Remove the lid and collect the condensed foam forming on the broth surface with a scoop.
- Once the foam stops forming, add the spices (3 bay leaves, 5 allspice, 10 peppercorns), 1 teaspoon salt, and turn down the temperature to minimum, to a bare simmer, just a bubble or two coming up here and there. It takes about 3 hours for the meat to soften. Cover the pot with a lid so that a small gap remains on the side.
- Take the meat out of the broth and keep it warm. Strain the broth into a clean pot. Discard the vegetables and spices.
- You don’t need all the broth for Rajská sauce, you can freeze the rest once it cools down, as it will come in handy when making other broth-based recipes.
Rajská tomato sauce:
- Make ahead: Peel 3 medium onions and chop them finely.
- Melt 1 Tablespoon pork lard in a separate sauce pan and set it to medium heat.
- Add the onion and stir until it turns lightly golden brown.
- Add 1 cup tomato paste, stir about 1 minute.
- Pour in ⅔ cup all-purpose flour and stir continuously for 30 sec.
- Gradually, add 5 cups beef broth, lukewarm, while still whisking to avoid lumps.
- Add salt, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 5 Tablespoons vinegar and spices: 10 peppercorns and 5 allspice.
- Bring it to a boil turn down the temperature to a third, and simmer while stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
- Season the tomato gravy with salt and sugar if necessary.
- Remove the pan with the sauce from the heat source and strain it through a sieve into a clean pot.
- Add 1.½ Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, to soften up the sauce. Mix with a spoon until butter melts. Do not cook anymore.
Notes
- SERVING: Place a slice of warm beef and bread dumplings on a plate. Pour the warm Rajská tomato sauce over them.
- You can garnish the dish with a sprig of parsley.