In the Czech kitchen: Make a rich, slow-cooking tomato gravy

In most Czech households, you will find it on the dining table; it’s also a staple on menus in school cafeterias. Rajská omáčka (tomato sauce) is a classic accompaniment beloved by Czechs for its ability to coat bread dumplings deliciously or offer a savory bath to meat-stuffed peppers.

Marek Janouch, chef of Kuchyň at Prague Castle, has shared his secret sauce recipe with us, the basis of which is quality ingredients. This is doubly true when choosing the meat because an authentic Czech tomato sauce requires a cut of quality beef shoulder or neck. Carrots, celery, and parsley are chopped into the base in a 2:1:1 ratio, with the carrots giving the tomato its desired sweetness and color, as do the thoroughly roasted cubes of root vegetables, which caramelize and enhance the complex flavor of the sauce. 

It’s important to note that the onions should only be added to the finished base. If the onions were sautéed with the root vegetables, they would likely burn while the vegetables remained raw. The roasted vegetables should be lightly dusted with sugar and mixed with a high-quality tomato purée or ripe tomatoes (depending on the season). After the mixture is cooked through, the stock and whole cinnamon stick is added; just remember to remove before blending the sauce.

Janouch's recipe requires a whole lemon, carefully peeled and left to cook in the sauce in order to release both the sour and pleasantly bitter flavors. The lemon flesh, stripped of its white skin, is then halved, fried with sugar, and blended with the sauce, which is later strained through a colander.

Finally, the sauce is flavored with lemon juice and a spice blend of allspice, black pepper, and bay leaves, which are dry-fried in a pan to develop their aroma and covered with stock or water. The liquid is reduced, strained, and poured into the sauce as a flavor enhancer. Gingerbread is also grated into the sauce for flavor and thickness.