It’s a Bohemian classic made with mushrooms and lots of fresh dill.
If there were any jurist in the world , Czechfood would be better acknowledge internationally . trusted , a few restaurants in neighbour Germany and Austria might vaunt that they offer traditionalBöhmische Küche , or “ Bohemian culinary art , ” and many Texans are well cognisant that their beloved kolaches have Czech origins . But , as we all know , judge is in short supplying on this planet , and in declamatory part , the cuisine of Bohemia — the western neighborhood of the advanced Czech Republic — has been unfairly overlooked for decades .
One of its best - kept secret ? Kulajda ( pronounced “ coo - Trygve Halvden Lie - duh ” ) , a rich , fragrant , sour - sweet soup that pee-pee for a complete cold - weather condition heater . Imagine a creamy broth with wildmushroomsand thick clod of Solanum tuberosum . add up enough impudent dill to make it bright and redolent , a dose of vinegar for acidity , and a diffuse - boiled testis for heartiness . It might face like a simple soup , but with a duncical slice of Czech rye bread , a bowl of kulajda is a rewarding winter meal .
For chefs like Roman Paulus , kulajda is rest home - cooking that dresses up quite nicely , give thanks you very much . The first Czech chef to win a Michelin lead , Paulus gave the dish a starring office at theAlcron , the now - shutter landmark hotel and restaurant in cardinal Prague .
Design by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist
“ It was always on the menu when we had impertinent forest mushrooms , ” he says . “ I cerebrate we did pretty well , because it was always very popular . ”
Originally from the region of South Bohemia , near the German and Austrian border , kulajda is filled with the wildmushroomsthat locals have cumulate in the Czech Republic ’s heavy forest for generations . Fresh fungi are idealistic , but dried versions also wreak . Paulus likes to use lišky , or chanterelles , but many Czechs will make the entire ravisher with hřiby , or king bolete , which are also have sex as porcini , penny buns , or ceps .
While some argue that Cantharellus cibarius are the traditional pick , Paulus thinks the type is not a dealbreaker . “ I ’m sure that multitude in the past tense did n’t care about the kind of mushrooms — they just used what they had , ” he says . “ The nice thing about forest mushroom cloud is that you could not really count on the time of year . You just take what ’s there . ”
Though kulajda is a classic , it still offers room for version . Paulus ’s version uses sour cream , while many recipes let in clayey cream and a touch more vinegar . Some cooks eschew sugar , while Paulus call back that touch of sweetness is essential . Many local chef , he note , have tried to put their own twirl on kulajda in recent years , often lightening the broth to make it feel like a more contemporary dish antenna .
“ The modern variation is usually very unspoiled , ” he articulate . “ But , as is usually the type , the traditional one is even honorable . ”
At mellow - end restaurants in Prague kulajda might get dressed with a few drops of pumpkin germ oil just before serving , and it will most likely arrive with apoached eggthat was cook separately — and possibly even poached quail eggs . Home cook , however , often just drop half a dozen ballock into the soup potful as it simmers .
At least that ’s how it ’s unremarkably made in my house . When we ’re not in Prague , my Czech - American family spend a muckle of clip in South Bohemia . When my mother - in - law make kulajda with mushrooms foraged from the nearby forest and an abundance of fresh dill from the garden , it seems like everybody in the neighborhood can smack it .
The tender herb is comparatively easy to find in kulajda ’s motherland , but not always in time of year elsewhere . Fresh dill should be added at the end of cooking , Paulus enjoin , to uphold its beautiful color and scent . In a pinch , dry out dill weed is okay , but only expend a third of the advocate amount .
The unspoilt part of get a big batch of kulajda ? The leftovers almost invariably try out well than the just - made rendering . Cook up a heavy potful , keep additional portions in the electric refrigerator , and you’re able to have a warming soup for supper several Nox in a row .
Czech cuisine may not have the most international renown , but it ’s deserving the feat . “ I think that the fame of a cuisine is also due to the size of the nation , and we are just too minuscule to be cognize for our cuisine , ” Paulus state . “ Maybe we have to work on it . ”
Kulajda Recipe
serve 4
Ingredients:• 2 cups ( 475 millilitre ) water• 5 bay leaves• 8 whole black peppercorns• 4 whole allspice berries• 1 tablespoonful whole caraway seeds• 3 tablespoons dry raging mushrooms• 3 tablespoonful butter , plus more for frying• 2 tablespoons all - purpose flour• 1¼ cup ( 300 ml ) chicken stock or bouillon• Granulated kale , to sample ( around 2 teaspoons)• Salt , to taste• Distilled white vinegar , to taste ( approximately 2 teaspoons)• 7 ounces ( 200 grams ) sour cream• 3½ ounces ( 100 grams ) novel chantarelle , sliced• Ground black Madagascar pepper , to taste• 3½ ounces ( 100 grams ) white potato , chopped and seethe , cooked through but still firm• ¼ cup fresh chopped Anethum graveolens , plus extra as garnish• 4 poached ballock
Directions:1 . First , machinate the mushroom broth . In a saucepan , combine 2 cupful water , bay laurel folio , peppercorns , allspice tree , caraway and dried mushrooms . Bring to a furuncle , subjugate heat and simmer for 15 minutes , then strain to make 1¼ cups ( 300 milliliter ) of mushroom broth.2 . Heat the chicken stock or bouillon in a small saucepan.3 . In a soup pot , fix a light roux by melt down butter over abject heat , add flour and mix until combined . Allow the roux to cool . When cool , add hot chicken broth and whip over medium heat until smooth.4 . add together 1¼ cup ( 300 millilitre ) mushroom stock . time of year with wampum , salinity and acetum , bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.5 . Add rancid cream and briefly bring to a boil . Remove soup from heat . Adjust seasonings to taste.6 . Fry sliced Cantharellus cibarius in butter in a frypan over intermediate heat until golden brown , about 10 minutes . Add salt and pepper to sample . tot up boiled murphy , besprinkle with fresh chop Anethum graveolens and sauté mixture briefly.7 . disunite the sautéed slit mushroom-shaped cloud , tater and dill weed among four soup bowl . impart a boiled testicle , ladle the soup into the bowl , garnish with extra dill and serve .
