This is a long post, as it continues my journal of Prague, Czech Republic. If you are not interested in my personal thoughts on the city and are looking for a recipe, scroll down to the bottom where there is an Czech recipe for Bohemian Pork Goulash & Potato Dumplings.
We left
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Some of the group opted to participate in the walking tour soon after we arrived and some did not. But, we all saw one another at dinner that night at L’Angolo. There were mixed reviews of the restaurant and the service, but I enjoyed myself. Admittedly, after two weeks of limited male interaction, the restaurant gained bocoodles (fun made up word) of brownie points by staffing the eye candy in the downstairs lounge where we ate. In fact, I only saw one female server while I was there and she was working the upstairs. So, it didn’t really bother me that my meal was just okay.
But getting to what we did and saw in Prague….
Like many of the other cities,
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The Charles Bridge, with its amazing gothic gate, connects
The Municipal House (Obecní Dům) is the “Pearl of Czech Art Nouveau”, as it features
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The Castle Quarter (Hradǒany) is
The Old Royal Palace, across from the square and to the right of the church, has been the seat of the Bohemian princes beginning in the 12th century. The large hall is big enough to host jousts, and 24 horses!
St. Vitus Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Church, contains tombs and relics of the
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We had tremendous and privileged access to Strahov Monastery (Strahovský Kášter Premonstrátú) and its libraries. The main church was dedicated to St. Mary’s and was originally constructed in Romanesque structure and decorated by the monks in Baroque. Regular admittance does not allow interior access to the libraries, so I was honored for the opportunity. Walking into the two rooms, themed philosophy and theology, thousands and thousands of books and manuscripts from the 10th century (to the 17th century) were presented in a spectacular manner (and an English teacher’s dream). In one of the rooms, above each of the doors, 2 locked gilded cases carefully protected libri prohibiti, prohibited books saved by monks from that time. But, as if the books and gilded cages were not enough, the ceilings were beautiful paintings completed by a painter (in his 60s) and his apprentice in 6th months!
The order who remain at the monastery still earns money as it did back then – vineyards and beer. (Nice!)
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The National Theater (1883) was the first Czech venue in Prague, and another amazing site. “The Cradle of Czech Culture” is a symbol of 18th century Czech national revival, and it remains a beautiful venue for Prague’s Ballets and Operas. The greatest lil’ man, who had been the conductor there for 30 years, gave is the tour and played us tunes! Video to come at a later date….
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Now for the recipes - I had two for one meal. Bohemian Pork Goulash & Potato Dumplings. Both recipes were from an itty bitty cookbook I bought in Prague, The Best Czech Recipes. My Goulash did not turn out thick and heavy, so it was actually okay! I had reservations at first, thinking it was going to be a heavy, heavy meal in this heat. Not the case…but keep in mind, I didn’t use the sour cream included in the recipe.
(Sorry my fellow Americans – I didn’t have time to translate the conversions.) Feel free to click here for assistance.
Bohemian Pork Goulash (Guláš)
Dice 750g shoulder of pork. Heat 5 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet until extremely hot and sear the meat. Finely dice 1 green pepper, 4 tomatoes, 3 large onions, and 2 cloves of garlic and fry briefly with meat. Season with a pinch of salt, to taste, with ½ tsp paprika, and ½ tsp caraway seeds. Add 250 ml. vegetable stock and cook the goulash for about 45 minutes, until the meat is tender. Remove the dish from the heat and mix in 100 grams of sour cream into the goulash. Do not allow to boil. Serve with dumplings.
*As always, this recipe is way too much for my single girl household. So, using pork stew meat and leaving out the sour cream, I only made enough for one.
Potato Dumplings (Bramborové knedlíky)
Boil 500g floury potatoes in their skins, peel and grate while still hot. Transfer to a clean counter, or large board, and form a well in the center. Add 1 egg, 2 pinches of salt, 80g flour, and 80g semolina and work the mixture into a firm dough. Form 5 oblong dumplings and place them all in a large pot (4 l) of boiling salted water. Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes. After 8 minutes, turn the dumplings over carefully and finish cooking. When ready, cut into slices.
4 comments:
What a wondeful trip you had. Vienna is one of my favorite cities. We've been to the opera there twice and it was magical!
We spent 10 days in and around Prague a few years ago - such a vibrant city, I really want to go back.
When I read about the blue stripes on houses it reminded of crossing the broder from Germany into the Czech Rep. It was a Sunday, so as was typical, we were told, all of the local farm girls where hanging around the road, looking for business....and, from what we could tell, business was booming!
What an amazing opportunity. Your write up makes me feel like I was right there with you. Fun!
Are you a redhead? It sure looks like it in the picture. I hope so. Being a redhead myself, I feel a kinship to my fellow tomato head ladies.
Your trip looks amazing. I love the slide shows, thanks for letting us see your trip.
Prague is beautiful city with architecture going back to the middle ages. I was impressed by the Prague castle, the old town's powder gate tower and the famous astronomical clock. I had a chance to explore the Jewish quarter, also fascinating (the Spanish synagogue is not to be missed). St. Vitus's Cathedral rivals Notre Dame as a massive, buttressed church: it also houses the tomb of "Good King Wenceslas". Charles Bridge is a treasure, a great beauty. The last time I visited your city I stayed at the Three Pelicans hotel at the western edge of the bridge. I liked it best early on a drizzly morning with few people around.
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