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Králík na smetaně
Rabbit in cream sauce
Králík na smetaně: Czech rabbit braised with root vegetables in a creamy sauce, with dumplings
Králík na smetaně is a Sunday lunch in the Czech countryside, especially in Moravia and South Bohemia, where many families once kept rabbits in the yard. Rabbit pieces are braised with carrot, celeriac, parsley root and onion, then the vegetables are blended into a velvety cream sauce brightened with lemon and a pinch of sugar, much like the famous svíčková. It is served with sliced bread dumplings (houskové knedlíky) and a spoon of cranberry sauce. The usual mistake is boiling the sauce after the cream goes in, which can split it; keep it at a bare simmer. Rabbit is lean, so cook it gently and check that the meat comes easily off the bone. Chef's tip: blend the vegetables until completely smooth and pass them through a sieve for the silky sauce Czech cooks are proud of.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 rabbitabout 1.4 kg, jointed into 8 pieces
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 1 onionchopped
- 2 carrotschopped
- 5 ½ oz celeriacpeeled and chopped
- 1 parsley root or parsnipchopped
- 2 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- ¾ cup double cream
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp mild mustard
To serve
- 8 slices bread dumplings (knedlíky)
- 4 tbsp cranberry sauce (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Season the 1 rabbit with 1 ¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
2 minStep 2: Melt 1 ⅜ oz butter in a wide casserole over a medium heat and brown the rabbit pieces for 3–4 minutes a side, until golden. Lift out.
10 minStep 3: Add 1 onion, 2 carrots, 5 ½ oz celeriac and 1 parsley root or parsnip and fry for 8 minutes until lightly coloured.
8 minStep 4: Return the rabbit, add 2 bay leaves, 4 whole allspice berries and 2 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock, cover and simmer gently for 60–70 minutes, until the meat pulls easily from the bone; the thick back legs take longest.
65 minStep 5: Lift out the rabbit and keep warm. Remove bay and allspice. Blend the vegetables and liquid until completely smooth, then sieve back into the pot.
5 minStep 6: Whisk 1 tbsp plain flour into the ¾ cup double cream, stir it into the sauce with 1 tsp mild mustard, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp sugar and simmer very gently for 5 minutes, without boiling, until it coats a spoon. Taste for salt and lemon.
6 minStep 7: Return the rabbit to warm through for 3 minutes. Serve with steamed 8 slices bread dumplings (knedlíky) and 4 tbsp cranberry sauce.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 680 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does králík na smetaně take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 95 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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