Book of Days Tales

Today is both Czech Statehood Day and the feast of Wenceslaus I, aka Václav the Good, the duke (kníže) of Bohemia from 921 until he was assassinated by his younger brother, Boleslaus the Cruel, in 935. His martyrdom and the popularity of several biographies gave rise to a reputation for heroic virtue that resulted in his sainthood. He was posthumously declared to be a king and patron saint of the Czech state. He is the subject of the well-known “Good King Wenceslas”

Kulajda is one of the great classic soups of the Czech Republic. It has a potato and mushroom base soured with vinegar and sour cream, seasoned with dill, and served with a poached egg on top. Classic. The mushrooms need to be well flavored, not your generic white agarics. Czechs often use strong dried mushrooms. If you use dried mushrooms, soak them in warm water for an hour or so, and use the water in cooking.

Ingredients

3 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1 tbsp whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
½ cup flour
¾ cup sour cream
4 eggs
3 tbsp white vinegar
1 cup sliced mushrooms
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp caraway seeds
salt

Instructions

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and barely cover with water. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, caraway seeds and salt to taste, bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are very soft. Mash some of the potatoes with a fork and stir the soup. Mix the flour in a bowl with the sour cream making sure there are no lumps. You can use a whisk or fork, but mix very well.  Add some liquid from the hot soup to the sour cream a few tablespoons at a time whisking until it is smooth. Then pour the mixture through a fine strainer back into the soup pot.  Bring to a simmer until the soup thickens.  Then add the vinegar, mushrooms and chopped fresh dill.

While the soup is heating through poach the eggs. Some people poach them right in the soup, or you can poach them separately.

Serve in shallow bowls with a poached egg in the center of each.

Serves 4