There are many Czech recipes that describe how to cook beef with mushroom gravy.

The one ingredient you will find in most all Czech kitchens are mushrooms, either fresh or dried and are use in many ways. Here we are using mushrooms in a gravy with roasted beef. We suggest either beef sirloin or the beef tenderloin. In a Czech tradition, mushroom gravy is eaten without meat usually on Good Friday and other Fridays in Lent.

Ingredients

1/2 – 3/4 lb Portabello or button mushrooms
1 lb beef tenderloin
1 large onion
1 cup heavy cream
4 bay leaves
3 Tbs roux
1 Tbs cooking oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4-7 allspice
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp ground caraway seed

Note: To grind caraway seed you can use an electric coffee grinder with the best results.

Instructions

Slice onion, mushrooms and salt and pepper. Slice the beef into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a pot with oil fry the onion for about 3 minutes, add the meat slices and brown them about 5 min.

Add 1/4 cup of water, bay leaves, and allspice and stew it for 40 min, or until tender, adding water when needed.

Then add mushrooms, ground caraway seed (for grinding the seeds you can use an electric coffee grinder) and stew it again for about 10 minutes, stir until mushrooms become tender, adding water when needed.

Then add roux incorporate fully, add 4 cups of water, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes and add heavy cream.

Cook for another 5 minutes stirring it all the time.

Adjust to your taste, by adding vinegar, sugar or both.

Serve with Czech dumplings.