Sweet Svikova

 "Grandma, the only person who makes better svikova than you is my mission president's wife," my grandson, Grant Flindt, told me, after our November 24, 2019 dinner.  "What's her secret?" I asked.  Svikova is the national dish of Czech Republic, and it is also enjoyed in Slovakia.  Grant returned last year from the Czech/Slovak LDS Mission, where he not only became a fluent speaker of Slovakian and a fair speaker of Czech, but he also learned to love the Czech/Slovak food and cultures.  Grant brought two fellow missionaries from the Czech/Slovak Mission, Jared Brockbank and Katie Morgan, to my svikova dinner, as well as his friend, Meg. 

Grant's cousin, Emilie Ebert, met Grant in Prague last summer, while they were both working in Eastern Europe, after their missions. Emilie was training new business owners in Moldova and Grant was working at a medical lab in Prague.  They helped make more than 1,000 kolaches (sweet rolls topped with jam or fruit) for a wedding reception of one of Grant's Czech friends.  At my party, Emilie also helped with the kolaches, which we ate for dessert.

Svikova is sliced beef, which is marinated and then cooked slowly with onions, carrots, parsnips and spices.  The vegetables are then pureed, mixed with cream and poured over the beef as gravy.  The meat is garnished with unsweetened whipped cream, cranberry sauce, a sliced lemon, and bread dumplings.  I made a special trip to Salt Lake City's "Bohemian Brewery" to buy fresh bread dumplings.  I primly picked up my dumplings as Sunday morning revelers swilled beer around me.

Sophia, at 14, is already a good cook.  She's a natural, and she helped with the svikova.

Ymmm!  I found table runners on Etsy that had designs of the Prague skyline on them, so the ambiance was as good as the food.  It was worth all the effort to make this special meal, just to see the smiles on the missionaries' faces!

Dave's sister, Janice, is temporarily home from Saudi Arabia, where her husband, Mark, works as an air traffic controller at an airport used by the Saudi Army.  We heard tales from not just Eastern Europe, but the Middle East.

It is always a treat when the Eberts can join us!