One culinary gem stands out in the heart of Kraków and the surrounding Małopolska Region: maczanka po krakowsku. This beloved dish is traditionally paired with a rich, aromatic caraway sauce—an ingredient so integral to the local cuisine that its use far surpasses any other region’s.
Ingredients:
- 1,5 kg of chuck steak
- 30dag of smoked raw bacon
- 10 mushrooms
- 5 medium onions
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 500ml dry red wine
- 1.5 cups of broth
- 4 tbsp sweet paprika powder
- 3 tbsp lard
- salt
- pepper
- rolls
- pickled cucumbers
- pickled pears
- mustard
- horseradish
Preparation
- Marinate the chuck steak in spices and brine (100g salt per 1l water) and set aside in the fridge for at least 12h.
- After this time, cut it into thick cubes, fry in lard, and put into a roasting pan with a lid.
- Cut the bacon into strips, mushrooms into quarters, and onions into strips. Add them to the roasting pan.
- Sprinkle generously with paprika, herbs and pour with wine and half the broth.
- Cover and place it in an oven preheated to 140°C. Bake for 3h, stirring from time to time.
- After this time, pour off the fat collected on the surface (do it several times) and put everything into a pot.
- Add the wine and broth.
- Cook on low heat for about 1-hour stirring and trying to break up any larger pieces of meat.
- Cut the bun in half and dip both sides in the sauce. Put the mustard, horseradish, and sauce with the meat.
- Lay thick slices of cold pickled cucumber and pickled pear on top. Cover with the other half of the sauce-soaked roll.