I spent some time in Prague last year and was introduced to česnečka (pronounced “chesnechka”), which is a simple garlic and potato soup.
I found that the soup tasted best with a mixture of my homemade beef stock, beef broth, and water. If you don’t have access to all three (my guess is you have easy access to one), improvise as needed.
You’ll need:
2 cups each of beef stock, beef broth, water (mix and match as available)
6 cloves garlic, crushed
3 potatoes, diced
2 tbsp lard or butter
1 tsp each of salt, pepper, caraway seeds (crushed), marjoram, parsley
2 slices of rice bread (optional)
To crush the garlic, we use the handy tool you see above, which you can find here. It’s awesome, we use it for nearly every dish. Alternately you could use a conventional garlic press or mortar & pestle.
In a large pot, add the stock/broth/water, garlic, and salt. Bring it to a boil and lower the heat to a med/low, simmering for about 10 minutes. The garlic should all float to the top.
Next, add the rest of the ingredients. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
If you’re up for it (and your diet allows it), you can toast some slices of bread to ladle the soup over. I’m not a fan of rice-based bread due to the fact that it’s so dense, but its density works in your favor for this dish.