Immigrant Foodways: Czech Christmas menu: Pea soup and schnitzel with potato salad

This holiday season, learn how to make a traditional Czech meal and lots of desserts from Czech-born Chef Tom Slepicka. Join us for our first Czech and Slovak Christmas Cooking and Baking Series, and enjoy a premier cooking class from the comfort of your home.

Let’s celebrate with this traditional Czech Christmas pea soup and the little bit more modern Czech Christmas meal, Schnitzel with Homemade Potato Salad.

Pea soup is one of the most traditional Christmas meals in the Czech Republic. The current practice calls for it to be served as an appetizer before a main course. Schnitzel originated in Italy and by the mid-19th century got to Vienna, the capital of the Austrian Empire. The Viennese removed the traditional use of Parmesan and made a few other changes to the original recipe, and the traditional Viennese schnitzel was born. Because the Czech and Slovak Republics were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this dish remains popular in the Czech Republic’s culinary culture. The Czech name for this meal is “Řízek”, and is commonly prepared from chicken, pork, or veal.

As a side dish, we are going to prepare Czech potato salad totally from scratch.

Note: Suitable for vegetarians – simply replace the schnitzel with fried cheese. This class is 3.5 hours long.

Slepicka graduated from culinary school in his hometown, Brno, located in the Czech Republic. While still in school, he established a successful full-service catering company which operated in the Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, and Austria. Slepicka moved to the U.S. with his wife in 2014. From 2015-16, he operated the Czech Deli at the NewBo City Market. The goal of his courses is to make tasty and high-quality meals accessible to everyone.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to access the class. Participants will need high-speed internet and a computer, tablet, or smartphone to access the course content. To interact with the chef during the class, you will also need a webcam and microphone. Shopping lists and recipes will be emailed a least a week before each class, so you can purchase the ingredients and cook along with the chef during the class.