Kulajda — Creamy Czech Mushroom Soup with Potatoes, Dill and Egg

Cut the cleaned mushrooms into slices about 5 mm thick and the peeled potatoes into cubes about 1.5 cm across. Finely chop the washed, patted-dry dill, weighing out 16 g for the soup and 4 g for serving. Have ready a wide, heavy-bottomed pot with a capacity of at least 3 l and a diameter of about 24 cm, plus a second wide saucepan about 22 cm in diameter with a capacity of at least 2.5 l for the eggs.

Melt all 40 g butter in the soup pot over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they release their moisture, the liquid on the bottom evaporates and some edges turn lightly golden. The mushrooms should soften and smell sautéed; do not burn the butter and do not add more fat.

Sprinkle all the flour and caraway over the mushrooms, then stir over medium heat for about 1 minute so the flour combines with the butter and loses its raw smell without browning. Pour in 300 ml of the measured soup water first, working out the lumps thoroughly with a spatula, then add the remaining 600 ml. Add the cubed potatoes, all the salt and the white pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring along the bottom.

Simmer the soup over low heat with the lid slightly ajar for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The potatoes should be easy to pierce with a fork but retain their shape; if the centers still resist, cook for about 5 more minutes and check again. Do not add the vinegar before the potatoes soften. While the soup cooks, pour 1500 ml water into the second saucepan and add 40 ml vinegar. Cover and heat so the water is ready for the eggs toward the end of the soup preparation. Do not salt this water.

In a bowl, mix all the cream with about 150 ml hot soup taken from the pot, adding the soup gradually. Pour all the warmed mixture back into the pot with the tender potatoes and heat over low heat for about 2–3 minutes, stirring, without boiling vigorously. Remove the pot from the heat and add 30 ml vinegar, all the sugar and the reserved 16 g dill. Stir: the soup should be creamy but pourable, with visible mushrooms and potatoes and a mildly tangy flavor. Cover and keep just warm over the lowest heat while poaching the eggs; do not let it reach a vigorous boil.

Take the eggs out of the refrigerator and crack each into a separate small bowl, keeping the yolks intact. Uncover the saucepan of water and vinegar, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat: small bubbles may form on the bottom, but the surface should remain almost still. Do not create a whirlpool, because all 4 eggs will cook at the same time in separate areas. Have ready a slotted spoon and a plate lined with paper towels for briefly draining the eggs.

Holding the bowls just above the water, slide the 4 eggs promptly into the saucepan one after another, each in a different area so the whites do not touch. Cook over low heat for about 4–5 minutes, timing each egg from the moment it enters the water; do not stir the water and do not let it boil vigorously. Lift the eggs out in the same order they went in, checking them on the spoon: the whites should be completely white and firm, without translucent, jelly-like patches, while the centers containing the yolks should still feel soft when gently touched. If the white is still undercooked, return the egg to the water for about 30–60 seconds and check again. Place the cooked eggs on the prepared plate only long enough to drain briefly; do not add the vinegar cooking water to the soup, but discard it.

Stir the finished hot soup and divide all of it among 4 deep bowls, distributing the potatoes and mushrooms evenly. Place 1 drained egg in each serving and sprinkle with the reserved dill, using 1 g per bowl and all 4 g in total. Serve immediately; if you want to reveal the soft yolk, gently cut into the white only once the egg is in the bowl. The soup should be hot, and the egg should be served without a long wait on the plate.