Romanian Pork Stew (Tocănița)
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In weather like this, what else was I going to cook? Stew with polenta! It's perfect for the cold weather in Cluj (yesterday it was 3 degrees and snowing) and since I had all the ingredients already bought, I didn't even have to step outside... brrr, I didn't feel like doing that anyway, there was such a wind... it felt like it was coming straight from Siberia. I was frozen solid walking from work to home even though it's only a 5-minute walk.
The addition of harissa at the end isn't part of the traditional Romanian recipe, but I used it instead of hot paprika since I prepared a small jar specifically for soups and stews.
Ingredients
600g pork (neck/shoulder)
2 onions
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon homemade Vegeta seasoning
80 ml tomato paste (diluted)
1 tablespoon sweet paprika paste (Hungarian style)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch hot pepper paste (harissa)
2 tablespoons oil
2 sprigs parsley
How to prepare romanian pork stew (tocănița)
- Cut the pork into cubes. Heat the oil in a pot and fry the meat for about 10 minutes on high heat until it starts to brown.
- Add the finely chopped onion and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes, this time on medium heat.
- Add the crushed garlic and after 1 minute, pour in 1 cup of water and add the Vegeta. Let it simmer covered for about 10 minutes.
- Add the paprika paste, tomato paste, remaining seasonings (thyme, salt, pepper) and another cup of water. Simmer covered for about 30 minutes on medium heat.
- In the last 5 minutes, add the harissa, taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. When done, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
* Instead of harissa, you can add a little hot paprika or chili powder together with the thyme, just enough to make the stew slightly spicy. - Serve hot with polenta or mashed potatoes.
Fry the meat
Add the onion
Add water and homemade seasoning
Pepper paste
Simmer with the remaining seasonings
Romanian Pork Stew (Tocănița)
