Kavarma 🍲 Bulgarian Clay-Pot Stew 🇧🇬

Description

Tender pork, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes slow-baked with paprika, bay, and Bulgarian savory—rustic, smoky, clay-pot rich. 🍅🫑

Hook: Brown, deglaze, and bake—hands-off braise that finishes glossy and spoonable. ⚡

Ingredients

• 🐖 Pork shoulder, 2–3 cm cubes: 800 g (1.8 lb)
• 🧅 Onion, sliced: 300 g (2 cups / 10.6 oz)
• 🫑 Red & green peppers, strips: 250 g (2 cups / 8.8 oz)
• 🍄 Mushrooms, sliced: 200 g (2 cups / 7 oz)
• 🧄 Garlic, minced: 9 g (3 cloves / 0.32 oz)
• 🍅 Chopped tomatoes (or passata): 350 g (1½ cups / 12.3 oz)
• 🍅 Tomato paste: 20 g (1 tbsp / 0.7 oz)
• 🌶️ Sweet paprika: 8 g (1 tbsp / 0.28 oz)
• 🌶️ Hot paprika (optional): 1 g (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🌿 Dry savory (chubritsa) or thyme: 1 g (1 tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🌿 Bay leaf: 1
• 🫗 Sunflower oil or lard: 30 ml (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🍷 Dry white wine: 150 ml (⅔ cup / 5 fl oz)
• 🧂 Salt: to taste (≈10 g / 1¾ tsp)
• ⚫ Black pepper: 1 g (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🌿 Parsley, chopped (finish): 2 tbsp (8 g / 0.28 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Sear meat: Heat 🫗 oil in a heavy pan. Brown 🐖 pork in batches 6–8 min; transfer to a clay pot (or Dutch oven).
2. 2️⃣ Aromatics: In the same pan sauté 🧅 onion and 🫑 peppers with a pinch of 🧂 5–6 min; add 🍄 mushrooms 3 min, then 🧄 garlic 30 sec.
3. 3️⃣ Spice & deglaze: Pull off heat; stir in 🌶️ paprika and 🍅 paste 30 sec. Return to heat, pour in 🍷 wine to deglaze 1–2 min.
4. 4️⃣ Bake: Tip vegetables into the pot with the pork. Add 🍅 tomatoes, 🌿 savory, 🌿 bay, 🧂 salt, and ⚫ pepper. Cover and bake at 185°C / 365°F 45–55 min until tender; uncover 10 min to thicken.
5. 5️⃣ Finish: Discard bay, adjust seasoning, and scatter 🌿 parsley. Serve with rice, flatbread, or polenta.

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 20 min
🔥 Cook: 55–65 min
⏳ Total: 1 h 15–25 min

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