by Mar on
This Romanian pork and potato stew is easy to make, hearty and full of tastiness. I’m cooking it all year long and you can easily make it vegetarian leaving the meat out.
It will be a delicious simple potato stew to variate or for vegetarian eaters.
So, the next time you have a piece of pork at hand, try cooking this stew and I can assure you it will not be the only time you’ll make it. 🙂
🥔 Ingredients Needed For This Pork Stew
This stew is pretty simple to make and does not use many ingredients, but you should have the following:
- Pork – a beautiful good quality pork cut (neck, leg or shoulder)
- Potatoes – red skin are recommended because they are less starchy and maintain their shape in stews
- Onion – a couple of yellow onions
- Tomato Passata – good quality tomato puree if possible
- Tomato paste – for enhanced color and tomato flavor
- Black peppercorns, bay leaves and dry thyme – to really give life and savor to this stew
- Garlic cloves – another tasty addition
- Fresh dill and parsley – to finish this goodness of flavors
Now that we now what we need, let’s get cooking!
🍲 How To Make This Pork And Potato Stew
Well, we start with my kitchen cooking habit of putting some water on the stove on low heat to use it later. I always use hot water when cooking to not interrupt the cooking process when water is needed.
Step 1: Prepare and seal the meat
Cut the meat in medium sized chunks / cubes and seal it for about 10 minutes in a large pan or skillet with little oil.
Turn them on all sides to brown and cook evenly. Set aside.
Step 2: Saute the onion and cook
Finely chop the onions and saute them in a large pot on medium heat with 5-6 tbsp cooking oil. Stir often until translucent and starts to color.
Add the pork chunks and some hot water until the meat is well covered. Let it simmer on medium-low flame, partially covered for about 30 minutes or more until the meat is almost cooked through.
If necessary add more hot water along the cooking time, so the pork has enough liquid to cook in.
Meantime peel, wash and cut potatoes in big chunks or cubes and keep them in cold water.
Step 3: Add potatoes and passata
When the meat is almost ready, season with salt, peppercorns, bay leaves and dry thyme. Add the cubed potatoes and stir.
Leave potatoes to simmer for 5-7 minutes before adding the tomato puree and 1 tbsp of tomato paste.
Step 4: Add the garlic and finish
Let potatoes continue their cooking for about 10 minutes.
Slice the garlic and add it to the stew. Let it cook for about 3-5 minutes more and the stew should be done.
Taste the meat and potatoes if they are cooked through and adjust saltiness if necessary.
Also, correct the tomato acidity if needed adding a little sugar (optional).
That’s it! Turn off the flame and sprinkle with freshly chopped dill and parsley. Our stew is ready to be enjoyed next to a good salad.
Even if it looks simple, this stew is incredibly tasty. Don’t take my word for it, just cook it and see for yourself.
🍴 Serving This Pork And Potato Stew
Serve this pork and potato stew with your preferred crusty bread and any green salad, vegetable salad, tomato salad or dill pickles.
My roasted peppers salad is also an excellent choice for this type of stew.
I highly recommend it, it’s delicious! Just try it.
Leftovers & Storage
Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Add a little water when reheating.
Also stir with care because the potatoes will mostly become mushy and dissolve into the stew.
You can also preserve the remaining stew in plastic airtight containers and freeze it for up to 3 months.
I hope you will cook this stew and love it as much as I do. It’s a dish Romanians are cooking often and enjoying it with or without the meat.
As always, maintain a loving and serene attitude while cooking and the dish will be incredibly tasty and enjoyed by anyone eating it.
Happy cooking!
Other tasty stew recipes to cook for your family:
- Pork, Eggplant And Tomato Stew (my grandpa’s favorite)
- White Beans And Sausage Stew (soul food, winter recipe)
- Green Peas Chicken Stew (your children will love it)
Romanian Pork And Potato Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (800g) pork cut (neck, leg, shoulder)
- 2.2 lbs (1kg) red skin potatoes
- 2 cups (400g) tomato passata
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 yellow onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp salt (to taste)
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp dry thyme
- 4 bay leaves
- 2+5 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp fresh dill and parsley (chopped)
Instructions
- Start by putting some water to heat in a medium saucepan. Next, cut the meat in small chunks and slightly brown it on all sides with 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a large skillet or pan. Set aside.
- Place on medium low heat a large enough pan to make the stew. Chop the onions and saute them in the rest of the oil until soft and translucent. Add the pork and stir. Cover with hot water and let the meat cook until almost done. This will take 30 minutes or more, depending on the meat. Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary.
- Meantime peel, wash and cut potatoes in big chunks. Keep them covered in cold water until you will use them. Season the stew adding 1 tsp salt. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves and dry thyme. Try the meat and if is almost done, add potatoes to the pot. Let them simmer together with the meat for 5-7 minutes then add the passata and tomato paste. Stir and let potatoes continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
- Slice the garlic and add it to the stew. Let it cook for another 3-5 minutes and taste the stew. If everything is cooked through, turn off the heat and sprinkle the freshly chopped herbs. Our pork and potato stew is ready to be served next to a green or tomato salad in summertime, or dill pickles in colder seasons.
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