Slovenian Stew: Prekmurski Bograc

"Prekmurski Bograc." I literally Googled "Slavic stew" and this is what came up in my search. Actually, I Googled "Finnish stew" first, but had no luck finding what I was looking for. In Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Finland episode, Anthony ate this delicious stew made by a drunk local Finnish grandma. So in a kind of roundabout way, we end up in Slovenia-- because it's the closest thing I could find. This stew is cooked with a combination of pork, beef and venison. So I guess you can also call it a "Meat-Lovers Stew." 

We're not entirely sure what "Prekmurski Bograc" means, but here's a guess. We think Prekmurski refers to the region of Prekmurje in Slovenia. Bograc means "stew," or something close to that -- something slow cooked in a heavy pot. Our stew came out a little too thick because we didn't add enough water, but the directions below should work just fine for you.

And if you happen to be Slavic, we hope that we haven't offended you too much. We'd appreciate any tips or insights about this dish. Because after all, the language of food is universal. :-)

Servings: About 6 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 1/2 - 4 hours

Ingredients:

- 1/2 lb. beef stew meat, or chuck (something a little fatty)

- 1/2 lb. pork, any cheap cut you can find (not tenderloin)

- 1/2 lb. venison roast

- 2 onions, sliced

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- oil or lard, for browning meat

- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

- 1 large tomato, cut into wedges

- 2 tbs. Hungarian paprika, or sweet paprika

- 1 lb. potatoes, sliced or cubed

- 1 bay leaf

- 1 tsp ground black pepper

- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (of course, fresh is always better)

- 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, slightly crushed with your fingers

- 3/4 cup red wine

- Kosher/sea salt, to taste

1. Remove any silver skin or tough tissues from venison, pork and beef. Cut all three meats into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Dab dry with paper towels and lightly sprinkle salt over all three. 

As you can see, our meat was quite lean. For best results, choose beef or pork with a little bit of fat on them. This will add better flavor and richness to your stew.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a Dutch oven, heat about 1 tbs. lard/oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 sliced onions to the pot. Sprinkle in some salt. Saute until translucent and slightly browned, stirring often. About 5-7 minutes.

Once done, move onions into a bowl and set aside.

3. Heat about another tablespoon of lard/oil to the Dutch oven. Brown beef. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook it in batches if you have to. 

Browning too much at once results in steaming instead of browning. You want that rich, brown caramelization color. That means flavor.

Once the beef browns, move it into a large bowl and set aside.

4. Do the same with the cubed venison. Add more oil/lard if necessary. Move it into the same bowl with the beef when browned.

5. Then brown the pork.

6. Once all the meat is cooked, de-glaze the pan with 3/4 cup of red wine, scraping off the bits at the bottom. Bring to a boil and cook for about 1 minute. 

 

7. Then return cooked onions into the Dutch oven with the wine.

Return all the meat.

8. Add sliced red bell pepper, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp. of thyme, 1/2 tsp. of rosemary, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 2 tbs. of paprika, a generous pinch of salt and ground black pepper, to taste.

Hungarian Paprika = Awesome.

Add enough water to submerge all ingredients. Add tomatoes.

9. Cover Dutch oven and cook in a 350 degree F oven for 1-1/2 hours.

10. Then take the stew out of the oven and add potatoes. Add more water, as necessary. There should be 1 inch of liquid above the potatoes. This is where we made a boo-boo...

Cover and return to the oven. Bake for another 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until potatoes and meat are tender.

Add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Serve with crusty bread and red wine.

This week's table wine. Or to some Europeans, "table booze."

We hope you will like this recipe. Thanks for visiting! 

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