Romanian Stew

I remember being just a little girl and walking into my grandmother’s kitchen. There was always something on the stove, or in the oven. Whether she was making cabbage rolls, head cheese, cinnamon rolls, baklava, or pork greaves there was always something brewing. Pork greaves was one of my favorite snacks my grandmother would make. Fried in lard it was a treat that you could dig right into the fried pork bites on the big plate in the middle of the table. I swear that we would devour those little tiny meaty nuggets of greasy joy in under 5 minutes flat. Never failed though, there was always more than one round. In a Romanian family you never walk away from the table hungry, and my grandmother always made sure our bellies were full when we left her house.

Though the Pork Greaves holds a close second in terms of my favorite meals when I was a little girl, my true favorite Romanian dish was Romanian stew. The smell would waft through the house of my grandmother's old Victorian home. I would open the old door with the big brass handle with the stained glass window. Before I could open the door all the way the smell of bacon,beef and paprika would hit my senses before I could even close the door behind me. I always knew the smell meant one thing. My grandmother had a big pot of Romanian stew simmering for all who entered.

We would all come in at different times of the day just to have a cup of coffee, and sit and visit with our grandmother. She was a very large woman of almost 400 pounds. She would light her cigarettes on the gas stove behind her, and she would entertain us with her stories. She always had the brightest most bustling laugh, but never mistake her kindness, and good sense of humor for a woman who could be pushed around. Her larger-than-life personality was just that. You would either grow to become or stay a part of the family, as long as you minded your p’s and q’s, but if you crossed her, you had better hope that you could run faster scared than she could mad.

As I am writing this, I had a memory of a broomstick that sat behind her chair. I laugh because now I get the irony in that, being as Romania is full of witches, and has been for generations and generations. Our ancestry is gypsy in descent, so the fact that my grandmother would shake her broomstick at anyone who upset her, though I find quite funny, actually lines up with the witch and the broomstick persona we all have of witches. The only thing my grandmother used the broom for other than sweeping the floor was to get her point across. Her swinging her broom was more for effect, because it was her words that cut like a knife if you dared to say anything to offend her or her loved ones. That said, that did not happen very often, so we as kids, and our Moms’ would come over for afternoon coffee after school, and yes.. the kids had coffee too. All my grandmother’s cooking was wonderous and so tasty, but the Romanian stew, and though I don’t know why was the feel-good meal for me and still is to this very day.

The ingredients though simple create a wonderous delight of flavouring that really is unique to the world of stew.

One pound of bacon, cut into small slices is the first ingredient on the list. Frying the bacon once cut into a skillet, preferably a cast iron, till it is cooked thoroughly, yet still on the tender side. Once cooked take off the stove, drain the grease into a cup, and set the bacon to the side. From there you want to take the big pot you are going to use for the stew, pour the bacon grease into the bottom of the pot, and add 2 pounds of of stew meat. It is preferrable if it is cut up into long thin slices but can be cubed as well. Fry beef in the bacon grease until it is medium to well done. I prefer medium, because it will cook the rest of the way when you cook the stew.

Preparation for vegetables. As it is a stew what you add for vegetables can be designed to your liking. Though what my grandmother put it was always very easy, yet so tasty. 4 cloves of garlic finely diced, 1/4 of an onion again finely diced or shallot, and 4-6 large potatoes cubed. Add one finely diced carrot, and one red bell pepper diced. The final touch is 3-4 tbsp of parsley finely diced.

Now we get to the actual stew. Add 4-6 cups of water to your pot, the bacon, your cut-up vegetables & potatoes, and 1 -2 tbsp of tomato paste. Here is where the real magic begins. No Romanian recipe is complete without adding paprika. In the world of true Romanian food we don't measure our paprika. We just add as much as we need, but for the sake of measuring you will want 4-6 tbsp of paprika(1tbsp per cup), 4 vegetable or beef boullion cubes, Himalayan or sea salt and pepper to taste, and if you like your stew a little on the spicy side, then you can add a 1 tsp of cayenne pepper. The final ingredient that truly makes the stew unique is green beans. I like the nice long green beans because that is what my grandmother always used but you can use the short ones too. Again, this is one I don’t measure as I love green beans, but you will want to add 2-3 cups of green beans. Turn it to high, let it come to a boil, then turn it down to medium until everything is nice and tender. You can either eat the stew as more of a soup, or you can add whatever flour ingredient you have that you like to use to thicken it into a stew. I just use a tbsp of potato starch mixed in about 1/2 cup of water. Bring your stew back to boiling point so that it thickens quickly, stirring while you are pouring so the starch or flour doesn't coagulate, but mixes together with the juices so it creates a beautiful stew gravy.

The final stage to this recipe if you want it to be really hearty and last longer is to make a pot of white rice. I use jasmine personally, but it is up to you what rice you want to use. You will pour your stew, and all it's hearty ingredients over the rice, and serve with the bun of your choice. This stew will last you for days like this, and with the beautiful aroma that come from this stew you will enjoy it over, and over again.

The key to this recipe is that because there were many children in my grandmother's home, she had 9 kids including my Mom, this recipe can be adjusted to your liking. If you have more people to feed, want it to last for longer, or maybe even freeze it you can add more water to make more juice for the stew, potatoes, vegetables, and even more beef if you like it meat hearty. Never cut back on the bacon or the bacon grease as that is what gives it it's flavor. For every cup of water ensure you are adding another tbsp of paprika as it really does give it the flavor that makes all the other flavors dance in your mouth. This was truly one of the best foods that my grandmother ever cooked. Every time I make it now, it brings me back to when I was a little girl, and walked through that front door, sitting down to enjoy a meal with my grandmother. Since my grandmother and Mom have both passed on, and I haven't gone home in 24 years since my Mom passed away this is truly one of those feel-good foods that every time I want a little piece of my Mom and Grandma I make Romanian stew for me and my son.

Here is the full recipe. For all who decide to try it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

1 pound of bacon sliced into small pieces (save grease from bacon)

2 lb stewing beef diced into bite-size or small pieces

4 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 carrot finely chopping into small slices

1 full bell pepper (I use red) sliced into small pieces

3-4 cups green beans (fresh or frozen)

1/2 of an onion or a full shallot sliced thinly

4 tbsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper(optional)

4 boullion cubes (vegetable or beef)

4- 6 cups of water (more if you want more stew juice)

1 -2 tbsp tomato paste (add more if you want your stew a little more on the tangy side)

3-4 tbsp parsley finely chopped

1-2 tbsp of flour or potato starch (1/2 cup of water) for stew

Himalayan or sea salt & pepper to taste

4- 6 servings of rice for bedding of stew (depending on how many people you are cooking for)

Toppings for stew optional

1 tbsp of sour cream on top of the stew, bacon bits, and chopped green onion. Can never have too much bacon ;)