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Slow Cooker Bulgarian Kavarma
Ingredients
Method
- Season pork with salt and paprika.
- Combine all ingredients except for the cheese in the slow cooker.
- Cook for 6 hours on low.
- Add feta cheese on last 20 minutes of cooking.
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This definitely belongs among my top all-in-one-pot meat stew recipes. It's so simple – from the choice of ingredients, choice of seasoning, and to the cooking method involved. The flavors that I get from this dish really amaze me given all this simplicity.
It basically is a stew of meat, any choice vegetables, simple aromatics, any herb you wish(though originally a local herb called Chubritsa should be used), paprika, and salt. Nothing fancy at all. The flavors do come together into a very flavorful sauce.
The ingredients you see here are pretty much true to the dish's original preparation. The carrots and onions give this dish a unique fresh sweetness. The tomatoes are there to give the sauce some body. The mushrooms for some earthiness. The garlic and parsley give off fresh aroma and pungency. With some salt and paprika, all those flavors just come together so beautifully into the white wine and olive oil. It really is hard to describe the taste exactly and all I can say for now is that this dish is very well worth cooking.
Here's a tip when working with potatoes. Get those that you've already peeled and chopped in a bowl of water as you work on your other ingredients. This will keep them from oxidizing and eventually turning brown.
I've seasoned my pork with the paprika and some salt. This is more of a cooking habit for me but in all honesty, I think you could just throw the seasonings into pot with all the other ingredients with equally excellent results.
Traditionally done with cheap and tough cuts of meat, I went for some country rib pork cubes for their good fat to meat ratio. This'll certainly end up more succulent compared to cuts from the butt or shoulder for example. But be free to use any meat you favor. This dish is that good-tasting you really can't go wrong. I'm sure chicken, beef, lamb. . . would turn out excellent as well.
Add all the ingredients in the crockpot – pork, vegetables, aromatics, olive oil, and white wine; just leave the cheese until the last 20 minutes of cooking. Set your cooker on low for 6 hours and you're done. Adjust this time accordingly of course if you'll be using a different type or cut of meat.
Some do this dish with red wine. I went for white in this take to keep the flavors more simple.
When everything in the pot is perfectly cooked tender, crumble your feta in. This is again true to the original Kavarma but you can definitely use any cheese that you like. I'd suggest though that you stay away from sharp cheeses like gruyere or manchego because they could easily overpower the natural sweetness in this dish. Some I'd suggest would be more on the fresh types such as brie, cottage, or even ricotta.
That's it. It really is that easy to prepare. Well, that's how they authentically prepare it in Bulgaria – all in one lidded clay pot to be left unattended over a relatively long cooking time.
Prepare a good batch of rice pilaf. The natural juices in the sauce are really that good.
Slow Cooker Bulgarian Kavarma
Ingredients
Method
- Season pork with salt and paprika.
- Combine all ingredients except for the cheese in the slow cooker.
- Cook for 6 hours on low.
- Add feta cheese on last 20 minutes of cooking.
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