Tochitura is a classic traditional Romanian dish that is made in different ways, depending which part of the country you are in. This Romanian tochitura recipe is how my mom makes this dish. In fact, I last had it when I visited her back home, last year. She asked me what I fancied eating and I said “tochitura”, because it’s been a while since I last had it.
Tochitura is basically a meat stew that combines delicious pork meat with offal. It is cooked in the meat’s juices, and served as a feast alongside polenta, telemea or burduf cheese, and a fried egg. Tochitura is a celebration of pork, usually cooked during the Igant time of the year which is on the 20th of December. The Ignat is also known as the “Celebration of the pigs”, as this is when the animals are sacrificed in the countryside. This is a tradition that has been kept for centuries. Farmers are growing their pigs for the best part a year, from spring until December, they are then slaughtered and butchered, the meat is then stored for winter. On this day the entire family is busy making different pork dishes such as the tochitura, sausages, jumari, as well as butchering the meat and preparing it for the freezer. A century ago this was the only way people were surviving the harsh winters in Romania.
Compared to 30 years ago, the number of people who continue to keep the tradition alive and sacrifice their pigs on Igant has gone down. These days there is no shortage of meat in the supermarkets. There’s one thing that hasn’t changed: as Romanians, we don’t waste any part of the animal. This is why our traditional cuisine contains offal, for which we have delicious recipes. This came from a time of nothingness, when meat was hard to come by, and it is also a way to show respect for the animal’s sacrifice.
Ingredients for the Romanian Tochitura Recipe
Tochitura is a meat heavy recipe, and that reflects in the ingredients used to make it. This recipe requires different cuts of meat, offal, and smoked sausages. My mom used pork leg to make this recipe, but you can also use neck or belly, depending which one you like best. You can leave the offal out if you don’t like it, but I highly recommend using at least liver – it gives this recipe a depth of flavour and a different texture.
I recommend using fresh, smoked sausages. They need time to cook and they will release that beautiful smoky flavour in this meat stew. For this tochitura recipe you will also need a few spices and herbs. Paprika is a condiment used very often in Romania, where we know it as “boia”. We have both sweet and spicy versions, though the first one is mostly used in day-to-day cuisine. When it comes to herbs, this recipe requires dried thyme.
How to Make Romanian Tochitura
Even though Romanian tochitura requires quite a few ingredients, it is not a hard recipe to make. The flavour of this stew is drawn from the meat cooking in its own juices, enhanced with white wine and paprika, thyme is also added for that hint of freshness.
The most important step in making this recipe is knowing how long each cut of meat will take to cook. My mom chose liver and sausages, besides the pork meat. This meant that the sausages went into the pot later than the pork, and that the liver was added only during the last 10 minutes of the cooking process.
One great thing about this recipe is that you will only need one pot to make it.
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- For this recipe I would advise using a cast iron pot. In Romania, we call them “tuci” or “ceaun”. These are heavy duty pots that can be used to cook outdoors as well as over an open fire.
- It is important to keep in mind the cooking times of each type of meat. For example, the liver only needs about 10 minutes to cook, whilst the pork needs around one hour. If you add all cuts of meat at the same time, you will end up with rock hard liver that won’t be nice to eat.
- You can use other cuts of meat, as well as different offal as well. When it comes to pork, you will need cuts that have a bit of fat on them, like leg, neck, or the meat on the ribs. You can also use heart or kidneys, but pay attention at the cooking times and modify the recipe accordingly.
Romanian Tochitura Recipe
Equipment
- 1 cast iron or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 500 gr pork leg
- 250 gr pork liver
- 250 gr smoked pork sausages
- 150 ml white wine
- 10 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp tomato concentrate
- 2 tbsp pork fat/lard or 50 mil vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- pinch spicy paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
To serve with:
- polenta
- telemea or burduf cheese grated
- fried eggs
Instructions
- Wash the meat and cut it in chunks.
- Add the pork fat or the oil in the cast iron, and turn the heat to medium.
- Once the pork fat dissolves, add the pork meat and brown it gently on all sides.
- Once the meat is browned and has started to leave water in the pot, add the sausages and wait for the liquid to dissolve.
- Pour the white wine, cook for 5-10 minutes, so the alcohol evaporates.
- Add the bay leaves, the sweet and the spicy paprika, the dried thyme, the tomato paste, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Reduce the temperature to low, put a lid on, and wait for the meat to cook for roughly one hour. The time depends on the age of the pork. Make sure to check the meat after one hour – if it’s tender, it means it’s cooked.
- Check the stew from time to time and stir it, checking the level of the liquid. Add more water if the liquid evaporates too much.
- Once the pork is cooked, add the chopped liver and the crushed garlic to the cast iron. Leave to cook for another 10 minutes and then turn the heat off.
- Taste and add more salt if necessary.
- Serve with polenta, telemea or burduf cheese grated over, and a fried egg on top.
FAQ
Can you make Romanian tochitura in advance?
I wouldn’t advise making the tochitura in advance because the texture of the liver will change when you reheat it. When you first cook this Romanian dish, the meat will melt in your mouth and the liver will have a soft texture. When you reheat it, the liver will become too hard for a pleasant dining experience.
How do you store the Romanian tochitura?
Store the tochitura in the fridge, inside a food container with a lid, for a maximum of three days. Make sure you put it in the fridge within 2 hours of being cooked.
How to reheat the Romanian tochitura?
You can reheat the Romanian tochitura, on the stove top. Put the dish in a large pot and let it come to temperature over a low heat. Because tochitura is made using pork meat, make sure that the food is piping hot before you serve it. You can only reheat tochitura once, safely.
For more traditional Romanian food recipes check out below:
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