Opinion – Recipes from Marcão: Picadinho with paprika and lots of onion is a typical Croatian recipe

The Cup has already started and the thematic columns of recipes from the competing countries are ending. The penultimate team in the series is Croatia, a team with a very amusing checkered uniform, reminiscent of a tablecloth.

Croatians have a very varied cuisine. In the west (coastal), seafood reigns, and the Italian influence is easily noticed. The further south, the more the food resembles Greek and Turkish; the north and east have an accent similar to that of other Slavic nations.

It is precisely from the Croatian northeast, from a region called Slavonia, that today’s recipe comes from. The dish is called cobanac — a name that, in the Croatian alphabet, is written with an inverted circumflex accent over the first “c”.

Exotic? Not so much. It is a meat stew with paprika, mincemeat in the style of Hungarian and German goulash.

Cobanac is a peasant dish and is traditionally made outdoors in a cauldron hung over an open fire. Croatian recipes say you should use three types of meat—usually veal, pork, and some kind of game like venison or hare.

You have to adapt to the circumstances. I made my stew with pork shank and beef tenderloin, in a 70/30 ratio, but you can play around with that part. Just pay attention to add the meat that takes longer to cook first (in my case, both are ready in similar time).

Equally or more important than paprika is the onion, which comes in copious amounts. Thing of 1.5 kg for each kilo of meat.

The original way to eat cobanac is just with bread.

More modern versions admit a very rustic dough that you make with 250 g of flour, two eggs, 150 ml of water and a pinch of salt. Mix everything well and let it rest for a couple of hours in the fridge. Then go picking it up with a spoon and throwing it straight into the stew broth.

IT IS. It takes some work. You can throw potato cubes instead of the dough. Or eat with rice. Or with pasta. It’s okay. Here is Brazil.

cobanac

Yield: 6 servings

Difficulty: easy

INGREDIENTS

100 g of chopped bacon

700g diced ham

300 g of soft coxão in cubes

1.5 kg sliced ​​onion

3 tablespoons sweet, spicy or smoked paprika (or a mixture)

200 g of tomato paste

300 ml of dry wine

1.5 liters of water

3 bay leaves

Fresh marjoram, thyme or oregano to taste

Salt and black pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. Fry the bacon in its own fat until it begins to brown. Reserve.
2. Heat the fat and brown the other meats over high heat. If you need to, divide the portion so you don’t overlap the pieces. Reserve.
3. Reduce the heat and add the onion. Sauté, stirring constantly, until starting to brown (about 20 minutes).
4. Return the meats and add the remaining ingredients. Cook for another 1 hour or until meat is tender. Add more water if the broth is too dry.