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Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Romanian Potato and Tomato Stew


romanian potato stew

Whether you say potato or "pa-tah-to" or tomato or "to-mah-to", you will love this easy Romanian tomato based potato vegetable stew which could end up being a meal in a bowl.. read on

Potatoes, Vegetables, Potato, Thyme, Oil

I officially think about eating potato dishes in the fall. The nights are cooler, the days are damper, and heartier comfort food, such as warming potatoes, just feels right.

potatoes, potato stew, Romanian recipes

Romanian potatoes are saucy and make a perfect fall or winter side dish on a cold damp night. The spices are a little different than the spices I am used to. It called for a generous amount of paprika and bay leaves. I'm just not usually a paprika person but I tried it and it was good. There was no garlic or onion powder in the recipe (which I ended up adding at the end for my personal taste and decided to throw in some chickpeas and chopped tomatoes to have my full meal in one bowl)

Potato Stew
Stew with chickpeas and chopped tomatoes

Carrots, onions, sweet peppers and potatoes are a tasty combination of flavors in this Romanian vegetable side dish. All my recipes were always gluten-free and vegetarian. As of February 2021 all my recipes are vegan and oil-free.


Transylvania is in Romania
Did you know that the legendary vampire town of Transylvania, which was made famous by the Dracula story, is a real town in Romania? 

Church, Transylvania, Romania, Winter
Transylvania 

"Transylvania is a region in central Romania. It's known for medieval towns, mountainous borders and castles like Bran Castle, a Gothic fortress associated with the legend of Dracula."― Google 

Who has been there?

I love all my decorated bowls and mugs. Sometimes I eat stew in a mug from my mug collection - just saying

colorful ceramic mugs




Ingredients: 
3 cups of potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup of diced onions
1 cup of diced carrots
1 cup of diced sweet red or green pepper
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of paprika 
freshly cracked pepper
1/2 cup of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of gluten-free flour + 1/4 cup of water
1 tablespoon of corn starch with 1/2 cup of water, mixed well
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste 
Freshly chopped dill or parsley for garnish
Optional: Taste and add garlic powder and or onion powder
Optional: Add 1 cup of cooked chickpeas for protein  

Directions: 

Add onions, carrots, and red pepper in a hot 3 quart sauce pan.  Stir and allow to sauté for 1 minute. Quickly add the vegetable broth and continue to sauté for another minute. Add potatoes, paprika, bay leaves and enough water to just cover potatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Cook for about 15 minutes until potatoes are soft, but not mushy. 

In a bowl, whisk tomato paste, flour, and little water to get a smooth paste. Add to soup. In a small ramekin mix 1/2 cup of water with a tablespoon of non-GMO cornstarch and also add to potatoes. Cook for 5 more minutes stirring. 


My Notes: 
1. I made some changes to the traditional Romanian recipe which was initially was not flavorful enough for me. I added garlic powder, onion powder, and some chopped tomatoes (Pomi chopped tomatoes) to meet my personal tastes.

2. Traditional Romanian potato stew often contains meat. I added chickpeas to mine at the end for protein.

3. I also added cornstarch which made the stew thicker and saucier. You could leave it out, but I thought it made a BIG difference.







9 comments:

  1. Love chickpeas in stews! I too use cups and mugs for soups :-)

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  2. potatoes are my favorite, 365 days a year. i love them cooked all ways and "this way" sounds delicious!! i would add some of my roasted tomatoes from my garden. i have so many bags in the freezer, waiting to be used just like this in the winter!!

    i have large soup mugs i use when i serve soup. it is so much easier to have a mug handle when eating soup, yours are beautiful!!!

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  3. New red potatoes are in the stores now, locally grown here in FL. They are SO good. We are having some tonight. I lived in a county in NC right next to Transylvania county and got a good photo a few years ago of a foggy cloudy day! Love your pretty cups!

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  4. Some of my Mrs KR's ancestors are from Transylvania. Maybe that's why I like to cook with garlic so much? :-) Anyway, this looks wonderful -- neat dish. Thanks.

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  5. Tomato paste makes a difference. I will try it when I start on soups and stews. We are in the salad mode still.

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  6. hi judge, to answer your question on my blog, i use a nikon coolpix B700. it is an older camera, i am sure there is a newer version. it has great zoom capacity within the camera, it is not a dsl, meaning there is not lens changing. i hope that helps...i should say that i LOVE my camera, it is lightweight and easy to use!!

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  7. Judee,
    This is a fabulous fall recipe.
    I love how you give you the finer details. Almost a storytelling of recipes. Love the flavours.

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  8. Eating soup in a pretty mug makes it taste even better; doesn't it? I'm a fan of paprika and I love the Pomi tomato products.

    Thanks for sharing, Judee!

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  9. This looks yummy! I actually did know about Transylvania, and I have a friend who went to Romania and toured the castle. Dracula is actually based on a real person, Vlad the Impaler. Creepy, huh?

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