Romanian Style Pork Paprikash with Dumplings (Papricaș de Porc cu cu Găluște)
Romanian-style pork paprikash made with tender boneless pork shoulder, kapia peppers, mushrooms, bacon, and onions, finished with crème fraîche and served with homemade flour dumplings and fresh parsley. This recipe makes 6 generous servings or 7-8 smaller ones.
Course Dinner, Main Course, stew
Cuisine Central European, Eastern European, Hungarian-influenced Eastern European, Romanian
Keyword Mushrooms, Paprika, Pork, Stew
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Servings 6servings
Calories 852kcal
Ingredients
stew
6boneless pork shoulder chops
4kapia peppers
400gramsmushrooms14 oz or about 5-6 cups, thinly sliced
100gramsbacon3.5 oz or about ¾ cup, diced
2yellow onionsfinely diced
4tablespoonsparsleyfinely chopped
2tablespoonssweet paprika
2.5teaspoonssaltor more to taste
2teaspoonsdried summer savory (cimbru) or thyme
2tablespoonsvegetable oilfor browning
2tablespoonsflour
2tablespoonsbutter
½cupcrème fraîchesee post for substitutes
1literwater or no-sodium chicken stockabout 4 cups
150gramsbutter⅔ cup butter (about 5.3 oz, roughly 1⅓ sticks), unsalted
3eggs
0.5teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Char the peppers under the broiler or grill (8-10 minutes) then peel them while still hot or dunk in cold water to easily remove peels. Once peeled, finely dice and set aside.
While the peppers are charring, heat oil over medium-high and sear the chops until just browned (3-4 minutes per side). Don't crowd the pan to prevent them steaming.
Once browned, remove the chops to large bowl or plate and then add mushrooms to the pan and sauté until reduced and browned (about 8-10 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the bacon to the hot pan and cook until fat has rendered out and bacon is browning. Then add onion and saute until translucent and aromatic.
Add chops, mushrooms, and diced peppers to the pan along with 1 liter (4 cups) water or no-sodium chicken stock. the liquid should be enough to cover the ingredients at least halfway up. Add more liquid as needed.
Simmer over medium heat for 25-30 minutes until the broth has turned bright red and started to thicken.
While the stew is cooking, set a pot of water to simmer. Mix the dumpling ingredients.
Use a spoon to scoop the soft dough and drop it directly into the simmering water. The dumplings only take 1-2 minutes and will rise to the top when ready. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and set aside until ready to serve.
To finish the stew, make a beurre manie by mashing the 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons butter together in your hands until a paste forms. Stir it into the simmering stew and cook another 5 minutes until thickened.
Turn off heat and allow stew to cool 2-3 minutes before stirring in crème fraîche.
Garnish with diced parsley and serve with dumplings and more crème fraîche if desired.