“Prekmurje Bograč stew is so thick, you can stand a spoon up in it. And without a drop of water or broth added. That’s how my grandma makes it, and how my dad prepares it for all family feasts. Not one grape harvest or seasonal work in the vineyard goes by without Bograč. Not even my and my sister’s wedding or grandkids’ birthday parties. Grandma always makes Bograč the same way, by the same strict rule of cooking potatoes separately and then wiping off every single drop of water, before adding them to the stew. And although my children claim my Bograč is the best, I must disagree. My dad makes the best one! His secret spices, like sweet memories and cured feelings make it the tastiest Bograč around.” :)
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Ingredients:
500g beef shank
500g pork thigh/leg
500g game meat (deer or wild boar – I used the wild boar meat)
1,5kg onions
1 smaller head of garlic (or 3 larger garlic cloves)
100-150ml dry white wine
100-150ml red wine
2 larger bay leaves
2 spoons red ground paprika
2 smaller tomatoes (by choice)
salt
10-15 peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 hot pepper (pepperoncino)
pinch of pimento
1 teaspoon dry marjoram
1 heaping spoon lard (or vegetable fat if you prefer)
1kg potatoes
1 glass of good wine for the cook - obligatory ;)
500g beef shank
500g pork thigh/leg
500g game meat (deer or wild boar – I used the wild boar meat)
1,5kg onions
1 smaller head of garlic (or 3 larger garlic cloves)
100-150ml dry white wine
100-150ml red wine
2 larger bay leaves
2 spoons red ground paprika
2 smaller tomatoes (by choice)
salt
10-15 peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 hot pepper (pepperoncino)
pinch of pimento
1 teaspoon dry marjoram
1 heaping spoon lard (or vegetable fat if you prefer)
1kg potatoes
1 glass of good wine for the cook - obligatory ;)
Method:
- Finely dice the onions. Onions are, apart from the meat, the most important thing when cooking Bograč. Dice them really finely, so they’ll release as much juice as possible.
- Sauté the onions on a bit of oil or fat for at least 30 minutes, to become soft and glazy. They shouldn’t change colour or become brown.
- Rinse the meat, completely dry it with paper towels and dice it into 3x3 cm large pieces.
- Add beef pieces to the onions and stir quickly.
- Add all spices and finely diced garlic, season with salt and pepper, then slowly sauté everything for 20 minutes, adding 50ml of each wine in between.
- Now add game meat and a bit of wine. Stir and cook for another 20 minutes. At this point, onions and meat pieces should already release some of their juices.
- If you want, you can now add the tomatoes diced into small pieces.
- Lastly, add the pork meat, the rest of wine and cook on low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, cut them into quarters and cook them in salted water. Before adding the potatoes to Bograč, strain the water and wipe the pieces dry.
- When Bograč is cooked, add the potatoes and continue cooking for a few minutes more.
- By now, the glass of wine for the cook should be empty too. ;)
- Leave Bograč to cool down. When you warm it up again, it is ready to be triumphally served. It is perfectly cooked when onions have “melted” and the stew is so thick the spoon can stand in it.
The Rules of Bograč:
- It needs to contain at least 3 sorts of meat (beef, pork, game…)
- The amount of onions needs to be the same as the amount of meat. And always dice the onions with a knife, never with a blender!
- Apart from wine, not even a drop of any other liquid is to be added to Bograč.
- Use strong red chili pepper (like pepperoncino), not chilli.
- The potatoes must be cooked separately.
- If possible, prepare Bograč a day before. It tastes better when reheated, and when the onions break apart and all flavours combine. Thickness comes with reheating and time.
- Cook it very slowly, for at least 4 hours. The onions need to fall apart completely.
- Spices and herbs: salt, pepper, hot pepper, cumin, bay leaves, pimento, ground paprika, garlic, marjoram and nothing else!
