Čobanac – spicy full pot meat stew

Čobanac is not a complicated dish, but it does take some preparation and patience. Count on about 30 minutes to chop the onions, vegetables and meat, and then about 2 hours of slow cooking.

It is one of those dishes that you put on the stove and let it slowly do its work. And when it is done, the effort really pays off — you get a large, full pot of čobanac, enough for about 8–12 plates. In our home, this is the kind of dish that keeps you covered for at least two days.

It is best when cooked slowly over low heat, because that is when the onions, vegetables, meat and spices come together into a thick, fragrant and very tasty dish.

Ingredients

• 6 medium onions or 8 smaller ones
• 3–4 larger cloves of garlic
• 4–5 medium carrots
• 1/4 celery root
• 500 g game meat, if you have it; if not, use more pork
• 500 g beef
• 1 kg pork
• 1 package of passata
• oil for the bottom of the pot
• 1–2 small teaspoons of salt
• plenty of ground pepper
• whole peppercorns, if you have them
• 2 large tablespoons sweet ground paprika
• 1 medium tablespoon hot ground paprika
• 1 small tablespoon Vegeta seasoning
• 4–5 bay leaves
• about 5 l water, add more as needed

Preparation

1. First, chop the onions into small cubes.

2. Pour oil into a large pot, just enough to cover the bottom. Add the onions and fry them over low to medium heat until they soften and become glassy.

3. When the onions become glassy, add the chopped garlic.

4. Then add the sliced carrots and celery root. Fry everything together briefly so the vegetables release their aroma and start creating a good base for the čobanac.

5. After that, add water, just enough to cover the vegetables.

6. In the meantime, cut the meat into the smallest cubes you can. If you have game meat, add it together with the beef and pork. If you do not have game meat, simply use a little more pork.

7. When you add the meat to the pot, pour in more water, just enough to cover the meat, or slightly above the meat.

8. Add the passata, salt, ground pepper, whole peppercorns, sweet ground paprika, hot ground paprika, Vegeta seasoning and bay leaves.

9. Mix everything well, cover the pot and let the čobanac cook slowly.

10. It can be ready after about 50 minutes, but it is best when cooked for around 2 hours over low heat. That way all the ingredients blend much better, and the meat becomes softer and tastier.

11. During cooking, stir occasionally and check whether there is enough liquid. If you see that more water is needed, feel free to add it.

12. If you prefer a thicker čobanac, add less water. If you prefer a more soup-like version, you can add a little more water toward the end.

13. During cooking, make sure to taste the dish. Add more salt, pepper or hot paprika if needed, depending on how spicy you like it.

Tip

Celery root is very important in this recipe. Even though it may seem like a small addition, it gives the dish a special depth of flavor. Once I forgot to add it, and it was really noticeable that something was missing. Without celery root, it is simply not the same dish.

This is a very delicious homemade dish full of flavor. Although it is spicy, if the spices are well balanced, everything stays harmonious and tasty. I like this dish so much that my children ate it even when they were little, although it was spicy, because the flavor was so well balanced.

Enjoy!