Catfish Stew

The Romanian tochitura, which is a kind of stew, is a typically Romanian dish made all around the country

Ștefan Baciu, 03.02.2019, 14:08

To make stew you’ll need pork, beef or chicken meat, and even organs such as liver, kidney, heart or milt, as well as sliced sausage. The ingredients differ from one region of the country to another, so Moldavian stew differs from Dobrudjan stew or Oltenian stew. For example, the Moldavian recipe does not contain tomato paste of tomato juice, while in Transylvania, where they really like their smoked pork, the recipe also contains bits of sliced smoked sausage. The so-called Brasov stew is made in central Romania, and typically contains veal, surely under the influence of Saxon cuisine.

Irrespective of the region, there is a similar way of preparing this stew. Brown the sliced pieces of pork in a pan or a pot, and then add the sliced onion and two or three garlic cloves, finely chopped. Add a bit of water or wine, allow to simmer, then add the spices of choice, depending on what the recipe contains. The stew is served hot with polenta, topped with a poached egg and sprinkled with cheese.

This type of stew will naturally contain fish in the Danube Delta, with catfish being the typical dish in the Danube Delta village called Lunca. To prepare this stew, you need a catfish weighing two or three kilograms, bones removed. Cut the catfish in small cubes. Salt the cubes a little bit, and then coat them in flour. Put the catfish cubes in a pan with hot oil. Add the sliced onion, a little bit of dried thyme, sweet paprika and tomato paste. Cook the bits of catfish until they become golden brown before adding a glass of wine or a little bit of water. Allow everything to boil, for about a quarter of an hour. The catfish stew is best served with polenta and also goes well with a glass of chilled white dry or semi-dry wine. Enjoy or poftă bună as we say in Romanian!