Bulgarian Sausage Stew

     Welcome back to this months edition of Eat The World where we travel to the country of Bulgaria. Bulgarian is the first language I tried to learn. My brother had moved to Bulgarian for two years and I was determined to learn the language by the time he got back. I was unsuccessful, but I remember the pictures he sent of ruins and giant pottery and the box of fun pastries I still grab up whenever I see them, they are a lot more common than they used to be and my kids love them.

     Getting ready for this challenge I purchased a traditional Bulgarian cooking pot, called a gyuveche. As I was looking at recipes I noticed quite of few of the were cooked in beautiful pottery and I knew I needed some. So to start off I made a delicious rice and sauerkraut recipe, called Kapama, in my beautiful new pot. Later, and this recipe will be up later this week, I made one of my favorite dishes to date called Madradjisko. Madradjisko is another dish baked in my beautiful new pot with lots of red peppers, Bulgarian sirene cheese and topped with an egg.

     Some other delicious highlights from Bulgarian cuisine we have already enjoyed start with the  popular chopped salad, Shopska Salata, a chopped cucumber salad topped with grated cheese.  Also delicious is Supa Topcheta, a meatball and potato soup in a yogurt broth. Another recipe we like in the Pandemonium Family is Kavarma, a pork and roasted red pepper stew. However the top favorite Bulgarian recipe in the Pandemonium kitchen is Red Peppers Filled with Cheese and Fried. That are simply amazing and I hope you check them out. But even with all those favorites it's always fun to find a new one, and this stew is definitely that.

     This Bulgarian stew from "Кухнята на Elti (Elti's Kitchen)" is perfect for a week night dinner when you want a lot of delicious flavor. Typically this recipe is made with Karnache, a Bulgarian fresh sausage made with sheep casing and lots of spices. Because I don't have access to karnache, and I was luck when I made this to have any sausage at all, I used the meatiest and most neutral tasting sausage I could find, American style fresh bratwurst. The seasonings in the Bulgarian sausage are the same as in the popular Bulgarian spice Sharena Sol, so I season the meat with that.

Check back tomorrow for another in this series of Bulgarian recipes I tried, and loved, while researching for this challenge!

Check out all the wonderful Bulgarian dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

• Sneha’s Recipe: Mekitsa - Bulgarian Fried Doughnuts 
• Sara’s Tasty Buds: Gevrek 
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Patatnik + 2016 Edoardo Miroglio Bio Mavrud & Rubin 
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Koledna Pitka (Bulgarian Christmas Bread) 
• Making Miracles: Gyuveche 
• Kitchen Frau: Patatnik (Bulgarian Potato Pie) 
• Dinner By Dennis: Kebapche (Bulgarian Grilled Kebabs) 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Shopska Salata

Bulgarian Sausage Stew

5 raw bratwurst
2 lb. small yellow potatoes
6 green onions, sliced
4 large tomatoes, grated
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 c. sunflower oil
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. sharena sol
Salt & Pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 400*F.

Cut the potatoes in half. Drizzle with half of the sunflower oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place in the oven to roast for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost tender. You don't want them completely done at this point, only about 90%.

In a large cast iron skillet heat the remaining oil. Once hot add the sausage and heat until browned on the bottom. Flip the sausages and continue cooking until browned on the bottom. Remove the sausage and keep warm.

Do NOT clean out the pan, you want all the delicious crispy bits in the pan. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the grated tomato, sharelna sol, cumin, sliced garlic, and green onions. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. 

Add the sausage back to the pan and continue simmering until the potatoes are ready to go in, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked through. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.

Serve topped with lots of fresh parsley.

Check out previous #Eat the World contributions!

• Senegal - Poulet Yassa
• Fiji - Banana Cake
• Iraq - Iraqi Lamb Stew
  
• Trinidad and Tobago - Trini Spiced Macaroni Pie
• Portugal - Tremocos Beans
• Ukraine - Pickled Tomatoes
  
• Egypt - Ful Medames
• Finland - Vispipuuro
• Israel - Chicken Shawarma
• Cambodia - Khmer Lok Lak
• Georgia - Satsivi
• England - Lancashire Hotpot
• Ethiopia - Misir Wot
• Poland - Zupa Orgorkowa
• India - Gulab Jamun
• Lebanon - Garlic Toum
• Argentina - Revuelto Gramajo
• France - Choucroute Garnie
• New Zealand - Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
• Sweden - Farskpotatis
• Kenya - Nyama Choma