Mućkalica

Ingredients

Meat

• 800 gleftover grilled pork, or pork neck, grilled and cut in chunks
• 200 ggrilled sausage or bacon, optional

Peppers

• 6red peppers, roasted and peeled
• 2green peppers, sliced
• 2hot peppers, chopped

Pot

• 3 tbspoil or lard
• 3onions, sliced
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 4tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsptomato purée
• 1 tbspsweet paprika
• 1 tsphot paprika

Also

• 200 mlstock or water
• 1bay leaf
• salt and black pepper

To serve

• bread
• kajmak
• a green salad

Directions

1. Grill the meat rather than frying it. Cut the grilled meat into rough chunks rather than neat cubes. Roast the red peppers over a flame or under a hot grill until the skins are blackened all over.
2. Put them in a covered bowl for 10 minutes, then rub the skins off. Tear the peeled peppers into strips with your fingers rather than cutting them.
3. Fry the onions in the fat over a medium heat for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic, then both paprikas, and take the pan off the heat while you stir them in.
4. Add the tomatoes, purée, green peppers and hot peppers and cook 10 minutes until thick.
5. Shake the pan rather than stirring it, which is where the name comes from and which keeps the meat in whole pieces. Simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, shaking the pan now and then.
6. Cook it uncovered so it reduces. Mućkalica should be thick and glossy, not soupy, and the sauce should cling to the meat.
7. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Let it stand 10 minutes off the heat before serving. Serve hot with plenty of bread for the sauce and a spoonful of kajmak on top.

Technique

• Leskovac is the town most associated with it and its grill culture generally.
• Any grilled meat works: pleskavica, ćevapi, sausage or chops.
• Kajmak, the clotted dairy spread, is the traditional finish.

Substitutions

• Jarred roasted peppers, drained, which saves the roasting.
• Any grilled or barbecued pork or beef.

Variations

• Made with chicken.
• With mushrooms added.
• Hotter, with more chilli, which is the Leskovac preference.

History

A pepper-and-meat stew from southern Serbia made from leftover grilled meat, shaken together in the pan, which the name describes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mućkalica?

Mućkalica is a soup & stew from Serbia: grilled meat re-stewed with peppers, tomatoes, chili. A pepper-and-meat stew from southern Serbia made from leftover grilled meat, shaken together in the pan, which the name describes.

How long does Mućkalica take to make?

Mućkalica takes 30 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Mućkalica?

Yes, within limits. Jarred roasted peppers, drained, which saves the roasting. Any grilled or barbecued pork or beef.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mućkalica?

Grill the meat rather than frying it. Cut the grilled meat into rough chunks rather than neat cubes. Roast the red peppers over a flame or under a hot grill until the skins are blackened all over.