Bujta repa

Ingredients

Turnip

• 800 gsour turnip, kisla repa, drained
• or 800 g fresh turnip and 200 ml sauerkraut juice

Pork

• 600 gpork, from several cuts: belly, ribs, shoulder, skin
• 150 gsmoked bacon or pork skin

Base

• 2onions, chopped
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 80 glard
• 2 tbspplain flour
• 1 tbspsweet paprika
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tspcaraway seeds

Also

• 1.5 litreswater or pork stock
• 150 gmillet or barley, optional
• salt and black pepper

To serve

• with dark bread
• and a glass of local wine

Directions

1. Taste the sour turnip before cooking. If it is very sharp, rinse it briefly, and if it is mild, use it unrinsed with some of its brine.
2. Simmer the pork in water with bay and caraway for about an hour. Skim the surface as scum rises in the first fifteen minutes. Keep the cooking liquid, which is the base of the stew.
3. Melt the lard and fry the chopped onion until soft and golden, which takes fifteen minutes. Stir in the flour and cook it for two or three minutes to a pale golden roux. Now the paprika, and the rule about it.
4. Take the pan off the heat before the paprika goes in. Paprika burns within seconds in hot fat and turns irredeemably bitter, which is the standard way to ruin a Central European stew.
5. Stir it in off the heat and add liquid almost immediately. Whisk the roux into the pork and its cooking liquid. Add the drained sour turnip and the garlic. Simmer everything gently for another hour.
6. Add it for the last thirty minutes and stir occasionally so it does not settle and catch. Now the consistency, which should be thick. Add water if it has reduced too far, and cook it down further if it is thin. Taste it: it should be clearly sour, rich and smoky at once.
7. Add a little of the turnip brine if it needs sharpening, or a spoonful of sugar if it is too sharp. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Crush the seeds lightly before adding them. Let it stand off the heat for twenty minutes before serving. Serve it in deep bowls with dark bread.

Technique

• Sour turnip is lactic fermented in brine, exactly as sauerkraut is.
• It is made with several pork cuts, including skin, from the annual slaughter.
• The paprika goes in off the heat, since it burns in seconds.

Substitutions

• Sauerkraut in place of sour turnip, which is close in character.
• Oil in place of lard, though lard is traditional.

Variations

• With millet added, which is traditional in Prekmurje.
• Made with more smoked pork, for a stronger flavour.
• Made without meat, as a lean version.

History

Prekmurje dish of sour turnip cooked with pork from the annual slaughter; bujta refers to the killed pig.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bujta repa?

Bujta repa is a soup & stew from Slovenia: sour turnip and pork stew from pig-slaughter feasts. Prekmurje dish of sour turnip cooked with pork from the annual slaughter; bujta refers to the killed pig.

How long does Bujta repa take to make?

Bujta repa takes 20 min of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Bujta repa?

Yes, within limits. Sauerkraut in place of sour turnip, which is close in character. Oil in place of lard, though lard is traditional.