The tochitura recipe is a traditional Romanian or Moldavian stew made with pork sausage and meat, cheese, and eggs. It is typically served with polenta.
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Although Tochitura, served with eggs, cheese, and polenta, is a traditional Romanian dish with regional variations, this was my first time trying it. I had heard the name Tochitura before and always thought it might be made with ground meat.
But itโs not! Instead, it features cubed pork and chopped sausages in a tomato sauce, topped with a fried egg and plenty of cheese.
Check out more Romanian pork recipes, such as Romanian Potato Moussaka, Pork in Tomato Sauce, or Romanian Meatball Soup.
Recipe ingredients
Pork: I used pork neck, but other cuts of pork should be fine as well. Don't choose something very lean; fattier parts are better.
Sausages: Tochitura is usually made with traditional Romanian sausages. Use coarsely ground sausages, preferably smoked.
Fat: Traditionally, you would always use lard to make this Romanian sausage stew or tochitura. If you don't want to buy lard just to make one dish, use vegetable oil (like sunflower) instead. No olive oil; it just doesn't fit when cooking traditional Romanian food.
- Use the rest of the lard to make an Apricot Jam Cake or Beigli.
Cheese: Traditionally, branza de burduf is a sharp and delicious cheese made of sheep's milk. As you will hardly find that outside Romania, feta cheese (preferably sheep) would make a good substitute. These Romanian Cheese Pies are also traditionally filled with burduf cheese.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make tochitura?
- Step #1: Sear the seasoned meat cubes until brown on all sides (in two batches if necessary).
- Step #2: Add chopped onions, salt, and water, and simmer gently until the meat is quite tender.
- Start cooking the polenta or mamaliga now.
- Step #3: Add the sausages, garlic, tomato paste, and bay leaves to the pan. Pour in the white wine, cover, and cook until the meat is very tender and the sausages are cooked through. Adjust the taste.
- Step #4: Fry the eggs in a large pan.
Storage
Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
How to serve tochitura?
Divide the stew between four serving dishes, add a fried egg to each dish, and crumble some cheese on top of each plate. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot with polenta and pickled vegetables, such as green tomato pickles.
Romanian Tochitura Recipe
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet or another large frying pan
- Another pan for the eggs
Ingredients
Tochitura:
- 1 lb pork neck 500 g, Note 1
- 1 tablespoon lard or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 4 small pork sausages preferably coarsely-ground and smoked, Note 2
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup dry white wine 250 ml
To serve:
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3.5 oz feta cheese 100 g, Note 3
- parsley fresh and chopped
- polenta
- pickled vegetables
Instructions
- Chop the pork into rather small cubes. Pat them dry with paper towels.1 lb pork neck/ 500 g
- Brown pork cubes: Melt the lard or heat the oil in the pan. Brown the meat all over. Do this in two batches if necessary, don't overcrowd the pan. 1 tablespoon lard
- Add onion: Return all the meat cubes to the pan and add the finely chopped onion and about ยฝ teaspoon salt.1 large onion
- Simmer pork: Add ยผ of cup water, cover, and cook gently for about 20 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add a splash of water or so if necessary, if you notice that the dish becomes too dry.
- Start cooking soft polenta or mamaliga now.
- Add sausages: Cut the sausages into slices, about 0.5 inch/ 1 cm thick. Chop the garlic finely. Add the sausages, garlic, tomato paste, bay leaves, and wine to the pan.4 small pork sausages + 3 garlic cloves + 2 tablespoons tomato paste + 2 bay leaves + 1 cup dry white wine/ 250 ml
- Simmer tochitura: Cover again, and continue cooking for 10 minutes or so until the meat is very tender and the sausages are cooked through. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
- Fry the eggs: In the meantime, heat the vegetable oil and fry the eggs in a large pan.2 tablespoons vegetable oil + 4 eggs
- Serve tochitura: Divide the stew between four serving dishes, add a fried egg and some cheese on top. Sprinkle parsley over the dish and serve hot with polenta and pickled vegetables. 3.5 oz feta cheese/ 100 g + parsley
Notes
- Pork: I used pork neck, but other pork cuts work, too. Avoid very lean cuts; fattier parts are better.
- Sausages: Tochitura is typically made with traditional Romanian sausages. Use coarsely ground, preferably smoked, sausages.
- Cheese: Traditionally, brรขnzฤ de burduf is a sharp, delicious sheepโs milk cheese from Romania. If you canโt find it, sheepโs milk feta cheese is a good substitute.
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Nutrition
Lakshmi Balakrishnan says
Can I substitute the pork neck with some other part? It's hard for me to find pork neck.
Adina says
Hi Lakshmi. Yes, you can take other parts of pork, but they should not be too lean.
saviana says
pork belly
Sissi says
Sometimes one has to forget about calories... And I bet it's easy once we taste such a delicious-looking dish!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
Oh wow, this looks absolutely delicious, girlie! I'm loving the cheese and egg on top of the stew! Super cozy and perfect for fall or winter! Cheers!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
This looks so comforting and love the addition of polenta in there (and cheese....and egg) - awesome recipe, Adina! Bet this would be lovely on a cold day!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
It looks very hearty and delicious!