Romanian Chicken Stew just like mama used to make

I love a stew winter or summer, I wouldn’t have one on a really hot steamy day but here in the UK our summers can be a bit miserable so there are many chances to have a hot warming stew even in the summer months.

 I am writing this at the end of March a few days into spring, it is very cold and we have had a lot of snow, so stews all the year round here are not unusual.

I had a Romanian friend who occasionally cooked me a chicken stew just like her mother cooked back in her home town of Deva. Of course Romanians don't use carrots in cooking and they would normally section a whole chicken, so this is my interpretation.

I loved it so I’m going to share it with you.

You will need:-

1 Onion

3 large carrots

Vegeta  (or 2 vegetable stock cubes)1 small packet of paprika (if you buy a refill box of Schwartz paprika one of the packets is just the right amount)

Plain flour

6 chicken thighs

First of all finely chop the carrots and put them in a pan of water and bring them to the boil.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a saucepan.

Finley chop the onion and put it in the pan on a medium heat.

While that’s going on skin the chicken, I’ve used a pack of thighs and drumsticks which you can buy skinned but they are so easy to skin why bother to pay the extra.

Now the onions should be softened so add the chicken to the pan and keep stirring until it’s browned, then add the whole packet of paprika and stir it in well.

By now the carrots should be about done so tip them into the stew including the water, enough to cover the chicken.

Cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Mix three desert spoons of plain four with a little water in a small jug, make sure you mix it well so that it is smooth with no lumps.

When the 15 minutes is up add the flour mix to the stew and stir well, then add a sprinkle of vegeta, do it a sprinkle at a time tasting as you go ( if you can’t get hold of vegeta a couple of veg stock cubes will do). When you are satisfied stir well, cover and simmer for another 20 minutes and your done.

I like mine with mashed potato, or you can eat it like a genuine Romanian peasant with big wedges of bread.

Enjoy

The Artist Tony Rose

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