Balkan Turli Tava | Hearty Oven Casserole

Preheat the oven to 200 °C top/bottom heat (180 °C fan). Pat the pork neck dry and cut into approx. 3 cm cubes. Peel the potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces. Wash the eggplant and pointed peppers, deseed the peppers, and cut both into approx. 2 to 3 cm cubes. Peel and finely chop the yellow onions and garlic cloves.

Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan or Dutch oven. Sear the pork neck cubes in batches from all sides over high heat until browned all over. Season with a little table salt and black pepper, then remove the meat and place directly into a large casserole dish or a traditional clay baking dish (tava).

In the remaining cooking fat, sauté the finely chopped onions and garlic over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Briefly stir in the sweet paprika powder and dried oregano until they release their full aroma. Deglaze with the chopped canned tomatoes and vegetable broth, bring briefly to a boil, and season to taste with a pinch of salt and pepper.