Tochitură
(toh-kee-TOO-rah)
Mămăligă Suppers (Polenta, Pork & Skillets)
Tochitură isn't a delicate Sunday braise. Born from the winter pig slaughter, true tochitură is a masterclass in rendering fat—the name itself means 'to melt.' By trading a massive cast-iron cauldron for a cast-iron skillet and dicing supermarket pork shoulder small, the pork fat pops in twenty minutes on a random Tuesday. Serve it the only legal way: over steaming supermarket cornmeal, crowned with a runny egg fried in the leftover drippings and a mountain of salty sheep's milk cheese.
Before you start
Prepare the mămăligă.
While the pork simmers, whisk the cornmeal into the boiling salted water, drop the heat to low, and stir frequently for 20 minutes until thick and pulling away from the sides of the pot, finishing with the butter.
Fry the eggs.
Just before serving, fry four eggs sunny-side up in a separate pan; the yolks must be runny to properly mix with the pan juices and polenta.
Ingredients
- thick-cut smoked bacon4 oz
- boneless pork shoulder1 lb
- smoked kielbasa1/2 lb
- chicken livers1/4 lb
- yellow onion1 med
- garlic6 large
- dry white wine1/2 cup
- chicken broth1/2 cup
- tomato paste2 tbsp
- dried thyme1 tsp
- sweet paprika1 tsp
- bay leaf1 med
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- medium-grind yellow cornmeal1 cup
- water4 cup
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- large eggs4 large
- sheep's milk feta1 cup
Method
- 01
Render the bacon fat.
Place a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, add the bacon lardons, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until crispy, removing the meat with a slotted spoon but leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
- 02
Sear the pork hard.
Pat the cubed pork shoulder dry, add it to the hot bacon fat in an even layer, and leave undisturbed for 3 minutes to build a dark crust before stirring to brown the other sides.
- 03
Build the aromatic base.
Lower the heat, add the chopped onion to the pork, and sauté until translucent before blooming the paprika and thyme for thirty seconds.
- 04
Deglaze and braise.
Pour in the white wine, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, then stir in the tomato paste, chicken broth, and bay leaf.
- 05
Simmer to tenderize.
Drop the heat to low, cover tightly with a lid, and simmer for 20 minutes to rapidly tenderize the small cuts of pork.
- 06
Fold in the cooked and cured meats.
Uncover the pan, add the sliced kielbasa, crispy bacon bits, and chicken livers, simmering uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes until the sauce coats the meat and the livers are cooked through but still tender.
- 07
Finish with garlic off the heat.
Turn off the stove and fold in the minced garlic, allowing it to steep into the sauce without turning bitter, then season with salt and heavy black pepper.
- 08
Crown with an egg and cheese.
Ladle the rich pork over hot polenta, top with a fried, runny egg, and shower aggressively with the crumbled feta.
Notes
The tomato rule.
Do not treat this as a stew. The tomato paste is solely an umami enhancer; the dish relies on the pan-sauce of rendered fats, wine, and meat juices.
Chicken liver substitute.
Traditional recipes use pork offal, but chicken livers are highly accessible in American supermarkets and provide that mandatory, earthy depth.
From Cook Romanian in America.