Bulgaria: Kavarma

I still remember when I fell in love with the idea of combining cooked food with raw vegetables. It was the first time I ever had Pad Thai, during college. The crunch of the bean sprouts with the noodles was phenomenal. Since that day, I've stopped throwing the garnishes to the side.
Kavarma, a popular Bulgarian stew-like dish, is another nice combination of cooked and raw. It's also a nice compliment to a cozy Sunday evening out of the cold Seattle rain.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless pork, cut into bite-size cubes
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 leeks, chopped
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1.5 tsp. paprika
1.5 tsp. salt
1.5 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup parsley. chopped

Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a large pan.
Step 2: Add pork pieces and brown on all sides.
Step 3: Remove pork pieces from pan and set aside.
Step 4: Add leeks to the pan and cook until they begin to brown.
Step 5: Return pork to pan, along with tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, chicken broth and water.
Step 6: Stir and bring to a boil.
Step 7: Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce thickens (about 20 minutes).
Step 8: Serve topped with chopped onion and parsley.