Turlitava – Vegetable and Meat Stew

Turlitava is a combination of the Turkish terms meaning "mixed" (Turli) and "pottery dish" (Tava). Traditional ingredients include potato, eggplant, okra, green bean, pepper, courgette, tomato, onion, carrot, and garlic. Two varieties of meat, usually beef, lamb, or pork, are combined in the same baking pot. Potato pieces and slices, paprika, eggplants, peppers, okras, tomatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, and courgette make up the dish. These components are cooked together before being baked in the oven. Simply leave out the beef for a vegetarian version. In either case, you'll receive a tasty, filling, and nutritious turlitava.

Turlitava is a colorful, nutritious, and simple to prepare dinner. It is prepared in an earthenware pot, as are other traditional Macedonian recipes. This isn't necessary because it may be cooked in any casserole dish or iron pot with any vegetable combination. The dish's name is derived from the Turkish terms turli, which means "mixed," and tava, which is an earthenware pot.

Ingredients

• 1 lb mix of meat beef, lamb, or pork cut into chunks, 2 tsp sea salt ground, ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground, 1 medium onion peeled and chopped roughly, 3 cloves garlic minced, 2 medium potatoes chopped roughly (peeled or unpeeled), 2 medium carrots chopped roughly, 1 medium eggplant chopped roughly, 2 red or green peppers seeds removed and chopped, 1 large tomato roughly chopped, 1½ cup okra ends chopped off, 1 Tbsp paprika, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ cup water, 1 bunch parsley roughly chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
• Top and tail the okra and blanch for 1 minute in salted water, rinse, drain, and set aside.
• Season the meat chunks to taste with salt and pepper. Place inside the baking dish.
• Mix in all the chopped vegetables and the okra.
• Add olive oil and water and mix well.
• Put in the oven and cook uncovered for an hour and 30 minutes.
• Stir two or three times while baking.
• Remove from the oven. Let the dish stand for 15 minutes.
• Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.