Bansko Kapama

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg whole sauerkraut leaves or shredded sauerkraut, drained
• 400 g pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
• 400 g veal or beef shin, cut into large chunks
• 4 chicken thighs, bone in
• 250 g smoked pork ribs
• 200 g coarse country sausage, such as a Bulgarian lukanka or a fresh coil sausage
• 150 g smoked bacon, in one piece
• 150 g long grain rice
• 3 onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 6 allspice berries
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried savory
• 300 ml dry red wine
• 400 ml water or sauerkraut brine
• 3 tbsp lard or sunflower oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 200 g plain flour, for the seal
• 100 ml water, for the seal

Before you cook

• Squeeze the sauerkraut lightly and taste it, then rinse it briefly under cold water if it is very salty.
• Cut the pork shoulder and the veal into five centimetre chunks.
• Cut the smoked bacon into thick lardons.
• Cut the sausage into thick diagonal slices.
• Peel the onions and slice them thinly.
• Peel the garlic and leave the cloves whole.
• Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear, then drain it well.
• Mix the 200 g of flour with the 100 ml of water into a stiff paste and roll it into a long rope for sealing the pot.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 150C.
2. Melt the lard in a frying pan over high heat.
3. Brown the pork and veal chunks in batches for 3 minutes a side, until they have a dark crust, then set them aside.
4. Brown the chicken thighs skin side down for 4 minutes and set them aside.
5. Fry the bacon lardons for 3 minutes until the fat runs.
6. Add the sliced onions to the bacon fat and cook them for 10 minutes until soft.
7. Stir in the paprika off the heat so it does not burn.
8. Spread a third of the sauerkraut over the bottom of a large clay pot or deep casserole.
9. Lay the pork, veal and smoked ribs over the kraut and tuck in half the garlic, bay leaves and allspice.
10. Cover the meat with half the onion mixture and another third of the sauerkraut.
11. Arrange the chicken thighs and the sausage slices on this layer with the rest of the garlic, peppercorns and savory.
12. Scatter the drained rice evenly over the top.
13. Cover everything with the last of the sauerkraut and the remaining onions.
14. Pour the red wine and the water down the side of the pot.
15. Press the rope of flour paste around the rim of the pot and set the lid on top, pressing it down to make an airtight seal.
16. Put the pot in the oven and cook for 5 hours without opening it.
17. Take the pot out and let it stand sealed for 20 minutes.
18. Crack the dough seal open with the back of a knife and lift the lid, standing back from the steam.
19. Taste the juices and add the salt only if it needs it, since the kraut and smoked meats carry plenty.
20. Serve straight from the pot, giving each plate some of every layer.