Dagara a lamb and beef vegetable stew carries a legend that a wise woman once saved her husband from a curse with this decadent broth. Renowned for its richness, each layer of ingredients adds a new dimension of taste. Shall we?
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Background
Dagara (tagara) is a comforting and hearty stew. It achieves a depth of flavor from the variety of vegetables, including potatoes, Romano beans, and carrots that are stewed alongside tender meats.
It's a dish similar to Bosnian pot stew, except, the meat is first seared on the stovetop and then stewed in the oven with veggies. Not only is this stew exceptionally delicious, but it also comes with an intriguing backstory.
Once upon a time, in the small town of Ključ (Bosnia and Herzegovina), there lived two best friends, Meho and Haso.
Meho and Haso had known each other since birth. They were inseparable. What Meho did, Haso did too. They even got married around the same time.
One evening, Meho's wife cooked a delicious, nameless meal. It was a hearty warm stew filled with the freshest vegetables and succulent meats. Haso loved it so much, that right away he asked for the recipe, so his wife too could make this amazing dish.
Meho exploded! Years of hidden resentment came out.
He was furious that Haso imitated him his entire life. It's not that they did things together. It's that Meho did something, and Haso had to do it too. It had to stop!
Haso was shocked! How could Meho, a friend so great he could not help but emulate, be so cruel? He grabbed his wife and left, cursing Meho to "only eat dagara (tagara) with cows from this day on!"
After he cooled off Meho tried to smooth things over, but Haso wouldn't hear of it! As a result, Meho started having nightmares about Haso's curse. He finally confided in his wife.
This wise woman quickly solved the dilemma by naming her nameless meal dagara (tagara). This way Meho would still get to eat dagara, even if he did end up eating with the cows.
(Oh and dagara (tagara) also came to be the name for the clay pot in which the dish is baked!)
Ingredients
- Veal or Beef Cutlets: sirloin and chuck also work.
- Lamb Chops or Lamb Ribs.
- Potatoes: Yukon gold or Russett.
- Green beans: flat Romano green beans are preferred, but the round ones will work too.
- Garlic: a few cloves or a smaller garlic head are your options.
- Onion: a large yellow or white onion works. Avoid red onion.
- Peppers: bell peppers work great, especially red and yellow. Substitute with local green or yellow babura peppers, Italian sweet peppers, or bull's horn red peppers.
- Seasonings: stock powder, Vegeta, or bouillon cube are the best choice, together with salt and pepper.
- Oil: most oils, ghee, or lard will work. Avoid olive oil.
- Butter.
Instructions
Here are our instructions for making dagara (tagara), our lamb and beef vegetable stew.
Step 1. Preheat oven. Season meat.
Step 2. Sear meat.
Step 3. Layer meat and veggies in a clay pot, bakeware, or a baking pan.
Step 4. Bake.
Recipe FAQs
Almost all vegetables are good in a stew!
There is no wrong way to make a stew, but it's easier to start with root veggies like carrots, potatoes, radishes, turnips, etc. Garlic and onion are always a great way to begin stewing, while tomatoes add a certain acidity and a nice juice to any broth.
In the beginning, stay away from leafy greens and cruciferous veggies until you get a good handle on stews. These are nice additions but should be added at the end of cooking, as they tend to turn to mush.
While almost every meat works in stews, red meat works best. Due to its texture and taste, red meat adds a certain heartiness to a stew.
People from every country in the world have at least one stew in their cuisine. Stews are as old as the fire itself.
There is a saying in the Balkans that every day one needs to eat something with a spoon. This is something people adhere to religiously.
Stews aid gut health and immunity. They keep you warm and cool you down. They're the most perfect food containing an incredible amount of micronutrients and macronutrients in one bowl.
Additionally, you don't need a lot of ingredients to make the perfect broth. Sometimes even the scraps will work. This is why stews are beloved.
Handling
Serving: Eat as warm as you can handle! Serve with homemade bread, pogacha, or mini fried breads. A side salad is nice too!
Storing: Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
Reheating: Reheat using your preferred method. Add a little bit of broth or hot water if needed.
Freezing: Cool down completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months, but beware that some of the taste will be lost. Let thaw at room temp, then reheat.
Other Stew Ideas
If you're a broth person, you'll love some of our Balkan stews.
Thoughts?
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Prijatno, Dobar Tek, and Bon Appetit!
Lamb, Beef and Vegetable Stew (Dagara, Tagara)
Equipment
- 1 clay pot, glassware, or baking pan if using an unglazed clay pot, soak it ahead of time
Ingredients
- 4-6 beef or veal cutlets smaller, alternatively use chuck, round, or sirloin, cut into chunks
- 1 pound lamb ribs or chops you'll have 3 pounds of meat in total (about 1.5 kilograms)
- 2-4 tablespoons stock powder or Vegeta, or 2-3 crushed bouillon cubes
- salt and black pepper to taste
- Oil for searing and seasoning
- 4 potatoes large, Russet, or Yukon gold; peeled and quartered
- .5-1 pound green beans preferably flat green beans, ends cut off
- 5-6 whole garlic cloves peeled
- 1 yellow or white onion large, quartered
- 3-4 bell peppers large, or local babura or Italian sweet peppers, or bull's horn peppers; deseeded, and quartered
- 2 tablespoons butter sliced
- 2-3 carrots large, peeled, cut into sticks
- (Optional) 1-2 cups boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 480°F (250°C). Season meat with 1 tablespoon of oil, salt, and black pepper. Let it sit for 5 minutes. (You should have about 3 pounds of meat in total)
- Heat plenty of oil in a frying pan over high heat. Once it's sizzling, brown meat on each side for approximately 2-4 minutes per side. (You may have to do it in batches. Later batches will need less time as the oil gets hotter.) Remove meat from the pan, and pour the remaining oil into the pan you plan to use for baking (a clay pot is preferred, but use what you have).
- Layer ingredients in the pot in the following order: onion, garlic, meat, peppers, potatoes, carrots and beans. Top with butter. Optionally add one to two cups of boiling water. Cover tightly with a lid, or foil (pierce it in a few places so some of the steam can escape). Bake for 30 minutes.
- Lower heat to 390°F (200°C) and bake an additional 30-45 minutes.
- Serve with homemade bread. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat using your preferred method, or in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 10-15 minutes. Add liquid if necessary. Reheat only once! Freeze up to 2 months after it cools down completely, in an airtight container. Thaw at room temp, then reheat (once!). Some taste will be lost.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition Info
- Video
Branka says
Looks delicious, I'll have to try this one out immediately.
Thanks for sharing!
Aida says
Anytime Branka 🙂