JANIJA - OLD MACEDONIAN STEW

The name derives from the covered clay pot in which it was originally cooked, literally meaning "store of food". Different varieties of this dish are spread in Asia and all countries that were under the Ottoman Empire reaching the Balkans too. This dish has practically no limit in terms of variants, everyone makes it in their own way. You can prepare it with or without meat.
Ingredients:

• 1 kg veal or beef (you can also use chicken meat)
• 2 onions
• 2-3 chopped carrots
• 1 green pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 kg potatoes
• 1 tsp red pepper
• 1 tsp flour
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• cooking oil

Preparation:

1. Cut meat into large pieces and put in a pot on a heated oil to fry a bit. When meat gets some color on all sides, remove from the fire and put aside.
2. Put the chopped onion and green pepper to fry on the same oil. Add salt and black pepper and fry until the onion is completely soft. Add 1 spoon of tomato puree and stir.
3. Return fried meat in the pot, add chopped carrots and cover all with water and leave to cook until meat is soft. Occasionally add water.
4. When meat is almost cooked, add peeled and cut into cubes potatoes. Add one of the potatoes grated, it will thicken the stew.
5. When meat and potatoes are cooked, add cold roux of one tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of red ground pepper mixed with a little water. Add in stew and mix, cook a bit to thicken, then remove pot from fire.

Enjoy!