Bansko-style layered meats with sauerkraut (Banska kapama)

1. Cut the pork neck into large cubes, halve the chicken thighs at the joint and cut the sausage into thick rounds; salt the meats and sprinkle with half the paprika and the whole peppercorns.

2. Shred the sauerkraut and mix it with the washed rice and remaining paprika.

3. Pour oil into the bottom of a large earthenware pot (or heavy lidded casserole) and layer: sauerkraut and rice, meats, bay leaves, sauerkraut and rice again, and so on, finishing with sauerkraut.

4. Add enough water to just cover the sauerkraut, drizzle the top with the remaining oil and cover tightly (in Bansko the lid is sealed with a strip of dough to keep the steam in).

5. Bake in an oven preheated to 160 °C for 3½ hours without stirring once.

6. Serve hot in the pot with fresh bread.

Tip: Banska kapama is the Christmas and New Year dish of Bansko in the Pirin mountains; originally blood sausage and rabbit go in too. The slower it cooks, the more tender the meat.