Tavče Gravče

Ingredients

• 500 g dried large white flat beans, such as tetovac, corona or butter beans
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, for soaking
• 500 g onions
• 150 ml sunflower oil
• 4 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 3 dried red peppers, or 2 fresh red chillies
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 large bunch of fresh mint, or 2 tsp dried mint
• 3 fresh green peppers

Before you cook

• Rinse the beans, cover them with cold water by ten centimetres, stir in the bicarbonate of soda and leave them to soak overnight.
• Drain the soaked beans and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water.
• Peel the onions and slice them into thin half moons.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic.
• Deseed the fresh green peppers and cut them into wide strips.
• Strip the mint leaves from their stalks and chop them.

Steps

1. Put the drained beans in a large pot with the bay leaves and peppercorns and cover them with cold water by five centimetres.
2. Bring the pot to the boil and cook hard for 5 minutes.
3. Drain the beans, discard the water and return the beans to the pot.
4. Cover them again with fresh cold water and bring back to the boil.
5. Turn the heat down and simmer the beans for 50 to 70 minutes, until they are tender but still holding their shape.
6. Drain the beans, keeping three cupfuls of the cooking liquid.
7. Heat the oven to 200C.
8. Pour the sunflower oil into a frying pan and set it over medium heat.
9. Add the sliced onions and cook them for 20 minutes, stirring often, until they are soft, sweet and pale gold.
10. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
11. Take the pan off the heat and let the oil cool for 1 minute so the paprika will not scorch.
12. Stir the sweet paprika, hot paprika and flour into the onions until the mixture is thick and rust coloured.
13. Tip the beans into a wide earthenware or cast iron dish.
14. Scrape the onion and paprika mixture over the beans and fold everything together gently.
15. Stir in the salt, most of the mint and enough of the reserved bean liquid to come just level with the beans.
16. Push the dried red peppers and the green pepper strips into the top of the beans.
17. Bake for 40 minutes, until the surface is dark and crusted and the liquid has sunk to the bottom third of the dish.
18. Scatter the rest of the mint over the top.
19. Rest the dish for 10 minutes and serve straight from the pan with bread.