Tavče Gravče is a traditional North Macedonian recipe for a classic dish of white beans baked with vegetables and chillies into a hearty stew. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic North Macedonian version of: Tavče Gravče.
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Tavče gravče is a national dish of Macedonia prepared from white beans in a vegetable base that's traditionally baked in wood oven with other vegetables.
Ingredients:
185g dry white beans
½ tsp baking soda
3 red onions, sliced
1 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
4 garlic cloves
2 green chillies, finely chopped
2 red bell peppers, sliced
3 onions, sliced
2 yellow bell peppers, sliced
1 tbsp paprika
½ bunch coriander
250ml sunflower oil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp chilli powder
A few mint leaves
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Pick over and then was the beans. Place in a large bowl, cover with plenty of water (with 1/2 tsp baking soda) and set aside to soak over night.
Drain the beans, place in a large pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Drain the beans, discarding the water then place back in the pan, cover with water and bring to a boil again.
In the meantime, place a stewing pan over medium heat. Add in 1/4 of the oil and use to fry 2 of the garlic cloves (crushed). Cook for 90 seconds then add one chilli pepper, half of the paprika, a few slices of colourful bell peppers. Drain the beans once more and add to the stockpot along with 1/3 of the chilli powder. Season with salt and cover and cook on medium-high heat for about 2 hours or until the beans are soft and creamy.
Keep checking on the beans, stir often, and keep adding warm water as needed. When the beans are cooked, drain the liquid from the beans and set aside for use later.
Fry the onions in 1/4 of the oil, add salt, chilli powder and the flour and simmer for 10 minutes.
Fry the final 2 cloves of garlic in the remaining oil, along with the remainder of the bell peppers, the paprika, and the remaining chilli pepper for 15 minutes.
Pre-heat your oven at 100C and transfer the beans into a baking dish or earthenware pot, but add beans last - add all the fried ingredients as layers.
Bake the bean mixture in the oven at 200C for 30 minutes or until thick. Let the beans cool and serve with pita bread, or sourdough.
In an earthenware pot or a glass baking dish, add the fourth quarter of the oil in the bottom. Pour over the reserved bean cooking liquid and bake for 3 hours.
When ready, sprinkle chopped coriander and mint on top. Serve as an accompaniment.
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