Tavče gravče
North Macedonia’s national dish: large white beans stewed with onion, paprika and dried pepper, finished in the oven in a clay pot until a crust forms.
Ingredients
- 500 g large white beans (soaked overnight)
- 2 onions
- 2 dried red peppers (or 1 fresh red one)
- 2 tablespoons of sweet paprika
- 1 dried chilli
- 4 tablespoons of oil
- Dried mint, salt and pepper
How to make it at home
- Cook the beans in fresh water with a dried pepper and half an onion for 1 hour, until tender.
- Soften the rest of the onion, chopped, in the oil, take it off the heat and add the paprika.
- Mix the onion with the beans and a little of their liquid, with the mint, chilli, salt and pepper.
- Transfer to a clay pot and lay the other pepper in strips on top.
- Bake at 200 °C for about 40 minutes, until a crust forms and the liquid thickens.
The trick: The clay pot (tavče) gives the dish both its name and its crust.