TAVCHE GRAVCHE (BAKED BEANS DISH)

Baked beans or tavche gravche is a traditional Macedonian dish which is made in a traditional clay pots. It's one of the most famous Macedonian dishes, healthy and easy to prepare. Tavce gravce literally means ‘beans cooked in a pan’, the ‘pan’ part coming from the Turkish word, ‘tava’. The name harks back to the legacy of food preparation in the area that revolved around open flames, with grilled meats yoking the tradition of social cook-ups – cuts of pork grilling over open coals, and stews bubbling for hours, days in clay pots and dutch ovens.



Ingredients:

• 500 gr beans
• 1 onion  
• 1 clove garlic 
• 1 tbs paprika
• oil
• salt
• black pepper
• fresh parsley
• mint 
• bay leaf 
• 2-3 hot peppers (vezeni)

Preparation:

1. First we clean and wash the beans and then we put them in a pot with water to stand overnight, so beans soften better. 
2. Once the beans stayed overnight, pour out water and pour in fresh, and put the pot to cook on lower temperature. After the first boil,  pour out water again,  wash the beans and fill with fresh water (around 2-3 fingers above the beans), add black pepper and bay leaf.  Be careful about the amount of water in the pot while cooking, it should be neither too little nor too much. Once you cook the beans, add hot peppers, so they could slightly soften while cooking. 
3. Put the finely chopped onion in a frying pаn and add some oil. Fry it for a while, then add the finely chopped garlic and the paprika. 
4. Cook for a while. Pour beans into clay pot, add the mixture from the frying pan, then add salt and stir. 
5. Put in the oven to bake for a while just to catch crust and some color. The beans should not be dry. After baking, add some dried mint on top and decorate with one bunch of fresh mint and fresh parsley.
6. How to serve: Tavche gravche is served hot and can be served in combination with kjofte, sausage, bacon and ribs or fish. I recommend a cabbage salad with this dish.

Enjoy!