Tavče Gravče

Tavče Gravče means beans in a baking dish, and the dish must be made of clay. There are many variations; to the basic recipe, you can add various vegetables and meat. But lets not forget that this is a Macedonian, hence Balkan, recipe.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 15 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 120 minutes
  • Difficulty: 2
  • Spiciness: 1
  • Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 500 g Beans, grains

  • 1 piece Spices, bay (leaves)

  • 3 spoons Oil, plant, sunflower

  • 2 piece Onion, raw

  • 3 pods Garlic, fresh

  • 1 spoon Wheat flour, white, multi-purpose

  • 1 piece Chili peppers, red chili, dried

  • 1 twig Mint

  • 1 spoon Spices, paprika

  • 0.5 teaspoons Spices, pepper, black

  • 1 teaspoon Salt, table

Steps

  1. Drain the soaked beans. Place them in a pot and cover with cold water, about 3 to 4 cm above the beans. Add a bay leaf and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and simmer the beans slowly for 1.5 hours or until they become tender. Be careful not to overcook the beans, as the grains should remain whole. Add more water if needed during cooking. The dish should be thick like a stew.

  2. Peel and finely chop the garlic and onion. Wash the mint sprig, shake it dry, and pluck the leaves, then finely chop them. Clean the chili pepper (remove the stem and seeds) and chop it. Heat oil in a pan, then sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and flour, and cook while stirring for another minute, then mix everything into the beans. Stir in the paprika, chili pepper, and mint. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Bring the dish to a boil.

  3. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a clay baking dish. Transfer the bean mixture into the dish. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the dish becomes quite thick. Tavče Gravče will thicken further as it cools.

  4. Serve in the baking dish, accompanied by homemade flatbread.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 264.43 kcal
  • Fat: 3.65 g
    • Saturated Fat: 0.37 g
  • Carbohydrates: 42.51 g
    • Sugars: 2.92 g
  • Protein: 14.62 g
  • Fiber: 10.11 g

Advice

In summer, you can add chopped tomatoes and fresh peppers to the dish. The dish can also be enhanced with the addition of smoked meat. Instead of fresh mint, you can use dried mint or substitute it with parsley.