Tavče gravče, which translates as “beans in a pan,” is a Macedonian classic. Traditionally, large dried white beans called tetovac, named for a city in northwestern Macedonia, are the star of the rustic dish, while onions, garlic, peppers and paprika provide deep, rich flavor and color.
In this recipe from our cookbook “ Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we opted for the convenience of canned butter beans, which are plump, creamy and the best widely available alternative to tetovac beans. If butter beans are difficult to find, cannellini beans work, too.
Combined with sautéed aromatics and baked for an hour with smoked sausages, the beans turn silky-soft and deeply flavorful. Both kielbasa and bratwurst work well. Optional dried mint adds sweet, woody notes that balance the richer flavors.
Don’t forget to reserve 1 1/2 cups of the bean liquid before draining the cans. The liquid is added to the pot and keeps the beans plump and moist during baking. If the amount of liquid from the cans comes up short, make up the difference with water. To ensure enough liquid evaporates during cooking, use a Dutch oven with a wide diameter, ideally between 11 and 12 inches. Finish with chopped flat leaf parsley and serve with crusty bread on the side.
Baked White Beans and Sausages with Paprika, Onions and Sweet Peppers
Start to finish: 1 hour 50 minutes (20 minutes active)
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 medium red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
6 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons dried mint (optional)
Three 15 1/2-ounce cans butter beans (1 1/2 cups liquid reserved), rinsed and drained
2 dried árbol chilies OR ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 to 1¼ pounds smoked sausage, such as kielbasa or bratwurst
¼ cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions:
Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the onions, bell peppers and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, paprika, mint (if using) and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the beans and reserved liquid, árbol chilies and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then nestle the sausages into the pot and drizzle the surface with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Transfer to the oven and bake, without stirring, until the sausages are browned and the beans on the surface are slightly crisped, 1 to 1¼ hours.
Remove the pot from the oven and let stand, uncovered, for about 15 minutes; the bean mixture will thicken as it cools. Transfer the sausages to a cutting board. Cut them into pieces, return them to the pot and stir into the beans. Remove and discard the árbol chilies (if used). Taste and season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the parsley. Serve from the pot.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For more recipes, go to Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street at 177milkstreet.com/ap
Christopher Kimball, The Associated Press
