Croatian Army Beans Recipes

NORTH CROATIAN BEANS SOUP

Steps:

• After soaking beans overnight, cook beans until soft. Drain the beans and put aside two teaspoons of whole beans.
• Make puree out of all other beans using blender (or whatever you use). Finely mince onion, garlic and bacon.
• Melt lard in a cooking pot and sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and bacon and sauté it not more than 2 minutes.
• Add flour and brown it but not too much. Add cold water and make creamy liquid.
• Add hot and sweet paprika and stir.
• Add beans puree and whole beans, stir. Add bay leaf and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Add water and cook about 45 minutes.
• Before serving taste the soup, if it is not sour you may drop few drops of vinegar (if you do cook for more 5 minutes). Add sour cream and parsley leaves and serve.

NORTH CROATIAN BEANS AND PEAR BARLEY STEW (RICHET)

Steps:

• Day before soak beans in cold water.
• On D-day change the water and cook beans until almost done.
• Finely slice garlic and bacon and put it in a pot. Melt lard and fry flour until brownish together with garlic and bacon.
• Add paprika and cold water to make creamy mixture.
• Wash barley and add into the pot together with drained beans.
• Add bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and cook for 30 more minutes or until beans and buckwheat are soft.
• This meal must be almost like thick soup and not too hot.

NORTH CROATIAN FRENCH BEANS STEW ("CUSPAJZ OD MAHUNA")

Steps:

• Clean the French beans and cut into 5 cm long pieces.
• Boil the water and put French beans into boiling water and cook not more than 10 minutes. Drain the beans and put aside.
• During this melt lard and saute finely minced onion, than add flour and fry flour (not too much) with finely minced garlic. Add cold water and stir until you get creamy mixture, add paprika, salt pepper and vinegar. Add some more water, heat it and add French beans.
• Cover with water and cook until beans are soft or 30 minutes. At the end add sour cream, stir and serve.