Croatian Army Beans Recipes

CROATIAN ARMY BEANS

Steps:

• Soak beans overnight in water. Wash the beans and put it in fresh cold water unit it boils. Cook it for 10 minutes, change the water, and cook for more 20-30 minutes. Remove beans and put it in cold water.
• Melt the lard in the pot and add the sliced onion. Sauté the onion until it is soft. Add minced pancetta and sauté it for 5 more minutes, than add garlic. Sauté it for 1-2 minutes and add flour. Sauté it until the flour is slightly brown and than add paprika and chilli.
• Add water gently and make a cream of all ingredients. Than add beans and bay leaf and water to cover the beans. Cook for 1 hour on very gently fire. (in Croatia we have special sausages "cesnjovke" which we put in this beans and cook all together, but you can put any kind of smoked, dried meat - pork or beef).
• Very important to know is that you do not add chilli or any kind of hot paprika afterwards. Hot paprika must be cooked from the very beginning or you will suffer from very bad digestive process. We in Croatia always drink alcohol if we eat something hot, otherwise, you'll also have very bad digestive process. This meal is very good during cold winter, it renews your strength.

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 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.

CROATIAN BAKED BEANS CASSEROLE ("ZAPECENI GRAH")

Steps:

• Soak beans day before cooking.
• In the morning, cook beans until soft, do not overcook it.
• Slice leek into thin slices across and sauté it on lard until softens. Add flour and some water to make creamy liquid. Add paprika (hot and sweet), stir and add beans. Add water and stir. Cook just until boils. Remove from fire.
• Slice tomato into round slices. Slice Pepper into round slices. Slice pancetta thin.
• Take clay pot and put some this pancetta slices on the bottom. Pour all beans over. On the top arrange tomato slices, pepper slices and over all pancetta slices. Usually, ingredients on the top depends on season: if there is no tomatoes, than no tomatoes. Bake in hot oven on 180°C about 30 minutes, or when you see crusty top.