Fasting Bean Stew with Dried Hot Peppers

Preparation

1. Preparing the Beans

Drain and rinse the beans that have been soaking in cold water overnight. Transfer to a large pot (4–5 litre capacity) and cover with fresh cold water — the water should sit at least 5 cm above the beans.

Bring to the boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove from the heat, drain and rinse again — this is the so-called first cook, which removes compounds that cause bloating. Cover with fresh cold water and continue cooking.

2. Cooking the Beans

Cook the beans in fresh water over medium-high heat with the bay leaves and carrot. Cook for 45–60 minutes until the beans are tender but not falling apart. The bean is done when it can be easily squashed between two fingers. Add salt only at the end of cooking — salt added at the start toughens the skins.

Add the dried hot peppers to the pot for the last 20 minutes of cooking — they cook in the broth and impart their aroma and gentle heat.

3. Making the Soffritto

In a frying pan, heat 5 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped onion and fry, stirring, for 8–10 minutes until golden-yellow and soft. Add the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the sweet paprika and stir immediately — paprika must never be fried directly over heat as it burns and turns bitter. The residual heat of the pan is enough to activate the aroma.

Add the tomato purée to the pan, stir and return to a low heat for another 2–3 minutes.

4. Combining and Final Cooking

Pour the fried onion mixture with paprika and tomato into the pot of cooked beans. Stir well. Taste and add salt as needed. Cook for a further 15–20 minutes over low heat, uncovered, so the flavours meld and the stew thickens slightly.

Thickness is a matter of taste — if too thick, add a little water. If too thin, mash a small portion of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon and stir — a natural thickener.

5. Serving

Serve hot in deep bowls or small dishes. The dried hot pepper can be left in the bowl as a garnish, or removed before serving if you prefer less heat. The classic accompaniments are pickled cucumbers, pickled peppers or a slice of homemade bread. On a Slava table, bean stew is traditionally served as one of the first fasting dishes.

Tips

Which beans to use: borlotti (tetovac) — larger, speckled — is the traditional Serbian bean with the most intense flavour. White (Vojvodina) beans are milder. Borlotti and cannellini are excellent alternatives and easy to find. Avoid canned beans for this stew — the texture and flavour are not the same.

Dried hot peppers: if you cannot tolerate heat, replace the dried hot peppers with dried sweet (babura) peppers — you get the aroma without the spice. A combination of 1 hot + 2 sweet is a good compromise for families with children.

Smoky flavour without meat: if you love the smoky character that smoked sausages or ribs usually bring, use smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera) instead of plain. One tablespoon of this paprika transforms fasting bean stew into something that smells like a meaty dish.

Better the next day: like all bean dishes, this stew is considerably tastier the following day. Cook it the day before a feast or a fasting lunch — no dish improves more with resting than beans.

Freezing: fasting bean stew freezes beautifully (up to 3 months). Portion into containers and defrost a day before needed. Reheat slowly over a low heat with a little water.

The Slava table: beans are an essential fasting element of the Slava table for Slavas that fall during fasting periods (e.g. St Nicholas — 19 December, during the Nativity Fast; St Sava — 27 January). On the Slava table, beans are served alongside kolivo, fasting soup, fasting stuffed cabbage rolls and fish.

No-soak emergency method: if you forgot to soak the beans, use the quick-soak method: boil in water for 5 minutes, remove from heat, cover and leave for 1 hour. Not as effective as overnight soaking, but better than nothing.