Table of Contents
- Ingredients For Croatian Bean And Meat Stew
- How to Cook Bean and Meat Stew
- 1. STEP: Brine the beans
- 2. STEP: Briefly cook the soaked beans and dry meat in separate pots
- 3. STEP: Saute the onions, garlic, and half of the root vegetables
- 4. STEP: Add the beans, meat, and water
- 5. STEP: Add spices and cook half covered
- 6. STEP: Add the rest of the root vegetables
- 7. STEP: Thickening bean stew without flour (roux)
- 8. STEP: Adding tomato paste and ketchup/ajvar
- Can You Freeze Bean Stew
Classically delicious, but with a few changes in the steps and ingredients, this first-class Croatian bean and meat stew is one of those hearty winter dishes that, due to the practicality and length of preparation, I always cook in a big pot.
Although thickened without the roux, it combines traditional flavors of beans and cured dry meat with spices that make this bean stew less gassy.
Ingredients For Croatian Bean And Meat Stew
- Beans – use the bean variety like cranberry or pinto beans.
- Meat – personally, I would recommend using smoked pork ribs or cured ham hock in this recipe. These pieces of meat benefit from long cooking and become so flavorful and juicy! If not available to you, use some smoked pork sausage, a good piece of bacon, or a combination of the two. In this case, the meat won’t need to be precooked separately and you’ll probably need to add more salt to the stew itself.
- Lard – traditionally, pork lard is a way to go here.
- Onion and garlic – use bigger onions because they will give sweetness and thicken the stew itself. Be careful with the garlic so it doesn’t burn.
- Baking soda – for brining the beans and for sauteing the onions and vegetables.
- Root vegetables – carrots, celeriac, and parsley root. Half of the veggies I will grate and add at the beginning of the cooking, and the other half I’ll chop into pieces and add later during cooking.
- Spices and herbs – most often, I’ll use bay leaves, hot and sweet paprika powder, ground cumin, and ginger to help the digestion of the beans and black pepper. Although also not obligatory in Croatian bean and meat stew, I like to add some dried mushroom powder if I have it on hand for some umami.
- Tomato paste – for balancing the sweetness of the vegetable and beans and for adding some acidity.
- Homemade ketchup or ajvar – I use it in this recipe for a more complex flavor and thickness. However, they are optional.
How to Cook Bean and Meat Stew
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post. It has the exact amounts of ingredients and detailed recipe instructions!
1. STEP: Brine the beans
I suggest soaking the dry beans in water with baking soda and salt, which will allow the beans to cook faster and be creamier. Let them soak for at least 12 hours.
2. STEP: Briefly cook the soaked beans and dry meat in separate pots
The next day, if the ribs are very salty, cook them briefly. Do the same with the beans and then strain the water from both pots.
3. STEP: Saute the onions, garlic, and half of the root vegetables
In a big pot melt the lard and add the bay leaves, onion, and garlic. Then add grated root veggies, and baking soda, and cook everything slowly on medium-high heat occasionally adding 1-2 tablespoons of water so the mixture doesn’t burn.
Keep the rest of the vegetables aside.
4. STEP: Add the beans, meat, and water
Let the water cover all the beans and meat and bring everything to the boil.
5. STEP: Add spices and cook half covered
Avoid adding salt at this moment because the ribs will release a lot of saltiness during the cooking. It’s easier to add salt later than to fix oversalted beans.
6. STEP: Add the rest of the root vegetables
Do this halfway through cooking so the veggies don’t overcook.
7. STEP: Thickening bean stew without flour (roux)
If you want to thicken the bean stew without making a roux, take out some of the cooked beans together with cooking liquid (about 200 ml) and mash with a potato masher. Alternatively, you can do this with an immersion blender too, but this time I used the first method because my baby was sleeping while I was photographing this recipe. 😀 And we all know nobody wants to wake a baby, right?
Then return that mixture to the pot, stir everything, and continue cooking.
8. STEP: Adding tomato paste and ketchup/ajvar
Can You Freeze Bean Stew
The real question is, will you spend a few hours on this dish without freezing a few portions for those days when you don’t feel like cooking? This bean and meat stew freezes great, so I recommend letting the stew cool completely after cooking and putting some in the freezer.
How long can bean stew stay in the freezer? Well, we eat ours within 2 months, even sooner.
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Croatian Bean and Meat Stew (Grah varivo)
Ingredients
DAY NUMBER ONE: BRINING THE BEANS
- 500 g dried beans cranberry or pinto beans
- 1,5 tbsp sea salt
- 1,5 tsp baking soda
DAY NUMBER TWO: COOKING
- 800 g cured dry pork ribs or smoked pork sausage or cured ham hock
- 3 tbsp lard
- 3 onions bigger
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 carrots
- 2-3 parsley root
- ¼ celeriac
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 3,4-4 l water
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp hot paprika powder
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika powder
- 1 tbsp dried mushroom powder optional
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp ketchup or ajvar
- salt quantity of salt depends on how salty is the meat
- parsley leaves for serving
Instructions
DAY NUMBER ONE: BRINING THE BEANS
- The day before cooking, soak the beans in water together with baking soda and salt. Let the beans brine for 12 hours.
DAY NUMBER TWO: COOKING
- The next day, strain the beans and put them in a large pot with cold water. Bring the pot to a boil and cook for no more than 30 minutes. Repeat the same step with the pork ribs in a separate pot (skip this step if using only sausages or the meat you have is not very salty). During this time, grate half of the root vegetables and chop the other half. Slice the onions, mince the garlic, and strain the beans and the meat.
- In a big pot melt the lard and add the bay leaves and onion. Saute until golden, then add garlic and saute briefly. Now add grated root veggies, sprinkle some baking soda, and cook everything slowly on medium-high heat, for about 15 min. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water alongside this process.
- Add the beans, meat, and water to cover almost to the top of the pot and let it boil. Keep the rest of the root veggies on the side.
- Now add the spices: cumin, ginger, hot and sweet paprika, black pepper, and mushroom powder (if using). I recommend adding the salt at the end of the cooking if the meat hasn't released too much salt.
- Cook the bean stew half-covered for 2-2,5 hours. The cooking time will depend a lot on the type of beans and meat you use. Halfway through cooking, add the rest of the root vegetables, and towards the end, try if you need to add more spices.
- To make this stew thicker, take out 5-6 big spoons of cooked beans with some liquid and mash them vigorously with a potato masher (alternately, you could use an immersion blender), then return to the pot.
- At the end, add tomato paste and ketchup or ajvar and stir everything well. Serve and dobar tek!
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided is an estimate based on ingredients data and should be used for informational purposes only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on factors such as portion size, preparation methods and ingredients used.
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