Prebranac

Method

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1. Soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight, then drain.

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2. Put the beans in a large pot with fresh water to cover by 5 cm and one of the bay leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 60 to 75 minutes, until tender but still whole. Drain, keeping 300 ml of the cooking water.

   Mark done Start 60 min timer

3. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat and cook the onions with a pinch of salt for 30 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and golden. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the sweet and hot paprika and the tomato purée for 1 minute. Do not let the paprika burn.

   Mark done Start 30 min timer

4. Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Mix the beans with the onions, the other bay leaf, the salt, pepper and the reserved cooking water in an ovenproof dish about 25 x 30 cm.

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5. Bake for 40 minutes, until the surface is crusty and dark at the edges and the beans are creamy inside. If they look dry, add a splash of water.

   Mark done Start 40 min timer

6. Rest for 10 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

Chef’s Tips

• Cook the onions slowly. Browned, they turn bitter, and only sweet, soft onions give the sauce its body.
• Add the paprika at the very end of the onion cooking, off a high heat. It burns in seconds and turns bitter.
• Keep the beans whole. Stir gently, because broken beans turn the dish to mush.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Crusty bread
• Tomato and onion salad
• Pickled peppers

Storage & Reheating

Keep in the fridge up to 5 days and reheat gently. It is better the next day. Freeze for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.