Tavče Gravče

Tavče gravče is a traditional Macedonian dish. It is prepared with fresh beans and can be found in many restaurants in North Macedonia. It is also commonly eaten by the Macedonian diaspora. This meal is baked and served in a traditional unglazed earthenware pot (tava).

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Wash beans, then place in a bowl with plenty of water and baking soda; soak for at least six hours (better: overnight)

Step 2

Wash tomatoes, slice a shallow X into their bottoms and place in a bowl of cold/ice water; bring plenty of water to boil in a pot; transfer tomatoes to boiling water for 30 seconds, then transfer immediately to cold/ice water; keep water boiling; let tomatoes cool off, then peel

Step 3

Drain beans; place in boiling water and cook for 15'

Step 4

In the meantime: add sunflower seed oil to large pan, heat up; sautee halved garlic, then add quartered onions, bell pepper slices, chopped chili pepper, 1/3 of paprika powder, 1/2 of chili powder, cumin, bay leaves & bouillon powder

Step 5

Add drained beans (keep water!) and peeled tomatoes to vegetable mix in pan; cover with water from cooking beans and cook, first on medium (30'), then on low heat (30'); stir occasionally and replenish water as necessary

Step 6

30' before bean mix from previous step is ready, cover ground of tava thinly with oil and place in oven; heat up oven to 180 °C

Step 7

When bean mix is ready, remove from heat; take casserole dish from oven and place on hot stove; add remaining paprika powder, chili powder and 1/2 of flour while stirring vigorously; continue stirring for 5'; add chopped garlic

Step 8

Taste test bean mix and add salt and pepper; drain excess liquid of bean mix and keep; add bean mix to tava, place halved bell peppers & dried chili peppers on top and bake in oven for 1h; watch occasionally and add liquid as necessary, but just enough to ensure that bean mix does not dry out

Step 9

10 min before bean mix is fully baked, heat up a little oil in a pan; add remaining flour to onion rings and sautee in hot oil

Step 10

Increase oven temperature to 220 °C; add onions and herbs on top; bake for an additional 5'

Step 11

Take out tava and let rest for 5', then serve in hot tavas or other dishes

Step 12

Indicated cook time does not include the time it takes to soak the beans (at least 6h)

Step 13

If you do not have a tava, use casserole dish instead, then serve in regular plates