Prebranac

Ingredients

Beans

• 600 gdried white beans, tetovac or cannellini
• 2bay leaves

Onions

• 1.5 kgonions, sliced
• 150 mloil, or lard for a non-fasting version

Seasoning

• 2 tbspsweet paprika
• 1 tsphot paprika
• 1 tspdried savory or thyme
• 2bay leaves
• salt
• black pepper

To serve

• bread
• pickled peppers
• raw onion

Directions

1. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. Drain them, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil and boil hard for 10 minutes, then throw that water away. Discarding the first water takes away the compounds that cause the worst digestive trouble, and it is standard across the Balkans.
2. Return the beans to the pot with fresh water and the bay leaves and simmer gently for about an hour. Do not salt the beans yet, because salt added before they soften toughens the skins. Cook them until they are just tender but still holding their shape, because they will cook further in the oven.
3. Drain them but keep the cooking liquid. Now the onions, which take the longest and cannot be rushed. Slice them thinly and evenly and cook them in the oil over a low heat for 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Take them well past soft, to a deep golden brown and reduced to a fraction of their volume. Now take the pan off the heat before the paprika goes in.
5. Stir both paprikas and the savory through the hot onions. Start with a layer of onions, then beans, then onions, then beans, finishing with a thick layer of onions on top. Layer it rather than mixing it. Pour in enough of the reserved bean liquid to come about two-thirds up.
6. Use the bean water rather than plain water or stock, because it is starchy and savoury and it thickens the dish. Bake uncovered at 160°C (320°F) for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. Bake it low and slow and uncovered.
7. Check it halfway and add a little more bean liquid if it looks dry, though it should end up thick. It is ready when the top is deep brown and crusted and the beans below are creamy and have absorbed almost all the liquid. Rest it 20 minutes before serving. Serve it warm or at room temperature with bread, pickled peppers and raw onion.

Technique

• Tetovac, the large flat white bean from Tetovo, is the prized variety.
• Pasulj is the related bean stew, cooked on the hob with smoked meat rather than baked.
• It freezes well and reheats better than most bean dishes.

Substitutions

• Any large white bean: cannellini, butter beans or haricot.
• Lard and a smoked rib for the non-fasting version.

Variations

• With smoked meat, for a non-fasting version.
• With more chilli, which is common in the south.
• Cooked in an earthenware pot, which is traditional.

History

Beans baked in layers with masses of onion and paprika, cooked slowly as a Lenten and fasting dish of Orthodox Serbia.

Frequently asked questions

What is Prebranac?

Prebranac is a main from Serbia: baked beans and caramelized onions, lenten staple. Beans baked in layers with masses of onion and paprika, cooked slowly as a Lenten and fasting dish of Orthodox Serbia.

How long does Prebranac take to make?

Prebranac takes 20 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Prebranac?

Yes, within limits. Any large white bean: cannellini, butter beans or haricot. Lard and a smoked rib for the non-fasting version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Prebranac?

Return the beans to the pot with fresh water and the bay leaves and simmer gently for about an hour. Do not salt the beans yet, because salt added before they soften toughens the skins. Cook them until they are just tender but still holding their shape, because they will cook further in the oven.