Ah, beans, how would one live without them? I love making a huge pot of bean stew when I lack inspiration for things more profound. Not only does this ensure I have lunch prepared for many days to come, but bean stew tastes even better in time as it sits and the aromas mingle. Not to mention how cheap dried beans are. Bean stew is also one of those things that freeze great, so what more could one ask of a dish?

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 10 servings / 0.87 EUR per serving / 8.70 EUR for all)

2 cups dried beans (1.00 EUR)

2 cups dried whole rye (1.00 EUR)

4 tbsp olive oil (0.18 EUR)

2 onions (0.20 EUR)

1 cup finely diced bacon (1.00 EUR)

8 small sausages – I used Carniolan sausage (3.20 EUR)

6 garlic cloves (0.20 EUR)

1 bay leaf (0.01 EUR)

Pinch of dried chili flakes (0.03 EUR)

4 pickled sweet pepperoncino peppers (0.27 EUR)

2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (0.13 EUR)

1 tsp smoked paprika (0.07 EUR)

4 carrots (0.27 EUR)

1 large red horn pepper (0.33 EUR)

3 tbsp dried parsley (0.20 EUR)

2 cups tomato sauce (0.53 EUR)

8-10 cups water (–)

1 tsp salt (0.01 EUR)

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (0.07 EUR)

METHOD:

Wash beans and rye under running water and let them soak overnight. Rinse and drain the next day and set aside. Wash and finely dice all the veggies and cut the sausages into small pieces.

Add olive oil to the large pot and saute onion for a few minutes, until translucent. Dump in bacon and sausages, stir and cook until slightly crispy. Now add in chopped garlic, bay leaf, chili flakes, pepperoncinos Hungarian and smoked paprika, give a good stir and cook for a minute so the aromas loosen from the spices. Put in chopped carrots and horn pepper to cook them for a few minutes until caramelized.

Sprinkle everything with dried parsley, add in drained beans and rye, pour tomato sauce and water over everything, season with salt and pepper and give a really good stir. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and simmer with a lid cracked open for about an hour and a half, until the beans and rye are thoroughly cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve warm.

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Iskreno, ne mogu uopće zamisliti život bez graha. Nema mi draže stvari nego napraviti veliki lonac grah variva kada se ne osjećam nadahnutom za nešto kompleksnije. Ne samo da tako imam osiguran ručak za više dana unaprijed, već varivo bude još bolje kako stoji i okusi se dobro prominglaju. A da ni ne spominjem činjenicu koliko je suhi grah jeftin. Varivo od graha je jedna od onih stvari koje se super smrzavaju, i što više od nekog jela uopće možemo tražiti?

SASTOJCI:

(Za 10 porcija / 6,52 kn po porciji / 65,18 kn za sve)

2 šalice suhog graha (7,50 kn)

2 šalice suhe integralne raži (7,50 kn)

4 žlice maslinovog ulja (1,32 kn)

2 luka (1,50 kn)

1 šalica fino sjeckanog špeka (7,50 kn)

8 malih kobasica – ja sam upotrijebila kranjske (24,00 kn)

6 češnjeva češnjaka (1,50 kn)

1 lovorov list (0,10 kn)

Prstohvat sušenog čilija u pahuljicama (0,25 kn)

4 ukiseljena slatka feferona (2,00 kn)

2 žlice slatke crvene paprike (1,00 kn)

1 žličica dimljene crvene paprike (0,50 kn)

4 mrkve (2,00 kn)

1 velika crvena paprika roga (2,50 kn)

3 žlice sušenog peršina (1,50 kn)

2 šalice pasirane rajčice (4,00 kn)

8-10 šalica vode (–)

1 žličica soli (0,01 kn)

1 žličica svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,50 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Operite grah i raž pod tekućom vodom i ostavite namočene preko noći. Isperite i ocijedite idući dan i stavite na stranu. Operite i fino nasjeckajte svo povrće, a kobasicu narežite na male komadiće.

Stavite maslinovo ulje u veliki lonac i na njemu prodinstajte luk par minuta dok ne postane staklast. Ubacite špek i kobase, promiješajte i kuhajte dok se lagano ne zahrskaju. Sada dodajte češnjak, lovorov list, čili, feferone, slatku i dimljenu papriku, sve dobro izmiješajte i kuhajte minutu, samo da se arome otpuste iz začina. Ubacite nasjeckane mrkve i papriku rogu, te ih pustite par minuta da se lagano karameliziraju.

Sve posipajte sušenim peršinom, dodajte ocijeđeni grah i raž, sve zalijte rajčicom i vodom, začinite solju i paprom, te dobro promiješajte. Pustite da zavrije, smanjite vatru, pa krčkajte sa odškrinutim poklopcem oko sat i pol, dok se grah i raž ne skuhaju do kraja. Kušajte i prilagodite začine, a poslužite toplo.