Prebranac / Balkan Baked Beans

1.Soak your beans overnight, for at least 10 hours. Place your dry beans in a bowl and cover with water. Make sure you have double the amount of water in your bowl, as the beans will soak up the water overnight. I usually place them in a large bowl and fill it completely with water, then drain the remaining water in the morning.

2.When ready to begin cooking, drain any excess water from the beans and transfer them to your pot.

3.Begin cooking your beans on medium-high heat until they reach a boil. Once they reach a boil, reduce the heat slightly to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes. Then, drain the beans again and refill the pot 3/4 of the way full with fresh water. Add 1 bay leaf, the whole red pepper, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oil to the pot.

4.Continue cooking the beans for 40-60 minutes until they are just about cooked completely. They should break up when you press them against the side of the pot but have some grittiness to them still. At this point turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf and bell pepper from the pot. Set aside.

5.In a large skillet, add the chopped onions and diced garlic. Add the oil to the skillet and begin to saute the onions and garlic on medium-low heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt (5-6 g), 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (3 g), and 1 tablespoon (17 g) of Vegeta. Once the onions have become translucent and begin to take on a light brown color, turn off the heat and add in all of the paprika (aleva). Stir everything to combine and taste for seasoning. Adjust for seasoning per your taste.

6.Preheat your oven to 400 F/ 200 C.

7.In a large baking pan or oven-safe casserole dish begin layering the onion mixture and beans. Using a slotted spoon, transfer 1/3 of the beans to the bottom of the baking dish, using the spoon to drain the liquid. Next, place 1/3 of the onion mixture on top of the beans and spread as evenly as possible across the top. It does not have to be perfect by any means.Continue this layering process with the rest of the beans and onion mixture. Once all the ingredients have been used up, ladle in 2-3 spoonfuls of the bean cooking liquid into the skillet and scrape the sides and bottom to lift all the seasonings remaining in the skillet. Pour this liquid on top of the beans and gently move the beans around to ensure the liquid is evenly distributed. Ensure that the dish has liquid about 1/3 of the way up the sides of the dish. This prevents the beans from burning while they bake and ensures the dish is not dry when baked.

8.Add the remaining bay leaves to the dish, pressing them towards the bottom of the dish so they aren't exposed.

9.Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, then uncover the baking dish and bake for another 15-20 minutes until a nice brown crust forms at the top. It should be deep brown but not burnt, so keep an eye on it. You may only need to bake it for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven. There should still be some liquid in the pan at the end.

10.Remove from the oven, taste again, and adjust for seasoning. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy!