Macedonian · main
Тавче Гравче (Tavče Gravče, Baked Tetovo Beans)
Тавче Гравче (Tavče Gravče, Baked Tetovo Beans) reads heat 4.4, allium 4.2 and herbaceous 3.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Macedonian main, about 2 hr 39 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 3.9 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 2.9 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 0.8 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 1.6 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 4.1 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 5.1 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Heat 4.4 · Allium 4.2 · Herbaceous 3.8 · Salinity 3.6 · Richness 3.6 · Sweetness 2.7 · Umami 2.7 · Nutty 1.9 · Earthy 1.4 · Floral 1.3 · Bitterness 0.9 · Warm Spice 0.8 · Sourness 0.7
What's in it (11)
- dried tetovac beans — 500 g
- onions — 450 g
- sunflower oil — 92 g
- sweet paprika — 30 g
- hot chili — 5 g
- mint — 3 g
- dried summer savory — 1 g
- dried red chillies — 20 g
- salt — 12 g
- all-purpose flour — 20 g
- water — 1500 g
Time & effort: about 2 hr 39 min (2 hr 28 min active) · effort: involved
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 12.9 kcal, 0.4 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 2.8 g carbs
Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (11 steps)
- Drain the soaked beans. Tetovac beans are large, flat and thin-skinned, and they are the reason this dish tastes the way it does; ordinary cannellini are a compromise, not an equivalent.
- Cover the beans with fresh water, bring to the boil for 10 minutes, then drain and discard that water. This is what keeps the finished dish from being heavy.
- Return the beans to the pot with the 1.5 L of water, bring to a bare simmer and cook uncovered 70 minutes, until a bean crushes easily between finger and thumb but the skins are still whole. Do not salt them yet.
- Meanwhile cook the onion in the oil over medium heat for 15 minutes, until deep gold and sweet.
- Pull the pan off the heat and stir in the paprika and the hot chilli. Off the heat, always, and count ten seconds before adding anything else.
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook the mixture 3 minutes over low heat, stirring, to make a red zaprška.
- Stir the zaprška into the beans along with the dried mint, summer savory and salt, keeping enough of the cooking liquid that the beans sit in a loose sauce rather than swim.
- Transfer everything to a wide unglazed earthenware tava, or a shallow casserole.
- Lay the whole dried chillies on top.
- Bake at 200C for 40 minutes, until the surface has gone dark and blistered and a skin has formed that you break through with the spoon. That crust is the dish; a tavče gravče served soupy has been undercooked.
- Rest 10 minutes and serve from the tava with bread and a little white cheese.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- One-Pan Chicken Enchilada Skillet — Tex-Mex
- Butternut Squash in Green Curry Sauce — Thai
- Taameya (Egyptian Falafel) — Egyptian
- Masala Dosa — Indian
- Enchiladas Verdes — Mexican
Keep reading: what heat, allium, herbaceous mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.