{"id":15537,"date":"2025-07-27T19:07:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T17:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitslavoniabaranja.com\/okusi-destinaciju\/grah-u-cupu-iznimna-je-delicija-filozofija-je-u-tehnici-kuhanja-pokraj-vatre\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T19:19:53","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T17:19:53","slug":"grah-u-cupu-iznimna-je-delicija-filozofija-je-u-tehnici-kuhanja-pokraj-vatre","status":"publish","type":"okusi-destinaciju","link":"https:\/\/visitslavoniabaranja.com\/en\/okusi-destinaciju\/grah-u-cupu-iznimna-je-delicija-filozofija-je-u-tehnici-kuhanja-pokraj-vatre\/","title":{"rendered":"MARKO HORVAT MAKES THE BEST BEAN STEW IN A CLAY POT The secret is to keep the pot near the fire – without it touching the embers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Beans prepared this way are creamy, have a special flavor, because they are prepared over an open fire, and have a different smell and aroma due to the ceramics.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We live in times where we have less and less of one essential thing: time. The goal is always to cook a quick meal and eat it even more quickly. Ready-made dishes, pressure cookers and kitchen gadgets have become our most valuable allies. But is there anything more beautiful than finally making time to approach food the way it deserves: slowly? Imagine a bean stew simmering on the stove for two hours, or better yet, four to five hours beside a fire, in a clay pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A dish of the old \u0160okci<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old \u0160okci used to cook beans this way for practical reasons while working in the fields or vineyards. Beans would be cooked in a clay pot, along with bacon, sausage, onions, and red paprika. The pot would be placed near hot embers that were simply pushed to one side, allowing warm and cool air currents to stir the contents naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also used to cook it in winter using the stove that heated their living space. They would light it in the morning, and once it was warm, they\u2019d place a clay pot inside to prepare something soupy<\/em> for lunch that day. Everything was put into the pot at once, then placed in the stove to simmer for three to four hours, with occasional checks to make sure there was enough water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, \u0160okac-style beans cooked in a clay pot is also a recognized culinary brand in the town of Moh\u00e1cs in neighbouring Hungary, which has its own bean festival. A special type of a colourful, slightly larger bean is used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beans prepared this way are creamy and have a unique flavor, owing to the open-fire cooking and the special aroma from the ceramic pot. Try this dish at several places in Baranja, and you can also buy a ceramic pot at the Asztalos Keramika<\/a><\/strong> workshop in Suza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like life in Baranja – slowly<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those places is Baranjska ku\u0107a<\/strong><\/a><\/em> in Karanac, where it\u2019s been on the menu since the restaurant opened. As Stanko \u0160krobo says, it’s one of the most original dishes of this part of Croatia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cooked in pots made from Baranja clay and it\u2019s a very simple dish, but this very simplicity is what makes it so complex. It\u2019s prepared over several hours on an open fire, so it\u2019s not something you can just make at home, which is exactly why it\u2019s exclusive,\u201d explains the young restaurateur, highlighting the paradox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure to book in advance if you want to try their beans from a clay pot, as the dish takes an entire day to prepare. The beans are soaked overnight and cooked for several hours. They make it with smoked meats like pork ribs and shank, but also with fresh beef and pork, along with vegetables, salt, and ground red paprika.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe philosophy lies in the technique – the quantities of each ingredient, the way the carrots and parsley are chopped, and that’s something you learn with experience,\u201d says Stanko, pointing out the uniqueness of the handmade pots. \u201cYou have to know the pot \u2014 where the wall is thinner and the beans might burn. At first, we stir it to even out the temperature, and then it\u2019s cooked slowly next to the fire, like life in Baranja. Slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this dish, \u0160krobo recommends a light, dry, mineral, fresh wine. \u201cSo, light it makes room for a second serving,\u201d he concludes with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s how it used to be<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the masters of clay pot beans is Marko Horvat from Dubo\u0161evica, who is also the president of the association That\u2019s How It Used to Be<\/strong><\/em> (“Tako je to nekad bilo”<\/a>)<\/em>. He prepares the dish at various tourism events, as well as on request at Tikve\u0161 Castle and in the Zajec Family Wine Cellar<\/strong><\/a>. The first event this year where the dish can be sampled is the Pasta<\/em> Festival <\/em><\/strong>(Festival tista<\/a><\/em>) and Baranja Be\u0107arac<\/strong><\/em>, held in early June in Topolje.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horvat\u2019s recipe is simple. Add one third of beans, one third of smoked meat, and a third of water into the pot, along with red onion, garlic, carrot, parsley or celery, ground paprika, and salt, plus a spoonful of pork lard to enhance the flavour. He places the pot next to the fire, with only the flame\u2019s proximity heating it. \u201cThe embers shouldn\u2019t touch the pot as they could damage it. I don\u2019t stir the pot; the currents do that,\u201d says the chef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for wine recommendations, he notes that sweeter wines are becoming more popular. \u201cThere are a lot of women among our guests, and men have started following their taste. Each of our wineries has one or two wines that are sweet or semi-sweet, and they pair wonderfully with beans from the pot,\u201d Horvat concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sweet wine for spicy beans<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is confirmed by the wineries Carev podrum<\/a><\/strong><\/em> and Ger\u0161tmajer<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. Alongside the standard offering, they produce dry, semi-dry, and sweet Gra\u0161evina <\/em>wines. They prepare all their dishes \u2014 including the beans, which are now part of the regular menu \u2014 right in front of their guests, who are welcome to watch and ask questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat makes people even hungrier, especially with an aperitif \u2014 homemade rakija, liqueur, or a glass of wine,\u201d reveals Ivan Ger\u0161tmajer Zelember, adding that he recommends dry Gra\u0161evina<\/em> as the aperitif, while its semi-sweet or sweet version or a late-harvest Pinot Gris would balance out the bold and spicy flavours of the dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by: Maja Celing Celi\u0107<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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