Macedonian baked beans in a clay dish (Tavče gravče)

1. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. The next day drain them, cover with fresh water, bring to the boil and pour off the water after 5 minutes.

2. Cover again with about 2 litres of water, add one halved onion, the bay leaves and the dried chillies and simmer over low heat for 1-1½ hours until the beans are tender but not falling apart.

3. Meanwhile finely chop the other two onions and cook them gently in the oil for 10 minutes until golden; sprinkle over the flour, fry for 1 minute, take off the heat and stir in the paprika.

4. Add the onion roux to the beans along with their cooking liquid (the beans should just be covered), stir in the chopped fresh mint and season with salt and pepper.

5. Pour the beans into a clay dish (tavče) or ovenproof dish and bake in an oven preheated to 200 °C for 40-50 minutes, until a crust forms on top but the beans underneath are still saucy.

6. Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley, with bread and pickled peppers – it's North Macedonia's national dish.

Tip: The traditional recipe uses large Tetovo beans; any large white bean will do. On fasting days it's made without meat; at other times sausages are baked on top.