One of the favorite Serbian specialties during winter days, Prebranac, has become a real culinary sensation in New York and Japan.

In a restaurant Jimmy’s No.43 in New York, a competition in making of Cassoulet or the French version of Prebranac is organized. An interesting specialty has attracted a special kind of attention this year by gathering a record number of visitors and lovers of culinary delicacies. That is why the famous New York Post characterized Prebranac as a “trending” dish, ideal for cold, winter days.

Still, there are definitely some differences between Serbian and French Prebranac. The main one is that for the preparation of Cassoulet is used lesser garlic, but bread crumbs, white wine and rosemary as well which is not the case with Serbian Prebranac. As they say, the taste isn’t something that should be discussed. If you are still interesting in making sure which one is tastier, we’ll give you a recipe for both of them, so see for yourselves.

Recipe for Cassoulet:

Presoaked and cooked beans

1-2 celery stalks, diced

1-2 carrots, diced

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup white wine

2-3 branches fresh thyme and/or rosemary

14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 pound kielbasa or other smoky sausage, cut in 1-inch chunks

Ham hock from the beans

2 smoked or fresh pork chops

1 pound good-quality bacon

1½ cups breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons bacon fat, duck fat or butter

Salt and pepper

Preparation: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all ingredients except the meats. Check seasoning. Layer half the mixture in a Dutch oven or deep Cassouletcasserole dish that can be covered, then top with meats, reserving half the bacon for the top. Top with remaining bean mixture. Layer the top with the remaining bacon. Cover. Bake for at least 1 hour before checking. If after 1 hour there is a lot of liquid, remove lid and cook down if needed. If there is not enough liquid and the mixture is getting too dry, add a bit of the reserved bean-cooking liquid.

Prepare the crust: Mix the breadcrumbs with melted fat and season. When the cassoulet is bubbling and the beans are tender and bacon rendered, uncover and top with bread crumbs. Increase the heat to 375 and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the breadcrumbs begin to toast. Allow to rest 15 to 30 minutes before serving with a simple salad and crusty bread.

Prebranac is always a welcomed guest of Serbian feasts during winter, and is also known as gravče na tavče or baked beans.

Recipe for Prebranac:

500g beans

1kg onion

2 garlic cloves

1 lorber leaf

Minced pepper

Minced paprika

Preparation: Place the beans in a pot and cover with water Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drain and discard the water, cover it with hot water and cook it until it’s soft, but not too soft. Clean the onions and put it in cold water for about 10 minutes. Cut it into thick circles. Heat one part Prebranacof oil in the pot and simmer the onions until it gets brownish colour. Add pepper, paprika and salt if needed. Grease the casserole and place the beans in it. Put some simmered onions over it. Repeat the procedure until you run out of beans and onions. Every row of onions cover with the oil remained. The last row has to be with beans. Put over a leaf of lorber, two cloves of garlic and a dry paprika if you want. Then, cover it all with oil. Bake it in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes.

Prebranac is a dish which would be hard to avoid if you ended up at a patron Saint Day or any other celebration in Serbia. Beans are very popular in Serbia throughout the year, but the regular beans are replaced with Prebranac during cold days.

Something that gives this dish its specific taste is preparing in special clay dishes or hours of simmering. That’s when Prebranac gets its sweet and authentic taste which definitely puts it into one of the favorite dishes of numerous winter feasts.

Source: mondo.rs, nypost.com

Tags

CassouletFrench prebranacPrebranacSerbian cuisineSerbian foodTraditional cuisine

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