SloveniaBowlDinnerGluten-freeDairy-free

Matevž s kislim zeljem

Name: Matevž s kislim zeljem
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Slovenia
Ingredients: 150 g dried white beans, soaked overnight; 600 g floury potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tbsp lard; 100 g pork cracklings (ocvirki) or crisp bacon; 400 g sauerkraut, to serve, drained; salt and black pepper, to taste

The Littoral peasant mash: potatoes and beans crushed together with fried onion, topped with crisp cracklings and served with warm sauerkraut.

prep: 15 min
cook: 1 h
total: 1 h 15 min
serves: 4
level: easy

Matevž is a rustic dish from the Slovenian Littoral: potatoes and beans cooked together and crushed into a coarse, comforting mash. It is loosened with some of the bean cooking water, folded with fried onion and garlic, and crowned with pork cracklings.

The sauerkraut served alongside cuts through the starch and fat. It is a poor-man’s meal that has earned a permanent place at the table.

Matevž s kislim zeljem is one of the twenty most famous Slovenian foods.

method

Simmer the soaked beans in fresh water for 40 minutes, until nearly tender. Do not salt them yet.
Add the potatoes to the same pot with a little more water if needed, salt lightly, and cook 20 to 25 minutes until both are very tender.
Drain, keeping a cup of the cooking water. Mash the beans and potatoes together coarsely, adding splashes of the water until creamy but still rustic.
Fry the onion in the lard until golden, add the garlic for 30 seconds, and fold two-thirds of it into the mash. Season.
Heat the sauerkraut with a spoon of lard in a small pan until warm.
Serve the matevž topped with the remaining fried onion and the cracklings, with the sauerkraut alongside.

chef's tips

Mash it coarse; a smooth purée loses the character of the dish.
Do not salt the beans before they are tender.
Pork cracklings make it; crisp pancetta or bacon is a good stand-in.