An authentic recipe for grah, a traditional Croatian peasant stew of white beans, vegetables, and smoked pork. This is how my mother and grandmother made it.
Grah is a well-loved traditional dish, especially during autumn and winter. It is simple to prepare and budget-friendly, but you must soak the dry beans first for 8-10 hours, so start this stew the day before you plan to cook.
My mother learned this grah recipe from my grandmother, and it was frequently a daily staple paired with hearty bread.
When times were at their toughest in post-WW2 Yugoslavia, there were days when grah could only be made with a roux of lard and flour to add to the beans.
But in better times, smoked pork and bacon would be added, and that's the version I'm sharing with you today.
Try my recipe for traditional Bosnian Grah, too; it's made with smoked beef sausage and has no pork.
If you love recipes like this, check out my traditional liver dumpling soup and my authentic coq au vin too.
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Equipment
- Bowls
- A heavy stock pot
- Small frying pan or pot
Ingredients
- Dried Beans | Soaked overnight in salted water for no more than 8-10 hours. You want borlotti beans, peruano beans, cannellini beans, or great northern beans, ideally. I do not recommend using canned beans.
- Smoked dried pork ribs | You want dried smoked ribs or some other type of smoked dried pork like hocks. You can find this in any Southern and Central European grocery or delicatessen.
- Diced smoked bacon | The chunks of bacon you can find in European grocery stores work best here. But you can use whatever bacon you have or pancetta too. You can also opt to leave the bacon out entirely.
- Garlic | fresh garlic, not powder.
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Lard | Lard and flour are used to make the roux, which is the thickening agent in this stew and imparts a wonderful flavor. You can use any other fat you prefer, but lard is traditional.
- All-purpose flour | You can also opt to make a gluten-free roux instead. If you skip the roux step, understand that the end result will differ from the traditional grah.
- Tomato paste
- Sweet paprika & hot paprika | preferably Hungarian style.
- Bay leaf
- Salt and pepper | to taste.
- Vegeta (optional) | A quintessential Croatian seasoning, you can buy Vegeta online, but it is optional if you do not have it or do not want to use it.
See the recipe card for full quantities.
Grah Instructions
To prepare dried beans, soak them in salted water for approximately 8 hours. Salt does not toughen beans; that is a myth.
Avoid over-soaking, as it can negatively impact the texture. Plan your cooking accordingly and start your grah the evening before.
Cover beans with water in a large bowl, and stir in a tablespoon of salt.
When ready to cook, drain and rinse the beans.
Add beans to a large stock pot and cover them with water (an inch above them is fine).
Place the beans in a pot and cover them with water, ensuring that there is at least an inch of water above them. Turn the heat to high and let the water come to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer beans for 5 minutes.
Drain beans, discard the water, and run them under cool water. Set aside.
Dice bacon and add it to the pot. On low heat, let the fat begin to render out, and the bacon become slightly golden and crispy.
Add the onion, celery, and carrots.
Cook until the vegetables soften and the onions become translucent and light golden in color.
Stir often and watch that the vegetables do not begin to burn. You can always add more fat or some water if this happens.
Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute, stirring, until the paste deepens in color slightly.
Add the sweet and hot paprika and stir thoroughly.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute until it becomes fragrant.
Add the drained beans, the smoked pork ribs, and the potatoes, and cover with water so that the ingredients are fully submerged by about 2 inches.
Add a big pinch of salt, the Vegeta (if using), and some black pepper along with the bay leaf.
Turn the heat to high and allow the mixture to come to a boil before turning it down to a simmer immediately.
Partially cover the pot and let it simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours, checking every half hour. Stir occasionally and add water if it becomes too reduced.
You want the dried pork to become soft, tender, and infused with the flavors of the broth.
Once the beans and dried pork ribs are soft and the stew is done cooking, turn off the heat and cover the pot.
Now make the roux:
In a small pot or pan, add the lard and flour and make a roux: on medium-low heat, constantly stir the lard and flour until it turns a light golden blonde colour.
Do not let the flour burn or you will have to make the roux again.
Add the roux into the grah slowly, stirring gently the entire time — be careful that it does not splatter or splash back on you.
The roux will thicken the stew and add another depth of flavor.
Adjust the salt and add a generous heaping of pepper or to taste.
Serve hot with rustic sourdough bread.
The meat may be served separately with a thick slice of bread, or you can leave it in the grah.
Hint: the super-budget version of grah uses just the lard-flour roux and has no meat in it at all. If you want to try this version, make a deep brown roux for maximum flavor. This can take 20 minutes to do.
Substitutions & Variations
- Gluten-free | Make a gluten-free roux instead of one using what flour. Just use 1 cup of oil or ghee and one cup of Bob’s Redmill Cassava Flour or other gluten-free flour.
- Smoked Beef | The Bosnian Muslims make grah without pork or lard; they use smoked beef or beef sausage and tallow or a different type of oil to make the roux. Check out my recipe for Bosnian bean soup at that link.
- Pašta Fažol (Pasta and Bean Soup) | A variation of grah popular in Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, it adds pasta (typically macaroni) into the stew alongside the beans. It tends to be made a bit lighter, too.
- Canned Beans | Dried and soaked beans are best, but adjust the cooking time if you want to use canned beans. Ensure the meat is fully tender, and then add the canned beans towards the end.
- Root Vegetables | Parsnips make a nice addition to this stew alongside or instead of the carrots.
Storage & Freezing
Grah tastes even better the next day.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator covered for up to 5 days. To reheat, simply add the desired amount into a pot and heat on low. If the grah has thickened too much during refrigeration, add some water until it reaches your desired consistency.
You can freeze grah for 3 months, and this is a great freezer meal.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs dry beans borlotti beans, peruano beans, cannellini beans, or great northern beans, ideally. I do not recommend using canned beans.
- 1 rack dry smoked pork ribs or other dry smoked pork parts like the hocks. You can use less if desired, like ½ rack.
- ½ cup smoked bacon diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 4 medium carrots diced
- 4 large potatoes bite-sized chunks
- ½ cup lard or fat of choice
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tabelspoon tomato paste heaping tablespoon
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Vegeta optional
Instructions
- To prepare dried beans, soak them in salted water for approximately 8 hours. Salt does not toughen beans; that is a myth. Avoid over-soaking, as it can negatively impact the texture. Plan your cooking accordingly and start your grah the evening before. Cover beans with water in a large bowl, and stir in a tablespoon of salt.
- When ready to cook, drain and rinse the beans. Add beans to a large stock pot and cover them with water (an inch above them is fine).
- Turn the heat to high and let the water come to a boil. Lower heat and simmer beans for 5 minutes.
- Drain beans, discard the water, and run them under cool water. Set aside.
- Dice bacon and add it to the pot. On low heat, let the fat begin to render out, and the bacon become slightly golden and crispy.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until the vegetables soften and the onions become translucent and light golden in color. Stir often and watch that the vegetables do not begin to burn. You can always add more fat or some water if this happens.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute, stirring, until the paste deepens in color slightly.
- Add the sweet and hot paprika and stir thoroughly.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute until it becomes fragrant.
- Add the drained beans, the smoked pork ribs, and the potatoes, and cover with water so that the ingredients are fully submerged by about 2 inches.
- Add a big pinch of salt, the Vegeta (if using), and some black pepper along with the bay leaf.
- Turn the heat to high and allow the mixture to come to a boil before turning it down to a simmer on the low immediately.
- Partially cover the pot and let it simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours, checking every half hour. Stir occasionally and add water if it becomes too reduced.
- You want the dried pork to become soft, tender, and infused with the flavors of the broth.
- Once the beans and dried pork ribs are soft and the stew is done cooking, turn off the heat and cover the pot.
- Make the roux: In a small pot or pan, add the lard and flour and make a roux: on medium-low heat, constantly stir the lard and flour until it turns a light golden blonde colour.
- Do not let the flour burn or you will have to make the roux again.
- Add the roux into the grah slowly, stirring gently the entire time — be careful that it does not splatter or splash back on you. The roux will thicken the stew and add another depth of flavor.
- Taste and adjust the salt to your preference. Add a generous sprinkling of pepper — or to taste.
- Serve hot with rustic sourdough bread. The meat may be served separately with a thick slice of bread, or you can leave it in the grah.
Sisley says
This pork stew is so warming and filling. I can't wait to make it again in Autumn on a cooler evening.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
This stew has earned a spot in my regular rotation, and I can already imagine cozy nights ahead with this bowl of goodness. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe that's transformed my winter dinners!
Tara says
This stew sounds absolutely amazing! I love all those flavors, especially with the smoked pork.
Ned says
This is perfect comfort food! My family loved it! Thank you!
Katherine says
This stew was so rich and hearty! Loved the big flavors in it.