If there's one thing I know how to do, it's channel that very specific Slovenian flavor.
Now, you know and I know that when it's apple season, everything has to have apples in it—be it sweets or savory dishes. And I'd just gotten back from apple picking when I came upon the concept for this Slovenian peasant dish and had to make it.
Only problem is, though, that there wasn't a recipe for it. Anywhere.
The only thing I could find that was even remotely helpful was this general description from Taste Atlas, which also pinned this as something from Kamnik—an area not far at all from where my family is from in Slovenia (and still lives)! Taste Atlas describes this dish like so:
Prekmaš is a traditional Slovenian peasant dish originating from the Kamnik area. This simple dish is made with a combination of ocvirki (a type of pork cracklings), apples, beans, and salt. The cracklings are lightly fried in a pot and mixed with apple cubes.
The mixture is cooked for a few minutes until the apples become soft, and it's then mixed with boiled beans. The dish is cooked for a bit longer until the apples are very soft and mushy, and prekmaš is then seasoned with salt to taste before it's served.
In the past, the dish was typical for the whole Alpine region's rural countryside.
Now, that... is not that much to work with, I will admit. But at least I had the very basic ingredients for this bad boy: apples, beans, ocvirki (hard, fried pork skins), and salt. I figured that, given my understanding of Slovenian food (seen in the many dishes I've already made, like jota, ričet, potica, medenjaki, golaž, pražen krompir, and so much more that I've actually eaten and experienced in Slovenia), I figured this couldn't be that hard to recreate from my basic Slovenian Instincts... and I was right!
What I came up with was easy, delicious, and super full of magic, especially when you involve the onion, apple, bean, bacon, and bay leaf. So let's take a look!
Magic in Prekmaš (Slovenian Apple Bean Stew)
Apples. Beans. Onions. These are some of the staple crops that have fed all our ancestors, and that are common during the harvest season—so you know they're packed with important things, like love, fertility, wealth, and protection. Apples, especially, can be used for love divination or luck divination; a common game kids would play would be to have everyone take an apple, cut one open, and see how many seeds were inside. Whoever had the most seeds would have the most luck.
But bacon is made of pork, and pork has forever been a symbol of wealth. Whether as a boar (which also symbolized courage, because God, those animals are nuts), or as a domestic pig, these creatures are hefty, feed many people, and make some seriously rich and delicious products (like bacon, pork belly, etc.). You got a nice fat pig? You must have some serious money to feed it. All that historic connotation has soaked into this animal's image.
And of course, one of my favorite tricks for money spells or attraction spells is writing wishes on a bay leaf and burning it to activate it. Bay leaves are sunny, optimistic herbs that have the best, most dramatic crackle when they burn; they're all about wealth, protection, prosperity, and making dreams come true.
With the elemental associations of air, water, earth and fire, as well as the planetary influences of Mars, Venus, Mercury the Sun, and Jupiter, this meal is definitely balanced. It's one that brings all the wildness of the world and life at large to center, right in your stovetop pot, and we could all use a little bit more of that stable, well-rounded energy these days, I think. Moreover, those planetary influences not only bring balance, but also optimism, grace, expansion, joy, and that high-energy, go-getter spirit that we need to finish the year up and bring the new year in with some zest. Trust me when I say that if you want to easily and quickly orchestrate your household into a more loving, secure space, this kind of peasant stew with warm bread and family to share it with is exactly the ticket.
Prekmaš (Slovenian Apple Bean Stew)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Makes 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
2 to 3 onions, diced
3 medium apples, peeled and diced
1 can of navy beans
6 slices of bacon
1-2 links of kielbasa, sliced
turkey or polish style are best
3 bay leaves
1 cup of water
Salt and pepper to taste
If you have it: 1-2 tsp vegeta (a Croatian all purpose seasoning)!
Directions:
Cut your bacon into small pieces, then fry until crispy and all the fat is released. Set bacon bits aside.
Drain the fat, reserving a small amount, and fry your onions until turning brown / caramelizing (be careful not to burn them!)
Add apples, beans, kielbasa, water, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and vegeta, then let simmer for 30min or until the apples and beans are soft and squishy.
Sprinkle reserved bacon bits on top and serve with warm bread.
Tips:
Save your bacon fat! It makes for fantastic flavor in any dishes that require frying onions or other vegetables as a base.
Keep cooking your onions low and slow until they become jammy for the best flavor.
If you're using pork-based, Polish style kielbasa: fry the pieces separately beforehand so they get some crisp and extra flavor.
And that's that. So simple, so easy, so very distinctly Slovenian. This is a great meal for those busy nights, or for when you have apples and beans on hand and have no idea what else to do for dinner. It was delicious, and I hope you get the chance to try it out! ♥
Other Recipes You May Like:
Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.
Comments