February 12, 2019 — Another favorite winter warmer hailing from Primorje, batuda or Primorski lonac is a traditional one-pot stew made with white and green beans, barley, sweetcorn, potatoes, and various smoke-cured pork meat like belly, ribs, shanks, or trotters.
Batuda is only found in Primorje, where it was traditionally prepared for the blue collars, whereas the word itself has its roots in the Italian word battuta which translates to "playing the trump card." It is one of those humble dishes that originated out of necessity rather than luxury, and was prepared for feeding the workers after a hard day's labor.
Nevertheless, being such a hearty yet healthy dish, batuda remains a favorite in numerous Primorje households. Here's the basic recipe:
Ingredients
200 g white kidney beans*
200 g barley
150 g sweetcorn
2 large carrots
300 g potatoes, cubed
100 g green beans
100 g tomato puree
250 g pork ribs
150 g pešt/zaseka
20 g parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1) Start by cooking the beans. When they are half cooked, add barley, sweetcorn, and all other ingredients, except tomato puree and pešt.
2) When the meat and vegetables are almost cooked, add tomato puree and pešt. Stir well.
3) When the meat is almost cooked, remove it and cut it into smaller pieces. Return to the pot and cook all together for about an hour. Batuda must not be too thin nor too thick. Enjoy with some country-style sourdough bread.
Dobar tek!
*Beans: if you're using dried beans, you will need to start making your batuda the day before because they need to be soaked in cold water for at least 12 hours before they can be cooked. Alternatively, you can use canned beans and simply add them halfway through cooking time.
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