Romanian-style white bean paste

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 3 jars of beans, white, drained weight 460 g
• 3 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 carrot(s)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 150 ml sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp, leveled salt
• 1 tbsp, leveled pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 15 minutes

simple, vegetarian

Cut the carrot into 3 cm long pieces. Rinse the beans thoroughly until they are no longer slimy. Place the beans in a large pot and fill with cold water until the water is about 2 fingers above the beans. Then heat it up. When the water starts to boil, add the carrot pieces and 1 whole onion to the beans. Simmer everything on medium heat for a total of 1.5 – 2 hours. Stir occasionally so that the beans loosen from the bottom of the pot. This is especially important in the last half hour! Then season the beans with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, peel the remaining 2 onions and dice them finely. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the diced onions for 2 – 5 minutes, stirring frequently, but do not let them burn. Dilute the tomato paste in a cup of water and stir. Then add it to the pan. Simmer for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the finished tomato sauce directly into the pot with the beans. Stir a few times, then continue to simmer the beans until just a little of the excess liquid remains above the beans. During the last half hour of cooking, mash the beans with the back of a spoon against the side of the pot while stirring until a reddish-white paste forms. This helps the mixture form more quickly. Just before the end, season again and add a little more salt if desired. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for 20-30 minutes. Then you can eat it. The beans taste best 24 hours later, though. This bean paste goes best with bratwurst or smoked pork, along with a cucumber or tomato salad.