Fasole bătută, Romanian mashed beans

Ingredients

For the beans

• 500 g dried white beans
• 3000 ml water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large onions (300 g)
• 2 medium carrots (160 g)
• 100 g celery root
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 garlic cloves (12 g)
• 1 tablespoon smoked-flavored salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 250 ml cooking liquid

For the onion topping

• 3 medium onions (450 g)
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 30 ml sweet-and-sour sauce

Preparation

1. Pick through the beans to remove any debris, rinse them and leave to soak for 8 hours, preferably overnight. 2. Drain and rinse the beans. Peel and finely chop 2 onions, the carrots and the celery root. Put them in a 5-liter pot with the beans, 3000 ml water and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the bay leaves and thyme. Simmer over low heat for 90 minutes, until the beans mash easily. 3. Drain the beans and reserve 250 ml of the cooking liquid; discard the rest. Pass the beans through a sieve and remove the skins, then process them with the garlic, smoked-flavored salt and 2 tablespoons oil. Gradually add the reserved liquid, just enough to make a thick, smooth spread. 4. Peel and chop the 3 onions for the topping. In a clean frying pan, sauté them in 3 tablespoons oil for 10 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add the sweet paprika, smoked paprika and salt, then stir for 1 minute. 5. Add the sweet-and-sour sauce and let the onions simmer gently for 4 minutes, until the sauce thickens around them. Spoon the onions over the beans.