Fasole bătută, Romanian fasting bean spread

Ingredients

For the beans

• 500 g dried beans
• 2000 ml water for soaking
• 10000 ml water for cooking
• 1 head garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the onions

• 1 kg sweet onions
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4-5 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 roasted kapia peppers

Preparation

1. Pick through the beans to remove any debris and rinse them in several changes of water. Soak them for 8 hours in 2000 ml cold water. 2. Bring 2500 ml water to a boil. Once boiling, pour it over the drained beans and cook for 5 minutes from the moment the water comes back to a boil. Skim off the foam. 3. Drain the beans and repeat the 5-minute boil twice more, using 2500 ml hot water each time. 4. Drain the beans, put them in the pressure cooker with the last 2500 ml hot water, and cook for 55 minutes once the cooker has come to pressure. The beans should be very soft; reserve 250 ml of the cooking liquid and drain the rest. 5. Meanwhile, peel, wash and finely chop the onions. Mix them with 1/4 teaspoon salt and the thyme, put them in an ovenproof glass dish and drizzle with 4-5 tablespoons olive oil. Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes at 220°C. 6. Cut the roasted kapia peppers into strips and mix them with the onions. Remove the cover and bake for another 30 minutes at 220°C, stirring every 10 minutes; the onions should be soft and lightly browned. 7. Mash the beans with the crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Gradually add some of the 250 ml cooking liquid until it reaches the consistency you want, then mix well. Spoon the spread into a bowl and spread the onions and peppers over the top.