Trieste-Style Bean And Sauerkraut Soup
serves 2-4
This recipe for this hearty soup popular in northeast Italy was adapted from Saveur (who adapted it from Lidia Bastianich's book La Cucina di Lidia.)
1/2 pound dried borlotti beans or kidney beans
1 smoked ham hock
2 bay leaves
1/4 pound (4 slices) bacon, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 pounds sauerkraut, drained
3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
prep: 20 minutes
total: 3 hours 25 minutes, plus at least 4 hours to soak beans
large pot
1. Put the beans into a large bowl, generously cover with cold water, and set aside to soak at room temperature for 4 hours or overnight. Drain the beans in a colander, put them in a large pot, and add the ham hock and bay leaves, along with 12 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, mince the bacon and garlic together until they form a smooth paste. Add the mixture to the pot with the beans. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are soft, about 1 hour.
3. Rinse and drain the sauerkraut, and add it to the pot with the beans. Add the potatoes and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are barely soft, about 30 minutes.
4. Remove the potatoes to a large bowl and roughly mash them. Return them to the pot, and season the soup with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Partially cover the pot and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 20 more minutes. Remove the ham hock from the pot (pull off the meat and add it to the soup if you like), and discard the bay leaf.
