Peasant-style soup with white beans
Description
Perfect for lunch. A strong broth is the foundation of a good soup. In this recipe, I recommend using pork hocks—either whole or with some meat cut off, leaving a bit of meat on the bone and the skin. Thanks to browning the bones and adding white wine, the broth will be rich and concentrated, even without excess meat. Although the soup takes a long time to cook, it requires minimal hands-on attention. Serve with fresh herbs and sour cream.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Cut the knuckle into pieces. Sear in an oiled saucepan with a thick bottom until a golden crust forms. Add half an onion and one carrot, coarsely chopped, and sauté until browned.
- 2
Step 2
Pour in the wine and reduce it by half over high heat. Then lower the heat, add 2 liters of water, and simmer the broth over the lowest heat without boiling for 2 hours. After an hour of cooking, add the celery stalks, one raw onion, coarsely crushed pepper, and cloves. Season with salt and continue cooking. Then remove the broth from the heat and let it cool almost completely, allowing it to steep. You can leave the broth overnight.
- 3
Step 3
Before continuing preparation, strain the broth carefully through a sieve or cheesecloth. Remove the meat from the bones and cut it into pieces. Discard the vegetables from the broth.
- 4
Step 4
Cut the vegetables into large cubes. Sauté the onion and garlic, then add the carrots and peppers, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften. Then add the tomato halves and simmer for a couple of minutes.
- 5
Step 5
Dice the turnip into small cubes and blanch it well in a colander. Cut the pumpkin into large cubes. Soak the white beans for 4–5 hours and boil them until almost done. It's convenient to do this simultaneously with preparing the broth. Add the beans, turnip, and pumpkin to the boiling broth.
- 6
Step 6
Bring to a boil again and add the sautéed vegetables. Turn off the heat, add bay leaf and thyme, cover the soup tightly with a lid, place a towel on top, and let it steep for about 20 minutes.
- 7
Step 7
Serve hot, with garlic bread and fresh herbs.