Jota Sauerkraut Bean And Pork Soup Food

JOTA (BEAN AND SAUERKRAUT SOUP)

Steps:

• Place the cranberry beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight.
• Bring cranberry beans, pork, water, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to a boil in a large stockpot. Cover and simmer until beans are just tender, about 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and keep covered.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until dissolved, about 10 seconds. Scrape flour mixture into soup.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add cornmeal; cook and stir until well-combined, about 2 minutes more. Scrape onion mixture into soup. Return soup to simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beans have softened and flavors have combined, about 40 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook and stir until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut, cook and stir until liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes more. Stir sauerkraut mixture into soup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors combine, about 15 minutes more. Garnish with parsley.

JOTA: SAUERKRAUT, BEAN AND PORK SOUP

Steps:

• Bring the kidney beans to a boil in a large pot with plenty of salted water. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside for 1 hour.
• In a large casserole or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the pork well with salt and pepper and sear on all sides, working in batches if necessary, and remove the meat when it is browned. Add the speck, sage, parsley, and garlic and saute for 5 minutes before returning it to the casserole.
• Drain the beans and add them to the casserole with the stock and the sauerkraut and bring to a simmer. Cook the mixture slowly for 45 minutes, or until the pork is very tender and the beans are cooked through.
• Slowly sprinkle the polenta over the stew and stir constantly for 10 minutes, or until the polenta has expanded. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

SAUERKRAUT AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Bring the kidney beans to a boil in a large pot with plenty of salted water.
• Remove from the heat, cover and set aside for 1 hour.
• In a Dutch oven, heat oil over high heat, season the pork well with salt and pepper and sear on all sides, working in batches if necessary, and remove the meat when it is browned.
• Add the sage, parsley, and garlic and saute for 5 minutes before returning it to the casserole.
• Drain the beans and add them to the casserole with the stock and the sauerkraut and bring to a simmer.
• Cook the mixture slowly for 45 minutes, or until the pork is very tender and the beans are cooked through.
• Slowly sprinkle the polenta over the stew and stir constantly for 10 minutes, or until the polenta has expanded.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

JOTA TRIESTINA (BEANS AND SAUERKRAUT SOUP FROM TRIESTE)

Steps:

• Soak the beans: Soak the beans in abundant water overnight. (If you're pressed for time, you can use the 'quick soak' method-see Notes below.)
• Cook the beans and potatoes: The next day, in a large pot, simmer them with water to cover them amply with a bay leaf for an hour, or until tender. After about 30 minutes, add the potatoes to cook along with the beans. And when the beans are just about cooked, season them with salt.
• Cook the bacon and sauerkraut: After you have the beans on the simmer, you can turn to the sauerkraut. Rinse it well and, if like me you like your sauerkraut rather mild, let is soak for a few minutes in water. Now gently sauté the bacon in oil until it begins to render its fat, not letting it brown too much. Then add the onion and let it continue to sauté until the onion is translucent. Drain the sauerkraut, rinse it once more and then, squeezing handfuls of it with your hands, add it to the bacon and onion soffritto. Mix well, sprinkle with caraway seeds and a bit of salt, then add enough water to almost cover the sauerkraut. Cover and let simmer over very gentle heat until the water has almost evaporated. It should be done at about the same time as the beans.
• Assemble and simmer: Take one or two ladlefuls of the beans and potatoes and pass them through a food mill back into the pot. Then add the sauerkraut and mix everything together well. Simmer it all, over the gentlest possible heat, for another 30-60 minutes to let the flavors meld. (Recipes vary enormously on how long this final simmer should take-see Notes.) Make sure to stir from time to time to avoid scorching the by-now thick mixture. Add water to loosen the mixture to your taste.
• Add the pestà: About 15 minutes before the final simmer is over, sauté the garlic in the oil (or lard) until just lightly golden brown, then discard it. Add the flour to the oil and let it cook until it turns a light brown as well. Then add this mixture to the soup pot and mix well. (NB: If using minced salt pork, cook it first until the fat is well rendered before proceeding.)
• Resting: Although la jota can be eaten right away, it is much better when made ahead and reheated. It you have time, eat it the next day. But it benefits from even a few hours' rest, if you make it in the morning for lunch or supper.

SLOVENIAN BEAN AND SAUERKRAUT HOTPOT (JOTA)

Steps:

• Drain the soaked beans and place them in a large saucepan filled with cold water to cover by several inches. Bring to a boil and continue boiling briskly for 10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until beans are tender but not mushy. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, sauté the spareribs or bacon until the fat begins to render out. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until onion is golden, but not browned. Stir in stock, tomato paste, potatoes and sauerkraut. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes or until potatoes and sauerkraut are very tender and the mixture is thick.
• Remove pork, cut into bite-sized pieces and return to the saucepan along with the cooked beans and warm through, about 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings. Some cooks thicken their jota with a roux if it is too soupy. But this is a subjective matter and one person's idea of the proper thickness of a jota is definitely not another's. Serve it the way you like it.