Ciorbă de fasole cu ciolan, Romanian bean soup in bread

Ingredients

• 1000 g dried white beans
• 3500 ml water
• 500 g fresh bone-in pork hock
• 300 g smoked pork ribs
• 1500 ml water
• 2 carrots (160 g total)
• 1 medium red onion (150 g)
• 1 leek
• white part only (100 g)
• 1 medium parsnip (100 g)
• 100 g celeriac
• 1 medium kapia pepper (150 g)
• 10 g Panacris-style aromatic iodized salt
• 1 g ground black pepper
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 200 ml tomato paste
• 10 small round loaves (100 g each)

Preparation

1. Pick through the beans to remove any debris and soak them in cold water for 8 hours. Drain and discard the water. 2. Put the beans and pork hock in the pressure cooker with 3500 ml of water. Close the cooker and cook for 60 minutes from the moment it starts whistling, until the beans soften. 3. Meanwhile, cut the smoked pork ribs into pieces and put them in a saucepan with 1500 ml of cold water. Simmer for 30 minutes over low heat, uncovered, then drain. 4. Finely chop the carrots, red onion, white part of the leek, parsnip, celeriac and kapia pepper. 5. Turn off the heat and release the pressure according to the cooker’s instructions. Open the lid only after the pressure has dropped completely. Add the vegetables, smoked pork ribs, 5 g of salt, pepper, bay leaves, tarragon, paprika and tomato paste. Close the cooker and cook for another 60 minutes from the moment it starts whistling, until the vegetables are soft. 6. Cut the tops off the loaves and scoop out the insides. Taste the soup and add the remaining 5 g of salt if needed. Serve hot in the prepared loaves.