Romanian bean ciorbă with smoked pork hock

Name: Romanian bean ciorbă with smoked pork hock
Ingredients: 500 g dried beans; 1 kg smoked pork hock on the bone; 1500 ml water for blanching; 1 large onion (150 g); 1 medium carrot (100 g); 1 green kapia pepper (150 g); 5 g fresh thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns; 1 teaspoon salt; 2000 ml water for the soup; 100 g tomato paste or tomato juice; 15 g fresh parsley; 3 garlic cloves (optional)

Soups - Romanian bean ciorbă with smoked pork hock by Floarea F. - Recipia

Romanian bean ciorbă with smoked pork hock has soaked beans that cook under pressure for 40 minutes, turning out tender with a thick broth. The smoked hock and vegetables make it hearty, with a consistency somewhere between soup and bean stew. I choose beans that are as uniform in size as possible, because I like them to soften without half of them falling apart. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 55 minutes. Resting: 8 hours. Total time: 9 hours and 15 minutes. Serves: 6. About 560 kcal and 36 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

500 g dried beans
1 kg smoked pork hock on the bone
1500 ml water for blanching
1 large onion (150 g)
1 medium carrot (100 g)
1 green kapia pepper (150 g)
5 g fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
2000 ml water for the soup
100 g tomato paste or tomato juice
15 g fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves (optional)

Preparation

1. Soak the beans in cold water for 8 hours, then drain and rinse them. 2. Pat the hock dry with paper towels and cut it into portions. Boil it for 10 minutes in 1500 ml water, then discard the water. 3. Chop the onion, carrot and kapia pepper. Get the thyme and parsley ready; chop the parsley and garlic. 4. Put the beans and hock in the pressure cooker, then add the onion, carrot, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt and 2000 ml water. 5. Close the cooker and cook under pressure for 40 minutes. The beans should be tender and the meat should pull easily away from the bone. 6. Open the cooker according to its instructions and transfer the ciorbă to a clean pot. Add the tomato paste and parsley, then let it boil for 5 minutes. 7. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped garlic, if using.

Notes

The broth thickens as it sits. When reheating, you can thin it with a little water, added gradually. Smoked hocks can vary in saltiness, so taste the broth before adding more salt. Older beans may need more time under pressure, even after soaking, so check them before transferring the ciorbă to another pot. Follow the pressure cooker’s fill line for legumes, as beans foam and the pot should not be filled to the top. The ciorbă keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I serve it with raw onion or pickles, like a soupier bean stew.